Six Flags Great Adventure Haunted Castle Fire Part 2 of 5

[KissFanForever2012]

Quiet Riot, was the most popular band before they fell quickly. Golden Earring, was a great band. I grew up, with those bands.

I was at a Christian school, in 1984.

[xumihu]

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[johncase7777]

It's Quite Riots fault. It was one of there fans that started it.

[iangoblin71]

Seems the fire dept. is just as much to blame for the ridiculous mockery of a safety check. Who can u trust to safeguard lives against substandard safety if not "professional" firefighters??? Pathetic.

[280zxcowboys]

I remember this fire and the day after that was supposed to be a record attendance for the park. I later went on to work for Six Flags there for 3 summers and this fire was talked about often as well as the death on lightning loops.

[me112865]

Wow! That's pretty scary. I don't think I would ever get the courage up to let my daughter go there. I went back one and cried the whole time I was there. Never again will my family ever go back there. Hey you say that you graduated in 1986? Did you know Kathy Rowan, AnnMargaret Sacco or Sharon Viscup? They were all in the group that I was with on 5/11/84. Kathy is my cousin.

[me112865]

I was there on 5/11/1984. My classmates died in that damn fire. Does anyone know how painful that was for the families and friends and still is? 27 years has passed and everyone who was attending Franklin K Lane HS in Brooklyn NY remembers where they were and what they were doing the exact time they either saw the fire or even if they were at home. We had a huge loss that day. So plese STOP arguing!

[Dukette100]

@me112865

I was also there that day, Lane Class of '86. Remember that day as if it was yesterday. Thinking about it tonight because my son went there on a HS class trip today. I haven't been back there since 5/11/84.

[zac613]

@Dukette100 i know this is late but....your son is safe and the park pretty much got rid of almost all of their flat rides.it's a shame of all the deaths that has happened in that park. No wonder the park closed off the area where the Haunted Castle was.... the spirits r pissed at the park for covering up the deaths and making it seem like the deaths never happened.

[eubanky2112]

i was there that day i was 22 my friends and i were on our way in when we saw flames and we were pushed back and he fire got bigger nobody knew anyone was in the castle so many thought it was cool. ill tell you it took forever for the fire trucks to get there. after 30 mins they gave us free passes to got all vistors out never telling anybody had died in there.

[yourdickdrips]

did the boy with the lighter and quiet riot tshirt ever surface?

[twilightstar302]

this gave me nightmares..

[luisrox94]

Apparently, Great Adventure was planning to removed the Haunted Castle at the end of the 1984 and replace it with a haunted house in a permanent building instead of trailers. But the plans were scrapped when the fire occured.

[jackbuster]

@luisrox94 Wow! What news I ALREADY KNOW. Gee,does this fact change anything? I'd say, "NO!" They said that EVERY year. Talk about PROPOSING to close the barn door after the horse got out!

[gonzaeri000]

this is my qeston why did they not get perment place in stead of trilers

[Sauga27]

tragic!! Are you a homosexual? lol!! no offence to the tragic event!!!

[trumprosie]

I Remember One Of My Good Friends Telling Me He Knew The Students From Franklin K. Lane H.S. In Brooklyn & That He Had Lost One Of His Best Friend's In This Fire As Well As A Few H.S. Aquaintances....

[cannibalelvis]

I love the page wipes in the first part of the video. It really made me believe this film was from 1985 I was shocked to read this is from 2003!!!!!

[jackbuster]

Right outside where the exit would be was the moat, like a large pond. To put a door there would have conflicted with the look.

[jackbuster]

I think the scariest part is the location where they all died: nowhere to escape.

[Lyubov91]

@jackbuster When I toured the castle 2 years before the tragedy, I noticed right away how unsafe it was. You're right: there weren't enough emergency exits. The castle was dark and very scary, and I wanted to get out right away but couldn't because of the lack of exits.

[jackbuster]

Suzette is the soul survivor from her group, who all perished but her. There were others in the castle at the time, that's for sure, so there certainly are other "survivors", but none quite like Suzette, trapped like a caged rat.

[jackbuster]

Yes, she kept it for about 10 years, and then disposed of it: sort of like a "letting go" ritual.

[jackbuster]

The rover was supposed to follow behind the groups and push them along.

[jackbuster]

More than one person thinks that.

[gonzaeri000]

is the area where they died hunted?

[jackbuster]

I believe it is. I brought paranormal investigators and psychics to the location, and they think the same thing. Good thing is that, according to the psychic, all the ghosts know me well, and protect me when I go there, which I'm happy about, as it's a real viper-pit.

[NICKJSELGDAVIDHJENS]

hahahahaha! @ 2:52, the date was exactly 12 years before I turned 6 months old. but whatever. I know it's frivolous.

[unlimitedfunlol]

the music is damn scary

[Lyubov91]

Yes it is, especially the music that plays at the very end of Part 5.

[ryanthescooterguy]

The Quiet Riot shirted boy would have started the fire with a cigarette lighter.

[TruKriegsaffeNo9]

Only 100 dollars to buy an entire attraction? Man, that thing must've been cheap as all hell...

[unlimitedfunlol]

I could have bought that by myself like 5 times over

[Jitterbugie]

My dad went to Franklin K Lane, & he was there the day this happened. He knew some of the kids who died. Hmm.

[glassineheart]

getting someone else to do the narration would have been a REALLY GOOD idea. his accent is mad distracting.

[Lyubov91]

Hey, I'm from Philly. I'm not complaining. :P My accent is similar to his. :P

[glassineheart]

if you want a documentary to sell well and to get you somewhere, it's generally a good idea to use someone who speaks with what we call 'American English' or a neutral accent. regional accents often put a spin on your doc that you don't want to be there. jack is just too fat headed to take himself out of the mix because he thinks this is going to make him a superstar. which it hasn't.

[Lyubov91]

Hey!  Jack is cool! :)

[Lyubov91]

I have to admit I really like this documentary regardless of whatever flaws it has, probably because I toured the Haunted Castle almost exactly two years before it burn down, and let me tell you, it was a scary place in more ways than one.

[analyzingfunny]

@glassineheart It is Satanist dickheads like yourself, that says shit like this. Other Satanist dickheads installed video games like "escape the haunted house fire".

[Lyubov91]

I wondered the same thing. I would certainly have held onto it.

[jackbuster]

I believe was titled "Fire at the Cocoanut Grove", although there are 3-5 other books I recall seeing and reading over the years. As a writer of a disaster book, I have read so many others over the years. A particular favorite of mine is "To Sleep With The Angels", about the 1958 Chicago school fire. I also liked the book at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in 1977. It was written by a guy named Ron Elliott, told through the eyes of Wayne Dammert, a waiter in the club.

[bradhig]

Have you read any books about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire or the Hartford Circus fire?

[Truckguy1970]

Jackbuster,have you ever seen the movie called "The Towering Inferno?,this stroy sort of reminds me of that movie.

[jackbuster]

Yes, I've read books on both. In fact, my friend, Don Massey, is the author of a book called: A Matter of Degree: The Hartford Circus Fire and the Mystery of Little Miss 1565.

[bradhig]

I have that same book. Sad story about little miss 1565. There is a book out about the station nightclub fire "From the Ashes, Surviving the Station Nightclub Fire".

[jackbuster]

Yes, I've read books on both. In fact, my friend, Don Massey, is the author of a book called: A Matter of Degree: The Hartford Circus Fire and the Mystery of Little Miss 1565.

[deathbleach45]

well it wasnt all sixflags fault they were trying to make it safer

[jackbuster]

Oh really? How were they trying to make it safer, I ask???

[bradhig]

What was the point of the high actor stage if no one went up there?

[jackbuster]

I imagine they built it with the anticipation of using it, but never did. In Seaside Heights, the actor stage was at eye level, and they did live performances on it, as it was a pay-as-you-go on the Casino Pier, versus pay-one-price-at-the-gate at Great Adventure. At SFGA, they didn't need to entice people like they did in Seaside.

[compozer76]

I was there in 1984. we just got off the ferris wheel and I wanted to go in the haunted house. I heard screaming and saw flames. I remember a cover band in the food court trying to get everyone's attention off the fire as she sang...??? Dolly Parton covers??? It was a scary day. I was 8 years old.

[LauraaRichT]

Bless you . I hope you didn't know anyone who was in that castle

[jackbuster]

The only person I know is Suzette, and I didn't know here until 2000.

[jackbuster]

They didn't look like much. They had railings, and a small area for the actor to sit. Other than that, I don't recall any real decorations. The areas were darkened, so that you couldn't see the live actor until you got right up to it.

[98bennyj]

@compozer76 that must have been terrifying. u must be lucky to have not gone in earlier...... certainly a deathtrap though

[BWEEBLAST]

@compozer76 .... the 80's scare me... :( .... why were there so many fuck ups back then???? sheesh..

[BDOUG23]

@BWEEBLAST There aren't fuck ups now???? Do you ever read the news? The 80's were a nice time to grow up.

[johncase7777]

@BDOUG23 Ya your right. All the gangs and crack made it better.

[BDOUG23]

@johncase7777 Stay in school man. You mean YEAH and YOU'RE not YA and YOUR. Illiterate fucks these days.

[Rollercoaster22]

i work in a haunted house right now. and i just have to say. if they had everything they have inside the haunted houses today, everyone would of made it out. there is emergency exits all over even guests go throw them when they aren't supposed to.

[jackbuster]

Every safety feature required in a haunted house attraction today is a direct result of the Haunted Castle fire, which was investigated by the National Fire Protection Association. The official name of such a place is a "Special Amusement Building."

[snakes3425]

there's an old saying: expect the best, but prepare for the worst. Things are safer now yes, but unless people remember exactally what went wrong at the Haunted Castle, history will simply repeat itself, and the scariest thing is next time, things could be far worse then they were in 1984

[skppy1225]

Why didn't they just use tour guides?

[jackbuster]

At first they did have tour guides, but that fell by the way when SFGA Show Operations took over the day to day running of the Haunted Castle. That night, they had a "rover", but he was not in the proper spot when the fire broke out.

[jackbuster]

never

[EpcotFan]

Thank god!!! Death trap from day one.

[bfs7999766]

I think this WHOLE situation should of been avoided, That kid should of been checked since he was KNOWN to cause fires to start. They should NEVER of built something over this site.

[jackbuster]

All true.

[bradhig]

It could have been much worse if both mazes were open. People in the blue maze wouldn't have known about the fire until smoke and fire entered it.

[jackbuster]

Possibly, but the blue side was not touched by the fire for a period of time long enough to where they could have easily evacuated it. However the blue side was closed this night. It was not busy enough, and there was a hole in the floor of one of the trailers I am told that needed to be fixed before peak season.

[bradhig]

Why were there soo many assaults at Phantom and Hunchback and not Butcher or the other stations? Were people jumping into the actor hiding stations or were the assaulting actors as they jumped out ?

[jackbuster]

Butcher was wider and longer than either Phantom or Hunchback, giving the actors a better chance to stand back from the crowd. Aside from the portrait, which was seldom manned, especially in later years, there were no other manned spots, save at the very end, a place called "Graveyard", but that seldom was manned either.

[bradhig]

What was the point of the roll barrel windows was there something painted on the roll barrel?

[jackbuster]

The barrel was painted with green and orange florescent paint that illuminated with the nearby blacklight. Again, this is why the area is often referred to as hunchback/blacklight.

[bradhig]

Did the barrel survive the fire?

[jackbuster]

Nothing survived the fire, save a very small portion of the caves.

[Truckguy1970]

There wasn't nothing left of anything,even the metal on the trailers was actually burning with flames.

[kingdaka124]

I don't think so.

[kingdaka124]

What did the rest of the castle look like after strobe hall?

[bradhig]

Six Flags St. Louis had a similar walkthrough attraction called Haunted House that was also made of truck trailers. I think it was removed after the fire at GA in 1984. Anyone know if it was designed by the same people that built the Haunted Castle and what happened to the one at seaside heights?

[jackbuster]

I am almost certain that the Mahana's of New Jersey built the St. Louis house also. There also was a Mahana haunted house at Riverside Park in Mass, later Six Flags New England.

All were removed shortly after the G.A. fire.

[jackbuster]

The person who led us out was a costumed actor, not a rover as far as I remember. A rover was meant to trail each group and make sure nobody smoked, lit lighters or hung out. A rover was working on 5-11-84, but was not doing the job correctly, at as far as the initial safety plan from the Mahanas. He claimed to have been doing other assigned duties at the time. All this will be in my book

[ROCKSTARPAINT]

thanx 4 the six flag vid jack buster its amazing thing i didnt knw these fact

[BigTylerAustin]

Was it the kid with the Quiet Riot shirt on?

[skppy1225]

Was the organ that was played in the video the same music that played in the Castle?

[jackbuster]

No, but it was quite similar.

Pete Smith, filmmaker..

[jackbuster]

Although I could have animated the entire castle, it was cost prohibitive. After the strobe room, patrons turned into a room with a Frankenstein display, then crossed through a series of diagonals that led to the caves. From the caves, it was a straight shot through to the roll barrel, then past graveyard, and out.

[kingdaka124]

Was Frankenstein an actor?

[jackbuster]

No. The manned stations (in order): Butcher, Hunchback, Phantom and sometimes there was an actor stationed at "Graveyard" at the very end.

Rat Lady, Coffin, Lady on Wheel & Frankenstein were displays behind plexiglass.

[kingdaka124]

What did phantom and Hunchback look like?

[jackbuster]

Suzette was the sole survivor from the group who perished. There were other groups in the castle at the time, a group ahead of them, who passed the fire and escaped, and at least one group behind them that had just entered the first of the trailers. They were sent back to the main entrance, coughing in the thickening smoke. This is mentioned in the film. I am not sure if they person claiming to be a survivor is from this group. Perhaps he is. Thanks. Pete Smith, filmmaker

[BigTylerAustin]

The kid who started the fire had a quiet riot shirt on, at least he has good taste in music.

[willow2947]

BOYCOTT 6 FLAGS...

[jackbuster]

Even I don't boycott them, even though they have boycotted me by throwing me out of media day. (Pete Smith, filmmaker)

[richdec30]

gone but not forgotten.

[elsoda]

i am sorry...i was there, i saw what happened and i left before the whole place was consumed. thats all, its over and i just want to move on like i have been doing..

[kingdaka124]

Why was there a blacklight at the hunchback station?

[jackbuster]

The walls in this area were painted with photosensitive paint, in the colors of green and orange. The blacklight highlighted the paint.

[elsoda]

i am a survivor of the fire, everything said here is accurate. very painful to watch, but its a must.

[pika23]

i heard that too...also the screams of the dying people...were mistaken for a sound effects tape...how God awful

[jackbuster]

From what I heard, people who congregated near the front of the castle during the first few minutes of the fire could hear screaming and pounding from inside the paper thin walls between trailers and the facade. Although some had said they thought it was the soundtrack, the sound track was only organ music, whistles, high-pitched noises, but no sustained screaming and banging.

[jasper153]

Wow that is the same stand me my mom and brother stopped at because my mom wanted a drink we sat down at the tables with the umbrelas to and had a view of the castle as it looked like a stunt with smoke comming from the top of the castle.

I will never forget that day at great adventure

[KyleRockafella]

They mean pleasing to the eye as fas as the outside of the building...NOT in the event of an emergency...Just the door being there. Kinda like wearing a helmet. It's safe, but it just doesn't look "cool"

This is the idea.

[jmfoxfire]

where is Six Flags Great Adventure Haunted Castle Fire Part 6???????????????????????

[1984montemaniac]

I can swear the newspaper reports state that the boy lit his lighter because a light bulb was missing and he couldn't see. Also how far was the barrel windows from the ignition point? Great documentary.

[theKooksss]

i always had wondered what the haunted castle looked like, since i am always at great adventure now. I was born in the 90's so i wouldnt know, so i am glad i watched this.

[gusbraden]

I'm from Point pLeasant I was there that day of the fire what a tragedy!! thankyou for this documentary.

I will never forget that day. I was 18 years old and when I go back to six flags I will always remember that day,

[notluved]

wow, um.... damn.