# Marrow House 2012 - Geisterbahn



## Marrow (Feb 23, 2011)

My third annual Halloween window display, this time themed around an abandoned ghost train, a witch and two dead twins:

The ghost train stood in the center of the abandoned amusement park, flooded in moonlight. The wooden beams holding up the front facade had begun to collapse. The once vibrant skeletons and ghouls that adorned the walls and roofs were now cracked and faded. Ivy crawled over the walls. Trees had grown up through the holes in the rotting floorboards, branches twisting through the tunnels and rooms. The years of rain and sea spray had rendered the building a sad ghost of its former self. There was no denying that the place was spooky. Most of the town kids had heard stories about the old ghost train being haunted, but very few knew the truth about what happened there many years ago, one fateful Halloween night. Rummaging through a pillowcase bloated with candy, Elliot's older brother, Owen, produced an orange flashlight. Holding the glowing torch beneath his face, features shadowed and skewed, he spoke in a deep and mysterious voice.

"On a dark Halloween night, many years ago, two kids - nine year old twins - were finishing up a long evening of trick-or-treating. Reluctant to call it a night, they decided to walk home through the amusement park. It was nearly closed, and they were the only kids there. That was when they spotted the ghost train. Neither of them had any money, so when the owner wasn't looking, they snuck into one of the carts, and disappeared into the darkness of the ghost train. And they never came out..."
Owen paused for a moment, and then, words dripping with melodrama, continued with the story. "They were halfway through the ride when the lights turned off and the cart crashed to a halt. As the twins sat in darkness, the owner, unaware that the twins were in the ride, locked up the ghost train and drove home. The mechanically locked seatbelts that lay tight across the twins' waists wouldn't budge an inch. As hard as they tried, they couldn't wriggle out of the cart. That night, the ghost train owner died in his sleep, and the ghost train was left to rot. And so were the twins..."

Elliot glanced over at the crumbling building, which now looked more like a tomb than a theme park ride.
"But the story doesn't end there. One November night, a witch laid eyes upon the empty ghost train and decided to take up residence there. I mean, what better a home for a witch than an abandoned ghost train? So she must have been delighted to find the two children waiting for her. No-one knows if they were dead by the time she got there. Some say they had died of starvation. Others say they were poisoned by the witch. And some say the witch slit their throats right open..." He grinned, running a finger from his left ear to his right.

"Well, eventually the entire theme park went under, and the rides were all shut down. Some of them have been demolished, but the ghost train remains. And so do the witch and the two dead twins... But on every Halloween night, every year, the witch brings them back to life. The twins, _and_ the ghost train. The lightbulbs glow with a supernatural energy. The rusting mechanisms jerk back to life. The ghost train props awaken, animatronics creaking into motion... And the twins, imprisoned in the rotting carcasses that used to be their bodies, are forced to ride the ghost train... Round and round, until sunrise..."

Owen clicked off the flashlight, and the two of them sat there in the murky darkness, hanging off the words, daring each other to move or speak. A cold breeze blew over the park, and a strange sound drew their attention to the ghost train. The structure began to glow with an eerie luminescence. Green light poured from the cracks and holes in the walls, projecting ghostly light onto the sea fog that now swirled around the building. The sounds of the ghost-train echoed through the twisting corridors and out into the chill Halloween night air. The scratching of rusty cogs grinding against each other. The screech of wheels scraping across metal tracks. And rising above the mechanical wails of the ghost train, the bone-chilling cackle of the witch.













































For a whole lot more photos, click here.​


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## murpup (Aug 1, 2011)

Wow! Really nice.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Great back stories and very nice props. Nice job!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:You have once again set a story and completed it with your wonderfully imaginative props. Your attention to detail is simply awe inspiring, and I can sit and look at your display for hours and find something new each time. It is like a new favorite movie that you want to watch over and over. Such a beautiful work of art in the creepiest aesthetic ever. Well done Marrow!


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

WOW.... Just Wow


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## scarrycher (May 30, 2012)

awsume story and window display..love it


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Really beautifully done! Love all the detail you put into the set and the story!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

Amazing display, you have a beautiful and unique style that looks absolutely fantastic with everything completed. Great job!


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## Rania (Sep 24, 2012)

Absolutely stunning work Marrow! Great photography too


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

Marrow, one of my favorite parts of your haunts are the stories - do you have a way of translating that to the Toters, or is that benefit lost to them? I have always struggled with how to get a story across, and am looking for tips! Regardless of the story, your haunt is always so creepy and just... chilling. Great work my friend!


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## Marrow (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks so much!
So glad you guys liked the display.

Dixie, I had a few posters in the window that hinted at the story:










The Trick-or-Treaters really loved piecing the puzzle together, and it was heartwarming to watch them pointing to the posters and props and exclaiming loudly as they unravelled the story. I paid a lot of attention to the dates and times in the posters so that it all fits together.


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## darkrosemanor (Oct 7, 2008)

Hauntingly Beautiful! Well done, Marrow - and the story is fantastic! Publish!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Great story! Great set up!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

You have the eye of a true artist, Marrow. The display is absolutely gorgeous and the attention to detail professional.

I particularly like the guy behind the Beware sign. Something about him is very appealing.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Wonderful use of limited space! And great sculptures, too.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Wow, nicely done!


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