SOUTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The clock is ticking… and something seems amiss. Wrong. Eerie, even.
At least that appears to be the setup to a brand new promotional short film by Dorney Park, which aims to send shivers up your spine, and hopefully inspire a few people to check out the seasonal festivities at the South Whitehall township amusement park.
“Tick Tick Tick,” premiered on YouTube at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct.1, showcasing a novel approach to advertising Dorney's seasonal Halloween Haunt with a frightening narrative, and a little suggestion to pick up one of the park’s Gold Passes.
In the short, a group of four friends catches a television advertisement for the Halloween Haunt, capping off the spot with a creepy clown holding a ticking watch and a screen reading “FEAR IS WAITING.”
When one character, Noah, states, “That… looks… awesome. We should go tonight!” he is vetoed by his pals, two of whom have a date night, with the other more interested in her video game.
As one woman prepares to go out, her boyfriend continues watching TV, though something appears to be a bit off. The TV malfunctions, and once he turns it off, he notices something on the ground: a Gold Pass for Dorney Park.
And then the terror sets in.
Five minutes of frights
One by one, the troop is subject to their own specific frights, all pre-empted by the eerie sound of a ticking clock and the sudden appearance of a Gold Pass, followed by a terrifying scene inspired by some celebrated horror flicks.
Clocking in at just about five minutes, the short is a quick watch but showcases some solid jump scares and well-placed comedic bits before an amusing resolution.
Featuring a horrifying clown who just might have stepped right out of the park’s Carnevil scare zone, the short film is a fun taste of the spectacles that await visitors to the Halloween Haunt.
"By creating our first-ever short film, we are able to bring the thrills and excitement of our Halloween attractions directly to our fans, before they visit the park in person,"Ryan Eldredge
Dorney Park Communications Director Ryan Eldredge said the film was created to “take our Halloween celebrations to the next level.”
"By creating our first-ever short film, we are able to bring the thrills and excitement of our Halloween attractions directly to our fans, before they visit the park in person," Eldredge said.
And once they hit up the Halloween Haunt, visitors can see the return of favorite attractions from the past — including the aforementioned Carnevil, along with Port of Call, Midway Misfits, The Hollow and Dystopia and more.
One of the newest and scariest spectacles is FORGE YOUR FeAR, which builds upon the lore of the park’s latest roller coaster, Iron Menace, and the old-time steel baron Hiram S. McTavish.
While riding Iron Menace at night is unnerving enough, finding the eerie McTavish and his undead workers roaming the grounds around the coaster amplifies the experience.
Halloween Haunt runs Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 27, along with HAUNT Sundays on Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27.
