By Joel A Moskowitz M D
DEL MAR, California –The recently ended San Diego County Fair brought to the ponderings of the famed Jewish writer, Isaac Bashevis Singer: “I believe there is such a thing as haunted houses and reincarnation and I don’t think there will ever or could be scientific evidence of it. For if there is, then there is no free choice. Free choice will disappear. If we were sure there is a hell and a purgatory, we would all become saints.”
As a psychiatrist accustomed to people with fears, I wondered what would induce persons to expose themselves to heart pounding fright experiences?
To hear from an expert, I interviewed Bob Meigs, current secretary of International Brotherhood of Magicians, Ring 76, San Diego.
Meigs volunteers that he has several alter egos; his badge carries the name “Igor.” In real life, he has earned a PhD in accounting, is married and has children. One of his sons, a Boy Scout, got Igor involved in setting up haunted houses (he has done this for the last seven years). His involvement with the San Diego County Fair relates to his passions for cars. He is the entrepreneur of the auto show at the Fair – owns 15 of his own, among which are a 1963 Corvette Split Window and a 1970 Plymouth Superbird (combined value of $175,000) In addition, “Igor” served as a consultant to the Scream Zone, and managed the ’24 minute magic show” daily and taught kids magic.
Meigs suggested his interests have in common the fact that they are blend of being outside the bounds of reality, are designed to trick the mind, and combine fantasy, imagination, ingenuity and entertainment. His haunted house is on a low budget. A recent purchase for a Frankenstein cost $3,000. With over 2000 estimated haunted houses in the U.S., complex animatronics may rise to $100,000 to $300,000. And all this to scare people.
Happily Meigs reports that he knows of no catastrophe in his haunting: no heart stoppage, no fainting, no loss of bodily fluids, no precipitate early pregnancy – no such undesirable outcome. Of course, his haunted house attracts a younger population: Seldom anyone over 30.
Giggling adolescent girls, he reports, thrive on going through and screaming, repeatedly, while adolescent males shun such displays and keep their ‘cool’. A sign at the entrance warns unhealthy people to avoid entering. This is mostly for effect, reveals Igor. The haunted house may be more dangerous for the ghouls who work there. Intensely and suddenly threatened persons may strike out defensively – punching and even biting the offending actor.
A quick exit is available (secret passage) so that in ten or fifteen seconds, highly distressed individuals may be brought back to the sanity of the midway. Hyperventilating and claustrophobia may be bette
It is hard to conceive of a county fair without thrill experiences.
Naturally, you would expect a society of like-minded professionals to band together and there is the Haunted House Association. Meigs is not a member but he subscribes to their periodical: Haunt World. Interested ghouls may seek mentors.
The biggest unknown is dying. Creators of haunted houses are masters of exploiting this anxiety, especially in a gruesome manner. The mood is set with sounds, smells, sights and tactile sensations that portend doom and ugliness.
To challenge and conquer this extreme fear is the attraction, especially when despite your cockiness, you realize you are not in charge. Turning fear into fun is predicated on the foreknowledge that you will escape unscathed at the end of the passage.
For some it is therapeutic but I, as a physician, would be hesitant to prescribe it as a cure. Returning to the sage words of Isaac Bashevis Singer and paraphrasing: visits to a haunted house are unlikely to turn you into a saint. Laughter and smiles will be your good fortune.
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Dr. Moskowitz is a freelance writer and retired physician. He may be contacted at joel.moskowitz@sdjewishworld.com