Shipwreck: Halloween Terror Fest Comes Ashore in Long Beach

The costumed ghoul who's having pea-green makeup applied to her face has - fittingly enough - just gulped down a can of Monster energy drink and now has 160 milligrams of caffeine coursing through her veins.

The chemical jolt has her pumped for the evening's activities. She's dying to get to work. We're packed into one of the makeup rooms at the Queen Mary in Long Beach where Shipwreck: Halloween Terror Fest is about to get underway. Jessica Westerfield is a theater arts major at Cal State Long Beach and is among the 130 or so CSLB students who are volunteering their weekend evenings during the month of October to perform in one of five Halloween mazes.

Jessica will join a dozen or so other undead "patients" settling in to haunt the brand new "Isolation Ward" maze, and her goal is to scare visitors who dare to tour the darkened fright zone deep within B deck aboard the Queen Mary.

Her game plan is to jump out and scream at unwary passengers stumbling around in the dark. Later on that evening, her theatrics pay off. "Omigod!" an older woman shrieks as the formerly attractive Jessica emerges from the pitch-blackness in front of her. Truly scary stuff. And if you think hiding behind the passengers in front of you will lessen the terror, think again. There are disadvantages in being in front, but bringing up the rear is no walk in the park. Many of these zombies and ghouls have learned how to sneak up on stragglers, and it's creepy enough to get you moving quickly along the ill-defined corridors.

The Queen Mary's original "Isolation Ward" was located here, intended for passengers and crew members diagnosed with communicable diseases. But since few passengers came down with infectious diseases aboard ship, the 10 bunks were mostly used in the 1930s and 1940s to house stowaways.

It's doubtful the spirits on display opening night were the ghosts of stowaways past, seeing as they were garbed in hospital gowns, straitjackets and gallons of blood and gore. Some carried babies and sobbed uncontrollably; others appeared to be in dire need of a sedative. Maybe a bunch of sedatives. All of the student actors performed as if lives depended on it, and maybe they did.

Shipwreck at the Queen Mary has a new look in this, its 15th season. Matthew Gavin, president of The Gridlock Group and a former set designer with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television show, has refurbished the five mazes, replacing the "boring black boxes" of former years with professional sets that should impress the most seasoned fright-night aficionado.

In addition to the new "Isolation Ward," other mazes aboard the 75-year-old cruise ship that have been renovated and revampired, include "Blackbeard's Revenge," with a dozen or so "Aaaaarrrrgggging" pirates in truly impressive professional makeup and garb. "Paranoia's House of Horror," also located aboard ship, is a cleverly crafted maze highlighted by characters from classic horror movies.

"Vampire Village", situated on the grounds just north of the Queen Mary, features a realistic set and enthusiastic bloodsuckers. And "The Graveyard" is new to the Halloween event, offering pop-up surprises from out of the fog.

A big highlight for many who attend these Shipwreck nights is the opportunity to wander around portions of the majestic Queen Mary - which long has had a reputation of being a haunted vessel in its own right. Evening views of the Long Beach skyline and the lights bouncing off the harbor waters makes for a brief respite from the horror of the mazes.

After you've made the rounds of the five walk-through mazes, Halloween on the harbor continues with a food court, merchandisers, a nightclub called "Club Dead" in the massive Queen Mary Dome, a costume store, make-up artists, psychics and tarot card readers.

Shipwreck: Halloween Terror Fest continues this Friday and Saturday night, as well as October 22, 23 and 24, and October 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and November 1. Hours are from 7pm to midnight - later some nights. General admission is $29 per person and you can get a VIP Fast Pass (good for cut-in-line privileges) for $40. Parking is $15.

For more information, call 562-435-3511, or visit www.shipwreckhalloween.com. The Queen Mary is located at 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach.

The views expressed on this post are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Place Media.