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The Story of CASTLE DRACULA, Wildwood, New Jersey
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2024
- Castle Dracula was a combination walk-through/boat ride dark attraction located on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. The attraction was built by the Nickels family and opened in July of 1977. After terrifying millions of visitors for over two decades, the castle burned to the ground on January 16th, 2002. This documentary was produced by brothers Bill and Seph Cherkasky.
Bob Dorian, the voice of Dracula in the attraction, was also the voice of the recording in Evil Dead that started the haunting.
Very cool!
oh shit wait he was Dr Knowbey or the "JOIN USSS" demon?
@@realmoviefactsnotfakeHe was Dr Knowby on the tape.
@@caligulathegod fuckin sick dude.
And the host of AMC/TMC classic movie channel
I live in Philly and was born in 1970 ... My entire youth was spent down in the Wildwoods and Castle Dracula and Brigantine castle were awesome .. Such great memories ...
Bs. You live at Harvey's lake 183 Queen of peace if anyone needs to know who super root is
Anybody who was there knows, If you started at the north end of the boardwalk and made your way south, the creepy billboard seemed to summon visitors to the eerie red glow of the castle window while Toccata and Fugue in D Minor played on loop to the awesome foreboding structure that was Castle Dracula. I was happy taking pictures with 1989 Batman at the castle gates until I was "Brave" enough to enter. Thank you so much for a cherished childhood flashback!!!
What's creepy is 4 of the 4 lights I found you put in my house were resoldered to start a fire as you leave poems of love written by dead people from the area, who definitely didn't write poems
Boy the memories. 2 punks destroy that amazing legacy…for what? Nothing can bring it back now. Just sad. 2 nitwits, a flame…millions of folks lost their summer attraction. Great tribute video however. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
They'll never say never. Sure, it can be restored.
It's rumored the owners of Splash Zone paid them to do it.
@@davel9252 The more I hear the details the more it looks like Arson.
@@garethmorgan8326 It's a long story. Shirt version is the owners of Splash Zone wanted the land to build Splash Zone. Owners of Dracula's Castle wouldn't sell. So they paid two delinquents to burn it down. After all, Splash Zone opened the following season
*short
Wildwood has had a lot of devastating fires, but the fire that took Castle Dracula was the worst. This was an icon. I had been going to Wildwood since 1979, virtually my whole life. A lot of memories burned that day.
Ironically despite the fires its home to NJ’s annual firefighter convention
I remember the year Thay opened. It was a huge draw . Like code violation big lines
@@aaronvurgason8547And it’s one hell of a party
You are that older paralegal across the street. Wtf is wrong with you
@@donkeyboy585I heard it's in your mouth and everyone's coming 🤔
My dad responded to the Mars ride fire and this one. Growing up, I could ONLY go into this ride because he knew the layout and he was more confident in the safety measures Castle Dracula took. I remember being told while still in class that it was on fire. We wanted to know who did it but consensus from our teachers and the adults who actually knew the jerks was that we had the potential to do some actual harm. And yeah, we would have. This place was pretty special.
For a lot of us, we had friends and family that worked here for a summer or two. And I remember, without fail, every summer of being absolutely terrified while walking past the thing. The showmanship was great and what truly made it spooky.
This is by far the best amusement park documentary ever!
Thanks! Check out our Brigantine Castle Documentary too! ua-cam.com/video/4r2mkdWLRs0/v-deo.htmlsi=Qjm1eYxvLjtd1U5y
also check out Kennywood memories
@@marshalljimduncancheck out the foam you stuffed in my speakers with resistors to start a fire in a contained box with no oxygen which makes combustion impossible, oh yea, you probably did last week when you stole my phone and my salt or the month prior when you filled an Altoids can with used motor oil
@@HackedbyapacheWriter wtf, I never stole your salt!
@@marshalljimduncan Whatare you going on about, doctor beat?
Some of my favorite memories are visiting the castle/dungeon ride as a child. I feel bad for people that are too young to have witnessed the golden years for dark rides.
Great doc!
Wow... I spent every summer in Wildwood from 1978 to 1985... I also worked on Morey's pier as Luke Skywalker on the Star Wars ride! Your Castle Dracula documentary was stupendous! I so recall that amazing ride and the simpler times and memories of being a kid on those boards! Thanks for sharing this and the memories it instilled.
Thank you for the comments!
Skywalker...this is Solo! We were so ahead of our time, Galaxy's Edge wishes it had the heart we did!
The Star Wars ride that used to be Star Trek vs Planet of The Apes?
Solo! The Force is strong in you! Give Chewie my regards!!! My two sons are super Star Wars fans! We were way ahead of our time. Warp Speed!!! May the Force be with you!
I went on that Star Wars ride all the time in the 80s. I remember Luke Skywalker, it was probably you
I live in Wildwood. This castle is still sorely missed. Most of the kids I grew up with, at one time or another, worked at the castle.
Back in the 80s a guy jumped in our boat. It was just me and a friend. When the boat exited the dude got fired. We felt terrible.
I worked at the castle in 93’ and it was the best summer of my life
What a great tribute to such an attraction that was undoubtedly the best of them all with narration by family members that through time, helped change the face of Wildwood, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists through the years and giving them fond memories of the excitement of the Wildwood boardwalk. I remember fighting the fire as a volunteer fireman and the tragedy that took place that day when losing a fixture of the Wildwood boardwalk. The documentary was well orchestrated and to that end, thank you to the Nickels family for sharing.
Thank you!
Thank you for putting together this incredible tribute to one of the happiest memories of my childhood. This place was an absolute treasure! The photo of the man and the little boy (26:53) was taken by my grandfather... the little boy is me, and the man in the Rolling Rock shirt is my dad. I almost teared up when I saw it. Thank you again!.🧛♂
Thank you so much for the generous donation to our channel! Are you Bill S? If so, you sent us that photo back in 2008. I'm glad we were able to help you relieve some cherished childhood memories. Take care!
William Schweitzer... that's me. I remember that I sent you guys a bunch of photos from my family's Wildwood vacations. If I find any more, I'll be sure to scan them and submit them.@@DarkinthePark
Yep, you sent us several great photos. If you find anymore, please email us! @@neonrocketship
Awesome Bro
This is a great tribute to the great late Castle Dracula. I was sick to my stomach the day it burned. I found out when I went to the now defunct Anthony's Boardwalk site and saw the news and picture of it smoking from the air. At least I went through it and the Dungeon boat ride several times in the mid-late 90's. And audio taped the inside in Aug 1995 and June 1996, and videotaped the outside at night in June 1998.
Thanks Robert!
I grew up in Riverside,NJ. My Grandparents took me every summer to Wildwood and let me bring a friend. The first time I had seen Castle Dracula was 1981. I was 11 years old. It changed my life. I was obsessed with it. The only reason I loved going to Wildwood was because of the castle. I loved when the robotic Dracula would slide out and give his speech. I used to stand there and wait for him to come out. I recorded him with a tape recorder. I still have the audio recordings of the castle. I put them on a CD. I remember Castle Frankenstein. My Grandmom took a pic of me standing by it but it was not in operation. I am sure Castle Dracula was way better. Awesome memories we all have. Those 2 young teens may have taken away our castle but they can never take away our memories.
Hey , grew up in Riverton , here ...Aint been there in 18 years
I'm from Canada and wasn't even born when the castle was in full swing but your video seems to be finding the right audience of theme park enthusiasts! Great little doc about an attraction that must have been very loved. Great narrator's voice as well.
Thanks!
Im 54 and I loved Wildwood back in the day! I've been in Dracula's Castle many times so many great memories at the beach and on the boardwalk.. man!..those were the days! Thanks for the memories!
Doggone it !
This was my favorite haunt in the early eighties.
Fast forward to 2009, I wanted to take my new Bride to the Castle on our honeymoon. I hadn't been to WW since '85. Didn't know about the fire, the Castle website led me to believe it was still in operation. We walked up and down the whole boardwalk looking for it. No dice. Asking locals and learned it had burnt down.
Heartache.
Thanks for the video trip down memory lane !
Wife now sees what I was talking about all those years ago.
As a haunted attraction afficionado, Castle Dracula will always be the benchmark I compare others to, and none has ever met the mark.
That castle has proven to be irreplaceable. But I’d love to see a new spooky castle inspired by Draculas.
He says it's bran
Grand documentary! I hope you find the time to do many more like this one; I could feel the excitement of when the castle project was just getting started, this is pure gold 🙂
Great job with the documentary! My parents started going to Wildwood with my family when she was pregnant with me in 1979. We spent every summer there until 2001. I am glad that in the mid to late 90s I got up the courage to finally go in with my friends. Unfortunately, I only went through a handful of times. Maybe one day we will see a recreation.
This was the greatest haunted castle I've ever been in. I am saddened that I was never able to take my nieces to this amazing experience. Thank you for priceless memories.
Grew up in North Wildwood in the 70's and early 80's. What a time and place to be a kid!
North Wildwood, then you would have known my uncle's place. Moore's Inlet.
My favorite atttraction of Wildwood. I miss Castle Dracula.😢
Storyteller narrates about Dracule castle? What a day!
Very nice to see this. In about 1980 or so, my dad was a performer here. He worked the castle walkthrough part and said that his favorite thing to do was be the guy who leapt out of the portrait in the front opening.
Well then your dad scared me several times when i was a kid!
That was awesome! Thanks for sharing. Such great memories and a huge part of my family vacation in Wildwood every August in the 80's. Was heartbroken when Castle Dracula burned to the ground. I will never forget the boat ride and how scared I would get going into that attraction but I did it every summer!!
Awesome documentary .... Castle Dracula was a must see everytime I went to Wildwood as a kid.....Miss it alot!
This video popped up on my feed. I remember this castle so well. I was young and scared going through it but loved it. Thank you for sharing this video
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!! I SO MISS THIS PLACE!!!!!
I live in Canada, but I went to Wildwood twice in the late 80s/early 90s when I was 8-9 years old, and Castle Dracula was one of the most memorable things of those two summers! I remember there were some blank white mannequin head that had moving faces projected onto them in a few spots, and something about how weird/surreal the effect was freaked me out as a kid!
I grew up in Wildwood. this is and will forever be my favorite dark ride and the thing I looked fwd to most every summer
Sad that nothing like this exists today that isn’t at Disney or universal. Wish I was alive to see this when it was there
Independent amusement parks still exist :) as well as unique roadside oddities and attractions
I used to go to cape may/ wildwood every summer growing up. My fathers family helped build much of cape may, but every time we went to wildwood i always had to go to the castle then the dungeon. Was an amazing attraction and was very sad when i heard about the fire. Awesome video. Brought back so many forgotten memories
I miss this castle and the boat ride too! 💜😎
Thank you so much for this!!!!! I loved that Castle and miss it and it's memories.
Thanks for this. Many great memories from Wildwood. 👍
I have fond memories of Wildwood in the 1960's when my grandfather had a bungalow in West Wildwood. It was so nice back then. Now it's overdeveloped; even West Wildwood. My only connection to the shore is my brother who has a small house on Reeds Beach.
I was almost 10 when the castle opened. I loved both parts. I still have a Dracula's Castle pamphlet and a mini flyer that looks like a $10 bill on one side and castle advertising on the back.
The greatest attraction in wildwood history
Fantastic Documentary. Brought back so many memories for me as a kid. This, by far, was one of the most unique attractions Wildwood had to offer!! Take care and God Bless.
OMG thank you for this trip to so many wonderful memories at the castle. Every summer in the 70s 80s and 90s my family vacationed at Wildwood. My favorite was the dungeon ride!
This brings back a lot of memories. We went to Wildwood pretty much every summer. Never had the courage to go to Castle Dracula. Terrific video.
Excellent documentary! Started going to wildwood in the late 80s.. I was a young kid and my parents would take us down every year for the fireman’s convention in early September.. we would walk the boardwalk every night and we would have to walk past castle dracula on the way to Photon. When we would get to the corner of the boardwalk and we could see the castle we used to get a pit in our stomachs from the excitement and fear . The music playing is something I will never forget and just hearing it in the beginning makes me feel like I can smell the boardwalk .. It brings back such great memories of spending those days with my family and friends .. Thanks for the great memories!
A lot of memories there and its unfortunate when I think of the new memories that could have been made for myself as well of thousands of others. Thank you for posting this ❤
So great 👏🏻 👏🏻
I was very fortunate to have enjoyed this with my older brothers from 1990-2001. We still talk about it today.
Still think about the Castle every time I drive by the Pier.
Keep up the great work and enjoyed this 🤘
Thank you so much for doing this
Great narrator. Fascinating documentary
As a young kid, we'd go to wildwood every summer, sometimes 2-3 times. My Aunt was an older teenager and she'd always go on, but I'd be terrified. I had the courage to go in once, but ran out terrified. Another time, one of the monsters in the moat came up and scared me and I ran down the boardwalk, losing my family. When I heard it burned down I was bummed out - I never got to conquer my fears and go inside. It has forever maintained a mythical status for me because of that. Edit: 10:00 That's it! That's the moment I screamed and turned and ran out afraid for my life LOL
Luved this, my dad and me luved this in the 70s.
THIS video i give 2 thumbs up and rate 5 stars! One of the best produced stories about the castle i have watched. Bring back the castle!
Thank you!
I was born in 1976 1 year before the castle opened. I was born and raised in south Jersey we visited Wildwood sometimes. That castle scared the heck out of me as a child just looking at it. I unfortunately never got a chance to go inside before it burnt down.
I love this so much! I wish I had been to Wildwood when Castle Dracula was around.
Wonderful, wonderful documentary Bill!! It nearly brought me to tears. Hands down the greatest boardwalk haunt ever, I still "see" it everytime I'm in Wildwood, I still "hear it" too. So bummed I chickend out and never went in as a kid. The year I told myself I'd go in, is the year it burned down. Alas, it has always been my favorite part of the boardwalk and I have so many fond memories of interacting with the staff, my family going in and telling their experiences, and more. I'd love to see The Ghost Ship converted to Castle Dracula somehow, with the former Go Kart area beneath as part of the ride too. Fire codes would already be in place. I think it'd be worth the probably costly conversion. Heck, this video has 22k views in less than a week- that tells you something about the attraction's popularity!!
Thanks for your comments...glad you enjoyed it!
What a great documentary! I remember vacationing in wildwood many summers so long ago and Castle Dracula was a long awaited experience every year. Also a huge fan of the Nickels Supercade and that horse racing game right at the front. Many a night was spent listening for the "free race, sit down" chant from, I believe, Angelo nickels enticing the crowd to play. Still have a few of the giant stuffed animals and a grand weekly prize of a camera. And who can forget that the "skeeball championships are now going on in the back of the arcade" for a chance to get into the money bonanza machine. Those were the days....😊
Excellent story! I still hope that the Castle will be rebuilt for a new generation of fans.
Such an absolutely outstanding documentary on such a fascinating subject. Thank you.
Thank you!
Wooow! That's really is sooo wild. this documentary showed up in my feed and hit me with a serious nostalgia bomb!! What great memories dude, thanks.
That was probably the most memorable attraction in my life. Scared sh** first time through both dungeon and walk thru. (About 9 yrs old) After you got the idea of the dungeon, you knew damn well, as soon as you get thru the tunnel, someone would pop out and scare the heck out of you. Man I miss that Castle. Definitely in my heart forever. THANK YOU for such a great documentary! I've searched forever for clips and vids of this iconic place.
Outstanding documentary! I loved it! Thank you.
Such great memories of the Wildwood boardwalk and the legendary Castle Dracula. One of a kind! Very sad it’s gone. Makes me thankful for an awesome childhood growing up in 70’s and early 80’s! 🧛🏻♂️
Love this! There was Nothing like hearing that music the closer you got to it. Great job with this video!
Thank you for this! I’m a lifelong NJ resident and I went here when I was a kid.
This, along with the Goldmine ride, was amazing. We went on vacation there every year for a week. Loved it, such happy memories!
I worked at Morey's pier on 26th street. Back in the 1990's. My mother grew up in Cape May. I remember that Castel so well and how my sister would scream on the boat ride. Thank you for the little trip back in time. Also, I love the photograph of Will and Bill. I wish you had one of Delores too.
Fantastic documentary! Thank you!
I'm very happy to see this. I visited only once, in 1999 when I was 30, but it made a big impression on me. We paid for both the walkthrough and the boat ride, which were separate admissions. The walkthrough was more minimal than what's described here, and the walls didn't move in the crush room. The guillotine effect was very impressive, though. I don't remember any animatronics or props in the boat ride. I think it was just an empty space with a few goth teenagers walking through it and mostly disregarding the visitors. This video shows it was once very cool, but by the time I experienced it there was almost nothing left.
Yes...the quality fell off in the later years. If it didn't catch on fire, it would have probably been demolished once the new company took ownership in 2005.
Beautiful work on the documentary. Love it and thank you for sharing.
Thanks!
I visited Wildwood last summer specifically because of the legacy of this ride, it intrigues me so much and I always wish I could’ve experienced it. Thank you for this excellent documentary!
Thank You very much! I really enjoyed the video! Summers in the 60's, HUNT'S PIER was our family's favorite.
Really cool. Wish I could have gone. Great video! thanks for making this
Dracula’s Castle was before my time, but I would hear about it a lot. This video is so cool!
Been going to Wildwood since I was a child and take my kids every year, told them countless stories of Castle Dracula, looked forward to going in every summer. Miss it so much. Thanks to the Nickels family for all the memories.
Thank you for this.
Thank you for making this! Castle Dracula was a Jersey Shore icon and I miss it, especially the funnel cake shop that was in one of the stalls on the right side of the castle (if facing away from the ocean). Wildwood government should have made the castle a historical site and rebuilt it. Missed opportunity.
This was great. Thanks.
Wonderful documentary!
Great work!
I spent many summer vacations with my family in Wildwood and would always visit Castle Dracula.
So many memories!!! I'm a young kid All over again after watching this! Part of my past forever
OMG thank you for making this. This was the first haunted house I ever went into at the ripe old age of 5 years old. I was terrified of it for years…but it began my obsession with everything horror. Thank you again for this trip down memory land
Amazing documentary!
Thanks!
That music and that castle will always been engraved in my mind. I remember seeing it when I was 3 and it terrified me! 😄
Great video! Thank you!
This was part of Wildwood, a landmark! It will always be remembered! Every time I head to Wildwood seeing this when it was still standing, one beautiful ride! Awesome attraction!
i remember this castle. It was so great. ty for your video
I had seen the premier this morning of this Bring back so many childhood memories thanks dark in the park
I still remember this from the early 80s. I loved going to this every summer!
Amazing video! Miss this - great memories.
Amazing video. I remember walking by being way to scared to go through. I regret it now. I remember seeing the actors out side the maze and boat ride with faces painted. I could just stand there and watch it was so exciting.
I love this video so much! The castle was such a big part of my childhood. I want to thank the Nickels family for all they did to bring the Castle to life and for being such a huge part of my childhood. Also, I agree, those young men got a slap on the wrist!
Wonderful! Thank you for your work, what a cool place with a sad ending.
I just stumbled on your channel. Great stuff!!! I love dark rides, and this is truly a treasure trove. Thank you! You have a new subscriber. 🙂
Thanks!
This is wonderful. Wildwood is my favorite place in the world. I’m lucky to have gotten to go there a lot when I was young and just started going back again the last few summers. I can’t wait to go back!
I was there every summer in the 70s and 80s as a little girl. I was one of the “too scared to go over the drawbridge”.
I vividly remember being terrified just walking by, that skeleton hanging off the side of the castle and those red windows and it was SO big! Thanks for the memories!
Great work on this Bill and Seph, like always. I truly enjoyed it, and even learned from it.
Thanks!
Great watch! Never actually went in the castle (was a scared little kid) but my dad did the tubes of terror.
I LOVED this as a kid!!
Great documentary! Have so many memories when i was small being to scared to go in to it , then becoming a second home in the summer working in it .Made life long friends becuse of this place ! Thanks again!
This was one of the best mini docs on a dark ride I have ever seen. What a loss we can't go through it now
@@CarlLovesTopps Thank you.
Great video, congratulations.
It was mentioned that the Castle opened July 4th weekend of 1977.
I recall that the Castle was open the week of June 13th, 1977 in time for Senior Week. My buddies and I spent a lot of time that week hanging outside the Castle after going inside.
Fantastic memories!
Thanks. There is an article in the July 4, 1977 Press of Atlantic City newspaper that describes the ribbon cutting ceremony held that weekend for the opening of the castle. They may have had some soft openings in June to train the employees...but the officially documented opening of the castle was the July 4th weekend.