Interior Restoration And Cars by Bill Luca
We prepare to enter a new era of Spook-A-Rama, an era that follows many other eras in a ride that has evolved continuously for more than five decades and occupies sacred ground as the last permanently-installed dark ride in Coney Island. When six feet of water poured into it in October of 2012, many thought Spook-A-Rama was history. But it is history, in the best possible way. For those who regard this ride as a Coney Island landmark, the investment of vast amounts of time, effort and money poured into Spook-A-Rama
by the Vourderis family washed away all doubts about their commitment to this legendary ride. Over the years, Coney Island has faced a multitude of challenges, natural and man-made, yet this beloved place survives. In that spirit of resilience, we salute Spook-A-Rama as it reaffirms its rightful place in both the glorious past and the bright future of Coney Island.
Above at left is a view of Spook-A-Rama's interior in 2000 with its 45 year-old wooden flooring. The right-hand photo is where the car entered the ride and made a sharp drop since the main floor level was much lower than the outside loading zone. Those are old Pretzel spin-kickers being used as lateral skid brakes to slow the car as it hit the decline.

It's hard to imagine that this area as you see it was under six feet of water in October 2012 and that the only way to go through it was in a kayak. As might be expected, the flooring was not salvageable, to put it mildly. Deno's used the opportunity to solve two long-term problems: They raised the surface level by two feet and installed a poured concrete floor, a monumental project.

Directly above, left and below are views of the Spook-A-Rama interior after the restoration was completed, just days before the season's opening on March 24, 2013. The track was put down to match the original layout as closely as possible, but some new displays necessitated a few detours and reconfigurations, including an extension through a newly opened area.

All of the extensive wall paintings that had accumulated over the years were painted over black and utility systems were upgraded.

A Deno's employee is stationed at a centrally located spot within the ride to monitor riders' behavior and safety. A kill switch can instantly stop the ride and light up the area if needed.