Shocktoberfest!! 2006: Laboratory of Hallucinations

Sex farces and horror classics collide in Shocktoberfest!! 2006: Laboratory of Hallucinations, a bill-of-fair inspired by the notorious Le Theatre du Grand Guignol. Featuring the fine arts of public execution, taxidermy, surgery and revenge, the evening consists of three new tales of terror and taboo presented by The Thrillpeddlers.

First Day
Known for his how-to’s and helpful hints on the PBS series Real Simple, Playwright Rob Keefe plumbs the dark reaches of retail sales – nearly severing the salesman’s rule of thumb to “know your product.” When the new girl arrives on the sales floor for her first day of work at a high-end department store, she’s walked through the inventory of shawls, ponchos, wraps and guillotines by a floor manager with a hidden past.

The Taxidermist’s Revenge
Shunned by the cabal of critics that dictate turn-of-the century artistic tastes, a delusional taxidermist teams up with a buxom chemist who weigh lay their critics and “hold the mirror up to nature” in a grotesque still life of blood-draining zombification.

The Laboratory of Hallucinations
Playwright Bill Selby (writer for The New Twilight Zone and cover illustrator for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine) reanimates this horror theatre classic based on the 1916 sci-fi shocker by the Grand Guignol’s “Prince of Terror”, Andre de Lorde.

For couples seeking privacy and an extra jolt during Shocktoberfest’s blackout finale, The Hypnodrome’s signature “Shock Box” seats are worth the higher ticket price. The curtained loveseats are tricked out for the ultimate in spookshow shenanigans. “Couples can see the show, but the show can’t see them,” says Thrillpeddlers’ co-founder Russell Blackwood. “We never know what will happen in a Shock Box – especially once the lights go out!”