It was a dark and drizzly night. Violent gusts of sea air thrashed a fiery torch outside of Mugdock castle, as a quiet woman in black greeted guests. Snacks and libations from Poe’s Tavern were quietly consumed as costumed performers worked the crowd, chatting and even performing magic tricks (!). A quick walk in the rain brought us to a red-lit Fort Moultrie, where creepy characters led us through the underground bunker and outside, performing various scenes from Edgar Allen Poe’s works. The scenes were intimate, as the Creative Spark actors crept among us, causing some to chuckle nervously. But alas, the thing which made the night so perfectly spooky — the rain — nearly ruined everything. As the storm grew, outside scenes had to be moved inside, resulting in chaos that lasted about 15 minutes. Guests and actors alike wandered around in confusion, and the show never quite recovered. The creepy vibe was gone, scenes overlapped distractedly, and no one seemed to know what the hell was going on. Despite everything though, I left that night with a delightfully dark feeling. I can only imagine how successful it would have been had they actually prepared for rain. Click the photos to see a larger image.

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