We’re back and we’re mopping up protein spills. What sounded like an innocent sexual innuendo has turned out to be far more scatological than we would have liked. The unpleasant realities of theme parks are so well hidden behind twee language and cute costumes. Happily, once we strip these away, we can find some good horror inspiration quivering underneath. We just wish it all smelled a bit better.
Main Topic: Theme Parks and Horror
This episode, we visit theme parks, amusement parks, funfairs and the like, looking for Call of Cthulhu inspiration. As with so many things rooted in childhood joy, theme parks can easily turn into something nightmarish in both our imaginations and in reality. We dip into personal experiences, urban legends, and our own wild ideas, looking for both the roots of these fears and ways of bringing them into our games.
There is something of a focus on Disney in our discussion, even though they are almost certainly safer and cleaner than the vast majority of theme parks. The discussion merely went this way because Cuppycup, our guest host, used to work for Disney, as did Matt’s wife, Tiff. This gives us a wealth of personal anecdotes to draw upon.
Our Guest Host
We are delighted to welcome Cuppycup back to the Good Friends! Cup, of course, has been on the podcast before, discussing Louis Wain with us a few years ago. He is best known as the mastermind behind the ENnie-award-winning actual play podcast Ain’t Slayed Nobody, where you will also find regular appearances by Scott alongside some of our other guest hosts, including Ross Bryant and Josephine McAdam.
As well as ASN, Cup is currently producing a new Call of Cthulhu podcast called Walking Shadows, with Ross Bryant as Keeper, and a cast that includes Becca Scott, Rashawn Scott, and Zach Reino. The first episodes should be out within the next couple of months.
And Cup’s first published scenario, “Deadwood on Lane 8”, will be out on the Miskatonic Repository later this year. This is a 1990s Pulp Cthulhu extravaganza that puts the cosmic firmly into cosmic bowling.
If you want to keep up with all these projects, you can follow Ain’t Slayed Nobody on Bluesky or join their Discord server.
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
* Hersheypark
* Dutch Wonderland
* The Wonder House
* Hershey’s Chocolate World
* Tivoli Gardens
* Lammas Fayre in St Andrews
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