The Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium at U of L Offers a Dazzling Laser Show of Halloween Magic!
Greetings, Halloween Fans of All Ages, it’s The Phantom of the Ville reporting in to tell you about an extremely cool and unique Halloween attraction right here in the Ville that might have easily slipped your attention amid all the haunted houses, parades and parties happening this month. Don’t miss the visually spectacular “Fright Light” laser show at the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium located within the University of Louisville campus at 106 West Brandeis Ave.
Opened on April 24, 2001, the Rauch Planetarium’s structural design is based on a six pointed star surrounded by a circular, sixteen foot wall punctuated by eight-inch vertical slits inspired by Stonehenge. A massive concrete cone encloses a fifty-five foot diameter hemispherical dome that serves as a theater for the Audio Visual Imagineering Omniscan Laser Projection System which when combined with the digital multi-channel 15,000 watt surround system gives guests a 360 degree audio-visual experience like nothing else. All of this technology is put into service in celebration of our favorite spooky holiday in “Fright Light”!
Laser Light shows have become popular on college campuses over the last decade or so as late night, Rock n Roll psychedelic “trip” experiences with Laser Led Zeppelin, Laser Pink Floyd and Laser Beatles being among the most popular shows. You’ll get a taste of that type of experience in a few of the trippier segments in “Fright Light,” including sections devoted to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Prodigy’s “Firestarter” and Pink Floyd’s disturbing “Another Brick in the Wall.” Like those seasonal Halloween CDs that pop up every year featuring a strange menagerie of different musical styles from a wide variety of artists with similar spooky themes, “Fright Light” is a Halloween Rock Show with enough different beats to please just about everybody.
It all starts with what is likely the most popular homage to spooky cinema ever written, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” during which you’ll be treated to an extremely colorful journey into a haunted house that includes all the classic, iconic Halloween imagery you could hope for including spinning ghosts flying across your entire horizon, three dimensional jack-o-lanterns and the classic Universal Monsters. You’ll also get a chapter devoted to Japan’s favorite giant, city smashing lizard during Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a Halloween Rock show without the classics, so you’ll watch a 60’s monster cocktail party version of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash,” see Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater” come to laser life and join Danny Elfman’s Oingo Biongo “Dead Man’s Party.” Other music artists featured include The Who, Black Sabbath, the Charlie Daniels Band and several others. The show closes with the King of Shock Rock, Alice Cooper, and an animated rampage of one of horror history’s most famous monsters during “Feed My Frankenstein.”
I spoke with the Ranch Planetarium’s “Fright Light” programmer, Kaet Barron, about the Halloween parties scheduled to accompany some of the screenings. “Kids and parents can come dressed in costumes, and the whole lobby area will be filled with games and places to get non-sweet treats. Once the party starts, every hour on the hour there will be another screening of the 45 minute ‘Fright Light’ show.” Two Halloween parties will take place on Sunday, October 21st starting at 3PM and on Friday night, October 26th starting at 7PM. Regular screenings of “Fright Light” will happen all October on Fridays at 9PM, Saturdays at 2PM and on Sunday, October 14th at Noon.
“I was a bit of a troublemaker as a child,” says Barron. “As a result, I often got grounded from going trick-or-treating on Halloween, but my favorite memory is the year I put a lot of work into my costume and finally got to go out and get all the candy I wanted. I was a genie that year.”
Barron is still granting wishes to Halloween fans across the Ville with “Fright Light.” I recommend this unique audio-visual experience to all of you looking for something different this year. The seats at the Rauch Planetarium are extremely comfortable and you’ll be nearly lying down and staring up into the darkness while bright, colorful and sometimes hallucinatory images fill your field of vision. It’s a very dreamlike experience that won’t soon be forgotten. Trick-or-Treaters of all ages should definitely check it out.
