Practiced on

Throughout the year usually at the beginning or horror movies and at carnivals

Country of Origin 

United States

Key Points / Halloween Connection

- Supernatural themed traveling shows that often took place at theaters before horror films or as seperate attractions at carnivals and fairs

- Television brought about the end of the spookshow era, which led to the creation of the horror host

Brief Bio

Midnight ghost shows (also known as spook shows, midnight spook shows, voodoo shows, or monster shows) were traveling stage shows that originated in the United States during the Great Depression. The shows were influenced by the stage magic traditions that preceded them, and typically incorporated illusions; simulated séances; interactivity between a host—often called a "ghostmaster"—or performers and the audience; a "blackout" sequence in which the theater would go completely dark; and horror film screenings before or after the show.

Ghost shows experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1950s due to the output of horror and science fiction films aimed at the young adult market. They declined steadily due to the rise of television, along with the public's changing taste in entertainment, but continued as late as the 1970s. The ghostmasters who presented the shows have been described as precursors to TV horror hosts, and the elements of audience participation and film screenings in the shows themselves have been characterized as prototypical to midnight movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.