Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Carl Rugato and his team are putting the finishing touches on Boston's Wicked Haunt Fest.
As owner and creative director of Rugato FX Entertainment, Rugato is using his skills to transform Charlestown's Hood Park into a Halloween season destination.
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"It’s a completely immersive festival, so everywhere you look, there’s more themed-out areas of the property," Rugato told WBZ NewsRadio Sunday. "We have three complete walkthrough experiences indoors, one outdoors, each one with their own theme and storyline."
The haunted experiences, which Rugato describes as "Hollywood-caliber sets," include "Harvest Awakening" (mutated pumpkins in the countryside develop an evil mind of their own), "Into the Astray" (a fog-shrouded world dissolves the barrier between the living and the supernatural) and "Rise of Annkh" (a team of archaeologists awaken a vengeful pharaoh).
"That set is 100 percent movie-caliber," Rugato said of "Rise of Annkh." "When you walk through there, you are in that tomb. He is a pharaoh who made a deal with Anubis that if he was ever disturbed, he would come back to the world with all kinds of powers. That experience is my favorite."
1 of 3 Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
2 of 3 Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
3 of 3 Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
There is more to Wicked Haunt Fest than heart-stopping scares. There are themed bars, an Oktoberfest-style beer garden, seasonal food and drinks, family-friendly activities, and the outdoors experience "The Graveyard" with plenty of photo ops.
"This is a complete graveyard experience, where you can just kind of mosey on through and enjoy your time and take pictures," said Rugato.
Boston's Wicked Haunt Fest opens in October.
WBZ’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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