Chinese Haunted House?

I barely remember a chinese themed haunted house attraction at 6 flags Magic mountain, CA. when I was really small.

Does anyone else remember the name of the attraction, and perhaps know of a website with info about it?
As I recall, it was extremely surrealistic and very oriental style, and very cool.

like "big trouble in little china?"

hopping ghost! aiiiieee! j$

It was called the Magic Pagoda, but my memories of the place are really vague.

--cindy

Twas a Chinese themed fun house, designed by Landmark Entertainment back in the 70s.... The building & interior structure remain - it still is used a part of the Halloween Horror Nights walk throughs in October....
I have a few pix - but will have to dig them out & scan them....
here's an artist rendering - look at the top of the hill:
http://theimaginaryworld.com/mmtn21.jpg

Tangaroa, cindy, Thanks for the information!!!

I often wonder what happened to the interiors of that ride..where are the set pieces now? After getting the name right, "the magic pagoda", I looked it up, but unfortuantly two good web-pages are now defunct..

Near my house is an old junkyard, and in that yard one time I found some very interesting Disney relics, not for sale...I noticed one thing that was a sort of lattice/arm structure with a spinning chipmunk, then went to Disneyland and realized it was an arm from dumbo's flying circus..I also found a matterhorn bobsled and a giant jungle cobra statue/door that was in whatever attraction came before the Tahitian terrace resteraunt, or perhaps in an attraction near there..also, the coolest thing I found were streetlamps with gargoyles on top of them, that probably came from outside the haunted mansion..

Regarding the Magic Pagoda ride, I remember inside, a fake river you crossed a little bridge to get over, and then a chinese city in the background..I always thought it was something I dreamed up, because it was so long ago...I wonder what happened to some of the interior set pieces, are they in some storage place somewher, sold on ebay? In a junkyard?
A good mystery for an urban archeologist to solve!

Wow - I haven't thought of the "Tragic Pagoda" in years! I used to love going in there as gradeschooler. I remember they had this giant sitting buddha that spoke to the audience via a film playing on his face (just like Madame Liota at the Haunted Mansion, only about 20 feet tall.) At the end of his speech, he's laugh and roll his eyes around - that always freaked me out! They also had a strobe-light room with a Chinese dragon that went around the ceiling on a track. While it looked really cool in the strobe, it was a lot more fun to fight kung-fu with my friends...

Tiki Mick,

You dumb "NEWBIES"!!!! That was the lamest thread I've ever read (except for the tiki font one).

SIncerely,

Mr (Superior) Bong

Lamer then Flabujah????????????????

you old-timers are a crazy bunch of kooks, you know that??

Usually Bong, I take a big dump before I get to practice, so that I don't make you's guys crazy in the garage,,but after that comment, I am eating plenty of cabbage and will see you monday mr. Flabojah!!

On 2004-03-05 13:31, Doctor Z wrote:
Wow - I haven't thought of the "Tragic Pagoda" in years! I used to love going in there as gradeschooler. I remember they had this giant sitting buddha that spoke to the audience via a film playing on his face (just like Madame Liota at the Haunted Mansion, only about 20 feet tall.) At the end of his speech, he's laugh and roll his eyes around - that always freaked me out! They also had a strobe-light room with a Chinese dragon that went around the ceiling on a track. While it looked really cool in the strobe, it was a lot more fun to fight kung-fu with my friends...

Man, I would LOVE to have that Buddha in my garden!!!!

OK - here' s what I know....

The area at the top of the hill (mountain?) has always had a chinese influence.... In 1974, in addition to the Funicular, they added "The Dragon" - a similar device on the other side of the hill, but with Chinese stylings....

By 1976, the Magic Pagoda had opened - accessable via a sunken area at the bottom of the stairs (an area that was still there, but roped off last time I was there in the late 90s).

In addition to this Buddah, with the Madame Leota-like face projection...

there were many other fun-house gimmicks, such as the afore-mentioned black light dragon on an overhead track, and an "endless hallway" of a river/alleyway with overhanging Chinese laundry...

Obviously, the folks at Landmark Entertainment borrowed heavily from the gags in The Haunted Mansion...

When I was at CalArts in the early 90s, one of the guys in my class worked at Magic Mountain part time. He said that a lot of the architectural elements (sconces & such) were still in place on the interior, and that they periodically had to chase transients out of there, as they liked to sneak on to the property sometimes... That may be or may not be true - but makes a good story!

The last time I was in there was around '96 or so for the Halloween Horror thingy they put on. They had the only Haunted House in the park built in there, and when I went through, I did notice some Chinese elements up in the ceiling - but it was hard to tell what was what, as we were being chased through there by guys in rubber masks....

Anyone else have more info?

"Oh mystic powers - hear my call...
From my limbs, let new life fall..."
http://www.christophermerritt.com

[ Edited by: Tangaroa on 2004-12-16 15:27 ]

too cool Tangaroa!

Man, you know your stuff! Thank you!!

I am glad I am not the only person interested in old rides, closed places, Googie and other crazy things!

On 2004-03-05 16:48, Tangaroa wrote:

In addition to this Buddah, with the Madame Leota-like face projection...

AAAAAgggghhhhh! THAT'S IT!!

Tangaroa - where do you find this stuff??

On 2004-03-05 17:04, Doctor Z wrote:

Tangaroa - where do you find this stuff??

Even though I have a wife & daughter - I'm basically obsessed & have no life!

I loved the Magic Pagoda.
I had one(maybe two) birthday parties there.
How lucky were we to grow up in Southern California as kids?
Remember the lame ass mascots Magic Mountain use to have?

The Dragon People mover?
It was so damn slow, people got out and decided to walk. Later it was notorious for the older kids(Unga was too young then (and now :))) to smoke their joints in there because it was so slow.

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2004-03-05 22:35 ]

The Magic Pagoda also had a room where they took an audience member and put them in a chamber and made them disappear before your very eyes.

I know - cause I was one of the people who disappeared!

I miss the Magic Mountain of the 1970s. Now it's so Tragic Mountain.

This post knocked loose some memories from 1978 when I was taken on the typical So-Cal theme park tour by my grandparents. In the Magic Pagoda I think I remember a black light lit alley with Day-Glo colored laundry hanging between the apartment buildings...Or was that a different attraction with some sorta zany ethnic neighborhood tenament theme?. The Pagoda seemed sort of lame compared to Disneyland stuff ("Tragic Pagoda" is fitting), but the dragon room was my first exposure to a strobe light and I love strobe lights to this very day. So relaxing. (At the motel we stayed in near Magic Mountain I saw my first cockroach ever...California seemed so exotic!)

You know, I also forgot about.,
The Magic Mountain Sugar RUSH.
The Magic Pagoda was probably even "mentally" cooler probably because they were selling candied apples and banana splits at the ticket office.
Like every other ride. :)

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2004-03-07 20:49 ]

I don't remember much about the Magic Pagoda, but I do remember SPILLIKIN CORNERS!!

(Those troll mascots gave me nightmares!)

Oh man, Dont even get me started on Magic Mountain stories. We used to wreak unholy havoc on that place. Those poor trolls never knew what hit them.
The magic Pagoda also had the room that showed a projection of a tiger that would run a cross the room and some dude doin karate moves...I think.. Wasn't there also a pitch black maze you had to get through without getting a bloody nose?

Chongolio

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2004-03-08 14:59 ]