A trip to the NJ boardwalk would not be complete without a pork roll and cheese sandwich, vinegar fries, frozen custard and a trip through a dark ride. The dark ride has long been a treasure of the Jersey Shore but in recent years they have been nearing extinction, so seeing the gang from Shocktoberfest set up camp on the boards in Wildwood NJ was certainly a treat, though at the time, we'd had no idea what was to come.

On a stroll down the boards in May 2002 we passed a boarded up storefront and scrawled across the front in red spray-paint "ZombieWorld coming soon." It definitely peaked our interest, but with a busy schedule, we never made it back that season and it simple slipped our minds until that October.

Haunt Season 2002, we would visit Shocktoberfest in Reading PA (which would later become our Hayride of the Year) and what a surprise to find that this crew was behind Wildwood's newest dark ride! We talked to Pat Konopelski and Lee Shultz about the location during our visit and told them we looked forward to visiting Zombie World in the summer months.
Winter turned to spring, and we made plans for our yearly May trip to Wildwood NJ. This year, we decided we would drop in to ZombieWorld and see who was around. Being prior to Memorial Day weekend, we were unsure if they would be open for business, but as luck would have it, we found Lee up to his elbows in work, gearing up for the seasonal opening.

We received the Grand Tour by foot, the track had been torn up in places for repairs, but even with what we had seen, we knew that the same care and quality that had gone into their more substantial seasonal venture was used in this one as well.

The "ride" that had been the starting point for Zombie World was of German design and received it's first home in Atlantic City NJ, 43 miles north of where it resides now. Less than scary origins, it was the "Rolling Chair Ride" and was a historical trip thru the more glamorous days of Atlantic City. (For those of you unfamiliar with "Rolling Chairs," these still exist on the boardwalk today, and visitors are bombarded with offers for "rides" the moment they leave the casinos. They are large wicker seats that one can pay a fee to plop a weary behind in and be pulled "rickshaw fashion" to their next destination on the boards.) The ride was located in the Tivoli Pier in TropWorld Casino.
The indoor amusement pier was closed in 1996.

The mass of metal sat for a period of time, before an offer was made to just "get it out of here" and another entrepreneur stepped in, hiring "cowboy engineers and welders" to disassemble the track and make the trek down to Wildwood. This case of "Penny wise, pound foolish" would be it's downfall, and the ride would sit inoperable for 4 years. Twisted metal was scrapped and the attraction never opened.

As chance would have it, Pat first heard of the location and ride while in Florida. Returning home, he and Lee took a break from their duties in Reading to visit the location to see if there was something that could be done with it, if it could "be made scary" as was mentioned in Florida.

When they arrived, they entered the building which at one time had been the boardwalk movie theater, and there it sat, a metal monster in an open room. Being at sub floor level, the first inclination was if they were to take on this venture, the theme would need to be "underground, subway-ish." And the next thought by Lee, "Let's Kill Zombies." And the seed for Zombie World had been planted.

As with all they do, it began with a story, one that would be carried through the entire attraction. The final world war has taken place, destroying the planet, leaving a few human survivors, and a lot of Zombies... Your job, is to join the Zombie World Alliance of Humans, travel to an underground city in your UAV (Underground Assault Vehicle) and to take out as many Zombies as you can.

The first year would not prove to be a success for the team. Mechanical issues piled on top of each other and just keeping the equipment running would be a challenge. They failed, time and time again. These "lessons in carney" though tiring and frustrating, would prove invaluable in the end.
After the struggling first season with Lee spending far more time on mechanical issues and less time on scenery and theming, they knew changes needed to be made. Bringing in the mechanical help they needed, ZombieWorld sailed flawlessly through season two, and the team began once more to focus on the areas nearest to their hearts.... the effects and scares.

We returned to Zombie Word later that summer, to see the dark ride in full splendor (and to pig out on the above mentioned boardwalk food) and we found Lee out front, ever the showman, recruiting more humans to help the alliance… We climbed into cars and set off down the track, shooting Zombies left and right, tho I can’t recall if our scores at the end made us “survivors.” And there IS a strategy to surviving your trip thru Zombie World. Hidden targets are worth more points, and the faster you take out the Zombies, the higher your score, their worth drops increasingly as you get closer. Bugs adorn the walls, and are targets as well.... and you continue until you reach the center, and an impressive scene it is. We could go into it further, but I don't want to spoil the surprise.... but if you can take out THIS one, we want to hear from you! (All I'll say, is I believe the sensor is located in a wrinkle between THIS creatures eyes...). Strategy guides will be available for $3 each for the 2004 season.

The location is split into two attractions, the dark "shoot'em up ride" and the Shooting Range. The Shooting Range is located in front directly on the boards and to be the best zombie hunter, one needs to "practice, practice, practice!"
If ocean breezes beckon, stop in and see the crew at ZombieWorld, located at 3100 Boardwalk, Wildwood NJ, and tell them we sent you... good luck!

As you may know, we ended our 2003 season with trip back to Shocktoberfest where we learned of plans of expansion for their Reading location and a few plans for their summer haunt. In a recent follow up phone call with Lee prior to posting this story, we learned that the ride will be open Memorial Day Weekend 2004, and that he has been busy fine-tuning the more sophisticated aspects of the experience, enhancing the ride so that shooters will have a "greater satisfaction" when they "bag a zombie," making some scenery upgrades, and computer upgrades. (Scores are posted in real time on screens as you leave the ride, also linked to the ZombieWorld website).

For those of you familiar with the Wildwood, this ride should not be confused with the "Den of Thieves" a long standing, shooting dark ride located further down the boardwalk. We like "Den of Thieves" too, but find that ZombieWorld adds a darker more sinister twist to their ride, so one should not be exclusive of the other.