Scream

These days, a night at one of SoCal’s most popular haunted attractions usually begins with attendants scanning digital tickets at a clearly marked entrance.

At Coffin Creek, things were a little different.

Those who made the journey to Corona’s annual haunt entered an eerie scene the moment they veered off the 71 Freeway and down the desolate roads to Riverview Recreation Park, where Coffin Creek made its home. In the parking area, the dust kicked up by the vehicles created its own layer of fog, and sounds could be heard in the darkness — faint screams, the echo of chain saws and the nervous chatter of the hauntgoers. There was always a sense of mystery and excitement: With its independent, grassroots vibe, Coffin Creek — one of the longest-running Halloween attractions in Southern California — was the little haunt that could.

Coffin Creek has had its final run. Its founder and operator, Gary Shireman, passed away last month at the age of 74. But its legend lives on in the community of Halloween enthusiasts.

Coffin Creek, situated at Riverview Recreation Park, had a rustic feel, which added to the spookiness.

(Warren So)

While Coffin Creek, which at times went by the name Crossroads Haunted Village, was essentially a destination populated by several independently owned and operated haunted mazes, Shireman was the head of the operation. An electrician by trade and a longtime horror fan, Shireman launched the enterprise in 2007 after spending years searching for a location. He landed upon 180 acres of a park in Corona near the Santa Ana River. And as he soon discovered, it was already haunted, perhaps.

The backstory of the Coffin Creek locale — at least as it’s told through a newspaper story on the haunt’s website — is that in 1938, a massive flood hit Southern California, unearthing 13 coffins in Corona from an abandoned cemetery. Only some of the human remains from those coffins were recovered, and soon people in the area began seeing and hearing strange things at night.

Local artists and volunteers worked all year to open Coffin Creek, which was never a production as flashy or refined as Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm or any of SoCal’s well-established haunted maze destinations — but that was part of the allure. The darkness of the woods and muddy terrain was just as effective scenery as any of the bedsheet drapery or wooden flats that had been set up. While a discerning guest may have noticed that some of the haunted set pieces were missing a little paint or not lighted all that well, the cackling heard from the dark spaces in between reminded folks that it was all about the final thrill. One could never tell when a chain-saw-wielding madman was about to jump out from behind a wall.

The sign for the Coffin Creek Manor maze.

(Scott Feinblatt)

“Gary’s mazes were very old-school and very low-tech, and he was a big proponent of that,” said Warren So, a contributor for Hollywood Gothique, an online guide to all things horror in L.A. “He felt that all we need is a good old-school scare. As long as people scream, then it’s successful.”

In one 2011 interview, Shireman said he would work all year for that “first scream of the season.” Some attendees would take one step through the front door and come right back out.

The mazes at Coffin Creek had names like Chambers of the Mausoleum, Labyrinth of Lost Relics, Bog of the Abyss, the Dark Realm and Coffin Creek Manor, the legend’s namesake. One of the most endearing aspects of the destination was that several of the mazes took residence in the permanent structures that composed the medieval-inspired village of the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival on the park’s grounds.

A scare actor ready for his next victim.

(Scott Feinblatt)

Actors played all types of ghoulish creatures, including orcs and vampires. Uncle Zed’s Zombie Safari, which was one of several haunted hayride-style attractions that appeared over the years, even featured something of a community-sourced collection of monsters, all of which originated from independent contributions to the Secure, Contain, Protect (SCP) horror subgenre. Guests of this Coffin Creek attraction were carted along from one breached containment scenario to the next, with roving monsters periodically surprising them in the darkness between the scantily lighted vignettes.

Steve Biodrowski, the owner and operator of Hollywood Gothique, said Shireman worked tirelessly behind the scenes, dealing not only with the haunt’s creation but also with all the red tape that came with operating at the Corona park. Biodrowski recalled Shireman telling him about the complex nature of its ownership. “There were like four different owners,” Biodrowsky explained. “One was federal, and I believe it had something to do with the Army; then there were state and local departments involved. Getting everybody to sign on to a deal or agree to allow the haunted village to operate was just near impossible.”

Clowns haunted the premises — and visitors’ dreams.

(Scott Feinblatt)

Over the years of Coffin Creek’s various incarnations, a number of ancillary attractions complemented the mazes: a magic show, horror merchandise vendors and food stands. Some of the haunts included higher production value effects — Chambers of the Mausoleum, for instance, featured inventive animatronics from its principal operator, Figment Foundry. Even by the mid-2010s during a proliferation of local haunted attractions, the village downsized but the mazes never lost their charm. By continually utilizing veneers and components from past maze builds, the distinctive landscape and the talents of passionate, volunteers, Shireman continued to conjure an entertaining enterprise.

His passion for haunted attractions did not end at Coffin Creek. In 2022, Shireman partnered with haunt producer Jason Thompson to host the Haunt X convention at the Fairplex in Pomona. The event provided independent haunt owners and artisans an opportunity to network, learn trade techniques and showcase their enterprises and goods with one another and with their fans.

“He wasn’t just into haunted houses,” So said of Shireman. “He was always bouncing ideas about other Halloween stuff that was family-friendly — not scary — for the kids.” Additionally, So said that Shireman was generous with the community. “He loved talking to you about your haunt and his haunt and sharing ideas. I think everybody would agree that he was always willing to help. Another buddy of mine was building his haunted house, and even though it had nothing to do with Gary, he was down to help out and build out in the heat, in the desert. And Gary did not benefit one single cent. That’s just the guy he was — he doesn’t ask for anything and just wants to make a friend and help make a good haunt.”

The legend of the Coffin Creek location is that a flood hit Southern California, unearthing 13 coffins from an abandoned cemetery.

(Scott Feinblatt)

Shortly before his death, Shireman expressed enthusiasm about Coffin Creek’s future. He had announced that the haunt would be moving to a new Riverside location, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, where it would operate in tandem with the Perris Pumpkin Patch. That couldn’t happen, but the Perris Pumpkin Patch has been operational this season and remains a family-friendly destination.

And while the haunt may have ended, like with any good maze, there may always be something more lurking ahead.

MARRIED At First Sight fans were left baffled as intruder groom Reiss revealed his very strange requirement for his wife.

The painter and decorator revealed to the experts tonight what’s on his checklist when it comes to his future bride.

4

4

4

But viewers were left confused when Reiss admitted he’s looking for a woman with a specific walk.

In his VT, Reiss said: “When people first meet me, they think I’m flash because of the looks. I consider myself to be a pretty boy.”

He continued: “If I was to go for a certain woman, I initially look at her teeth, her smile.

“I get a bit silly and I start looking into their walk, making sure they have a nice walk as well.

“A good walk for a woman is when they go one by one and not side by side.”

He then demonstrated using his fingers the type of walk he wants his wife to have.

But E4 viewers were left bemused by the requirement.

One wrote: “What did Reiss mean about a woman’s walk? The only way to do it is one foot in front of the other. It’s just a shuffle otherwise.”

A second posted: “WTF does Reiss mean about ‘I don’t like side by side walk’. He seems like a weirdo but was hoping he would be ‘nicer Steven’.”

A third said: “Hope Reiss demonstrates the crab walk he despises. I want to make sure I walk correctly.”

This person commented: “What the f*** is Reiss on about? How many women walk like crabs!?”

Someone else said: “Where the f*** did they get him from? At least I now know how to walk,” while this viewer posted: “Leisha better crab walk down that isle.”

“A good walk for a woman is legs going straight of each other one at the time and not side to side. Either the women where he comes from are constantly p***** or have s**t themselves,” another shared.

This person said: “She best walk down the aisle in an assertive…one foot in front of the other yet straight manner.”

While this viewer wrote: “Reiss seems to think he’s gods gift to women as long as they don’t walk like a crab…ok then.”

Another added: “How does he think women walk?”

Reiss, who owns his own painting and decorating company, said he loves to get his hands dirty and isn’t shy when it comes to grafting.

Reiss said: “I’m very close to my family, my nanny Linda is like an angel, she’s my rock. I love playing chess with her.

“My nan and granddad have had a romantic relationship for years, I’m hoping that’s what mine will be like.”

The Essex lad said he’s a romantic at heart and has learnt from the best – so is now ready to settle down.

Reiss, who previously dated Towie star Dani Imbert, also spoke about his most recent split.

He said: “I miss being in a relationship. You can’t really beat it.

“I don’t know if I’ve found the full package.

“I do choose the wrong girls. My last relationship unfortunately came to an end because the bickering became too much.

“I’ve been heartbroken in past relationships. When a girl leaves you, I feel abandoned and I just feel lost.

“Marrying a strange will work because I’ll do anything to find the perfect one.”

Yesterday, E4 viewers saw the pair meet for the first time at the altar.

Reiss could be seen turning around to greet Leisha, who was already laughing away.

The overexcited bride appeared to be too much for Reiss within the first few seconds.

In one scene, she can be seen bending her knees before screaming at the ground in excitment.

Reiss was seen looking on uncomfortably.

Speaking to the camera, Reiss voiced his concern as he said: “She’s 100 miles an hour.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t turn to 1000 miles an hour.”

Still clearly overexcited for her wedding day, Leisha said to the camera: “Buckle up because he’s in for a good ride.”

Ahead of the experiment, Reiss spoke out about his hopes for the show and the kind of bride he was hoping to marry.

His ideal bride is “someone blonde, petite with an element of glamour”

4

The lead of the horror-tinged heart-tugger “Good Boy” is a copper-colored retriever named Indy who pads around an eerie house deep in the New Jersey woods investigating its mysterious creaks, shadows and smells. Like the Method-style actors of “The Blair Witch Project,” he goes by his real name onscreen. An ordinary dog without a whiff of Hollywood hokum, Indy doesn’t do implausible stunts like Lassie or Rin Tin Tin or comprehend anything that his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), says besides simple phrases: sit, stay and, gratefully, the title itself. But we’re invested in the mindset of this mundane hero. His nose twitches are as dramatic as an ingenue’s gasp.

First-time feature director Ben Leonberg raised Indy as a pet first, movie star second. Along with his wife, Kari Fischer, who produced the film, Leonberg shot “Good Boy” in his weekend house, staging scenarios for Indy to explore until he had enough material for a (barely) full-length spook show. Even at 72 minutes, “Good Boy” is belabored in the middle stretch. It would make a fabulous one-hour TV special.

Using his personal footage, Leonberg (who also edited the film and did its gorgeous, inky-wet cinematography) opens with a montage of Indy growing up from a tiny puppy to a loyal best friend. We love the dog more in five minutes than we do some slasher final girls who’ve survived several sequels. Indy is the most empathetic scream queen of the year so far — and I mean that literally as his breed, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever, is known for its high-pitched wail. American Kennel Club lists the Toller as the U.S.’s 87th most popular dog. I expect this movie will lead to an uptick. (Steve Martin already has one.)

What’s wrong in Indy’s new home? A pair of tragedies wind together like vines, although from the dog’s point of view, the distinction between them isn’t always obvious. This battered two-story home with ominous scratches on the basement door has been in Todd’s family for six generations, as the cemetery out back proves. Bequeathed to the youngish urban hipster by his grandfather (indie cult icon Larry Fessenden), a misanthrope who willed his taxidermy collection to a vegan, it’s a good place to disappear.

Todd, who’s in bad physical and emotional shape, has isolated himself in this scraggly, foggy forest to get some privacy from his sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman). There’s also a past death that the dog is able to perceive. A sniff of a rotting old chair frightens Indy so much, he wets the rug.

“Scaredy pants,” Todd teases Indy. The dog can’t explain what only he knows.

Several unnerving things are happening at once, including the presence of a silhouetted stalker, old bones that give the dog nightmares and Todd’s unpredictable mood swings. There’s also a ghost in the movie, I think — at least, there’s a heavy hinge that shouldn’t be able to open without a spectral nudge. Indy stands about two feet tall, so the camera often stays at that height too, gliding close to the floor where the view from under the bed looks as big as an airplane hangar.

A realistic dog’s-eye view of a creepy cabin is a good hook, although people hoping to see an otherwise satisfying genre thriller will feel a bit underwhelmed that Leonberg and his co-screenwriter Alex Cannon are conflicted about pushing the scary elements of the film too far into the supernatural. With a complicated backstory off the table (Indy looks restless whenever adults are having a conversation), the movie taps into our burgeoning belief that animals do have a special sixth sense, like how hospice workers know to pay special attention to whoever gets night visits from the resident pet.

Still, “Good Boy” doesn’t stray too far from the film’s core strength: a normal dog doing normal dog things. In a twitch, a head tilt or a whine, Indy communicates his emotions: curious, lonely, contented, confused, fretful, desperate or petrified. There’s no CG in the dog’s performance, no corny reaction shots and no use of animal doubles either. Todd’s own legs, however, are often doubled by Leonberg, an onscreen switcheroo that’s possible because the lens doesn’t tend to look up.

I liked the plot better on a second watch when I knew not to expect Jamie Lee Curtis on all fours. The ending is great and the build up to it, though draggy, gives you space to think about the interdependence between our species. Dogs are wired to be our protectors and yet, through generations of nurturing, they’ve come to trust that we’ll also protect them. The inarticulate betrayal in the film is that Todd isn’t making good decisions for anyone. His bond with Indy is pure and strong, yet one-sided in that Todd is too distracted to ease the dog’s fears. Indy is bereft to be left alone for long stretches of time in a strange house. But he can’t do a thing about that, nor the sputtering electricity, the fox traps in the brush and the neighbor (Stuart Rudin) who skulks around in hunting camouflage.

In Todd’s facelessness, he’s a stand-in for whatever you want: absentee parents, a struggling partner or child or friend. There’s a scene in which he comes home in obvious need of a cuddle, only to push his dog away. Maybe you’ve been both people in that shot: the person overwhelmed by their own pain and the loved one who has no idea how to soothe them. It’s terrifying to love someone this much, to give them the full force of your devotion only to get locked outside.

Consciously or not, Leonberg has made a primal film about helplessness. Watching it, I was knocked sideways by a sense memory of how it felt to be a child. Like Indy, kids get dragged around to places they don’t want to go to for reasons that aren’t explained, and when they whine, they’re commanded to pipe down. Even as we get older — when our own point of view can stand taller than two feet — the things that truly scare us are the ones that make us feel small and confused.

A COUPLE has been slammed after sharing their children’s unique names online.

Aubree and Josh Jones, from the US, shared a clip of their family on social media, revealing which of them picked their kids’ names.

2

2

The couple currently has six children and Aubree is pregnant with their seventh child.

In a recent Instagram clip, the couple revealed which of them picked their kids’ names, writing: “Who named each of the kids?”

“If you heard his picks, you would understand..” Aubree added.

But it seemed viewers weren’t convinced once they revealed each moniker, saying neither of them should be able to name any more children.

They started with their oldest daughter, named Trendy Chanelle, Aubree said she picked the first name while Josh picked her middle name.

Next was Zaylee Ruth, whose names were picked out by her mum.

Their third child was named Sunny Love, with Aubree picking the first name and Josh picking the middle.

Next up was their daughter, Truly Eclair, again, mum picked the first name while dad got dibs on the middle name.

Journey Rey came next, named by her mum and lastly, there was Rocky Joshua, named by his mum and dad.

The clip was shared on her Instagram account @whataboutaub which went viral with over 1.4 million views and 10k likes.

While the parents loved their choice of unique names, people in the comments section were clearly not impressed.

One person wrote: “These are great names for a Labubu.”

Another commented: “You realise you’re naming humans right?”

“Neither of you should be allowed to name children actually,” penned a third.

Banned Names in the UK

The UK has no law restricting names, but names that contain obscenities, numerals, misleading titles, or are impossible to pronounce are likely to be rejected when registering a child.

• Hitler
• Monkey
• Cyanide
• Martian
• Akuma
• Chow Tow
• Rogue

Meanwhile a fourth said: “What are you naming… dogs?”

“Kids are going to have a rough time in school,” claimed a fifth.

Someone else added: “Never pick a name again.”

Passengers travelling from Spain to Italy were screaming in fear as their Wizz Air flight was hit with severe turbulence and was forced to make an emergency landing

Passengers on a flight returning from Spain were left screaming in fear as their plane was thrown around in terrifying turbulence, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.

The Wizz Air flight was travelling from Alicante, Spain, to Fiumicino Airport, Rome, this week when it encountered severe turbulence. In a shocking video posted to social media, petrified passengers could be heard shrieking on the Airbus A321 as it battled the bumpy conditions.

The seatbelt signs were on while the majority of the cabin lights were turned off, only adding to the fearful moment for travellers on board. In the video shared on TikTok, the user added the caption, “Attimi di terrore sul volo”, translating to “Moments of terror on the flight.”

READ MORE: British Airways drama as 20 people kicked off plane after it became too heavyREAD MORE: Furious TUI holidaymakers ‘abandoned’ at airport with kids sleeping on floor

Passengers in the video can be heard shouting, “Oh God”, and “No, no, no!” while others remained quiet with heavy breaths. Outside through the windows, the plane’s red lights can be seen amid the grey and dark sky.

Italy has faced extreme weather this summer, and Rome was given a severe thunderstorm warning. The bad weather is what impacted the Wizz Air flight, which attempted to land at Fiumicino, the country’s busiest airport.

After several attempts, the pilot aborted the plan and was redirected to Bologna, over 250 miles away, to make a safe landing. The flight from Alicante to Rome typically takes under two hours, but due to delays and severe turbulence, it landed in Bologna at 3:53am – almost three hours after it was due to arrive in Rome.

Wizz Air said: “Wizz Air flight W4 6038 from Alicante to Rome Fiumicino on August 20 was diverted to Bologna Airport after it was unable to land safely due to adverse weather conditions at Rome Fiumicino Airport.

“The aircraft landed safely and without incident in Bologna at 3:57 a.m. local time. Passengers were provided with ground transportation from Bologna to Rome.”

The airline added that passengers who “had independently arranged ground transportation” would be entitled to a refund. Wizz Air also said: “Weather conditions are beyond the airline’s control, and safety remains Wizz Air’s top priority.”

They also added that aborting a landing is a “standard procedure in the event that conditions are not ideal for a safe landing”. The airline thanked the pilots and cabin crew for “ensuring everyone’s safety during the turbulence and for making the right decision to divert the flight to Bologna.”