Spent summers as a little kid in Brigantine and then moved there permanently in 1980. A typical summer day involved going to the beach, home for showers, dinner at the Rod and Reel, and then the castle. My heart was always pumping out of my chest no matter how many times I had been through. And then ice cream at Dairy Queen. If this isn’t a perfect vintage day in Brigantine I don’t know what is. 😂

Truly the greatest attraction ever made. The Jersey Shore was home to the most iconic haunted house attractions in America.

I'll always remember the commercials for this on Channel 48. That headless woman really scared 4-year-old me!

Grew up in Atlantic City and there was nothing more exciting than the parents saying , “We’re going to Brigantine Castle tonight!!”

I'm amazed it was only open for a few years..seemed like it was there for decades. The commercials were so creepy.

As a kid it was the scariest place I've ever been. I'll never forget it. The haunted mansion was good too but it had nothing on this place!

Congratulations on a great documentary guys. It was great fun to voice your writing :)

This is a great documentary especially growing up with the commercials that used to scare the hell out of me. My family almost went to Castle Dracula in Wildwood in '78 but my 8 year old self was too scared. Seriously great memories all around.

What an outstanding documentary, and a great trip down memory lane for an adult who was once a young boy who visited that castle. Thank you so much for doing this!!❤

I can remember sittin over in the middle of nowhere in PA, 3 in the afternoon, Springtime, between Marine Boy and SpeedRacer,and that commercial scarin the Hell outa me! The late 70s/early 80s was just Paradise! We got Philly/Delaware/Jersey stations on the Rabbit Ears.

Without attractions like these we would of never seen the likes of such great haunted attractions such as "Erebus", "Cutting Edge", "House Of Torment", "Creepyworld", "The 13th Gate", "Castle Of Chaos", and "The Darkness" today. (thanks for sharing and hope we see something similar done for the haunted attractions of Clifton Hill one day in future!)

I love the documentary. I only wish it was longer.

Worked there a few summers during high school and college. Best job ever! Thanks for a great video.

This is incredibly well done Bill. Excellent narration, well written, great editing, and great interview clips. I was always fascinated by this Castle once I discovered it probably around a decade ago through your site. It was closed before I was even born so I never got to see it in person. I love the isolated nature of it, just a self-contained pier that revolved around the castle. I really wish I got to walk through it. I recall seeing Eric's name attached to Castle Dracula as well. He seems to be a NJ haunt legend, filled with knowledge (and awesome props! ) How odd (I say with a hint of sarcasm) that the Brigantine Castle met the same demise as Castle Dracula.

Very interesting documentary. Too bad the next generation will never see this.

Brilliant! This was great! Thanks.

Live in Florida but raised partially in New Jersey for my first seven years of life,i still remember the good times as a little kid on the shore.

So many great memories.. I grew up in Philly and Brigantine Castle and Castle Dracula in Wildwood were staples of my childhood...

I used to get pizza and snacks for the characters when they were on their break to make extra money when I was 10,we would go to Brigantine every summer, what memories and loads of fun,thanks for this video 😊

One of my favorite places! Always missed this and my brother scaring me when the TV ads came on before we visited each year. Lol I remember crying when it was on fire. Some of the best memories of childhood for me!

In 1980-81, I worked at Castle Dracula, down in the dungeon. One of the best jobs, I ever had. It was like playing, in a gothic horror film. Minimum wage job, but it was fun👍!!! Years later, I had the opportunity to work at Morbid Manor, in North Wildwood in 2012, for a friend of mine. Another, very interesting, fun endeavor. Eric Prinze had built that attraction, of which was splendid. Did not know he, was involved with, the Brigantine Castle though🤔. I also knew, Freddy Mahana, who had a food attraction, called; The Circus Wagon, and when I was a kid, he had an illusion show, there too. All I recall, was smoke💨, mirrors🪞, and a gorilla🦍.

This was such a nice documentary that brought back so many childhood memories with my dad. He would always take me to the castle but he had a bad heart so he would let me walk in with the people standing in line. You entered in groups and he just wanted me to have a good time. I loved our times there. Thank you.

Great documentary on the Brigantine Castle! I remember visiting the castle in the 70s. I remember some of the actors . I was a teenager then and it was a highlight of my youth and one of the main sources of entertainment. It gave you something to look forward to! It was exciting when friends got together and drove to Brigantine to see the castle as opposed to what is more relevant now which is sitting on the computer or cell phone. Brigantine Castle was a beautiful dream in the 70s.

Great documentary! My guess it is was made circa 2007. I always saw the TV ad for it, and a group of friends went there in the middle of the night on a snowy Nov. 1982 wanting to climb up it, but it was closed and locked

Excellent work on this!

This Castle was one of favorite memories as a kid! Thanks for showing this. 😊

Thank you so much for this wonderful video.

This was wonderful!

I moved to the Jersey Shore in 1970 whwn i was 5. I was 20 in 1985 when i went to Brigantine Castle. How wonderful and terrifying it was hahahaha! Nothing more wonderful than New Jersey!

Wonderful documentary! I knew Carmen Ricci. I am from Seaside Heights. Carmen's daughter Theresa Pettacio runs the Sonny's and Rickey's arcade here, and a few years ago, my brother and our friend rented space there for an ice-cream stand. Love this. Dr. Peter James Smith, Ed.D. You likely recognize me from my work on the Haunted Castle. Thanks.

Awesome video! I use some of the original set lights (a gift from Eric) on my KZfaq set backdrop. They still work after 43 years.

Thank you so much for this!

I've heard of the Brigantine Castle but I didn't know much about it. Thanks for this great documentary on the Castle, I now know what I missed all those years ago. Thanks for sharing.

I spent my summers there in Brigantine. From 76 thru 81(11-16yo) was my prime there. Many,many nights there(used to walk from 18th south). Had friends worked the games. Brigantine in the summer was a amazing place to grow up. So many great memories

Thanks for sharing. When I was a kid in the 70's living in Coopersburg PA, we used to go camping every Summer near Tuckerton, NJ for a couple weeks. My Mom took us to Brigantine Castle one year. (Must have been 76, 77, or 78 as we moved to AZ in the Fall of 78.) Nothing but fond memories of those days.

This video is amazing! Very informative. I lived in NJ in the 80s but never got to go!

I love these docs so much.

living on the shore and never having heard about this, i feel kinda crazy, this is so cool!!!!! thank you so much for sharing!!!

Bravo fellas!!!

Never had a chance to visit this place.I remember watching the commercials on TV about it as a young kid. My mom and stepfather took me to Draculas castle in Wildwood New Jersey. Plus I went to Frankensteins wax museum up in Canada 🇨🇦 🙂👍🏻

Went a few times in the late 70's. I was school aged at the time. It was awesome!!! I think my younger sister is still emotionally scarred.

great memories I had thanks bring them up again

It's sad that this haunt was before my time. I would of loved to go here or even be a haunter here. I'm actually a haunt actor for 15 years at Fright Factory we actually had the curse doll of Brigantine Castle for a bit in the doll room.

I went a few times as a young teen and was terrified. Loved it

This is awesome. I went there once. One of my earliest and best memories. In my minds eye, it was a real, stone castle. Just awesome

What an Amazing Commentary ... God Bless .. Spent the Majority of My Childhood afraid of those Commercials lol 😅and The Fantastic Stories of Brigantine NJ ... ❤❤❤

Oh that's a great speil at the beginning of the video!

Man i missed out i never got to see this one. But i did get to go through Castle Dracula MANY times in the 80s & 90s

I was fascinated with horror as a kid. Kind of a cautious fascination and I was mesmerized by this place. My aunt and uncle lived on the island and I loved to visit them because they would take me there. One day I went through it twice one summer in 1979 when I was 13 and I memorized all the scenes. They had a wax woman in a casket and she looked so real. I remember getting to that area and saying to the guy, "That's Mary!" and he said "YES! Did you know her? She fell out of the tower!" Here she is. Maybe she was a real actor. no idea! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/athioM6VvLK2o2Q.htmlsi=RLCwY5-SnwFh15iN&t=290

Wonderful.

As someone who wasn't alive when this was open, it seems extremely strange to me that attractions like this will simply announce they will be shutting down immediately instead of having a final year. I understand diminishing returns and that you have to put in resources to get the word out that "this is the final year", but I can't help but feel like that would be majorly offset by a huge final spike in people visiting it knowing it's the last time.

I remember this place with great memories. Every year at least one day was spent in brigantine castle

Amazing.

It's beautiful!!! Welcome to castle brigantine!¡

grew up watching the commercials but never got to visit 😢

I grew up down at the shore and remember how menacing this place was. My parents me and my brother, along with some family frienda all went to the castle one night. I was really little so I only have vague memories of this, but apparently my Dad was carrying me and one of the actors came up to my Dad and me to scare us but wouldn't stop and this was making my Dad really angry and punched the guy in the face while holding me no less. I was in an antique store a year ago and one of the vendors had envelopes with the Brigantine Castle letterhead on it and the vendor of that booth gave me one and I cherish it and goes out with my Halloween decor every year 😊

Thanks!

I watched the commercial when i was a kid in Philly, 7 or 8 yrs old. Scared the heck out of me, my younger brother and i would run out of the room!

Great job ..although the narration said in spring of 84 it was announced it would not reopen...it was open summer of 1984..their last season

Ironic that Brigantine, Haunted Mansion, and Castle Dracula all caught fire.

This place scared the living shit out of me, I was a kid at the time and fully had a panic attack so bad when I got up to the roof I was swearing at the attendant that was supposed to lead us to the door back down I even slapped her.

Excellent doc! Perfect length and detail. Is there one planned for the Haunted Mansion of Long Branch?

Lucky enough to visit when I was 7. Scared me shitless and lead to a lifelong interest in the macabre.

I still remember being a little kid and thinking it was so cool. My Mom wouldn't let me go in. She said it's "too scary for you" By the time I got older it was gone.

You should do a video of the Pay to Play skateparks in NJ throughout the late 70's / early 80's ... Seaside Heights, Wildwood, LBI, Lakewood, Vineland, Cherry Hill, etc all had historic parks

The groovy music has me intrigued...tell me more.

I worked two seasons at the Castle. I still wish I could have appreciated it more then.

Awesome attractions I enjoyed it and fished there

I still miss the castle. Great times in great days. (Would you consider doing a documentary on the Skua?)

I went through with my Dad, but my sister was too scared and waited outside (It was the '70s, when people still thought it was safe to leave a little kid alone for 30 minutes, and she knew not to talk to strangers and how to scream for help - LOL)! The only thing I really remember was the rat room.

I LOVED that place

This is awesome. Could you do the same think for both the Golden Nugget and Castle Dracula in Wildwood ?

Great Video !!!! I would love to see more videos like this haunted amusement attractions

what is it with NJ haunted walk-thru ride burning to the ground?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me the name of the organ music that plays at the beginning and end of this video! It's absolutely beautiful! Where did you get it??

I was 10 years old when it opened, it was fantastic The last great America the 70's and 80's

What is the song that plays in the credits, if you have the answer, please let me know, thanks!

My mom said she was terrified of this place as a kid lol

I remember the commercials for this.

The music at the end, who orchestrated that? Man, i love it

Interesting

I went there once in 1980 or 81. That rat room is the only part I have a clear memory of. I had to go on it alone because none of my 3 siblings would join me. Chickens.

I remember sitting on that beach as a kid. Cast members in full costume would stand on a balcony somewhere in there and freak out the people on the beach. They may have just been having cigarette breaks. You could walk under the pier and hear people screaming from above. I remember the coin slide game at the arcade and the rat posters. I think I was 7 when I was there and it’s all still stuck in my brain 40 years later. Thank you for the memories

You also need to do a documentary on Haunted Mansion of Long Branch.

Seem strange how all the attractions caught fire . Pretty coincidental for that to happen .

I remember my dad and his friend took me there when I was young I remember a room with lizzy bordon and a slanted floor you had to get up she wore a blue checkered dress and a axe in her hand plus a glass floor with a body under it that you had to walk over pretty creepy I miss this place and castle Dracula in wildwood both met there fate by arson

Guys can you help with the gothic rock piece that is used at the beginning and the ending please? Thanks.

I live in Atlantic County. This attraction is missed!

Brigantine castle came out when I was five years old.🎉

wish it was still around today

I was a little boy im 48 itwas the most frighten thing i every seen

What is the music from the intro?

I remember the rat room. I loved it.

I went to it once in the 80's really cheep displays. But it was fun.

I remember the queen saying “kiss it kiss it” to the wand she held.

Its interesting the way all these castles "accidentally" burned down at the end of their shelf life

If I had the money, I would start a haunted house attraction. I never went to brigantine Castle but I did go to the haunted Mansion in Long Branch a couple times when I was a kid, I miss those days

You could hear the rat room long before you got there.

Commercial used to scare the shit out of me when I was a kid.

Wish someone could rebuild