Halloween at Germany's medieval Frankenstein Castle

DW (English)

Monsters, witches, goose bumps: Every year, Frankenstein Castle in west Germany becomes a favorite haunt for spooky Halloween celebrations.

Transcript

00:00 (wolf howling)

00:02 Deep in the heart of Western Germany

00:04 lies a castle with a mysterious history.

00:07 (dramatic music)

00:10 Did you know that Frankenstein's Castle

00:15 is an actual real place?

00:17 An eccentric scientist lived here about 400 years ago,

00:21 but today, this place has been transformed

00:23 into Germany's biggest Halloween party.

00:27 Every year since 1977, Frankenstein Castle

00:31 has hosted the country's biggest Halloween event,

00:33 which spans almost two weeks.

00:36 When it comes to the fear factor,

00:38 everything here is allowed.

00:40 When I came to Germany in 1997,

00:45 Halloween was viewed as an American export

00:48 and hardly celebrated anywhere.

00:50 But all that has changed now,

00:53 and while Halloween in Germany may not be as widespread

00:57 as in the US, it is growing in popularity.

01:00 And when Germans celebrate, they go all out.

01:04 And this castle is the perfect venue.

01:08 Dr. Frankenstein's monster didn't actually live here,

01:11 of course.

01:12 He was a fictitious character

01:14 out of Mary Shelley's famous novel,

01:16 which was inspired by events that took place here.

01:19 The preparations for Halloween at the castle

01:22 begin some six weeks in advance.

01:25 (dramatic music)

01:27 Located outside of the western city of Frankfurt,

01:30 the castle itself dates back to the 13th century.

01:33 I grew up with Halloween,

01:38 but why do Germans like it so much?

01:40 - Halloween is the best time of year

01:44 because we can be creative.

01:46 We can build sets here and scare people here,

01:49 and you can take on different roles.

01:51 - It's best to try not to wet yourself when they scare you,

01:54 but it's fun here no matter what.

01:56 - It's the best holiday of the year.

01:59 Halloween's origins date back

02:03 to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, or summer's end.

02:07 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland,

02:10 the Celts celebrated on the night of October 31st

02:14 when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead

02:17 returned to earth.

02:18 Meanwhile, back at Frankenstein's castle,

02:23 Halloween is in full swing with the monsters

02:26 scouting out their next victims.

02:28 - We're about to enter what they call the Torta Tor,

02:35 or the torture chamber.

02:37 - Psychologists say that one reason

02:40 people like to consume horror is to experience stimulation.

02:44 And that's exactly what this poor chap

02:49 is getting his fair share of.

02:51 (children singing)

02:54 And the audience seems to love it.

02:59 In real life, an eccentric scientist

03:10 named Johann Conrad Dippel was born and raised here

03:13 in Frankenstein Castle in the 17th century.

03:16 It's said that he performed various experiments

03:18 on cadavers, which were well known around the country.

03:21 This mad scientist is believed to be the inspiration

03:25 behind Mary Shelley's horror story, Frankenstein,

03:28 which was published in 1818.

03:31 And this spooky atmosphere is what attracts

03:36 some 18,000 Germans here to celebrate Halloween.

03:40 - I grew up at the foot of the castle

03:43 and have been celebrating Halloween all my life.

03:48 - And on Halloween, when the sun sets,

03:51 the monsters come out.

03:53 - This was the scariest haunted castle I have ever been to.

03:58 I have no idea how I'm going to sleep tonight.

04:01 I must've been scared about a thousand times.

04:04 But it was a lot of fun, and until next time,

04:07 happy Halloween.

04:08 (dramatic music)

04:11 (roaring)

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