The name of the family seaside resort was changed to Weston-super-Nightmare especially for the occasion - with some justification. I knew it was going to be an evening with a difference, when I was accosted by sundry ghouls and freaks, including a vampire, a dwarf and a zombie, as soon as I entered the theatre. That set the tone for an evening of madness and mayhem, which was spawned locally, at the Glastonbury Festival, in 1995. Bizarre and downright freaky The Circus of Horrors has entertained, amused and scared audiences worldwide, with a mixture of talented, bizarre and downright freaky acts. Ringmaster Doktor Haze moved the show along at a rapid pace - he introduced the world's stretchiest man (unbelievable), helped by members of the audience, the sword-swallowing, barbaric Scottish strongman, as well as jugglers and trapeze artists. Sixteen-year-old virgins are required as a ritual to start the show. Once one was found, she rapidly came under the spell of the Undead Doktor as the show unfolded. Firstly though, she had to endure being the target for the knife-thrower. A beautiful, oriental contortionist was brought on the stage crammed in to a bell jar. This added a whole new dimension to my claustrophobia. Music at a suitably high volume was provided live by The X Factor. With coffins, chainsaws and lots and lots of blood, the Circus of Horrors is not for the fainthearted, as it drags circus in to the third millennium. Rocking and shocking It is, however, underneath the 'shock, horror' factor, a lot of fun, performed by a combination of talented performers and freaks. With a cult audience, of a fairly young generation, it looks set to carry on rocking and shocking for many years to come. Only time will tell if Weston-super-Nightmare can recover in time for the influx of holidaymakers this summer! | 
