{"id":24540,"date":"2025-10-23T11:34:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=24540"},"modified":"2025-10-23T11:34:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:34:04","slug":"halloween-isnt-over-until-the-phantom-flyer-leaves-the-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2025\/10\/halloween-isnt-over-until-the-phantom-flyer-leaves-the-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween Isn\u2019t Over Until the Phantom Flyer Leaves the Station"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the pricking of my thumbs, something spooky this way comes\u2026 the Downpatrick and County Down Railway has had its fair share of ghosts and ghouls over the years, but nothing quite like its latest arrival – Dr Frankenstein himself.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"Strange lights and noises have been reported around the heritage railway\u2019s museum yard in recent weeks, and it seems the chaos of Halloween night has left the good Doctor with a problem. Several of his creations appear to have escaped into the County Down countryside, and he is now calling on the public to help him round them up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had to flee my castle in Transylvania and was looking for somewhere I could conduct my experiments in peace,\u201d the Doctor explained when we caught up with him this week. \u201cSomewhere with lots of space and a ready supply of fresh parts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Asked if he meant the locomotives and machinery at the museum, he paused. \u201cNo, I don\u2019t mean\u2026 well, maybe a little. Yes, there are some very useful bodies around the place. I could do with a strong man for my next project. I\u2019ve had my eye on a volunteer or two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pressed on what sort of doctor he actually is, Frankenstein was quick to defend his reputation. \u201cThere are some who call me mad, but I\u2019m not. I suppose I\u2019m part biologist, part surgeon. I\u2019m always trying to push the boundaries of what we can do with life. Death does not need to be the end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Doctor admits that some of his experiments may have wandered off during the Halloween night activities, and he needs help to track them down. He\u2019s now summoning brave members of the public to join his recovery effort on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November, when The Curse of the Phantom Flyer takes over the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you do, don\u2019t get too close to them,\u201d he warned. \u201cThey look a lot like you and me, only I think I might have left them a bit long before we dug them up. I made the perfect couple \u2013 if only they\u2019d do what they\u2019re told. Darn things got sentient and I think they\u2019re trying to set up home near the river.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need a crowd of people,\u201d he said. \u201cWear your best and most frightening costume and let\u2019s scare them into submission.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s show marks Avalard Productions\u2019 third Halloween event at the railway, featuring a new storyline and characters inspired by Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein. The kid-friendly immersive performance, suitable for all ages, blends classic horror with comedy and audience participation, taking visitors through the historic railway site and on board a heritage train into the dark County Down countryside.<\/span><\/p>\n

Avalard\u2019s director Robert JE Simpson leads the cast as Dr Frankenstein, joined by Geoff Hatt, Marcus Keeley, and Debbie McCormack. \u201cEvery year we build something new,\u201d Simpson said. \u201cBy staging this after Halloween, families get one last chance to enjoy the season. It\u2019s a Halloween encore before winter truly sets in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Performances run at 3.00 pm, 4.15 pm, 5.30 pm on both days. Tickets are \u00a317 per person or \u00a360 for a family. Infants under 12 months travel free. Children\u2019s tickets include face-painting by Kaz-a-Doodle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets and full details are available at\u00a0www.downrail.co.uk<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By the pricking of my thumbs, something spooky this way comes\u2026 the Downpatrick and County Down Railway has had its fair share of ghosts and ghouls over the years, but nothing quite like its latest arrival – Dr Frankenstein himself. Strange lights and noises have been reported around the heritage railway\u2019s museum yard in recent … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24542,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24540\/revisions\/24542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}