When I was growing up, Pee-wee’s Playhouse was one of my favorite shows. Featuring a varied cast of characters, and the ever-charming house itself, Pee-wee would teach us a lesson each week, and make us feel good about being the odd one out. We were different. We were special. And god damn it, we should embrace that.

Now, here I am, years later, just a few hours after emerging from Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse, feeling the same exact feelings of happiness and acceptance that I got from Pee-wee. Except now, as an adult, it means even more to me.

Before you go any further in this review, let me just spoil my final verdict for you now; go see Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse. If you haven’t already bought tickets, stop reading, go to their site, and purchase them now. It’s OK. This review will still be here when you get back.

Go on, now.

Are you done? Good. Welcome back. You made a wise choice.

I’m honestly having trouble trying to find the words to describe this show and how it made me feel. Within its 90 minutes, Pete Carter, Charles Convery, and their cast and crew have created something that I had always dreamed of seeing on stage, and making me feel like a kid again.

Just what is Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse? Well, if you combine Pee-wee’s Playhouse with a bit of Rocky Horror Picture Show, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Manson, insane dance numbers, fantastic songs, old-school nostalgia, and a massive love of Halloween, you’d have the right idea. Ghoulmaster himself is almost like the male version of Elvira. And he totally pulls it off, too.

The plot of the show is simple; every year, Ghoulmaster must before the sacred ceremony with the mysterious formula to make sure Halloween, and magic, continues in the world. Alas, last year he ran out of the mysterious formula, and needs to re-create it using instructions from his dearly departed father. While he makes said formula, Ghoulmaster and the quirky characters living in the playhouse, take you on a journey you will never forget.

It’s simple, it’s effective, and it’s a great set up for what follows. Everything that happens in the show works perfectly with the story, even with the bit of fourth wall breaking that goes on.

The people that inhabit Ghoulmaster’s world are all fantastic, as well. Between the ghosts that already inhabited the playhouse when he moved in to his ever-devoted servants, everyone in the cast has their own moment to shine. This is a rare occurrence in these smaller productions, but there is no weak link in the chain here. Ever performer is strong, witty, and will make you laugh. Hell, even when they are NOT the focus of attention, the characters are never still, constantly doing something in the background. There were plenty of times when the story was moving forward, but I was also watching the interplays going on off to the sides. There is never a dull moment here, and there is always something to see.

The show bordered on the camp line, but didn’t over do it. The tone and pacing throughout were dead on, and it always kept our attention. Hell, even the intermission had something going on, with a great Randy Newman-esque musical number that has to be heard to be believed.

Which brings me to the production overall. We saw the premiere night of the show, and while it’s a little rough around the edges, it completely works. While there seemed to be one or two missteps or missed cues, the cast was so fantastic that they played it off with a wink and a nod. Nothing seemed amiss, and the quick thinking of the actors made hiccups (that would have thrown off lesser performers) completely part of the show. I was seriously impressed, and loved every minute of it.

And it was so hilarious, too. One liners come at you left and right, and each one is better than the last. The writing is spot-on, and there were a lot of instances that really struck a nostalgic chord for me (and many others). This show spoke to me on so many levels, especially my inner child who fell in love with Halloween so early in life.

Really, the entire show, despite dealing with the weirder, creepier side of things, has an incredible air of positivity. It embraces the past that we loved, but also, in its own way, teaches you to embrace who you are…no matter how strange it may seem to others. And it’s a lesson a lot of people today can learn from.

When they aren’t talking, the cast is singing, and the original songs are incredible. So much so that I will be humming the tunes for days. Two of the big standouts for me were the Ghoul King number and the “hallucination.” The songs, combined with fantastic dancing, will blow you away.

Despite the smaller size of the theater, they make use of every inch they can. The set is visually impressive, and made me long for it to be an actual place. There were so many details crammed in there.

Having sat in the front row, I felt as if we were part of the action as well, since some of the dances took place just inches in front of me. It really made me feel like we were IN the playhouse, an active participant in the show, and not just watching it from our seats.

As for the Ghoulmaster himself…never have I seen a performance command a room or the audience’s attention quite like he did. He was wonderful. He had his ups, his downs, and we were there with him the entire way. He ran the gauntlet of emotions throughout the show, and you can tell that story really came from his heart.

You could tell that everything included is something he loved growing up, and the show is his way of sharing that love with us. His love of nostalgia really shines here. Ghoulmaster is the perfect conduit for the weird side of all of us…the part some of us are too afraid to really let wild, but we should let out to play every so often. And holy crap, can that guy dance. Like, really. Hell, every single performer here has moves that I am insanely jealous of!

If I had to gripe about anything, it would be that the merchandise did not arrive in time for the performance we saw. I would have loved to have purchased a shirt or a CD from them to help support this wonderful show (seriously, I need a full soundtrack from the show. It was THAT good).

The show bills itself as family friendly, and I am inclined to agree. Their website suggests that if you’re a cool parent, you should probably bring your kids. I would venture to say it’s in the PG-13 territory, so you need to know if your kid can handle it. There is cursing, sexual references, and things of that nature, but the show carries an amazingly positive message for everyone. I brought my 12 year old to see it, and he absolutely loved it. So, again, your mileage may vary, depending on how sheltered the kid in question is.

Overall, I am incredibly impressed with Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse. The show is goofy, campy, nostalgic fun from top to bottom, and worth every moment of your time. You’d be an idiot not to go see it.

Seriously, go see the show during its run. And then, tell your friends about it. And then make sure they tell their friends about it. You won’t be disappointed.

Ghoulmaster’s Haunted Playhouse runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until October 31^st at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre in Los Angeles. Get your tickets today from www.ghoulmaster.com, and tell them HorrorBuzz sent you.