DR. NEFF'S MADHOUSE OF MYSTERY

Bill Neff -  “The Master of Many Haunts,” brought to his midnight spook show to audiences all along the eastern seaboard! An assortment of zombies, spooks, ghosts with other varied and weird attractions. Newspapers proclaimed, “Dr. Neff’s show makes eyes pop! Pulses hop! Hearts skip a beat!”

Neff was complex man who succumbed to his own creation and one of the best spook show magicians of this time. His theatrical attraction was entitled “Madhouse of Mystery,” a show that guaranteed suspense, shudder, shakes, and shivers! Spook Shows are part of the history of magic, and were very popular between 1930 through 1960, where shows were held at midnight in conjunction with a horror film.

Bill Neff’s drug and alcohol abuse were very influential in his career and affected all those who around him. 
 “He was the most unlikable character I ever met, I was really afraid of him, and I dreaded him coming to town.”  
 -James Torrence (Neff’s son)
  About The Madhouse of Mystery show:
"He became totally absorbed and engrossed in this voodoo stuff, and that became his religion and his life.”

An Article by Walt Hudson from 1973 called 'Bill Neff Remembered'

http://creepymagic.com/spooksters/billneff1973.html 

OCT. 2005 MAGIC MAGAZINE article on DR. NEFF by McCARL ROBERTS

Bela Lugosi and Dr. Neff in 1947

WILLIAM RAUSCHER

'PLEASANT NIGHTMARES'
by
William Rauscher 
A haunting tale of America's most unusual stage show and the man behind the curtain.

This book is about an eerie entertainer who specialized in the supernatural.

Author William V. Rauscher presents an incisive and penetrating look at a complex man who succumbed to his own creation, Madhouse of Mystery. With a forward by McCarl Roberts, 'Pleasant Nightmares' is the story of one of the best spook show magicians of his time.

Hard Cover- 314 Pages- Includes a revealing personal interview with James T. Neff... William T. Neff's forgotten son- Foreword by McCarl Roberts.
You can purchase this wonderful book here at Mr. Rauscher's official website,  MysticLightPress ... 

http://www.mysticlightpress.com/index.php?page_id=144