Troy Z
LightNews LightNews
banner
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Troy Z
@n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
160 followers 440 following 290 posts
Promotional feed of a Designer of Themed Retail & Entertainment Venues. Name here based upon my Twitter Origin in which I developed a Haunt Attraction based upon "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Nature Trail to Hell": http://naturetrailtohellin3d.blogspot.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
I am in a fukkin' Headspace right now, but you know what I miss most about being a Gen X'r growing up in the 70s and 80s? Nuclear War. Because with that as it was then, it was assured we were all In It Together. There weren't neighbors cheering on, sneering at, or profiting off your potential death.
November 10, 2025 at 5:06 AM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Tonight! It's the last night of Knott's Scary Farm for 2025, and the last chance this year to see my character, "Shackles" the Prisoner, shamble about the Gauntlet ScareZone.
May you all have had a Spooky Season that was kind to you.

#ScareActor #ScaryFarm #KnottsScaryFarm #Halloween #SpookySeason
An advertisement-like collage featuring a plush toy doll representing a truly sad in every sense of the word old medieval prisoner with scraggly long greying hair and long grey beard made of fabric floss, wearing tattered felt rags and shackles that are linked with stainless steel metal jewelry chain and festooned with little bells. There are two images of this doll, one that wears a set of stocks made of craft foam, and the other with an accompanying excitable speech balloon exclaiming "Help Me!!" The ad copy features blocks of words that say "Shackles the Prisoner" as the main title at the top, alongside a logo for the ScareZone "The Gauntlet" with the word "Toys" just beneath it. Scattered throughout the page are paragraphs that read: "Oh, Silly Shackles, thinking anyone will ever help him!' "It's hours of fun to torment this pathetic wretch! All of Helshire now officially had someone to look down upon!" "He's a mess!" "Fun for all ages!" "Set of stocks sold separately! Collect all the residents of Helshire!"
November 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Troy Z
fezmonger.bsky.social
Celebrating Halloween and International Bat Appreciation Week with my latest hat prototype.
#BatFez #bat #FezORama #halloween
Self portrait wearing a purple velvet bat fez
October 31, 2025 at 11:56 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
A rare convergence of #FezFriday and #Halloween, an opportunity to celebrate the classic #UniversalMonsters.

Silver #Ouija Planchette Fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama: fez-o-rama.com
Photograph of a grey-bearded man in a black suit and cloak and wearing a fez by Fez-O-Rama with an Ouija board planchette embroidered with silver thread stands with his arms folded within a red-lined classic "toe-pincher" coffin positioned in front of an illustrated display depicting the classic Universal Monsters (The Werewolf, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, and the Mummy).
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
It is always an honor to be included in the portfolio of photographer Chris Cornish when he documents the ScareActors at Knott's Scary Farm. His pictures really communicate the energy of the event.

📷: chriscornishphotography.pixieset.com/knottsmonste...

#PhotoSky #ScareActor #ScaryFarm #Halloween
Nighttime exterior photograph by Chris Cornish of a profile view of an old man with a long grey beard and scraggly long hair dressed in tattered clothing with his neck and wrists locked in a pillory that is festooned with rusty iron spikes, wax candles, and parchment strips adhered by wax seals.
October 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by Troy Z
amutepiggy.bsky.social
wow. i mean, even if SNAP *didn't* generate this kind of ROI, we should do it because it's the morally correct thing to feed people. But apparently, it's also good business!
ryanmarino.bsky.social Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 27d
Every $1 invested in SNAP generates $1.80 in local economic activity. Without SNAP, that will mean a loss of $15 billion to the US economy just in November alone.
anthonymkreis.bsky.social Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 27d
Whenever people complain about the number of folks relying on food stamps, it is worth reminding them that SNAP is, by too large of a degree, a subsidy for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage and their political allies who reject public policy prescriptions to reduce income inequality.
October 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
SNAP benefits are set to evaporate next week under the rightwing-enabled government shutdown, & that is a disaster cresting. Please donate via www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-lo..., & local to us in L.A. is where I donated: www.lafoodbank.org

h/t: @castawayfarm.bsky.social & @sdpowell1.bsky.social
Find Your Local Food Bank | Feeding America
Find the Feeding America member food bank nearest you. Over 200 member food banks can connect you with free food, food pantries, soup kitchens, and mobile pantries in your community.
www.feedingamerica.org
October 28, 2025 at 12:01 AM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
FanArt! at the ScareZone

I am grateful to receive this portrait of my character, "'Shackles' the Prisoner," who haunts Knott's Scary Farm.

Portrait by Sally M.: www.instagram.com/shellfishsel..., commissions/bookings via www.instagram.com/sallyscallop/

#KnottsScaryFarm #ScaryFarm #ScareActor
Portrait rendering using watercolor, pastel, and marker on Kraft paper depicting a scraggly old bearded man locked in an elaborate pillory festooned with spikes, candles, and parchment strips adhered by wax seals. The hue is keyed green to match the lighting of the ScareZone in which the ScareActor performs.
October 26, 2025 at 5:48 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
#FezFriday addressing some hereditary issues.

Fez by fez-o-rama.com. Setpiece at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, CA.

#Hereditary #HorrorMovies #Ouija
A man in a black suit and wearing a fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama embroidered with silver thread depicting an Ouija board planchette holds a crude golden crown while sitting crosslegged within a recreation of the interior of the treehouse from the final scene of the movie "Hereditary."
October 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social Troy Z @n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social · Oct 13
+ Adding to the Thread of groups to which I've donated, & links so Ucan2:
Mainstream Media's fallen down on the job, so in addition to donating to L.A. Taco @lataco.bsky.social & the ReWire News Group linkin.bio/rewirenewsgr..., know ProPublica is Doing The Work:
give.propublica.org/give/346423/...
October 13, 2025 at 11:07 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
+ Adding to the Thread of groups to which I've donated, & links so Ucan2:
Mainstream Media's fallen down on the job, so in addition to donating to L.A. Taco @lataco.bsky.social & the ReWire News Group linkin.bio/rewirenewsgr..., know ProPublica is Doing The Work:
give.propublica.org/give/346423/...
October 13, 2025 at 11:06 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
#FezFriday getting a case of the Pazuzoomies at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, CA.

Ouija Silver Planchette Fez by fez-o-rama.com

#TheExorcist #Ouija #SpookySeason
A grey-bearded man in a black suit wearing a black velvet fez with an embroidered Ouija board planchette in silver thread crafted by Fez-O-Rama appears to levitate horizontally above a bed dressed to resemble the one in the movie "The Exorcist."
October 10, 2025 at 6:23 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
#California: Mail-in ballots are out for the Special Election on November 4.

Know this: When you seem to see a ~5+:1 ratio on mailers and YouTube ads for a certain side of a Proposition, that's evidence of rich people engaging in fuckery against you.

So vote Yes on Proposition 50.

#YesOn50
October 8, 2025 at 7:57 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
This #SpookySeason I commissioned Justin McElroy [@thoughtographic.bsky.social] to do a portrait of my #ScaryFarm character "'Shackles' the Prisoner."
I love how his linework evokes a Scholastic Book Fair gem of a Horror Anthology for kids, one I would peruse, gasp at, run from, & ultimately buy.
An atmospheric black+white illustration by Justin McElroy of an emaciated, long-beaded tortured medieval prisoner stumbling about in chains and a heavy wooden set of stocks upon which perches a plump crow, silhouetted against a full moon, caws in either sympathy or as a harbinger of doom. An atmospheric color illustration by Justin McElroy of an emaciated, long-beaded tortured medieval prisoner stumbling about in chains and a heavy wooden set of stocks upon which perches a plump crow, silhouetted against a full moon, caws in either sympathy or as a harbinger of doom.
October 7, 2025 at 12:35 AM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
#FezFriday at Into the Streets' "LET THERE BE GWAR" exhibit.

Damn, I love that this exists.

gwar.net #GWAR

I was alerted to this via: bsky.app/profile/lata... . Just one of the many significant reasons to subscribe to @lataco.bsky.social!
A scraggly grey-bearded man wearing a Fez-O-Rama fez depicting an embroidered zombie head with an exposed brain laid over two crossed bloody machetes gleefully throws horns in front of a display of stage props, costumes, and old CRT video monitors showcasing the legacy of the legendary band named GWAR. A scraggly grey-bearded man wearing a Fez-O-Rama fez depicting an embroidered zombie head with an exposed brain laid over two crossed bloody machetes excitedly gesticulates in front of a display of stage props encapsulating the amps and drum kit of the legendary band named GWAR. A gallery interior with a display of stage props, costumes, hand-painted backdrops and old CRT video monitors showcasing the legacy of the legendary band named GWAR. A gallery interior with a display of costumes,stage props, hand-painted backdrops and old CRT video monitors showcasing the legacy of the legendary band named GWAR.
October 3, 2025 at 6:40 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Speaking of #KnottsScaryFarm, my Black Velvet painting of "The Conductor" is on display at the #IntoTheFog Gallery Show inside the park. The original just sold! I only want whoever purchased it to know to hit it with a blacklight to really make it pop!
(Non-UV) 8x10 prints still on sale!
#ScaryFarm
A black-and-white panel with NeoVictorian wallpaper is the mounting surface for a Black Velvet painting of an ethereal train conductor. The photograph is framed to show the upper right corner of the entire artwork, which is bordered by a custom frame that features model railroad train tracks painted with glow-in-the-dark paint. A framed video monitor on a wallpapered panel displays an image of the featured artist (an anxious man with a long grey beard and scraggly brown hair with his neck locked in the lacuna of a guillotine), a thumbnail of his black velvet painting of an ethereal train conductor, the logo for the Knott's Scary Farm "Into the Fog" gallery show, and an Artist's Bio. The Artist's Bio reads: "TROY ZIMMERMANN is a designer specializing in Themed Entertainment Attractions and Concept Design since he was nine. (No, really, there’s proof and everything: he drew up a concept for a "Super Train Testing Center" Thrill Ride back in 1979, based upon a forgotten NBC TV show.) Troy has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and used that practical education to contribute to attractions worldwide, with a broad range of duties creating features that include architectural vocabularies, simulated ancient artifacts and hieroglyphic languages, backstories, storyboards, graphic design and illustrations, docent guides, visitor’s site maps, and merchandise tie-ins. He also performed as a ScareActor for over a decade, first at Halloween Horror Nights and now here at Knott’s Scary Farm. troyzimmermann.com "
September 19, 2025 at 7:49 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Tonight! I return as "Shackles" the Tortured Prisoner at Knott's Scary Farm. I'll be in the region of K'Ampsnu-Pai, in the town of Helshire, colloquially known as "The Gauntlet."

If you see him, be nice, he's having a rough night.

#KnottsScaryFarm #ScaryFarm #ScareActor #SpookySeason #Halloween
On a red carpet setting in front of a decrepit circus-themed backdrop, a sad, bedraggled grey-bearded wretch dressed in tattered rags and draped in chains leading to ankle shackles and a set of antiquated stocks that locks his neck and wrists in place stands beside an excitable, knife-wielding six-foot-tall mascot shaped like a popcorn bucket. No, you are not high. A sad, pathetic wretch with scraggly long hair and a grey beard who wears filthy, tattered rags kneels in darkness while wearing a detached pillory that is festooned with bells, a crown of rusty iron spikes, strips of parchment with calligraphic writing and sigils, and has three illuminated candles mounted to the top of the antiquated wood frame.
September 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
My Battle Cry is the Sad Trombone sound.
September 17, 2025 at 9:07 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
The #Halloween Haunt Attractions have already started up, so I'm calling it: it's officially Spooky Season.

Here are new #FezFriday photos, promoting my friend's business of making quality handcrafted headwear: fez-o-rama.com . Pics taken at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, CA.

#Ouija #SpookySeason
A man with a long grey beard wearing a black suit and a black fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama which sports an elaborate embroidery of an Ouija Board planchette of silver thread stands in front of an antique cabinet displaying vintage "talking boards," of which Ouija Boards are the recognized brand name. This photo is taken in the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California. A man with a long grey beard wearing a black suit and a black fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama which sports an elaborate embroidery of an Ouija Board planchette of silver thread stands beside an antique console displaying vintage planchettes and "talking boards," of which Ouija Boards are the recognized brand name. This photo is taken in the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California. An antique console and display case featuring vintage planchettes and "talking boards," of which Ouija Boards are the recognized brand name. This photo is taken in the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California.
September 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
I had the good fortune to get tickets to see true buckaroo Chuck Tingle tonight on the final stop of his "Lucky Day" Book Tour. His previous bestseller, "Bury Your Gays," was alarmingly prescient about Hollywood meddling with AI with horrific results.

#BookSky #ChuckTingle @chucktingle.bsky.social
A photo of a grey-bearded man wearing a horror-themed black T-shirt, an open vaguely 1980s black button-down shirt sleeve shirt with a green grid printed over half of it, and black jeans holds a copy of a book named "Lucky Day" by Chuck Tingle while standing by the fabulous author Chuck Tingle, who is dressed in a textured white Lounge Jacket with black lapels, a black T-shirt referencing the band the B-52's, shorts of large pink sequins, pink & grey argyle socks, glittery pink opera slippers, and his trademark pink sack he wears over his head that has the words "LOVE IS REAL" written on it. The author Chuck Tingle stands on stage with a cordless microphone as a slide with the words "TIME TO TROT" is projected on a screen behind him. The author wears his trademark pink sack which has the words "LOVE IS REAL" written on it over his head. An exterior evening shot looking up at the marquee of the Hayworth theater, which has the words "CHUCK TINGLE" featured on it with the subheading "LOVE IS REAL."
September 4, 2025 at 5:41 AM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
See, now THIS is a "marketing stunt" that gets me in the theaters. It worked! And you know what?
It's fun! Campy, crass, actual LOL parts, inspirational, and ...good? All the actors are All In, and there's actual scenes that hold their own in tragic absurdist cinema.
#TheToxicAvenger #ImWithToxie
bloody-disgusting.com Bloody Disgusting @bloody-disgusting.com · Aug 27
We were going to do another big marketing stunt for THE TOXIC AVENGER UNRATED. Instead, Toxie, whose life was upended by crushing medical bills, has joined forces with Undue Medical Debt to erase at least $5 million in un-payable medical debt for those who need it most.

Learn more:
‘The Toxic Avenger’ Partners With Undue Medical Debt to Erase at Least $5 Million in Medical Debt
It’s the final week of marketing and promotion for The Toxic Avenger, and the teams here at Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting have decided to do something a little different. Rather than spending the re...
bloody-disgusting.com
August 31, 2025 at 10:52 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
You wanna get weird? Let's get weird.

#WeirdAl @alyankovic.bsky.social #LosAngeles
View of a manic-looking grey-bearded man wearing an open vintage rainbow-toned button-down shirt over a "Weird Al" Yankovic "In 3-D"- era T-shirt posing demonstratively in front of a KIA Forum photo op with a marquee declaring "Now Playing: Weird Al Yankovic"
August 31, 2025 at 1:54 AM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Look, I can do happy, too, every once in a while. Here's a happy song for no particular reason.

"...We'll exhale
We'll high five
We'll know at last how great it is to be alive
We'll be lining up and buying tickets and then we'll be jumping up and down on your grave."

m.youtube.com/watch?v=kSQ8...
When Will You Die? - They Might Be Giants (Official Video)
YouTube video by ParticleMen
m.youtube.com
August 30, 2025 at 11:09 AM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Current Mood for the foreseeable future. If you know, you know.
SPOILER ALERT before choosing to continue: An image of the bearded old hippie character named "Doc" from the TV show "Z Nation" looks with resigned melancholy at a scene reflected in his round sunglasses, which is a sunset-toned view of an aerial military drone spilling out millions of delivery canisters of a biological agent in an event known as "Black Rainbow." In retrospect, throughout Season 4, the main characters were all set up to fail, and fail they did.
August 10, 2025 at 8:39 PM
n8uretrail2hell.bsky.social
Mental state: I'm still spiraling.

#FezFriday in the Rundetaarn, Copenhagen, Denmark. 🇩🇰

www.rundetaarn.dk

#Rundetaarn #København #Danmark
Exterior view looking up at the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen, a cylindrical brick tower constructed in 1642. A grey-bearded man wearing a black suit and a grey tweed fez handcrafted by Fez-O-Rama stands in the interior of the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen, a cylindrical brick tower constructed in 1642. The walls are smooth white plaster transitioning into arches overhead, and the floor is a helical composition of tightly packed tan bricks. The interior of the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen, a cylindrical brick tower constructed in 1642. The walls are smooth white plaster transitioning into arches overhead, and the floor is a helical composition of tightly packed tan bricks. There are arched niches within the central spine of the structure.
August 8, 2025 at 3:17 PM