Scream Inn

Origin

"One Million Pounds to anyone who dares stay all of ye night in ye haunted bedroom at Scream Inn..."

Scream Inn was a spooky drinking house and hostelry that challenged readers to suggest individuals who might dare to stay an entire night in the haunted bedroom, braving the ghostly and ghastly staff as they tried to scare the guest into fleeing into the night. A wide variety of beings took up the challenge, from the mundane (boxers, cowboys, hairdressers, girl guides) to the exotic (Eskimos, conga eels, mad scientists, Good King Wenceslas) to stars of other comics and stories (Tarzan, Whoopee's Evil Eye, Sweeny Toddler, Thumpty Dumpty), but none ever made it through the entire night, though some had to be tricked out of the room rather than being frightened away.

"Scream Inn - We're Only Here For The Fear!"

Creation

Created by writers Roy Davies and Cliff Brown and artist Brian Walker, Scream Inn opened its doors in the first issue of Shiver and Shake, and remained a popular feature throughout that title's entire run. It survived Shiver and Shake's merger into Whoopee!, and even had its own board game released by Fisher Price, a bit of tie-in merchandising rarely seen in British comics. The seven regular staff members went on to star in a spin-off strip, the Spooktacular Seven, acting as troubleshooters for hire for other supernatural beings suffering problems at human hands.