Historic Quito morgue opens doors to those who dare
557 views · Published 4 November 2018 · 6:10 · Indexed 28 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(30 Oct 2018) LEADIN: Ecuador's historic Quito morgue is opening its doors to brave visitors, taking them on a creepy tour to see some living history. Actors and actresses made-up to look like plague victims with bloody deformities are waiting in the darkness for an historic Halloween scare to remember. STORYLINE: Alone and dying of tuberculosis in the old morgue in the historic centre of Quito, Ecuador. This actress is imitating the dying gasps of one of the thousands of tuberculosis victims who died within these walls. Another actress plays the part of a 17th century woman, whose deformities have seen her shunned by society. Disease-ridden and crippled, she stumbles down the stairs. It's all in the name of terrifying paying customers. "It's like the character takes over you, and the only thing you want is to be there, to generate tension in the people, to make them live it with you," says actress Andrea Rodriguez. "This character has the hand like this, and she wants to catch people, she wants to touch, because she has a lack of affection from people, she has been rejected, that is what she wants. And yes, it is very exciting." Welcome to Quito's "Morgue of Terror," where visitors are charged about $10 USD for the scare of their lives. It's the production of artists' collective Nina Shunku, who are the current inhabitants of the historic morgue. Candles are almost the only light in the bowels of the old morgue, but noises are everywhere, and there's always an outstretched bloody hand lurking in the darkness. Many thousands of poor and suffering people died within these walls and the neighbouring San Juan de Dios Hospital between 1565 (when it was constructed by King Philip II of Spain) and 1974. So, how much of this tour is about history and how much is about having a scream? According to Shadira Ruiz, who's serving as the morgue's tour guide, but also organised the presentation, it's about 50/50. "We consider it's necessary to shock because in this way we emphasise the facts that happened," she says. It's hard to see terrified faces in the darkness, but visitors who took the tour seemed to enjoy the experience. "It gives it a very special character, my wife came full of fear before even entering, before visiting, she was imagining. All this surrounds a certain mystery, something like that," says visitor, Fausto Perez. "It was a good experience because they played with all our senses, I really liked the characters, the acting, and everything really," says visitor, Catherine Bautista. Looking this ugly isn't easy. The six actors and actresses need about an hour of make-up with latex and prosthetics to achieve the look. Argentinian make-up artist Carlota Bossa creates visuals for film, television and theatre - but today she's really enjoying creating a festering face of disease. "The other (style of make-up) is to leave people looking beautiful, and this one, beautifully ugly, something like that," she says. Bossa is turning actor Anthony Pilco into a 16th century smallpox victim. She forms a latex mask and then picks scabs into it before painting weeping sores. With his gruesome transformation complete, Pilco begins to get into character. "Try to feel the symptoms and also try to transmit it to the people so they feel, in one way or another, identified, or something," he says. The Morgue of Terror is mostly about fun and fear, but it takes place on the site of Quito's most important historic hospital of San Juan de Dios. The sick and dying would be put in cots tunnelled into the walls. The Morgue of Terror runs from 26-27 October and 1-3 November 2018 in Quito. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c93d6c5be97f91c3d9e3dddc568e826e
