POCATELLO — To the outside world, Idahoans Steve and Carol Moraca are an ordinary couple leading perfectly normal lives, and certainly not the type of people one would associate with death, demons, ghosts and ghouls.

    Those attributes rise — so to speak — when the duo begins to tinker with automobiles and then some of the most otherworldly creations come about.

    A recent example “Wake The Dead,” a car made from a real coffin (think “Drag-ula,” the casket auto from “The Munsters” TV series, only cooler) with a Shelby Series 1 engine putting out 320 horsepower.

    The creation caused such a stir that it captured Best of Show in a recent prestigious Las Vegas auto show and was featured in a spread in Rebel Rodz magazine.

    In addition to being an award-winner and quite a head-turner, “Wake The Dead” is also the only so-called coffin vehicle that contains two seats, side-by-side.

    “We’ve been building hot rods for more than 10 years, and we’ve always loved the Gothic themes,” said Carol, whose scary alter ego is Raven von Rottenflesh. “We’ve been working on this car for a while and now we are completing our ‘Ghoul Bus,” which is also a functioning recreational vehicle.”

    And while “Wake The Dead” is so small that Steve cannot even drive it, “Ghoul Bus,” made from an actual 1951 small school coach, is fully-equipped with beds, a stove, cabinets, a toilet, a linoleum floor and other amenities. The vehicle even has its own casket — a working cooler/barbecue cooler than can be trailed along behind.

    “We’re pretty normal people,” Carol said. “We love to camp and fish, and this makes the perfect way to do it. Sure, the décor is rather interesting, but it gets attention.” She isn’t kidding. Instead of the standard black and yellow of the original bus, the Moracas turned it into a glorified hearse with a silver metallic and twilight black motif complete with gargoyles, crypt-keepers, spider webs, bats, and skull and bones throughout.

    It’s an extension of “Wake The Dead,” but it’s also its own individual creation.

    “We searched for several years all over the country, but finally found what we were looking for in Twin Falls,” Carol said. “Not only was it affordable, but it turned out to be exactly what we wanted. While my husband did the engine and transmission work, I concentrated on the body, the painting and the interior. It has taken us a while, but it has truly been a labor of love.”

    She described the bus as a “real mess” when first purchased and the entire chassis had to be replaced. Later, after most of it was completed, final touches like blood-red countertops, realistic granite-looking cabinets and exterior lettering reading “Crypt County Ghoul Bus” complemented the effort.

    “We originally wanted to purchase a hearse, but certain years featured ones that looked real boxy,” Carol added. “This turned out almost exactly how we wanted it. We are almost finished with it, too, but we can still add things to it.”

    The entire effort took more than four years, mainly because the couple had to continue to chase down as many original parts as possible.

    After some transmission and other work on “Ghoul Bus,” they plan to exhibit both vehicles in Las Vegas later in the month.