# ideas for hayride



## pparent79 (Jun 21, 2012)

I run a Haunted hayride every year and at the begining of the ride we always have these gates that we open and we kinda do a "old man in the woods with a latern warning the riders to not go in the woods". Were looking to kinda switch it up a little but still have the gates there. Im really thinking about doing a "hatfield & mccoy" scene because its obvioulsly an open fiele right before the gates are open and the riders are let off into the woods. Just wanted to kind of pick everyones brains here and see what kind of creative iideas other halloween nerds like myself could come up with. I was looking to get some 22cal blank pistols for people could shoot eachother. Anyways thanks for the help.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Well the hayride thing is a good idea. But don't know about the gun thing. Is this for adults only or are there children also along for the ride? I would really have some reservations about using pistols for a haunt. Not that I'm against guns mind you but I just don't know about using them for a hayride. My thoughts are kind of up in the air on this one. I guess it would have be wither or not there are kids involved. I don't think you would get parents to go along with it if there are. 

The haunted hayride is great, but I really think you should rethink the pistol thing and about having people shooting each other. The more I think about it I would say no, and drop the pistol idea.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

I'm not sure about the pistol thing either. We get enough desensitizing from guns these days. For my liking I think a large sword/hatchet/knife (all plastic of course) wielding zombie actor lumbering after the hayride - almost catching it but not quite - would put the wind up me far more than a bunch of guns going off. I'd probably just block my ears and tune out.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Unless you are searching everyone going in, you may end up with someone firing back with live ammo. Not good.
Stick with pitchforks and farm implements, or maybe a big fake cannon giving off the smoke, the flash, and a big boom. A big subwoofer, a fog machine, a strobe, and the cardboard tube from a roll of carpet can let you create the effect pretty nicely.


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

I agree that the blanks are probably not a good idea. Blanks have a wadding (paper - like packing that keeps the powder packed) that is discharged and can hurt someone at close range.


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## Lord Homicide (May 11, 2012)

The only thing I saw in the thread was pistol and blanks. I say go for but just research a little about blank rounds first.


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

The problem I see with the blanks is as someone already said the paper shards that discharge. I think it would be completely different if you were doing this on a stage for example, as all elements would be controlled and it could be done much more safely.

HOWEVER I think there are ways around this issue, the first that came to my mind was using prop guns and a FLASH! Cracker or POW! Stick from frightprops.com. The POW! Sticks are much louder and I think would be better for the gun illusion, but they are more expensive so that's a drawback.

Here's the link: http://www.frightprops.com/electronic-firecracker-props.html


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## pparent79 (Jun 21, 2012)

ok let me clarify, I didnt want a lesson in guns. Ive been using blank firing,caped, starting line guns for years at the hayride now...all I was looking for was some different ideas. I know what guns do and they can be dangerous (which is why I dont use real ones) now with that being said can someone maybe give me some thought on a new idea for this opening scene? Thanks again


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Could the Hatfields and McCoys maybe be "undead" and be zombies? And you could have someone (a story teller) come out and tell about the tragic history and deaths of the Hatfields and McCoys and about all the senseless killing and then the zombiefied Hatfields and McCoys could come shuffling out.....and then have the story teller maybe start shooting at the zombies (and everyone knows you can't kill a zombie by shooting him/her) and say run, run for your lives....they eat brains.....THEY EAT BRAINS AND THEY WANT YOURS!
Just a thought.....I like zombies.....


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

What's the rest of the hay ride like? What kind of scenes are in the balance of the haunt?
What kind of props and actors do you have at your disposal?
It's easier for us to come up with something that will fit with the rest of your haunt if we know what the rest will be like.


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## jackg (Aug 18, 2012)

*DEAD Fairy tales, MAYBE!*

I was thinking that you could make a "EVIL fairy tale" theme in the entrance...
What do you think? :jol:


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

How about squirt guns?


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

How about the old man or even a group of people coming out to greet the hayride and either thanking the people for sacrificing themselves, or thanking the driver for having rounded up the necessary sacrificial humans for the evil that lurks in the (whatever they are going into, woods, fields, etc.), as though there is an evil that requires a sacrifice of human souls. WIthout knowing what the rest of your haunt is, it's tough to go any further with the ideas.


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## highbury (Nov 5, 2009)

A local haunt has a hayride portion that takes you back to the entrance in the woods. They have a corner where they have headlights from an old truck that flash and an air horn blasts as the wagon goes by. Scares riders every year.

I like the idea of having actors chasing the wagon, too. How about a Leatherface-type running with a buzzing chainsaw? That might soil some undies...

Or how about traveling through a wall of fog with a strobe light flashing??


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Okay, so what if you had dead bodies lining the road on each side every so often on the way up to the gate? You could even have a person who is almost dead hanging from a T-Cross, ones that scarecrows hang from. This person might be a somewhat comatose but can still warn people not to go in through the gates. 

Once inside your guest might come across a open area after going through the woods to where they see a ring of people standing around a large fire, there in the center is this witch who is leading people in some kind of a chant. Here they begin to cast spells on those who are watching from afar but aren't supposed to be there. Just before the people around the ring of fire come to drag those people out from the woods, your hayride comes by and saves these them and takes back through the gates.

Another option is the people around the fire are getting ready to sacrifice someone and then the person in the middle of the fire sees the people watching from the woods and commands the people chanting to get them and bring them in the the center of the fire to be sacrificed. But the escape when the hayride comes by just in the nick of time to save them.

These are just off the cuff ideas and thoughts about what you could do. :jol:


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I worry about open flames, especially this year with it being so hot and dry throughout the country.


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## sakko303 (Sep 6, 2012)

one thing that would be cool but would take some specialized resources would be a headless horseman. Get some nice fog over the field and he could charge out chasing Ichabod in to the darkness. You'd need of course some experienced riders and horses (maybe not impossible if you are truly in the rural setting it sounds like), and a bit of rehearsing.

Another idea (variations already mentioned) is if the wagon stops for some reason and the dead start to rise from the ground... and of course chase the wagon and your terrified riders off.

Another "chaser" or character that appears multiple times throughout the ride could be an old Indian spirit, an undead avenger who wants to chase your patrons and give them the heebee jeebees... one effect could be if he emulates firing arrows (not really of course) from a bow (in the darkness at a distance this could pass) the driver could yell "watch out for arrows!" and a mechanism somewhere on the wagon could knock metal on wood nice and loud like an arrow sticking in to wood (think metal door knocker on wood). While everyone is watching our undead native american fellow, an actor riding on the wagon could get "hit" by an arrow and die on the spot or something... heck I dunno... ideas! Hope you like em.


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