# Scare from above?



## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

I'm working out an idea in my head for an above scare.
I saw a video that gave me the idea (and posted it here a while ago) and I've been thinking of different ways to do something from above.

I was thinking I could build a cube frame out of 2x4s to walk through, then over the top put rope (like rope you climb in a little kid's fun house yype of thing) and have a platform in the corner with someone hiding to jump out onto the rope above everyone.
Or my other idea was to just build something that some could climb up and sit on, hidden by maybe some black sheets hanging down, then as people walk through the wheets they could reach down and touch your head?

I don't know, but I haven't seen an above scare in any attraction I've ever been to.


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## skeletonowl (Aug 8, 2006)

That sounds like a good fresh idea you should try out! The net sounds good but the problem is making it secure


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

I could be wrong but I don't think the actors can touch the people going through the haunt.


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## 1031fan (Feb 6, 2007)

i too am thinking about a scare from above for this years haunt - im thinking a pneumatic though - not many actors would really want to hangout above the ceiling and drop down - also the safety issue of what if he/she falls - either hurting themself - or possibly any patrons that may be underneath - and yes - touching is prolly not a good idea - could get some people upset

as of now im thinking of a basic four bar linkage except upside down - still working with figures to see what the best set up sill be - ill post some pics/any ideas i come up with when i get this started - - scaring from above is a very unused tactic in many haunts - and im thinking it will get some good scares

riley


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

Yeah I don't mean like grabbing their heads from above, more like brusing their hand across the top of their head or something. The rule is a "don't touch and you won't be touched" sort of thing, but people going through do get touched sometimes, maybe someone tapping them on the shoulder or something. Nothing violent or rough obviously.

I don't know though, I'm trying to come up with some fresh things that no one has done before. That's one thing that has been done BUT I haven't seen it anywhere in person, just online.


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

I think you meant brushing not bruising. 

Yeah, sometimes people get touched in haunts but you can open yourself up to liability if someone interprets the touch as inappropriate. A warning sign would help.

I'm not trying to be negative, just cautious.


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## Lakeside Haunt (May 31, 2007)

I don't think having an actor would be very safe because its dark and he could easily fall I like the idea of having a scare from above though maybe use pneumatics if you want an above scare like 1031 fan suggested.


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

No, Hauntiholik. I mean't BRUISING. ;]

Hahahh yes, brushing.
Thanks for catching that.

We don't really have the time to make alot of pneumatics things, so I don't know what we'll do. We might go with some sort of above scare, but it would be with an actor.


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## 1031fan (Feb 6, 2007)

time? you def have plenty of time - haha - hell i have to basically make half of a pro haunted attraction yet - i dont know the meaning of not enough time - ha

but seriously - once i get the final idea in my head - im betting it will take less than a few days - from start to finish - probably pvc with a lightweight body form - springs to help the cylinder pull it back up - the retracting will be a problem with this one - not the extension because gravity will be working with me and not against me - - ill make sure i keep you posted and show some details when i can - if time is your only factor - you have nothing to worry about - total cost will probably be under 40 bucks as well for the entire thing - so money isn't really an issue for you - dont rule pneumatics out so quickly just cause you havent done it before - get a small compressor if you havent already and dig in - it can seem quite intimidating, but for easy one cylinder pop ups using hacked stuff its quite a breeze - riley


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

What I meant is, we don't have enough time to learn about pneumatics lmao.
We're going to try to build some ankle ticklers and if that's easy then maybe we'll try some other pneumatics!


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## Doomsday Cult Leader (Mar 21, 2007)

Nightmares in Niagara Falls, Canada has a room where the actor is above the guests. It's pitch black, a strobe flashes above your head as the actor yells, when you look up, he slams down a couple of boards. (hinged to the top of the wall nearest the actor) It appears that they will crash down onto you, but they slam into the top of the walls, well above your head. Just before the boards crash, the lights go out, so you don't actually see where they stop.

It was very effective!

A couple of 2X6's, (and some crossmembers nailing the boards together, there was a gap between them of about a foot) door hinges, sturdy walls, and a strobe, and you've got a reasonably priced great startle!


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

That...is amazing!
I'm absolutely going to try that!
Thank you so much for the idea!


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## Empress Nightshade (Jul 25, 2004)

I visited Erebus -- in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the largest haunted house. They have a swamp room that's pretty neat. There's a thick green laser above your head that looks like fog. A hand comes out through the green fog to touch people on the head. I'm not sure if it was an actor or a pneumatic -- it didn't matter because I looked up to see the fog and was poked in the eye. Whether brushing or touching...it should all be a no-no.

We're having an overhead scare this year, as well. It's taken off of the movie Dark Ride. The killer is standing on top of a wall's ledge. When the victims pass by, he lays on top of a chainlink gate that is attached to the wall causing it to slam across ontop of the adjacent wall giving him the ability to look down at them. I LOVE this scare in the movie and thought we'd do a version of it. It's called "Entrapment." Picture this....

Victims enter a room only lit by several red beacons. The "Intruder Alert" sound beeps, beeps, beeps through the air. The wall to their left is brick. To the right are three cells -- all enclosed in chainlink fencing. The first cell is a wreck! Trash everywhere and graphic words of hatred scratched on all the walls. In the corner, sitting like a punished child is a clown in a straight jacket. His face cannot be seen, of course, but oh yeah...he's deranged. He's also a dummy. :googly: 
The second cell is the same as the first along with the deranged dummy clown in the corner. 
The third cell is the same as the other two except it's front is not enclosed with fencing. Since there is a wall stopping the victims from continuing forward, it appears walking through the cell is the only way out. Slowly, they will pass the deranged clown in the corner thinking it will turn around and jump at them for the scare. WRONG! A rope attached to a pully attached to a chainlink gate SLAMS down on top of the cell's adjacent wall --THAT is the scare! (Pulled by an unseen crew member) On top will be a clown dummy looking down at the customers. Will they get a chance to see that it's a lifeless dummy? Nope. The deranged clown in the corner of this cell is real and will finish the scare with a one - two punch.

It's really important to scare customers 360 degrees. Glad so many of you are doing that. It gives them a really good show! :jol:


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## skeletonowl (Aug 8, 2006)

and then you take a whole video upload it to youtube and show us after Halloween  Please!
Sounds like a good way to do it using the dummy...a lot of the worries are gone!


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## Doomsday Cult Leader (Mar 21, 2007)

Hope it works out for you, Eric.

Empress honey, I REALLY wish I could see your new haunt!!!


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## Empress Nightshade (Jul 25, 2004)

Doomsday, 
the simple fact that you called me "Honey" has made this ole woman feel like a diva!  
I promise to have one of our cameras in this particular spot as Im sure it will have lots of scares to share with all of you! I plan to have several pairs of undies for changing as some customers make me laugh uncontrollably! LOL!

Emp


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

Definitely upload a video of that!
Since we are in the woods, we have to do things relative to the fact that we are in the WOODS. I'd love to do something like you suggested, but it wouldn't work as well in the woods haha.


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## Empress Nightshade (Jul 25, 2004)

ERICK WITH NO K said:


> Definitely upload a video of that!
> Since we are in the woods, we have to do things relative to the fact that we are in the WOODS. I'd love to do something like you suggested, but it wouldn't work as well in the woods haha.


Why couldn't it work in the woods? Instead of clowns locked up in cells, why not have Gorillas,Apes or Werewolves who have been locked up in cages by a hunter mauled to death on the ground? It's *your* haunt -- only your imagination limits what you put in it. :jol:


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

True, true.
We could do something like that with werewolves or something.
The clown house (Psycho Circus) is coming back to our haunt this year (it went away for two years because a girl fainted in it and they thought it was too scary) but they decided that too scary is good I guess. :]
I told them that they should have a clown in a straight jacket with a muzzle in a cage, so maybe they could do that idea haha.


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## BamaDan (Jul 25, 2007)

ERICK WITH NO K said:


> I'm working out an idea in my head for an above scare.
> I saw a video that gave me the idea (and posted it here a while ago) and I've been thinking of different ways to do something from above.
> 
> I was thinking I could build a cube frame out of 2x4s to walk through, then over the top put rope (like rope you climb in a little kid's fun house yype of thing) and have a platform in the corner with someone hiding to jump out onto the rope above everyone.
> ...


I saw on a promo for a professional haunt on TV a couple of years ago that had an actor on a platform well above the height of a normal person (7 feet or so). He would jump off of the platform and land in front of the patrons or to the side (it was hard to tell on TV) and with the aide of some sort of bungie system and harness would be sprung back up to the platform.

It looked really cool and I really wished I could have made it to see it in person.


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## Long_Tom (Oct 7, 2006)

Last year I started (and this year I hope to complete) building a spider nest area that hangs from a tree that visitors to my yard have to cross under. I have loops for about 50 plastic spiders to hang from threads, all tied to a central ring. The trick is to direct their attention upwards at the right instant, at which point you release the ring and the spiders descend on them (dropping several feet but stopping well above face level.


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## Eldritch_Horror (Jul 27, 2008)

An air cannon (concealed) above their heads facing down at them might be good. Set up a ghost or large monster near it for the few who look up to see.


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