# What Truly Makes A Haunt Scary?



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

The title pretty much says it all, but what do you guys think truly makes a haunt scary? Personally I think all you need is some good anticipation and it can make the smallest scares a lot scarier. Let me know what you think are main aspects of having a truly scary/creepy haunt.


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## haunted1 (Oct 3, 2007)

Gotta be the element of surprise. That, and good ambiance...can't beat it. But in my experience, the scariest thing is when you have a few kids that scare really easy...if you can get them screaming, others will be terrified.


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## Head Spook (Jul 19, 2007)

I agree; the element of surprise is very important. Our haunt does not have a lot of gore, but very rarely does anyone come out that didn't jump, scream, pee their pants, etc.


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## bignick (Sep 25, 2008)

Goos usage of props and not so many animatronics. I like animatronics but some times they seem so fake and mechanic that it takes away from the spookiness of the prop.


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## ScreamingScarecrow (Oct 1, 2008)

"I see you shiver with antici.................................Pation!!!"

I also believe that creep factor is far scarier than matter splatter! :jol:


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## zumbee (Sep 27, 2008)

I went to a haunted firehouse last night, a local haunt, and the best part of the entire haunt was this zigg zaggin hall with mirrors. It gave the effect that every turn you made was leading you backwards. So ihave to say the biggest element in a haunt is disorientation.


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## Offwhiteknight (Sep 17, 2008)

I think it's about the ambience and atmosphere. If you can build that up that creep factor properly, everything else falls into place.

To me that's about lighting, sound, good props and a good placement of said props. It's gotta be good enough for someone to have that "suspension of disbelief" kick in.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

I think in haunts, just like in movies, not enough people give sound its due. I think that a really good soundscape will do more to tweak someone's subconcious than even the most detailed of props. Something as simple as distant moaning , dripping water or scrabbling in the walls can really set people on edge and creep them out, and then the visuals can pack the fullest punch for their potential.


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## Toecutter (Oct 27, 2008)

Scary for me is all about ambiance. Alfred Hitchcock made brilliant scary movies with hardly any blood and gore. All about anticipation and "feeling" scared. Think Blair Witch.

Give me an incandescent bulb, some storm sound effects, and a sound organ, and that creepifies anything immediately.


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## Toecutter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'll add to that above post. Once you have the ambiance thing going, then add the "boo" factor. Some type of prop or actor that pops out.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Immagination, distraction and the unexpected.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

The proper lighting and ambiant sounds can definitely lead to uncertainty, anticipation and eventually a good scare. 

Even better when you can do it where the guests have to use their imagination to try and determine what that flickering is at the end of the hall, or what that scratching or moaning sound is and where is it coming from? Keep'em guessing.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

Revenant said:


> I think in haunts, just like in movies, not enough people give sound its due. I think that a really good soundscape will do more to tweak someone's subconcious than even the most detailed of props. Something as simple as distant moaning , dripping water or scrabbling in the walls can really set people on edge and creep them out, and then the visuals can pack the fullest punch for their potential.


I agree completely. When I started watching foreign horror movies, the first thing I noticed was the wonderful way they use sound in some of them. I think it adds so much to a haunt!


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## HauntedHacienda (Sep 16, 2008)

I have to agree.
We are adding New Props and Scares.
We hope to get some of the Community involved.


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## madtinkerer (Sep 23, 2009)

joker said:


> The proper lighting and ambiant sounds can definitely lead to uncertainty, anticipation and eventually a good scare.
> 
> Even better when you can do it where the guests have to use their imagination to try and determine what that flickering is at the end of the hall, or what that scratching or moaning sound is and where is it coming from? Keep'em guessing.


Exactly! Joker and Revenant are right on target, I agree. Sound does not get its proper due. Ambient sound and lighting are so important to setting the proper mood for a haunt. And with the right lighting, even a cheesy-looking prop can be made scary.

I have a dedicated stereo system just for the background soundscape, and a second sound system for the "what the heck was that???" sound effects.


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## HauntedHacienda (Sep 16, 2008)

For us also, it is imagination.
We don't use a single thing of blood, guts or gore to get the scares.
What we go for are things that are Animatronic, but that make people wonder what is coming.
Most of our stuff is pre lit, so all we have to do is plug them in or Battery them up and away they go, doing their thing.


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## Dead Things (Apr 4, 2009)

Ambiance definitely. Creepy sound, effective lighting and confined space, Create that ambiance and scaring people is just a little "push". I stand in my yard like one of my props and it doesn't matter if they recognize me or not. If they think I'm a prop I can sneak up on them. If they recognize me as live, they are so focused on me not scaring them that I get them with a prop. But first create the ambiance.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

madtinkerer said:


> I have a dedicated stereo system just for the background soundscape, and a second sound system for the "what the heck was that???" sound effects.


That sounds like a good way to separate it. I just started getting into the sound thing; I've only done separate point setups (mp3 - speakers). I dont have the equipment to coordinate multiroom sound environments; I've just looked at the diagrams of stuff other people have done. I really want to do more with that; it's one of my favorite atmosphere things. When I finally get my own haunt the sound is going to be one of the most developed things I think.


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## ScardyCat (Aug 3, 2009)

Ambience and the surprise factor both together work well for me. Always do the unexpected and you will scare people. I also like to keep things dark so you can't see whats coming.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

How I setup scares has been very effective. Take this section of my haunt for example.









There's enough light to see the distressing on the walls and enough light to navigate, but not enough to see what might be lurking 1/2 way down the hall. The hospital bed at the end of the hall with the covered body is nothing but a distraction and a way to build anticipation.

I have some ambient sound scape playing that adds to the mood as well as the lights on either end setup with an FX box for flickering with the sounds. I've had a couple of people back out at this point and not even go through the haunt, and this is basically the second room...lol. The real scares in this hall are 4 drop panel pictures and yours truly hiding behind an open door at the beginning of the hall.

I like to think of each scare like a mouse trap. I want them to see the cheese, but not the trap. I try to force them to anticipate things that they think is the scare and then scare them some other way. The first thing they notice is the bait not the scare. Most of them never see it coming.

Another thing I like to do is have multiple scares in one area. If you can provide a scare overload it makes it very difficult for them to dismiss them all.


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## Creeper (Nov 7, 2008)

Great post Joker!


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Creeper said:


> Great post Joker!


Thanks, just sharing what I've learned over the past couple of years and what's working. Opening weekend 6% of 300 have backed out at some point and we've had several wet themselves.....mwahahahaha!


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## masterlunatic (Oct 5, 2009)

*The details*

It is all in the details.

Take a low laying fog, distant scraping sound on wood with rock or metal, dripping noise and a flickering florescent light. It will set the mood. Get the patron distracted looking at something. I find Old bottles on the wall in my pirate bar lit with blue and green lights work well. Set up a mirror above them and simply have an actor or prop move in the mirror. Most the time it is the subtlest things that will make the adults jump. People scare them selves. Get a father to feel unnerved and his kids will soon scream cry and run. If you walk into your own haunt working on it at night and the hair on your neck stands up.

That's when i know I am ready for the public.


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## Creeper (Nov 7, 2008)

Welcome!


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## Sananeko (Oct 17, 2009)

My favorite scare is mostly what is missing. I designed a house for a crew a few years ago. (sadly no pictures..) It was called in a killers dream. It was so different from other haunted house cause it didn't look scary.. I mean pink room with little stuff animals, happy music, the cutest little girl you can find... oh and the dark crazy figure that changes it into a nightmare. Lights would change and the pink room would go white with stain of dark red dried in a drip style. the girl would turn dead, twitching with her thoat slit. I found a long time ago that flashing lights are cool but sorta kill the scaryness in a haunt. I go to haunts every year I havn't been scared once. One day I'll open my own haunt.. when I get the room for it.


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## Dead Things (Apr 4, 2009)

Thqat is one creepy fricking shot, Joker! Is that a mask you bought or your own design? I can see why people would back out at that point.


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## randomr8 (Oct 24, 2009)

Make things vague on purpose so visitors can use their imagination to decide what something is. That is usually scarier than anything I can define and create. I agree with Toecutter, add to some good ambiance and you're there.


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## haunted1 (Oct 3, 2007)

For my hayride it's all about the atmosphere. This year we had a haunted hospital / concentration camp (think Auschwitz). The tractors driving by acted as enough audible stimulation so all we had to rely on was lighting. Plenty of strobes in the high activity areas. We relied heavily on silhouettes and the "blind approach" (blinding riders with a colored lamp and jumping out in front as they passed). I use realistic weapons. We have galvanized steel haywagons at out haunt. None of my actors use plastic weapons. This year, handsaws and hatchets (with guards over the blades of course) were uses, along with pieces of 2x2 and real chains with used. A friend of mine had a real taser (he's a cop) that he used to "attack" the riders as they passed.

To me, it's realism. Fakey is flakey.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

Quality of your sound is a big factor as well. People can tellif you are playing your effects through a tiny boom box. Effect like thunder should have some rumble. 
Lighting is key as well. It shouldn't be to bright. If you can put your lights on dimmers then go for it. Darkness is creepy by it's self.


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## NytDreams (Sep 10, 2009)

I think sound is definitely a big boost to the creep factor. Even before we had actors, we had sound it some people wouldn't come up the walkway to get their candy. We had the CD player poop out on us once and the difference was amazing. With no sound, it just wasn't the same.
We've usually used creepy music but this year I'm going for footsteps, whispers, wind, and such, to give it that extra 'oomph' and the feeling of being followed.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I agree with the ambiance. Lighting, sound and good props. The guy leaping out with the chainsaw may startle some people and scare little kids, but those are cheap scares. Those things never work on me. Use good lighting, and good sound with good prop work, that will creep out the most jaded person. Think Jaws and that music. It was all about the sound and the anticipation.


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## TrailofDarkness (Feb 20, 2010)

Anything can be scary as long as people that go through are in the right atmosphere. Add some smells, small sounds, ambiance, anything that sets the atmosphere. Also by making someone think that someone's gonna come out of one area but actually come out of a different area. yes the element of surprise!


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

In most of the haunts I've been to, the one thing that has always stuck out in my mind, is the distraction factor. Make people uncomfortable about something and take their focus off their suroundings and BAM... what the [email protected]#$ was that!! I was caught off gaurd by sticking what looked like nuts and bolts on the ground. When I looked down to see what I was stepping on I didn't notice the individual sneak up behind me, and caught me not paying attention. Element of surprise and distraction work wonders!!


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## Dungeon Keeper (Sep 25, 2009)

+1 that sound and lighting can make or break a mood. 
We run a backyard haunt and have a no gore commitment. We go for creepy over gory and look for scares over startles. 

One of the things we did last year that went over really well was to put one of the scariest rooms up front, in our second room. It was a variation of a dot room, a black hallway with glow in the dark Jason masks on the walls and hanging and swaying from the ceiling, with an actor inside in all black and a mask. There were 3 speakers along the hall with a spooky track. TOTers knew that someone was in there, but not which mask was it was. The actor didn"t BOO them when the came near, instead make a low wisper or brush their shoulder. This gave them the creeps and since it was early in the haunt, it set the mood and got them freaked out for the rest, making it easier for the other actors as since they were already on edge.


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## Terra (Apr 13, 2009)

What a treasure this thread is! I can't add much to this except to say that the combo of a distraction and then a startle scare is my favorite way to scare the heck outta people.


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## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

i have nothing to add to this and i agree with everyone about distraction. Joker, that was an awesome pic. it took me a second to notice the guy right infront of me.


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

Anticipation has worked best for me. A buildup of I-don't-know-what's-going-to-happen can make the mind race and make up all sorts of things. A combination of light, sound, and setting gets the tot's wondering what is going to happen. Being scared from something you see is good, but being scared from something inside your mind is priceless.


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## Palehorse (Aug 5, 2009)

*oh yeah!*

Atmosphere...without a doubt. If they feel uneasy going in, it makes it all the easier to yank the screams out of them. For me its that and realism, I hold creepy in higher regard than gory. But with a special blend and you have kids and adults alike losing their minds. What a rush!


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## haunted canuck (Feb 8, 2009)

how you portray your haunt , Is it scary, does it have a story ,is it a bunch of scenes put together,theme elements. all come into play , how your Haunt is designed is it a walk through or just a static display. Each element requires a outlook into the total package and planning it out is crutial to its success.


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## The Creepster (Sep 18, 2009)

I find showing patrons statistics on cost of living, the decreasing assets and dollar value, along with over population (too much breeding) works real well....BOO:googly:


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## scarymovie (Feb 14, 2010)

I think its the props and actors that make a haunt scary!


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## Howlinmadjack (Jul 20, 2009)

You crack me up creepster!!


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## madmomma (Jul 1, 2009)

I agree with so many of you, the anticipation of what's coming, creepy sounds and being startled are much better than just gore. I'm not into strobe lighting, it makes me sick but black lights or dim lights where you're not sure what's up ahead can be very scary.


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## The Doctor (Mar 15, 2010)

What an amazing thread. One of the things we like to use are cooler halls and area's. We are lucky in that we have a lot of space so we can put these in, but we have found letting them get settled back down, let their mind start to wonder where the next attack is comming from and then do nothing, there minds really start to hunt for the scare then in the next room hit them again. I have to agree anticipation can be the biggest part of a scare. 

I have to admit I like gore too being raised in the heyday of slasher flicks but only when it fits the scene. I don't find it scary just some window dressing to the whole experiance.


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## trentsketch (Jul 27, 2009)

I think it all comes down to ambiance and breathing room. 

Ambiance sets the mood. It's all of the tiny details--a color scheme, consistent adherence to a theme/concept, lighting, sound, style--that add to the effect. If the world you create feels real, it's going to be a lot scarier.

The other issue is breathing room. It's great to have people rush through a haunt screaming their heads off, but does it mean anything if they can't remember what they saw? I'm not a big fan of non-stop scare haunts where I honestly don't remember what forced me to go nutty. I prefer the quieter moments that linger and leave me nervous long after the experience is over. It doesn't mean you have to have blank spaces with nothing; you just need to not have everything be a high-powered shrieking lurching scare moment. If there's a big scare then some nice mood pieces--well done cobwebs, freaky animals, smaller static props with good lighting--followed by an even bigger scare, I think the entire experience is scarier.


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## Zurgh (Dec 21, 2009)

This thread ROCKS! A sticky, IMO, o' exalted mods?
I agree on a lot of what has already been stated.
As for me, It's about getting inside someones head. What you showcase & what you don't plays a good part. I also think that ambiance & detail plays a huge role, all 5 senses + a sense of "wrongness",... things they don't expect or should not be in existence. I think that the Tot'er will scare them selves better when they do it to themselves. I also believe that some times, what is not there can mess with people, too.
I also think sticking to a pure theme helps a lot, but who's to say that a UFO crash in a graveyard of a mental institution, next to a Scooby Doo carnival, couldn't be done right?
Startle scares, blood & gore all have there place & can be well done, or overdone and lose there fright factor, too. 
Also, much like a joke "If it has to be explained much & isn't very funny!" applies to horror & fear well. But sometimes the unexplainable is horrifying in and of itself. And, sometimes, a story makes or breaks the whole mood.
A good brew of reality alongside a strong shot of fantasy, makes for a good horror to drink & savor. Enjoy!


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## THN (Aug 24, 2009)

I think a haunt is scary when there is a scary light, or when it is dark.... a lot of people are afraid in the dark. Darkness alone is not soooo scary, but with the right props....


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## Thrills4U (Feb 6, 2010)

Zurgh said:


> This thread ROCKS! A sticky, IMO, o' exalted mods?
> I agree on a lot of what has already been stated.
> As for me, It's about getting inside someones head. What you showcase & what you don't plays a good part. I also think that ambiance & detail plays a huge role, all 5 senses + a sense of "wrongness",... things they don't expect or should not be in existence. I think that the Tot'er will scare them selves better when they do it to themselves. I also believe that some times, what is not there can mess with people, too.
> I also think sticking to a pure theme helps a lot, *but who's to say that a UFO crash in a graveyard of a mental institution, next to a Scooby Doo carnival, couldn't be done right?*
> ...


I have a mix of every fear our patrons have divulged to us , going from the mad doctors lab into the killer klown circus doesn't really mesh , but when the mad doctor has just scared them & then they also have a fear of clowns the combo is horrific ! As for the ambient music , the go from a Midnight Syndicate soundtrack to a klown / circus type soundtrack by Virgil . It messes with their minds when they hear hear the klown music from the next room while entering the Lab .


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