# Anyone have a list of Cheap and Effective Scares that require few, if any, actors?



## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm working on a Haunt project, and while I have a thread asking for theme appropriate room ideas, I was also wondering if there were any lists of cheap and effective scares, using few to no actors. Preferably no actors.

Mind you, I like actors. I am one. But I can't afford to set up a Haunt assuming I'll have x number of actors showing up, only to not have them show. This way, with multifunctional rooms that work with or without actors, any extra actors I get will be a bonus.

Here is one list I found, courtesy of Uncle Corn . . . 

1. A time old favorite is varying lengths of black fishing line hanging from above in a concentrated area of hall width by 4 to 8 feet.

2. Water guns do a real good number on victims. Best place to use one is in a scene where one actor is hacking another with a butcher knife or ax, have the spray in a line with the hacking.

3. Flashlight in the face, blind them and then toy with them, gently. 

4. Basic distraction, an actor, in plain view, sets in a chair. He looks harmless; with his up stagehand he is pulling a string, moving an object out of view, a chain or something, that is opposite him. The victims are pulled into the scene knowing where the scare is going to come from. But another actor is overtaking them from behind.

5. Lower things onto victims heads, stuffed animals are my favorite. No reason to make it elaborate, keep it dark and let them use their imagination as to what it is that is bouncing off their heads.

6. Variation to above, in a long hallway swing a stuffed animal into the face of the first victim, the effect is awesome.

7. The haunts entry ghoul can offer to shake the hands of victims as a show of support, his hand is fake, of course.

8. A hall way of dummies, except one of them is not . . . no not looking like a dummy, he is above, working a string that makes one of the dummies appear to be alive, then the scare comes from above and behind.

9. The duck and scare from behind and above is tried and true. Have the victims duck under an object 5 feet from the ground. The actor hides in the opened side of the object.

Now some of those items have actors in them, but those are simple scenes or effects. Anyone in black with a spot of make-up - or not - can step in and be very effective. I'm not having to design a scene around an elaborately designed, made up character, without whom, I don't have a room.

So, those are some ideas. I have some more that I'm working on, but do any of you guys have similar ideas?


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

Your list seems to be actor/handler heavy - if you want things to move without someone to move them, then you are looking at sensors, motors, pneumatic props, etc. But to get things to move and make sounds can get pricey.

IMHO, you can't get *big* scares without things that move or make sounds. You can definately set a scary mood with ambiance, lighting, sound effects, and good props. But after you build the tension, then what? Maybe a scary masked figure right around a corner can give an initial jolt, but not much beyond that, and it becomes anticipated on follow-on scares.

Not being mechanically inclined, I've always leaned to scenes to set the mood (props, lighting, fog, sound) and actors to move the story. Darkness is always a winner, full of unknowns, wierd sensations, and lighting to throw them off.

Instead of a bunch of random scares, my haunt has a theme and all props, actors, and scares tie in and make sense in the firghtened mind of the ToT.

The flip side to that is a "fun house" full of chaotic, random scares that makes the ToT unstable and suseptable to other scares.

Sometimes the suspense of getting scared is enough to get a scare. But if you want the money shot, add actors or an animated prop.

Your list is good, maybe have 1 actor activate many actions/props/effects along the way. That way it seems like you have many handlers firing off scares. Just be careful to throw/spray things into the ToT's face, unless you have them sign a waiver at the entrance.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I think what Warrant meant was to be careful _about_ throwing/spraying anything into a visitor's face Hitting someone in the face with a stuffed animal will likely not be appreciated. From what I've read on this site, most haunts are very careful to avoid physical contact between actors and visitors.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

*Part 1*



Warrant2000 said:


> Your list seems to be actor/handler heavy - if you want things to move without someone to move them, then you are looking at sensors, motors, pneumatic props, etc. But to get things to move and make sounds can get pricey.


Right. I was thinking along the lines of a control room with push button effects.

Also, that list does have a number of actors and/or technicians, but then that's the reason why I posted this thread. I need more ideas like that from the simplicity department, but perhaps stuff that doesn't need an actor dedicated to that room, or maybe one that can pull double or triple duty in several rooms.

I'm going to use DCTwWCC (Daisy Chain Triangular, with Wide Central Corridor) so a few actors can work the whole Haunt on slow nights, or pull double or triple duty on medium nights, and so on.

At the outset, I am assuming that I am using actors, especially since my partner has access to theatre collectives, but we can't pay big bucks to a guy who is normally doing Shakespeare on the weekend, or assume we can put 2-3 people in every room.

JB got by using 3-4 actors on slow nights for a 4000sq' haunt, and the customers were none the wiser. I don't think we'll have to be that bare-boned, but I don't want to find out the hard way that we are that short of actors on what may prove our busiest night, or perhaps not the busiest night but the only night that the camera crew from the local news station decides to show up to do a story.

In fact, on slow nights, I would often do 3 characters, with 2 of them literally behind the scenes. Using the Central Corridor, I would do two totally different voices, with one being some crazed banshee like ogre, screaming "fresh meat! fresh meat!" while thunder jumping up and down the Central Corridor like a pogo stick. We were on an elevated deck, and you could hear and feel me 10'-15' away from every impact point along a 20' run.

And then when I heard my sound cue that the patrons were a few minutes away from my scene, I would quickly jump thru the hidden doorway into my scene and do my third character, one that was totally different from the first two (think Dr. Frank-n-Furter at an S&M Club), and did my customer interaction.

I'm very big on actor driven Haunts, but I don't want the actors to have do all the work, and I don't want overworked actors covering for the invariable no-shows that we all encounter.

Reminds me of when I drove pizzas in college, and a guy called in sick for his noon shift, and I had to cover for him as the only driver for 5 hours (and I was covering for someone else before my regular evening shift). Believe me, it was a very long 5 hours, with a lot of unhappy customers (due to the delay in deliver times) and a lot of comped and free pizzas.

The idiot then shows up for the evening shift, where I presume he expected to cash in on a few hours worth of work during the tip-heavy dinner rush, while effectively taking most of the day off. He comes up to me and laughs how he called in sick to have most of the day off, and that some sorry schmoe had to cover for him. I laughed and congratulated him on his cleverness, and then informed him that I, in fact, was the sorry schmoe. Oops. Awkward. He stopped smiling when it finally sunk in, and then stammered out some kind of apology. I then proceeded to report him to management. Don't think he lasted much longer after that.



Warrant2000 said:


> IMHO, you can't get *big* scares without things that move or make sounds. You can definitely set a scary mood with ambiance, lighting, sound effects, and good props. But after you build the tension, then what? Maybe a scary masked figure right around a corner can give an initial jolt, but not much beyond that, and it becomes anticipated on follow-on scares.


Indeed. We are going to be using a lot of production value in setting the scene, but we need a foundation of solid stuff that not only works, but that also can't be screwed up by some kid in a mask making $5 an hour (or whatever they are paid these days).

For instance, in terms of the customers anticipating follow-on scares, I'm actually counting on that happening, and in that regard I like to repeat certain types of scares, giving each variant a different twist each time. Kinda the same way a magician thinks several moves deep when it comes to misdirection or audience attention management. In fact, one expert actually sets up sleights a full 2 or 3 moves ahead, so even other magicians can't backtrack and figure out how something was done.

I also like scenes or events that can be described simply but can't be explained easily. Iow, the actual description or logline for the scene can be summed up in 7 words ± 2, yet when a customer gets out and tries to explain a surprise to a friend of his still in line, he can't quite articulate the surprise, and in fact his attempts to explain it only sets his friends up even further, thus making that initial customer an unwitting accomplice.

For example, let's say I have a scene with a bunch of spiders in it. Call it "Aragog's Family Reunion". That title could serve as the description. For a more technical description, "Giant Spiders Suddenly Wiggle; Last One Attacks". That is your seven word description. Any Haunter would immediately get the idea. It works as great short hand for the production crew.

However, what actually goes on in the room is far more intricate. The patron walks into the room, and sees tons of spiders. Now, we could have live spiders in little terrariums, perhaps, built into the wall. We could stick with fake ones. They could gradually get bigger as we go down the hallway, or we could hit the patrons all at once with a bunch in one spot. Those who have seen HP&TCOS will no doubt easily picture the scene.

Well, we get to the main area of the scare. There are three - count'em _three_ - _*really big* spiders_! Think yard spiders you get from Garden Ridge or other large home furnishing type store that does a lot of seasonal stuff.

The number is important. So is the lighting. We want them to clearly see (or _not_ so clearly see, only to then be startled by) each of the big spiders. Iow, we want them to see each spider clearly and distinctly before we are done.

The first spider does nothing. It simply provides anticipation. The second spider does nothing. It increases anticipation. The patron is totally expecting something to happen, but it doesn't, and the design of the room is like a mini-maze . . . it forces them to go around the spiders, and not walk straight thru.

By this point, the patron is amped up. They are expecting something, and tension is getting high. While this is going on, we can have all sorts of freaky sound effects going on which I can only describe as "spidery". Add some cool Ridley Scott style rays of light shining thru cracks in the wall (a la Alien) and you get the idea. We could even have some shadowy entity moving behind the wall, providing a distraction. By this point, even seasoned Haunt goers are having a hard time tracking all the variables.

Then, as they come to the last turn in the room, the third and final spider, right on cue, lurches forward a few inches and starts to violently wiggle and shake. Bam! That should send plenty people screaming, or at least give them a good jolt.

Ah, but . . . we are not thru . . .

I said that the number was important, and it is. With three really big spiders, they think they're done. Not quite.

See, the other spiders only wiggled a bit. Perhaps you could have all the spiders in the room start wiggling at the same time. That would be cool. And everyone thinks the room is done . . .

And that's when, as they leave the room, with the last bit of cobwebbing petering out, they hear another noise. They look down, and see a fourth large spider, only sitting on the ground and not mounted like some cheesy prop or "animatronic", but sitting stationary like more set dressing. Suddenly, the eyes light up red and it makes that spidery sound again. "Oh, neat, another prop. Cool."

That's when the spider looks up at them, and then lunges forward several feet towards them - not like some goofy, wiggling prop - but with legs fully articulating as if it's a real freaking spider! When I had a similar experience, it totally freaked the hell out of me and I went running out the door. It didn't even look realistic, but rather like a papier-mâché prop, which probably only added to the surprise factor.

(cont.)


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

*Part 2*

(cont.)

Now, continuing with the Spider Room reaction, when those guys get out of the Haunt, and they see their buddies standing in line, how exactly are they going to articulate what they experienced in the Spider Room? "Well, upon entry, I observed a plethora of spiders of varying size, with three key or principle spiders on evidence, the last of which appearing to provide the scare, but in fact hoodwinked us into thinking the scare was over when a fourth surprise spider charged at us, fully articulating as it walked, thus subconsciously suggesting to our primitive, lizard brains that it in fact was real."

(Thank you, Sheldon, for that simple explanation. I'm sure Howard, Raj, Leonard, and Penny are thoroughly informed.)

Uh!?! :googly::googly:

Not likely.

With most people's meta-programs, the most common psychological convincer is a _group of three_. Some people are immediately convinced on the first exposure; some may take 10 exposures; for some it's all a matter of time; some are never convinced, kicking and screaming every step of the way while they sign on the dotted line. _But for most people, it's three._ That's why infomercials sell you the main product, and throw on two cheap add-ons; they are filling up your convincer slots. The first offer looked really good. You're close, but not sure. "Well, we'll also give you, at no charge . . ." (better) "Plus, if you act now! . . ." (I'm sold!!) It works like a charm.

With most people's convincers filled up as they leave the Spider Room, thinking that that third spider must have been it, then being totally thrown off kilter by the fourth, asynchronous spider, they will have a hard time processing that experience as they try to relate it. Remember, they didn't see four spiders . . . they saw a bunch. That bunch of spiders acts as psychological camouflage for the mental dynamic that just happened with the four big ones.

So, with that, they are more likely going to say, "dude, in this spider room, there were all these spiders, and they were moving and crap, and then this last one jumped out at us, and we thought it was over, but it wasn't, cuz it was at the end and stuff."

Well, with that eloquent and articulate recollection, their friends will go thru, get to the Spider Room, see the first spider, then the second one, figure the second one will jump out at them, and then just as they brace for impact, the third one starts violently wiggling, shaking, and lurching toward them, and they will figure that that was the surprise ending their friends warned them of.

And just as they are thinking this, they round that corner . . .



Warrant2000 said:


> Instead of a bunch of random scares, my haunt has a theme and all props, actors, and scares tie in and make sense in the firghtened mind of the ToT.
> 
> The flip side to that is a "fun house" full of chaotic, random scares that makes the ToT unstable and susceptible to other scares.


Well, interestingly enough, the actual style to the house we are doing is indeed a FunHouse. To wit, it will be very tactile, interactive, and so on. That is also, essentially, the theme, from the psycho circus, carnival of death aspect.

Iow, everything will be themed to the whole carnival, big top, traveling show archetype. It also affords it's own verisimilitude, because all of those type of shows are traveling shows set up in temporary structures, much like most haunts which are set up in temporary structures, so the Haunt is it's own authenticity, vs., say, trying to create a believable medieval castle with some sheets of plywood and a splash of paint.



Warrant2000 said:


> Sometimes the suspense of getting scared is enough to get a scare. But if you want the money shot, add actors or an animated prop.


We will definitely be making a great deal of use of anticipation and pacing. Case in point: the Spider Room just outlined, which uses all of those elements, and then pays off with one technician operating the two effects at the end.



Warrant2000 said:


> Your list is good, maybe have 1 actor activate many actions/props/effects along the way. That way it seems like you have many handlers firing off scares.


Indeed. That will be a biggie.



Warrant2000 said:


> Just be careful to throw/spray things into the ToT's face, unless you have them sign a waiver at the entrance.


Well, I was offering that list as way of illustration. I would never in a million years suggest beaming anyone with projectiles, but even having something fluffy like a stuffed animal lightly bounce off of your face in the dark can be very effective. I'm definitely doing the black fishing line hanging from the ceiling. I'm thinking of either before or after the Spider Room, or possibly both.



RoxyBlue said:


> I think what Warrant meant was to be careful _about_ throwing/spraying anything into a visitor's face Hitting someone in the face with a stuffed animal will likely not be appreciated. From what I've read on this site, most haunts are very careful to avoid physical contact between actors and visitors.


Well, physical contact with a patron by an actor is a major no-no, and that is one rule I am adamant about enforcing. However, that said, brushing their ankles with a garden hose or pool noodle, or perhaps using one of those awesome running rat pneumatic effects, that to me is fair game.

I'm also considering using shills, so that the actors have someone they can beat up on. They won't be touching the shills, either, but if the shills are screamers and consistently give good reactions, that helps, and the actors can get really close to them without them getting whacked by the shills.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

So does anyone in your group k.ow animatronics. That entire spider hallway could be done with pnumatics and controllers all activated with motion sensors, pressure mats or beam sensors.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

stagehand1975 said:


> So does anyone in your group k.ow animatronics. That entire spider hallway could be done with pnumatics and controllers all activated with motion sensors, pressure mats or beam sensors.


That's a possibility, but I would rather reserve any pneumatics for basic pop-ups, whipping rat hoses, and air jets up the leg or down the back. For the mass spider wiggle, I would probably use vibrator units in the spiders, like the ones you find in novelty stuffed animals, or something to that effect. That's what I was thinking, at least.

The third spider could be controlled by pneumatics, but the fourth spider would be controlled directly by the technician.

Basically, in our group, we have some basic stuff, but nothing where we could pull off as big and as intricate a room as I'm describing above in the next few months, at least not with pneumatics. I have a basic compressor here at home that will allow me to test more of the basic pop-up effects, along with the other effects I just mentioned, but not that could control anything fancy [read: pricey].

I do, however, like the idea of motion sensors and so on, and that can be helpful. I'm thinking of some ghost illusions that can use basic sensors to set things off.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

I once saw those weighted vibrating motors on eBay.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

stagehand1975 said:


> I once saw those weighted vibrating motors on eBay.


Sweet! Link? Auction still open?


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

stagehand1975 said:


> I once saw those weighted vibrating motors on eBay.


Something like this?


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