# room ideas for 2011



## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

Hello everyone, i would like to ask you for room ideas for this year. the theme will be a haunted manor. or if there are some really good rooms i might change the theme. just looking for some input. what were the best rooms you have had or scene at haunts? Thanks in advance for your input.:jol:


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

Just a few suggestions for you, a kitchen scene always works, bathroom scene with grossed out puke scenes. We are using these this year. You can use a clothes closet and walk through the cloths hanging. I hope some of these are successfull for you.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks Darkmaster for the ideas. hope alot more come in.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

when I think of a haunted manor, I think of rooms like a living room, with a tv that might have an image of something. Maybe even an interactive tv.

A kitchen with something cooking on the stove, a fridge filled with bodyparts.

A dinning room with a body on the table.

a bedroom where maybe a masecre took place.

a bloody bathroom

an organ room

and an organ room

one with body organs and one with an organ

a hall of enchanted photos

an old look lab

i could keep going but i would like leave something for others to say. i think of a manor to look like rooms in a frankenstein movie or the rooms in Rocky Horror Picture Show.


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## DisneyDellsDude (Jun 23, 2008)

An enchanted tiki room.

A black hole opened up, and spit up a starfield, which now consumes that room you're walking through.

A flipped room, where you are walking on the ceiling, or a side wall.

A room that has flooded, and now you're under water.

A room that catches fire while you're inside.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

My favorite design in any haunt, and I have done a couple now, is a door room. The first thought was to have doors on all the walls, in a square room. Most are locked but a few open. One leads out, the rest to dead ends or right back into the room. In my last haunt, we changed the design up a few times and ended with the octagon room.

This room is dimly lit only in the center of the octagon. The corridors to any side are pitch black. When entering the room you push through a door that has a spring hinge on it. It closes behind you with no handle to grab it so you are stuck. When entering the octagon center, each corridor looks the exact same, just darkness. There are no doors just open arches. One leads out the rest are dead ends or lead back to the room. I would have an actor in one of the corridors to help the group out if they get lost or want out so you can keep it going.

Also have the next scene they enter fairly dim to not give away which arch to go through. "hey look there is light coming from this one" is not what you want to hear.

Here is a diagram of the room. This like I said, is my favorite and took 4 years to get right.


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## samhayne (Jul 3, 2008)

When i think manor, i think of a haunted library room.


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## www.2wayradiodirect.com (Mar 7, 2011)

I like the idea on the door room, you could even throw some misdirection in there by placing a light that would resemble a door opening to get them down a path that might contain something worth screaming over. This could use the "hey there is a light coming from over there" to your advantage.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

The door room, or what became the octagon room, took a lot of patience to get it right. The only issue with the room is that it is a hold up point for your haunt. If a group gets lost very long, the next group can catch so it is best to have this room at either the very end of the haunt ( ours was right before the spinning tunnel and then out the door) or at the very beginning say the second room in. This way, once the group clears you start the next group. Or at the end, who cares if you end up with 20 people in the room. They just have to walk over the tunnel and out. 

It is also important to have a good actor to help direct them out if needed. What we didn't do because it wasn't my haunt or I would have, is install a string of lights, say with a red glow in the exit corridor. If the group is in too long, the actor turns on the switch which lights up that corridor. Most people would go through that one right away if they saw it lit up an the actor says this way. 

It would help with the crowd control in my opinion.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

Spider, that is a great idea, just what i was looking for ..rooms or twist on old rooms something that is not always seen in your average haunts.
I also like the upside down room or sideways room... thanks disney!
Thanks to everyone that had ideas for me. now i just need to find some twists for them to make them unique.
Please keep them coming


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

Spiderclimber said:


> My favorite design in any haunt, and I have done a couple now, is a door room. The first thought was to have doors on all the walls, in a square room. Most are locked but a few open. One leads out, the rest to dead ends or right back into the room. In my last haunt, we changed the design up a few times and ended with the octagon room.
> 
> This room is dimly lit only in the center of the octagon. The corridors to any side are pitch black. When entering the room you push through a door that has a spring hinge on it. It closes behind you with no handle to grab it so you are stuck. When entering the octagon center, each corridor looks the exact same, just darkness. There are no doors just open arches. One leads out the rest are dead ends or lead back to the room. I would have an actor in one of the corridors to help the group out if they get lost or want out so you can keep it going.
> 
> ...


This idea is nice, but if you are to move a certain number of people through, there will be a huge stoppage because of the back tracking at the deadends. People will be entering when the first groups missed the exit and will be coming back. Just my perspective of this.


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## jrmullens1 (Jan 30, 2011)

Hate to sound like a downer on this, but before you even build this I would check the fire codes for something like this. it does look like a lot of fun.


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## corner haunt (May 21, 2008)

I would love to do this but I just don't have the room. Most of my setup is in my garage. The most remembered prop was an old TV sitting on a dresser. It was a simple room but had a what's going to happen suspense to it. It was lit only by the glow of the grey screen TV and a 3 candle flicker lamp.


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## JustJimAZ (Aug 19, 2010)

The dot room is a classic that you can tweak to fit any space or theme. If you don't know, it's an all black room with fluorescent dots on the walls. The room has only a blacklight. An actor wearing all black and covered with dots can move and scare people. Instead, there could be blank masks on the walls. Of course, your actor would wear one. Who says they have to wear it right side up either? Or what about life sized dolls on the walls or even hanging in space? Then an actor in black would hold one or two and suddenly they can lunge at the patrons. Maybe a similar idea with ladies' dresses or ghosts, or even portraits?

Of course, I also love a good lab, but that depends on your overall theme. Maybe a dungeon is more in keeping with it, or even the little room where they kept the "family secret" locked up.


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## daBOOhouse (Aug 4, 2010)

A Vetranarian's room that has mangled animal cages, bloody tables and ripped open ventalation grills leading to the ducts. Of course, you gotta walk past the shredded vents to get out of the room. And then there's that growling and scratching sounds in them...

Or how about a execution area. A room with several chairs (or not) and a large picture window and door on one wall. The door's sign states it must remain closed and locked at all time. It obviously leads into the room seen through the window where the electric chair sits. Once everyone is in, the guy in the chair gets zapped, then bright lights blind the patrons, then go off. Screaming ensues. Lights come back on, door to chair chamber is open, criminal is gone, guards are gone, exit door shuts...

I got lots of 'em....


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

lots of great ideas... keep them coming. thanks to all


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

JustJimAZ said:


> The dot room is a classic that you can tweak to fit any space or theme. If you don't know, it's an all black room with fluorescent dots on the walls. The room has only a blacklight. An actor wearing all black and covered with dots can move and scare people. Instead, there could be blank masks on the walls. Of course, your actor would wear one. Who says they have to wear it right side up either? Or what about life sized dolls on the walls or even hanging in space? Then an actor in black would hold one or two and suddenly they can lunge at the patrons. Maybe a similar idea with ladies' dresses or ghosts, or even portraits?
> 
> Of course, I also love a good lab, but that depends on your overall theme. Maybe a dungeon is more in keeping with it, or even the little room where they kept the "family secret" locked up.


I worked for several years in what we called the jason room. pitch black room with 8 to 10 glow in the dark hockey masks on the wall at different heights and spaced aprt so i could have one on my face and one in each hand. made a cool effect like three people were coming at you. loved that room!!! lol


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## GOT (Apr 17, 2007)

I wanted to do this last year but didn't have the space. Have a hallway with a mirror at the end. The hallway turns right and continues to a door. There are more mirrors on the hallway wall and you can see the door reflected in one of them. Only... There is a ghost standing by the door rattling the door knob. You can see the ghost in the mirror, but not in the actual hall. As you approach the door, the ghost turns threatening. You look into the mirror and, rather than seeing your own reflection, another ghost reaches through the mirror at you.
You actually don't need the first ghost if if want to take people totally off guard. The first mirror is real, the second is just a framed hole in the wall. Make an identicle hall next to the real one only make it a mirror image. Have a printed sign up and print a mirror image of that sign in the fake hall. Also, put two LED candles on the same flicker circuit and hang one in each hall. You can do lots of stuff here. The key is to fool them into believing that the hole is a mirror. Then, just wait for them to walk by....


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

GOT said:


> I wanted to do this last year but didn't have the space.


Very cool idea.


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## Dr. Scarecrow (Mar 14, 2011)

Should you have access to things such as digital projectors, plexiglass, tvs or monitors, computers, and fog machines- I would make a good old fashioned haunted library or den with impressive ghost illusions a la Disney, et al. 

Depending on how much shock factor or morbidity you are seeking- I have always noticed that people would prefer something that is really eye catching and visually impressive vs a gross out or shock scare. 

If you get yourself a really good peppers ghost illusion in a well set haunted room- or even better, a projected ghost on a bust or against fog or a blank figure- it will get accolades. I have always tried to avoid use of too much blood and guts, but that is just me. 

Seance room is also a really good option. You could do plenty with that that people would love- including a pimped out Oujia board and a really good crystal ball.


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

I am working on an anti-gravity room. To make it short it is aroom with no windows. The whole room is built then one side is raised so that the floor is at a 25 degree tilt. This confuses the visitor's perception of level and balance. In the room it will appear that water flows uphill and a ball falls slanted. Look under "mystery hole" or "mystery hill" for some more information.
Spidora is a great classic illusion.


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## langolier (May 21, 2011)

What about something like from Disney's haunted mansion. You have the portrait room, ballroom, and just any ghosts that happen to be popping out or around. If you do a library or study room you can make things like moving books on a bookcase or a rocking chair rocking with no one in it. I hope any of this helps.


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## Aquayne (Sep 1, 2008)

I got a copy of haunted illusions by paul osborne on pdf. It is fantastic with illusions.


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

We just got back from a Disney vacation and I noticed something in the Haunted Mansion ride I'd never seen before. The ride had technical problems, and I figured out, while sitting & waiting a few moments, that the very last room on that ride is the family's mausoleum. 

So, how about a family crypt?


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## DreadKnight (Aug 10, 2011)

*Parlor*

An old fashion parlor with a Vampire coming out of a casket with creepy candelabra's and 3D pictures on the wall


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## walterb (Jul 27, 2010)

*Room with a dropping spike ceiling*








I built this last year. It got great reviews. PVC frame, winch lifting and lowering the ceiling. Snow cone filling cup holders for the spikes with red lights behind them.


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## MrGrimm (May 19, 2009)

Another type of room that's rare is a haunted greenhouse. Most mansions probably have one in the yard...

Fill it with plants, spiders (and spider victims), fishing line from the ceiling (cobwebs), maybe have some shuttering bushes and leaves.

The lighting effects here could be fantastic with all the leaves giving of lots of shadows in contrast to the colored light.

This is also the perfect place for some ankle ticklers... whether it be rubber tubing or air jets blasting tiny shots of air at the ToTs feet...


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