# Sound FX or music at your haunt?



## ghostie

I've been trying to figure out what to do. I would like realistic thunder/howls/witches/owls/groans/ghosts, etc. for my cemetery, but at the same time, I like it when people have Halloween themed music at their haunts too. Last year I used MS "Born of the Night". I was wondering what you all normally do...?


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## Frighteners Entertainment

I've been using MS for a long time...
Along with Hedstrom's Clive Manor.

This year I'm adding Nox Arcana to the mix.


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## MansionHaunter

I'm not big on music unless it's low-level, dirge-like and fits in with the sound effects I'm playing.

As for sound effects, I've been scrounging them together over the years from various sources such as a really old record (yes, vinyl) we used eons ago, some cassette tapes, CDs and various hows/chains/laughter/screams/etc I've downloaded from various places. Mix these together, create one big long-playing CD and loop that all night, and we're in business.

The mood I like to set is eerie, uneasy and creepy - as opposed to thrilling, dangerous and blatantly scary. Music tends to detract from the eerie feeling, in my opinion.


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## edwood saucer

I'm just the opposite - but I think it is more a function of what you want out of your haunt rather than a right or wrong way to do it.

I will be blaring the Ghastly Ones cd "Haunting We Will Go" from the house. It's Dick Dale meets the Munsters - surf guitar and creeepiness. Generally really upbeat. Of course - I also hand out beer to the neighbors I know on Halloween - so my haunt is more of a party than not.


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## Eric Striffler

Last year we played the (get this) SLEEPY HOLLOW sound track fairly low on a stereo at the entrance to our haunt.
It's so lame, but we just kinda threw that aspect together.
This year we won't have any music playing, we might just have a cd with some screams and stuff on it and put a little into the woods so it sounds like it's coming from deep in the woods.
That should be good. 

I'm not a big fan of really loud music or anything.
It's gotta be suttle. (Spelling??)


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## ghostie

edwood saucer said:


> ...I also hand out beer to the neighbors I know on Halloween - so my haunt is more of a party than not.


And I suppose if you hand out enough beer, your patrons will love whatever you play, right? Do you make them trick-or-treat for it? Ha. I did check out Amazon.com: A-Haunting We Will Go-Go: The Ghastly Ones: [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@51W87H0DWAL and really like the Haulin' Hearse track. Beach Boys go Scooby Doo! Will have to look further into that one...Still having trouble deciding what sounds to use. Both definitely set a specific mood...Thanks for your insight gentlemen...


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## Beepem

i use OTC's halloween sounds of horror. its really great


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## spideranne

I used a downloaded cd from www.phantombones.com. It is kind of music and sound effects together.


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## Daughter of Darkness

I love the Ghastly ones!

To me, because I am a music freak and musician(I play the bass) I think it depends on the feeling you are going after. Music is a seperate entity and can either complement or detract from the scene. I like to have my different zones with their own sounds and not go for the whole all-in-one soundtrack(I find it annoying) like so many CD's I have already! I collect everything Halloween/Horror related and listen to and buy/download film soundtracks and scores. I like a 3D feel to my haunt where it's like you are surrounded. Graveyard track has wind/owls and crickets. Up by my door we did a wake scene in the past with the coffin and candles with a funeral dirge. Everything has its own sound. I really like to try and make the environment better with sound,its fun! Even if its not the best surround sound equipment, as long as it is seperate I like it. :jol:


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## ghostie

DoD, what did you use for all your sounds, maybe portable cd players?


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## edwood saucer

Glad to see other Ghastly One fans out there...

I ordered their new cd last week and am just waiting for it to arrive.

Eric - k - Is that the Sleepy Hollow soundtrack to the Tim Burton movie? I will check it out - even if you thought it was lame... I know no other movie that evokes the atmosphere of Halloween more than Sleepy Hollow (and the original Halloween)


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## HibLaGrande

heres my sound set-up
http://hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=1099


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## ghostie

HibLaGrande said:


> heres my sound set-up
> http://hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=1099


Wow, that's really cool! Neat idea...


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## roadkill

I like to have ambient sounds (wind - howls - cackles- etc...) running in the yard itself. When we open the door is where you get the music - pipe organ, Clive Manor, MS, Pumpkinland (listen to 13thtrack.com all year long anyway).


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## JustMatt

I do a sci-fi haunt theme so I'll be playing a recording of the original H.G. Wells War of the Worlds show. It's long enough (57 mins) that I won't go psycho after hearing the same dang song for the 30th time.


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## meestercranky

I have a lot of mp3 files of sound effects records and scary music, and a program that simulates a DJ setup - I use this to "mix" a soundtrack. I have made several twent minute mixes fading from music, thunder, Haunted Mansion soundtrack, etc etc. when I get one I like I put it in the pile.

At showtime I download the mixes to an iPod and hook it up to my speakers in the yard.


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## Empress Nightshade

I'm not into sound effects. I play music that sets the mood for that particular scene and yet sometimes, a scene requires nothing at all. We have a bar/disco in our haunt this year. And of course, we play appropriate dance music. However, two rooms over is a bedroom scene. In it is played a song by Enya that I first heard during the rolling of the credits on Stephen King's Sleepwalkers. Enya is not someone you would normally hear in a haunt. She hums through the whole song. This makes it even more eerie.
I think having your customers encounter the unsual is what helps set them off kilter subconsciously thus better targets for the impending scare.


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## ghostie

Empress Nightshade said:


> In it is played a song by Enya that I first heard during the rolling of the credits on Stephen King's Sleepwalkers. Enya is not someone you would normally hear in a haunt. She hums through the whole song. This makes it even more eerie.


Hey Empress, what's the name of the Enya song? Sounds neat...


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## roadkill

Empress Nightshade said:


> I think having your customers encounter the unsual is what helps set them off kilter subconsciously thus better targets for the impending scare.


And I think, right there, you have summed the whole thing up very nicely Empress. That is the whole point of the sounds - the sights - even the smells we strive to give our guests and the ToTs.


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## drbrandon73

Some music, like creepy organ music, is as good as sound effects. I don't really go for the full on orchestral stuff as it does take away from the creepy factor. Lighting is absouletely essential, and fog adds that over the top element to any graveyard.


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## grapegrl

ghostie said:


> Hey Empress, what's the name of the Enya song? Sounds neat...


I know Empress is busy right now, so I figured I would answer for her here. When she said it was one of Enya's songs where she hums the whole way through, I instantly recognized it as "Boadicea" from her CD _The Celts_. I double-checked and it was indeed included on the soundtrack for King's _Sleepwalkers_. Great song.


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## jdubbya

I used music for several years, the last few being the CD Extreme Halloween. Some nice dark stuff, along with the obligatory classic theme from the Halloween the movie and Psycho. Much of it was gothic and pretty intense. Last year I switched to a sound effect CD with thunder, wind, crows, some low moans, along with a steady tolling church bell. I enjoyed this a lot more and felt it really contributed to the atmosphere/mood I was trying to achieve. I liked the music though, and might incorporate some of the real dark stuff into one scene in my garage to build suspense.


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## ghostie

grapegrl said:


> I know Empress is busy right now, so I figured I would answer for her here. When she said it was one of Enya's songs where she hums the whole way through, I instantly recognized it as "Boadicea" from her CD _The Celts_. I double-checked and it was indeed included on the soundtrack for King's _Sleepwalkers_. Great song.


Hey, thanks for the info. I'm off to amazon right away!

Amazon.com: The Celts: Enya: [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@41PKZEA65XLused. Their sounds are awesome, but what would you expect from some Hollywood guys! Will have to incorporate this one, thanks Empress and Grapegrl...


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## Empress Nightshade

grapegrl said:


> I know Empress is busy right now, so I figured I would answer for her here. When she said it was one of Enya's songs where she hums the whole way through, I instantly recognized it as "Boadicea" from her CD _The Celts_. I double-checked and it was indeed included on the soundtrack for King's _Sleepwalkers_. Great song.


grapegrl is correct! It is Boadecia and I'm using it for my Creature Under The Bed scene. (Click on the link for a description of the scene) Boadecia will be playing on a stereo system I bought from Radio Shack that resembles an antique record player.

I'll post a picture of the scene on another thread later on. However, for your listening pleasure, I've uploaded Boadecia so that you may experience the eeriness of it. Dim your lights for the effect as candle light is how our patrons will partly experience this scene.

*Boadecia*


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## Daughter of Darkness

ghostie said:


> DoD, what did you use for all your sounds, maybe portable cd players?


Yeah, ghost. I have several  portable CD players around-Ultra low-tech style. It's a pain to hide them too. :devil:


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## Gloomy_Gus

I have been using one of those 'Scary Sound FX' cd's you get from Spirit, Target, etc. But this year I'm going to be using the WWE's Undertaker entrance music. 

We need to sign a petition to have Trans Syberian Orchestra record a Halloween CD.


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## writer93

We're going to have some music going outside but no haunt this year. Not sure what music just yet, going out soon to find a good Halloween cd. Might use one of the Halloween movie soundtracks! lol


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## Long_Tom

I have used a lot of Midnight Syndicate, various albums. It is indeed pretty intense; quite a few of the younger Trick or Treaters don't want to come up to my door, even though all I have are static props: some tombstones in the driveway, a gauze ghost, the year's crop of jack o' lanterns. But the music is intimidating (and hi-fidelity, since I use my stereo and good speakers).

I've been thinking about dividing my front yard into two zones: a friendly path up to the front door, where I play kid-centric Halloween tunes; and on the opposite side, a scary path down the side yard, where the scarier elements are kept, and where the Midnight Syndicate gets played.


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## pyro

midnight sydicate where can i pick that up and is there more than 1 outthere if so which 1 should i get


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## Long_Tom

Online here: http://www.midnightsyndicate.com/main.htm

In person at your local Spirit Halloween store, or likely at any of the independent halloween specialists in your area, should you be lucky enough to have one.


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## ghostie

Amazon.com is always easy, too...that's where I got all of mine.


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## Eric Striffler

MansionHaunter said:


> I'm not big on music unless it's low-level, dirge-like and fits in with the sound effects I'm playing.
> 
> As for sound effects, I've been scrounging them together over the years from various sources such as a really old record (yes, vinyl) we used eons ago, some cassette tapes, CDs and various hows/chains/laughter/screams/etc I've downloaded from various places. Mix these together, create one big long-playing CD and loop that all night, and we're in business.
> 
> The mood I like to set is eerie, uneasy and creepy - as opposed to thrilling, dangerous and blatantly scary. Music tends to detract from the eerie feeling, in my opinion.


Agreed, MansionHaunter.
Our exhibit is in the woods, so we want it to be quiet.
That makes it eerie because up ahead you can hear the other people screaming, the yelling, and the chainsaws and stuff of course. 
But we have some music playing at the entrance.


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## stretchnuts

hey ive mixed my own two i cant really pick bu the first has graveyard wind with lucifers choir and the second uses a graveyardwind with a rip from 13 ghosts latin chant ill send you a clip lxmustang70 on aim


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## stretchnuts

totally sound effects/music combined see me at [email protected] or on aim at lxmustang70


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## dynoflyer

Anyone know where to download the witches incantation (Shakespeare, I think). I'm building an animated witch stirring cauldron prop, it'd be nice to play the incantation mixed with some bubbling sounds.


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