# Abandoned Mine Theme Ideas



## thealmightyzenk (Jul 7, 2010)

Hey guys. Pretty sure I'm doing a mine themed haunt this year. It should be interesting and provide for some unique scares. I have some ideas of my own but could use some more and was pretty sure this was the place to come. Anyways I want to here your guys ideas for theming and scares.

Thanks for helping!!


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

Build an entrance to a mine shaft about 3 feet square and about 3 feet deep. Then put a "bottomless Pit" effect at the other end. Make a small mine cart that sits just inside the 3 foot square part, but when you look past the cart it looks like a mine shaft.

Of course you will have skeleton miners.

Again, build some mine carts from plywood, like cut outs. Then make animated "tombstone peepers" with zombie or skeleton or mangled minors peeking up behind it.

A cave in with arms and legs poking out.

Lots of bats.

That's all I got for now.


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## thealmightyzenk (Jul 7, 2010)

Sweet ideas JW!!

O ya and I forgot to mention it's an indoor walkthrough haunt NOT a yard haunt.


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## Wildcat (Nov 3, 2007)

For indoor you could decorate the walls in to look like the shaft and have a walk through. The "bottomless Pit" effect could still be used as the collapsed shaft that the victims walk past. This would also be a good place for a scare (actor or prop) on the opposite side of the pit as long as the pit is the main focus of the room/shaft.

Hanging lanterns from walls/ceiling would help with the atmosphere. Faint sound of the trapped miners calling/tapping on the tunnel walls would also be cool.

Don't forget smell as a mood setter as well. The smell of damp earth would aid in realism and can be done with small margarine/tupperware style containers full of earth with holes in the lids.

Okay next person.


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

We did a mine as part of our haunt last year .... Had a Tct disguised as a barrel of blasting powder... A drop wall and a run away ore cart


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

Sorry falling wall.... Fell at the patrons


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## thealmightyzenk (Jul 7, 2010)

Haunter, what's a tct? And also how did you do the runaway mine cart? It sounds pretty cool. Thanks!!


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

Trash can trauma..... Basic pop up.... The cart I built on wheels set it on a ramp and let it go ( with safety chains of course)


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

The runaway cart idea sounds terrific! I'll probably do a ghost town/haunted mine theme at some point, and that particular scare is a definite keeper!!

I've been wondering what would be the best way to do mine walls. Wooden supports could probably be done from cardboard. Here's an idea: take your typical wall panel, and glue on flattened balls of newspaper. Then, take a roll of wide brown paper, the kind that hardware stores sell in the paint dept, and cover up the newspaper, creating an irregular wall surface.

On the other hand, all this strikes me as a tremendous fire hazard, so maybe that's not such a great idea.


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

We built ours out of pallets covered the outside and top with black plastic . Used lanterns rewired with flicker bulbs for lighting.


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## thealmightyzenk (Jul 7, 2010)

Sweet man. I actually have a tct built. Just didn't know what u meant. Lol. The cart idea is great too!! I was thinking I would use pallets for walls.

Sorry for all the questions but what did u use for lanterns and how'd u make them flicker?


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

Used cheap 5 dollar decretive lanterns rewired them to accept flicker bulb sockets used vacuum cleaner cord for plugs( really long and free.... Sniped from old vacuums ) hung them from the rafters with bailing wire ..... Viola instant mine lighting... Did dust them with flat black paint of course


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

I'm going with a Steven King style "deadly Mutant fog" that was created from a mine accident. If I can pull it off I will have a fake newcast on a TV at the entrance of my haunt saying something like "All residents of anytown are being evacuated due to a deady mine accident that has released a toxic gas. This mysterious gas has proven to be extremely hazardous...." Then the screen get's Fuzzy... Then I want an actor with his back to you wearing a lab coat saying something like "I can''t believe that they've gone and done it!!! DON"T GO IN THERE... Please I BEG YOU.... You'll NEVER get out alive!!! and then he turns around and has a half normal face and the other half mutated. I've already built my Mine entrance. Scroll down a little so see it almost completed.

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=21334&highlight=Impossible+folding&page=7

Once inside there will be various Mutant things like Man eating Plants. Half human/beast props, a MIB (monster in a Box). Mutant Huge spiders, and Various Zombie type things that will be rising from the dead. I also want a horizontal Bottomless pit agains my RR tie wall that liooks like a a branch of the Mine. Of course My large vortex stule fog chillers will be working overtime to complete the illusion of toxic gas. I was going to make a runaway rail car out of "G" gage trains but I just won't have time. My entire haunt will be outdoors so it would be difficult to really pull off feeling like your actually inside a mine. There is SOO MUch more I want to do but I just don't have the time to pull it all off.


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## GOT (Apr 17, 2007)

I did an elevator to Hell one year and made several foam-rubber rocks that fit together nicely and attached them to some thick elastic belts I bought at a fabric store so that they hung like a curtain. I cut a large hole in the foam-board wall and covered the hole with the rocks. I also hung a black sheet on the opposite side of the wall to help hide any cracks between the rocks of the curtain. Now, an actor could literally burst through the wall at any time. Once he pulled back, the rocks would spring back into place for the next group.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

A canary in a cage. Skeletal or zombified or mummified or at least dead.


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

Instead of a canary try a crow or vulture


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## daBOOhouse (Aug 4, 2010)

How about a broken but still lit lantern laying amoung a bunch of boxes and sticks of old dynamite. Should be able to get a bang out of that one.

One thing I've wanted to try is make a bat area with lots of bats hanging from the top of the cave all moving around. Just fold up the rubber bats, mount them on sticks sticking through holes in the roof and held in place in some manner, then mounting pieces of paper to act as sails on the other end of the stick (above the cave roof) for an ocelating fan blowing back and forth across them, making them move in waves. This, coupled with a bat soundtrack and mood lighting should make a pretty spooky bat cave.

A broken overhead beam that cracks and groans as you walk under it. Maybe even rig some type of pressure plate bit that makes it move when stepped on...


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

daBOOhouse said:


> Just fold up the rubber bats, mount them on sticks sticking through holes in the roof and held in place in some manner, then mounting pieces of paper to act as sails on the other end of the stick (above the cave roof) for an ocelating fan blowing back and forth across them, making them move in waves.


That's funny, I had the same idea a couple of days ago (for faces behind a scrim). Have you ever seen it done? I'd love to know the results.


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## daBOOhouse (Aug 4, 2010)

austenandrews said:


> That's funny, I had the same idea a couple of days ago (for faces behind a scrim). Have you ever seen it done? I'd love to know the results.


I haven't. Thought it up a while back and found it this year in my notes. I was considering doing it for this year but another prop has taken it's place in the queue. If the pivot point can be worked out, maybe a couple of fishing lure cup washers convex ends facing each other or something of the like with the bats on bamboo skewers might work. Would love to give it a try sometime though. Post pics if you get it up and going!


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

Don't forget all the rocks in the mine.

http://theghostess.com/rocks.htm
http://simreal.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=FakeRocks


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## Wyatt Furr (Jun 5, 2006)

This is the "mine shaft" in my front yard.
One day it will be surrounded by a hill of rocks.
But then, I say that every year......
In the dark, the unfinished sides are hidden.
Also selective lighting helps.


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

I have some early stage pics of the mine tunnels I made for this year. Some have stone walls and the others are frame with tunnel bracing simulation. I like the effect. Use indirect lighting and soft, low lights. Check the photos in my profile album.


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## borisbo12 (2 mo ago)

All excellent ideas. calendar 2023 free Bottomless pit under a rickety bridge, like a rope bridge, is a must. The walls of the bat cave are pretty much what I'm going for, just a lot more of it and curved over the top. I'm not sure about chilling the tunnels because it's pretty cold already in Oregon on halloween. It would have to be really cold to be noticable. Maybe a fan at some point to make a draft tio indicate a way out.


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