# Creep Acres 2013 Renovation Thread



## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

EDIT: See final pictures and walkthrough video here: http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=38490

Hey guys, it's getting to be the time of year to start thinking about this year's haunt, and for the first time I finally have a large enough space to start work this early. This year I'm going to try as hard as possible to documment the construction on here as frequently as possible since I'll really be working for the next ten months and it would be nice to have a good thread to look back on in a few years.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a high school student running this for free out of a workshop we have, and 2013 will be the last Halloween for me here before I graduate. I'm not sure exactly what the future holds, but I'm almost certain that I'll be going out of state for college, so this will likely be the last year of Creep Acres at least with the current setup.

With that in mind, I'm hoping that this finale season will allow me to create a home haunt like none before, something that will give me the tools to be successful in the industry 5-10 years in the future. I'm changing *everything* from last year, the layout will be 100% re-designed as well as the theming. I really want to create something unique and new for 2013!

First off, here's a shot of the workspace I have for now to build. It is a relatively large space, but it is only about 1/3 of the whole area that the haunt takes up (we just need the rest for non-haunt purposes until summer).










One of the things I'm working on doing this year is foam carving some of the scenes... I got a few of the HotWire tools out of the holiday season, so I'm excited about that. 

I'm carving this into a sign for the front yard which will be foamcoated and painted etc... I basically gridded out our logo and traced it out onto the foam, I think it's turning out pretty good!










I also tested out using a Dremel tool to carve bricks into the white foam and I'm really liking the look...










That's it for now guys! I have a few more pictures to post but I have to head into school so I'll add them when I get home. Let me know what you think of everything and as always feel free to ask questions!

-Collin


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Nice work space!

The brick wall looks really good.


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Your work so far is looking really nice. Will be looking forward to following your progress!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:I am loving the new sign! And kudos on the brick too...You are full steam ahead, aren't you?


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

Thanks for the comments guys! Here's a few concept sketches I did a few weeks ago for a giant snake statue and a sewer tunnel.



















These next few photos are of the first framing I've done this year. I mostly use panels but they only go so far so I'm starting to move on to custom frames like this. This scene is really hard to explain just from the pictures but basically it'll be a hallway with toe-pincher style coffins built into the walls.... there are two coffins along the back wall and guests exit the scene by walking through a coffin on the other side. Again, hard to explain with the photos now, but you'll see it more clearly as time progresses.




























Also, for those interested who haven't already seen it, here is the walkthrough of last year's haunt: 




I also do build vlogs for the haunt every day I work on it so if you'd like a more in-depth look at the construction be sure to subscribe and if you have a channel too let me know and I'll sub back! That's it for now guys, I'm heading out to the shop to do more work!

-Collin


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## badger (Jul 28, 2010)

Those bricks are awesome. Please show us the finished product...


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*New scene started*

Thanks for the comment badger!

Today I started work on another scene just for a change of pace. It will be themed as a small wooden shack with a workbench and will have a nice space for an actor to come out with a skill saw to chase them on. The back wall (not yet built) will appear to be busted out through the slats; gusets will walk through this hole into a short foam-carved cave as a transition into the coffin hallway. As of right now here are some pictures... keep in mind this was just half a day's work on it so far.




























Additionally I've been working on getting the sheet wood cut and mounted in the coffin hallway. I really like how it's turning out, it just takes A LOT of work to get all the lumber cut down to size to fit those crazy coffin shapes! Here's the progress as of right now.



















That's all for now guys! Let me know what you think!

-Collin


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*Details in the Shack*

I'm getting farther and farther along with the shack; as you can see, I filled in the back wall (and then detailed it) and built out a roof for the whole scene. Here's a few shots of all the progress!



















That's it for now!

-Collin


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

WOW Colin - great start!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Hey, someone got blood all over the pegboard


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*More progress...*

Hey guys, I got a little more work done last night. I put in pickets on the back wall of the woodshed where guests will exit the scene into near-total darkness. The wall is supposed to look like it was broken through by someone or something, let me know what you think!



















Also thanks for the comments guys, they really keep me going!!!

-Collin


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Looks good. I like the staining/coloring on the boards.


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## Digger (Nov 21, 2010)

Cool Haunt!!HOPEFULLY YOU CAN FIND A hAUNT TO WORK IN WHILE AWAY FOR COLLEGE!! GOOD LUCK!!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words guys, they really do help keep me going!

Here's an update on the coffin hallway. I've gotten all the walls ply-wooded in the main hallway and the coffin itself is almost done. The archway you see in the photos will house an actor who will controll a light-up scare through the hole in the ceiling. Essentially, it will be really dark at first, and guests will be able to make out the form of the actor but won't know if he's real, so the actor will serve as a distraction for the prop in the ceiling and then after that goes off the actor can get his scare.




























Also as you can see, I painted the hallway too. What do you think of the colors? I still have a lot of detailing to do, but this will be the basic coloring for it.

Thanks for looking!

-Collin


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I like the color. It looks like the algae/moss you get on vinyl siding as it ages.


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

Alright guys here's another set of pictures!

I'm working on filling in the walls of the actor portion of the shed scene... this wall has a hidden door for the actor to burst out of. There will also be a door on the other side of the actor cove to the actors can change up their scares and/or run in one door and out the other.



















That's it for now guys! :jol:

-Collin


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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

everything looks fantastic!!! LOVING the shed.... creeps me out.


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

CreeepyCathy said:


> everything looks fantastic!!! LOVING the shed.... creeps me out.


Thank you! It should look insane once I can really start bringing out props... it will probably be ready to prop out on Sunday. I'll be sure to keep posting pictures as time goes by, thanks for your support!!


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## Onewish1 (Aug 4, 2012)

wow how awesome.. must be like a kid at Disney with all that stuff.. great job!!!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

Alright guys the shed is VERY close to done... I did a ton of detail work yesterday... paint washes, blood, and I started placing props. It's a real pain placing all the props this year because I decided to wire everything down so nothing gets taken... pretty much every tiny little rusty tool has to be wired into place.

All that was left at the end of the day yseterday was the props on the workbench in the shed (I had gotten through propping the shelves behind it), and then today we got hammered with blizzard conditions and unfortunately the heater in the shop is broken... *sigh* Such is winter in Colorado.

So what would have gotten done today has now been pushed back to whenever I have a free day after school. BUT the good news is that everything I've done up to now is looking really awesome! Here's a few photos from yesterday... what do you think of the fisheye filter?




























I'm starting an album on my facebook page where I'll start putting a ton of photos, so give it a "like" and I'll keep the photos coming on facebook as well... http://www.facebook.com/CreepAcres

That's all for now folks!

-Collin


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Wow, you do some beautiful work TRP!
Best of luck with your haunt. It should look awesome when its up and running.


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*Starting to pick up...*

There's a lot to see in these pictures... first off the tool shed is getting very close to done! Just a little more props and it should be good; I just don't want to completely fill in the workbench with props because I've actually been using it for cutting lumber. The third picutre is of the start of what will be a cave scene after the toolshed. Right now it's just wood walls, and old scrap wood walls at that, but soon it will be covered in foam and looking nice! Also you can see a small ramp going up after the coffin scene. That will be for a rock (foam)-walled canyon type scene that leads into a creepy underground scene, hard to explain now but it should make more sense as it comes together.














































What do you think of aerial view of the haunt? Hopefully it's helpful with understanding the layout.

-Collin


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## Haunted TEM HOME (Mar 13, 2013)

Watched your vid, that was pretty good man, great detail, do you have somebody at the beginning that gives the guests your backstory? Bricks look awesome!! 

I really like the drop wall in the broken drywall and the mirror behind the slats, great ideas!! I saw you had a lot of PVC, we use that stuff with old vacuum hoses attached to move fog around to all the rooms, we covered quiet a large area with a single fogger! Food for thought, its also a great effect. If you get a chance, check out my vid from last year.

Cheers!

Cant wait to see this years vid!


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## Up_Up_And_Away (Jul 19, 2008)

Amazing work! I really look forward to seeing how light and a little fog plays when streaming through all those boards on the shack... you're making great headway!!!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*Getting Things Rolling!!*

Today is my first day of summer break from school, so the real fun starts when I get off the computer and start building! The past few days I've put in a good bit of work, so here's what I have to show you!

In my previous post, I showed the start of a ramp that would be in a canyon; that idea was scrapped. In it's place, I'm going to build a small swamp scene as an introduction to a voodoo witch's shack, which will also feature a ramp! None of the painting or detailing has been started yet, but you can see the basic framework here:



















These next few photos are of the tool shed facade. I didn't like the look of the roof being so geometric and new looking, so I decided to break out the jigsaw and give it a good distressing! I think this look is super sinister and amazing; what do you guys think?


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*A few more...*

The hallway after the tool shed was originally going to be a cave, but I decided not to do that for cost reasons. Instead, I'm designing a mine shaft using some of the deck slats that went onto the roof of the tool shed and a big railroad tie we had lying around. I only started work yesterday, and it's really dark in there, but I think you can get the idea. I'll get some better-lit photos of it into my next update!










There's one room between the mine shaft and the coffin hallway that I'm still trying to figure out what to do with. The good news is that its dimensions are really clearly defined as it's already walled in by other scenes, so I started putting up walls around it. The second photo is of the fabric flaps you can see in the first picture from the other side of the doorway in the coffin hallway (just to give you an idea of what the front side of that doorway will look like when it's done).



















That's it for now guys! Thanks for following along, your support means a lot to me!

-Collin


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## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2012)

Wow, so much work! It definitely gives off uncomfortable vibes. I wouldn't want to touch anything. Every surface looks diseased.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

The distressed roof looks fantastic!


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## Blackrose1978 (Aug 13, 2011)

loving it!!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*I need your help!*

I'm trying to decide on the haunt sub-heading for this year's theme! Once I'm decided, the back story will follow! I just want to figure out the best sounding name for our finale season. So thoughts?










Thanks!!

-Collin


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I'd say no to "The Shadowland" - there's a movie by that name, there's a laser tag company in our area that goes by that name, and it's also the title of an album by K.D Kang, so the name might be overused:jol: I like "Curse of the Undead" (which also happens to be the title of a movie, but it sounds cool).


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## beadyeyedbrat (Oct 7, 2008)

Keep it up!


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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

still loving your haunt. Great attention to detail. 

I, also, pick 'Curse of the Undead'.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Well "Curse of the Undead" is pretty good. Although I was thinking something along the line of "Rise of the Underworld". You have a lot of patience working on the brickwork that you did. Great Job!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*It's decided!*










"Lost somewhere beyond the mist on the Colorado plains sits the long forsaken Creep Acres! Once a peaceful cluster of family farms and businesses, this land turned evil with the arrival of The 4th Reich, a cult of neo-pagan witches led by the wretched Lord Dǎrku! These practitioners of dark magick cursed the land, feeding upon the dark energy released at the death of the innocent! The evil soon spread throughout the surrounding homes, turning their once peaceful residents to bloodthirsty huntsmen, forever watchful for innocent souls run astray! Now it's up to YOU to venture into this barren wasteland and stop Lord Dǎrku before his horrid Reich can spread any farther! Do you have what it takes to triumph over this unhallowed land? Find out this October at Creep Acres!

NEW for 2013: Evil has taken root at Creep Acres! YOU must face- The witches' swamp house! The catacombs buried deep below ground! Lord Dǎrku's underground church of the damned! All the businesses of Creep Acres past will be revamped with the full wretched spirit of the 4th Reich! You'll trek through- Charlie's Auto Repair, where killer mechanics lurk in the shadows! The cannibal slaughterhouse, home to the infamous Uncle Bubba's BBQ! The all new taxidermist shop! The barn! The tool shed! Chainsaw alley and Hell's Gauntlet! And lots more!"​
What do you think of the story line? I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Here's a shot of the tentative layout for this year's haunt! This photo was taken a few weeks ago so the area marked "???" will become Lord Dǎrku's church!










Also, I did a quick sketch of what I want the repair shop facade at the entrance to the haunt to look like, here's a photo of that:


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*Mineshaft photos!*

I finished off the mine shaft scene a few weeks ago! Here's some awesome shots of the inside!




























I added these pipes to the ceiling; I really like the look they add!










What do you think? That quickly become one of my favorite scenes I've ever built!


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## The Rotten Pumpkin (Mar 28, 2010)

*Slaughterhouse facade*

Toward the end of the haunt I'm going to be building a slaughterhouse scene, so I started work on a facade for it. The outdoor transition where this facade will be will only be 4' wide, so that's as big as this facade needs to be (which is nice)!

I started out with a 4' by 8' panel and cut out a hole for the door. Guests will enter the scene by walking up a 9" cattle chute themed ramp so that's why the door is off the ground! Other than that I went for the "plaster eroded away to expose plaster" look. The bricks were carved out of scrap foam and then coated with hard coating. I still need to give them a second and possible a third coat before they'll be hard enough for paint.



















I wrote "BUTCHER" simply because "SLAUGHTERHOUSE" is too long of a word to fit onto that board! LOL!










That's all for now guys! What do you think??

-Collin


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## Bobinhouston (Jul 28, 2013)

u r good!


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## mys197gt (Jul 7, 2010)

Saw your stuff when designing the fear shared it. Wish we were closer!!


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## deadSusan (Jun 26, 2013)

Nice job on everything Rotten. You are a truly talented young person. (And to think you're just down the road!) I think the rest of us can rest easy knowing the next generation will be keeping our beloved Halloween alive!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Jeepers creepers man, your work is AMAZING!! I would be freaked out on the mine shaft scene! Your attention to details really puts it over the top!


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