# Haunted Hotel (Old Hollywood/NYC)



## Handfulofrubies (Apr 18, 2013)

Hi Guys, 
Earlier I posted my ideas about Goblintowne. Although a great idea (maybe for Halloween itself), we have changed our theme. So, our new theme is Haunted Hotel (vintage halloween), of sorts. I drew my inspiration from several different sources. Some of the examples you're all familiar with would be Disney's Haunted Mansion, and The Tower of Terror (attraction and movie). The Great Gatsby and the 20's and 30's are also an inspiration. I absolutely love the time period, from the dress to the music.

My other inspiration is the McKittrick Hotel (Sleep No More/NYC). Has anyone been to Sleep No More in NYC? To get a visual, type Sleep No More into a google search, and you'll come up with hundreds of photos. And, if you're intrigued by what you find, you can visit http://scorchedthesnake.tumblr.com/ for all the information you could possibly want to read on the show. I went back in 2011 and I've been transfixed ever since. It's not a haunted house, but anyone interested in decorating/prop building and a spooky show/exp based on Macbeth would be interested.

I've done a lot visual research on websites, and now I have to figure out how best to combine all these ideas and make it look good.

Outside: We're in the country, we have a long driveway with pine trees, and our front yard is fenced off with columns, and a gate, with a sidewalk leading up to the door. It doesn't necessarily look like a hotel, so guests will have to use their imagination. I'm thinking maybe I can add something spooky to the columns. The yard already has night lighting. I've seen those dress forms made of chicken wire, that look like dancing ghosts. Those would be awesome, but I'm not sure I will get to those. I think some kind of sign with the Hotel name?? and a vacancy sign would be great for the outside. We have big black planters that can go beside the door at the entrance. I wish I could find a bag dolly, like you would find at a hotel, but that might be a stretch. I don't know where I would find one. It would be awesome though to have some looking luggage stacked up beside the front door.

Once you get inside you walk straight into the living room. I want to set up some kind of front desk looking area. I have a table and side table I can use for this. I'd like to make a register/book for guests to sign in. I'd like to find a little bell to ring. In all of the photos of old hotels, you see the mail slots and keys hanging on a rack. I'd like to make something like this, but I don't want to spend a lot of money. Do you think I could make the mail slot outs of cardboard? The other parts of the living room have a big screen tv/sofas and another section I want to section off with hanging sheets for a creepy library area with seating for two or three. The tv screams modern/now, but I think if I throw some sheets over the sofas and chairs, add some discreet spider webbing and low lighting, it will replicate the look I'm going for. I'll also throw some votives around to keep the low light. I also would like to bring in the old Hollywood vibe. We have a lot of black table frames, and I'm thinking about printing out several pics of old, Hollywood starlets and leading men. Maybe in some larger wall frames, spookify/ps some of these same men and women.

I don't know how much to mess with the combined kitchen/dining room. I imagine a lot of people will gather here. I can keep the lighting low and throw in some vintage looking decor, like crepe streamers.

To add to the ambiance, I'm compiling a list of 20's/30's/40's big band/jazz music to play in the background, at least as long as people are arriving. We have a sun room, also with a big tv and sofas. I don't know whether we'll eventually watch a movie or not, but during the night, I think we'll play an old spooky movie, maybe Rebecca, so we have that tie in to the McKittrick.

So, that's it for decoration ideas. If you think of something I haven't, please let me know. I have some questions on some games, but that will be a separate thread.


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## Handfulofrubies (Apr 18, 2013)

*a few photos of our HOTEL MANDERLEY*

Hotel Manderley - a set on Flickr


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## GraveyardGus (Apr 16, 2011)

Hey that's great. I also have a 20s hotel theme but for Halloween. I made a version of this signhttp://grandeadmiral.moonfruit.com/#/hotel-sign/4549585783

I think you could do a cheap knockoff of this sign by carving the letters out of a cardboard box instead of wood, use wax paper as the windows in the letters and not the expensive light refractor like he did, dividing the inside of the box like he said, and use a couple LED flashlights to light up the letters (with a flashing one for the middle "scary" letters) instead of using a Picoboo.

Then I stole The Shining ballroom music from this youtube clip -- it's really creepy.





The best U.S. costume I found was "Bones the Bellboy" costume. Kind of hard to find online -- maybe it's also known as bones the bellhop. It's incredibly hard to find bellhop costumes.
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/the-haunted-hotel-bones-the-bellboy-adult-costume

For a front desk bell, I bought a cheapie bell at Office Depot and painted it with brass colored paint (real brass bell would be very expensive).


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

You might look at doing a sign that goes over the kitchen door that says something like "MARSHELL'S KITCHEN" with the first four letters on Marshell's dripping/melting and or scratched out with a smear of blood. This leaves you with "HELL"S KITCHEN". You can make the kitchen as scary or functional as you wish. If this kitchen is actually going to be used for the party itself, you may not want it really cluttered.
How about a period elevator? You might make a sign for a door, the half circle and hand to go above it, and use a strip of fine-line tape to split the door down the middle. You'd also need to make a "Call" button to go next to the door. Maybe use a bedroom for this where you can place people's coats, umbrellas, etc. If you have an actor there for the party, maybe a gaunt/ghastly looking bellhop in a period uniform.


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## Unmutual (Aug 7, 2014)

Handfulofrubies said:


> Some of the examples you're all familiar with would be Disney's Haunted Mansion, and The Tower of Terror (attraction and movie). The Great Gatsby and the 20's and 30's are also an inspiration. I absolutely love the time period, from the dress to the music.
> 
> My other inspiration is the McKittrick Hotel (Sleep No More/NYC). Has anyone been to Sleep No More in NYC? To get a visual, type Sleep No More into a google search, and you'll come up with hundreds of photos. And, if you're intrigued by what you find, you can visit http://scorchedthesnake.tumblr.com/ for all the information you could possibly want to read on the show.


I am also doing a very similar party  Based on the Tower of Terror lobby/Sleep No More.

My eternal music recommendation for haunts in this era is The Caretaker. He has three or four albums of spooky remixed old LPs + ambient creepy sound.


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