# Play along with me?



## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

I know things may be a little slow now, so . . .

So in *my daydream world*, I've won the lottery and am preparing to build a haunted house - not convert an existing building or home into a haunt, but build a house specifically to be a haunt. I want the finished appearance to be a two-story antebellum type home.

Now I ask for your experience as a haunter as to what we should build into the house so that it will be a more efficient, more effective haunt. Air conditioning, lighting, additional wiring, hoses for the pneumatics, anything to make the haunt better. Run this stuff through the floors, the walls, or the ceiling. Floor plans, roofing material, siding, anything at all. I want to know what you would do if given this opportunity.

I hope you'll consider humoring me and maybe enjoy thinking about this kind of stuff as much as I do.


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

If you are going to have a house just specifically for a haunt than wouldn't you want to build a house that you can live in next to the haunt so you can work on the props anytime you want.  Oh and I think a walk in attic or basement is a must for the haunt house.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

good gawd... such an open-ended question... where to start... my brain is smoking... 

The safety features alone would cost a packet... but they'd be there if I had a blank check. Low-voltage lighting, cameras along every part of the travelled route, fire suppression, chicken runs, the whole kit. And maybe even some kaboodle to keep the inspectors happy.

But for the show itself... the internal wall structure would be at least 50% modular to allow a more painless rebuild/changearound between seasons, with firmpoints installed for stability. And the big one: All walls and rooms extensively sound treated/proofed. My dream haunt would be painstakingly soundscaped; I'll want audio control over every area with as close to zero bleed-over and telegraphing as possible, with the exception of the areas where I'll want them to hear something up in the distance to get them expectant and paranoid (or misdirected to throw them off and set them up for surprise.)


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Joiseygal said:


> If you are going to have a house just specifically for a haunt than wouldn't you want to build a house that you can live in next to the haunt so you can work on the props anytime you want.  Oh and I think a walk in attic or basement is a must for the haunt house.


Ah! A caretaker's shack, huh? I like the idea of an attic, lots of cool extra's could go up there. A basement/root cellar would be even better, unfortunately, I've never even heard of anyone having a basement down here - sea level, ground water, etc.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Revenant said:


> good gawd... such an open-ended question... where to start... my brain is smoking...


Now you know why I'm asking for input on MY daydream, lol. There's just so much fun and cool stuff to consider.



Revenant said:


> The safety features alone would cost a packet... but they'd be there if I had a blank check. Low-voltage lighting, cameras along every part of the travelled route, fire suppression, chicken runs, the whole kit. And maybe even some kaboodle to keep the inspectors happy.


I don't think the added safety features would be too terrible. I'm sure a sprinkler system would be required though. Chicken run? Is that a concealed hallway for staff to move about unseen, or what?



Revenant said:


> But for the show itself... the internal wall structure would be at least 50% modular to allow a more painless rebuild/changearound between seasons, with firmpoints installed for stability. And the big one: All walls and rooms extensively sound treated/proofed. My dream haunt would be painstakingly soundscaped; I'll want audio control over every area with as close to zero bleed-over and telegraphing as possible, with the exception of the areas where I'll want them to hear something up in the distance to get them expectant and paranoid (or misdirected to throw them off and set them up for surprise.)


As stupid as this sounds, I really hadn't thought about sound-proofing, but that would be excellent. The modularity is a good idea too, but I wonder how difficult it'd be to keep the antebellum look, or would that be only for the outside?

You mentioned the cameras/video everywhere, but I'd also like them routed to a central control room where one could keep any eye on the entire haunt - kinda like at the casinos down here. On a lark, I met with a realter at a Blue Bunny's Paradise (I told him up front this was just out of curiosity and there was no way I could afford it. He was meeting other clients at the time and allowed me to tag along.) The whole building was 2 stories but all open space. There was a small second floor in the back which had an office that looked out over the whole facility . . . coulda been so cool.


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## lisa48317 (Aug 18, 2010)

Hmm- need some atmosphere outside, too! You'd need those huge old live oaks with the requisite Spanish Moss. Maybe the old family cememtery out back with crumbling moss covered stone wall and elaborate rusted wrought iron gate. The falling apart dock out over the misty swamp.....

You're lucky to be in Missisippi - you have cool stuff like that. In Michigan we don't. We have Detroit. LOL!! Just kidding. The parts of Detroit I've gone to are all pretty nice.


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## sleepersatty99 (Jul 14, 2009)

If this was for me i would build a 2 story garage. the lower level would be for the haunt itself. and the 2nd floor would be for make up and to get ready. Now the sense of this would be about 50 to 80 yards long and about 20 wide. This way 2 haunts and be operated at the same time both being different themes. The floors in both places would be poured concrete for easy clean up of vomit and other bodily fluids (i.e ****,crap and maybe blood). Then build the walls as needed with the hoses for the pneumatics and wiring for all the lights and sounds also complete with secret passages for easy access to different areas of the haunt. Yes i will have all the safety features that would be needed and then some.Just to keep everyone happy. Of coures there would be ALOT more to this but this is just some part of what i would do.

EDIT: Yes you would need to build some sort of facade on the building for your haunts.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I have actually, shared that daydream. My haunt would be an outdoor graveyard, so no house. There is a large circle in my neighborhood, where I would set it up, that way those who have come to know and love my haunt would still be able to see it.


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