# In need of ideas and advice-all are welcome



## Llasd87 (Aug 7, 2013)

So I've taken an interest in Special FX and home haunting. This coming October, I've been placed in charge of a small haunted house that changes ownership every year, and I have complete creative control over it. The problem? I love going over the top and scaring people relentlessly. This haunted house is for younger, elementary/middle school kids and parents. Now in the past, the haunt has actually been really good and pretty scary, but this year is my time to make an impression, scare the bejesus out of some grown men, and to get my name out there. I have few ideas for a story and some props ready, but any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated and considered!!! What would be good to put in my haunt, while also being cost effective, and a 5-6 out of 10 on scariness, 10 being traumatizing, and 1 being forgettable. Thanks so much!


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

So are you designing the haunt for the younger crowd and their parents, or are you going to design it for adults? You've said two different things here, and it might help us if you decide on which one you want or are going to do. That way everybody can gear towards that idea in helping you and giving you advise on what to do.


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## Llasd87 (Aug 7, 2013)

Somewhere in the middle, so that both age groups get a good scare.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Well most teens and adults can be scared at the same levels. It's the younger ones like from elementary ages you have to be a little more careful about. Middle school ages usually can be scared at the same level as adults just because they are at an in-between age and probably have seen a ton of scary movies on TV and the like. 

I think what would work for you is that you plan this out so you have different degrees of scariness for the different age groups. Since you are having to appeal to all ages it looks like. What I mean by that is you give your actors the freedom and choice to decide at what level of scariness they should use. Depending on who approaches them. They may decide not to scare one group of people because of younger kids, or they may decide to scare the crap out of them based on their age. 

This only works of course if your actors are able to see them in advance, and it may not work as well for them if it is really dark inside your haunt and they can't see who's approaching them. Again....these are just suggestions, and it maybe something you already know and have planned out already for your haunt. :jol:


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## Llasd87 (Aug 7, 2013)

AH the level idea completely slipped my mind! Definitely using that!


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## SMR (Aug 4, 2013)

In the past I've seen some haunts use a bright colored noise maker to warn off actors. A line actor would find a child completely terrified out of their mind and approach them normally to give them this "magical" item that would chase off the big bad monsters if they squeezed it. The actors inside were of course trained to recognize it and back off when it was used. May not work for you though if you're going to expect a lot of little kids.

You may want to tone down the jump scares and stick with creepy as a way to kind of middle ground it. Have one good jump scare in the middle of the house and, of course, end it with the chainsaw chase that everyone loves to hate.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I think the best scares are ones you are not expecting....where a room slants down and becomes so small, you have to almost crouch & the exit door at the far end is teensy...and LOCKED for a while so you are stuck...
An effective scare is to have the walls covered in black plastic in a dimly lit room, and an actor hides behind the plastic...the key is the timing...actor must come out when people are almost past him...
a lot has to do with apprehension as well ..so the set up itself can freak people out ...

don't forget the cheap & effective fishing line strands hung form the ceiling...

leaf blower inserted to blow into the hallway, on a motion sensor or on an actor triggered power switch...loud and gives you an unexpected blast of air...


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## Bobinhouston (Jul 28, 2013)

i have a pretty good home haunt. 3 actors and we go full out to scare the punk kids (think 11-14 yrs old) that think they are tough. however, when we see little guys we sometimes do nothing, just let them be scared by the scenery. only problem is the 3-4 pneumatics that get triggered regardless of age and those things are the most scary! oh well.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Not sure how big your haunt is, but you could definitely have a haunt that branched off into two directions. (one for little kids, one for the ones you want to scare) For me, the ONLY thing that scares me in a haunted house is being seperated from friends, being left all alone...in the dark.....that could be the fate of those you want to really scare. Most times your own imagination is far scarier than monsters or ghosts or loud noises.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Lots of good ideas here. I'd take a look at the Addams FamilyTV ahow, movies, and also at the movie Hocus Pocus. Maybe mixing the two would work for you, without knowing how big a haunt you have, what kind of budget, existing props, slave labor, etc.
If you did a creepy and funny house like the Addams Family but they've discovered an old book of spells from ages prior to Grandmama, and have the book open to a spell that brings about mayhem to all that read it (I'd leave that part til the very end of the spell), and have the rest of the house make the predictions come true. That lets you tweak the spell and your capabilities to meet your needs. The spell can be written out to look ancient, with symbols and all to help sell the story-line. While the show may be from before even the parent's time, the humor is still great.
Two cents worth from the cheap seats


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## Llasd87 (Aug 7, 2013)

Great ideas. Thank you all. And the building itself is a cabin, fairly large, and it's all one open room so I'll have to make some hallways. It can be extended outside, because the backdoor is level with the ground.


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## GOT (Apr 17, 2007)

I made a teenage boy scream like a little girl with this prop:

http://www.garageofterror.com/2007slide1.html

The scary part of him is that his head is not actually attached to his body and can jut forward about four feet. You can apply this concept to many kinds of props. It worked great because people did not expect it at all. The only downside is that he was operated manually.


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