Thread: Haunt 2011 reprise: A new 'canvas'

Tweet

Hello All,

As you all know I have posted a thread a couple months ago titled "Haunt 2011...My Canvas". Well, for those that read the post you know that my plans for that location are scratched. For those that don't know, here is the link to that thread:

Haunt 2011--First year with scares, my canvas...

Ok, so getting everyone up to speed I am in a new home right now. It is a rental, but I have full use of the entire property and it's contents. What more is that I think I made out on well on the 'evil' side of things with THIS place. As I was moving in, my gears were turning as to what I could do.

Ok, so without further ado...please feel free to take a gander at the pictures below. (As always, please chime in with any of your ideas or suggestions):

House-Front L1: This is the overall picture of the front of the house. Pretty cool, huh? The standout features of this side of the house from a Halloween point of view is the carport and the huge picture window. In the carport I intend to set up my electronic attractions. I am already thinking about placement of my singing pumpkins and my magic mirror within the carport. The picture window obviously screams (pun intended) Hallo-windows or Terror Eyes. The driveway you see is a massive 6 car driveway. I know I could use this for 'staging'. I don't have any specifics on what I would like to do though. The driveway abuts a MAIN road so my attraction would get both walk up as well as passerbys in cars.

House-Front L2: This is a closeup view of the house entrances and the carport, my main work area.

House-Back Patio: Ok this picture is the view of the opposite side of the fence where the carport is. As you can see there is a gate there and I very well COULD extend my haunt into the backyard. What I had thought about doing was to put my 'general' audience attractions up front, and put my scares in the backyard in this area. This will give those a 'choice' if they want to be scared, rather than my first idea of incorporating both benign and scary attractions in the same area.

ShedKennelDoghouse: Once in my backyard, doing an 'about-face' from the area above, one would see three rather common backyard structures (if one owns a dog). A shed, a doghouse and a dog kennel. Now the funny thing is, I don't have a dog! The doghouse and kennel were left by the previous tenants. At first I was going to get rid of them, BUT with my Halloween gears turning, I decided to make the wise move to keep them. I will explain further below:

Doghouse: This is a rather cute 'barn' style doghouse with the name 'spot' written across the door opening. Now I am pretty sure that those hear reading KNOW what this is screaming. Yep, the traditional scary dog that jumps out, growls and barks. Now I do not have any pneumatics at this time but I do use animatronics at work (I am a tech for Chuck E. Cheese) so I have some understanding of it. The trouble was the start up costs, noise, and those living with me. Now note I said WAS. Being that I don't have anyone else living with me (as in the other house) AND I have that shed where I can put the air compressor, my only obstacle to getting started with pneumatic props, is cost. Anyone know where I can get a full pneumatic 2nd hand...CHEAP!

Kennel: Ok, this kennel is about 6 foot tall and with a chain link fence all around it. First thing that came to mind as to what to do with this is to have a hired hand do a 'madman' scene. BUT since I do have trouble finding hired hands, that might be a scratch. A couple of other ideas have popped into my head, but I think I would rather hear some input from you guys on this one.

Truck Grill: Now this was an unexpected find and I didn't know about it until I was taking the pictures you see here and I noticed this strange chromed object poking out from behind the shed and dog kennel. Upon inspection I noticed that this was a complete front bumper and grill from a truck. It even had spot lights mounted on it. At first I was outraged that this 'piece of junk' was left on my property, BUT then the Halloween gears started to turn again. I figured I could use this grill as a scare. How? Well, read on!

Now, for those of you that remember the old amusement park dark rides in which your buggy rounds a turn and then all of a sudden you find your self face to face with an oncoming car with it's lights blaring and horn blowing. Well, pretty much all that is used is the front end of a car or just a grill and headlights. Now since I have the grill and bumper WITH lights, all I need to complete the package is a loud horn. Now if I go the route of compressed air, I could use a truck air horn and wire it to a pressure mat (along with the headlights). The last thing to tackle is where should I put the contraption?

So there you have it. This is my new canvas for 2011. Now I turn the soap box over to the community to step up and front their ideas and suggestions.

Thank you and have a good evening!

Hmmmm only 100 days to Halloween. I MUST get crackin'!

Geo

this ended rather abruptly in the middle of your explanations!

Originally Posted by Si-cotik

this ended rather abruptly in the middle of your explanations!

Probably because you might have caught me in a mid save. Usually I do that when I know I am going to compose a long message. Anyway, it is all up now.

sounds like you have some awesome ideas there. I wish I could think of something...but my thinking batteries are dead right now. The car lights with the bumper would be awesome if you managed to pull it off.

I did have an idea for the dog kennel but I lost it...buggers!

oh just thought of this one sorry about double posting.....you could turn the shed into some kind of butcher shop....or even a place full of man eating plants, or other strange things of such if you're not into the bloody scenes. A witch's house maybe and the dog house can be for her pet....perhaps a pet spider or huge rat or something besides a dogWolf? If you wanted to do like a hanzel and gretel theme, the kennel would be a good place to "lock up" the kiddies (hanzel and gretel of course). if you do use the butcher shop use the kennel for keeping "fresh meat" and the deranged hound dog in the 'house. The shed a lab, and the kennel full of demented "specimens" or zombies?

For the front there is your usual cemeteries, pumpkin patches, etc. etc. etc. Make it look elaborate but really simple...maybe do your car scene as they are walking around the house toward the backyard? kind of like they stepped out in front of an oncoming car?

Just thoughts that suddenly popped in my head. Maybe they can give you SOME kind of idea.

I have experienced the car/truck bumper with lights and loud horn in a haunt before - its very surprising and frightening to have the headlights suddenly coming at you and you get the second scare with the loud horn. I think you will love the results if you do as you planned!

Originally Posted by Si-cotik

sounds like you have some awesome ideas there. I wish I could think of something...but my thinking batteries are dead right now. The car lights with the bumper would be awesome if you managed to pull it off.

Could you recharge those batteries? LOL. Anyway, I know most people are still having their mindset on summer. However, I have to plan early because of the new place. I am still in mid-move and just getting to know the new house. But having the carport facing a main road was bliss in the making. I know that will be a prime location for displays.

I did have an idea for the dog kennel but I lost it...buggers!

Bummer! Let me know if you find it, or remember it. I do have a few things running around in my head. The best one is the madman or mad beast in a cage, but without an actor, that would be difficult to pull off. Sure if I go the pneumatic route I could build a simple shaker prop that makes like it is violently pulling on the door, but a human actor would be so much better.

Originally Posted by Si-cotik

oh just thought of this one sorry about double posting.....you could turn the shed into some kind of butcher shop....or even a place full of man eating plants, or other strange things of such if you're not into the bloody scenes.

No, I am not into bloody scenes, however, I do have a dark side reserved for that sort of thing, but that would be for something 'bigger'. Right now this is a simple neighborhood haunt and I do want to keep things PG rated in terms of the scares. I am mostly interested in scares that are startling in nature not gory. Also being in a new neighborhood, I have to get to know the neighbors and find out what their likes and dislikes are. So I don't want to go overboard.

As for the shed, it is very small, about half the size of your typical 8 x 10 shed. I really don't want people cramming into that small of a space. If anything, I would create a display inside that could be viewed through the open door.

A witch's house maybe and the dog house can be for her pet....perhaps a pet spider or huge rat or something besides a dogWolf?

That is true, I don't necessarily have to go with a dog in there. There are other beasts that could be named 'Spot'. As I recall, didn't the Munsters have a pet dragon with the name of Spot?

If you wanted to do like a hanzel and gretel theme, the kennel would be a good place to "lock up" the kiddies (hanzel and gretel of course). if you do use the butcher shop use the kennel for keeping "fresh meat" and the deranged hound dog in the 'house. The shed a lab, and the kennel full of demented "specimens" or zombies?

Some good ideas indeed. For Hanzel and Gretel, I could use my own kids, but the problem is that I have two boys. I seriously doubt either would want to dress up as a girl.

At one time I DID want to do a mad lab scene. I gathered some of the items but not all. It was an ambitious display using many pieces of antique test equipment and even a real Jacob's ladder effect. However, I was waiting for the 'proper' theme for such a thing. I wanted it to be part of a larger indoor haunt. Another thing, I did estimate it would cost quite a bit and probably around a full week or two to set it up. I will have to see though.

One thing I was kicking around was setting up a Madame Leota type Seance in there and make the shed look like a makeshift fortune teller's tent, since this too was something I wanted to do for a while.

The big disadvantage to setting anything up in the shed is if I go with pneumatics. As it is, the shed would be a the best place to put the air compressor. Most air compressors would make a good deal of noise, thus it would ruin any kind of display that was put in the shed. However, it is entirely possible to relocate an air compressor in the basement of the house and run the air line out of a jalousie window.

For the front there is your usual cemeteries, pumpkin patches, etc. etc. etc. Make it look elaborate but really simple...maybe do your car scene as they are walking around the house toward the backyard? kind of like they stepped out in front of an oncoming car?

Last year I did have a mostly pumpkin themed event and I could elaborate on that for the front yard. As it is I am definitely going to reprise the singing pumpkins I did last year, the front yard is the perfect spot for this, unless it rains. In a case like that, I could move the singing pumpkins under the first awning that covers the door that is to the right side of the carport.

As I was going through the motions yesterday, I noticed that the sun sets on the front of the house, so I would get quite a sun glare (or washout) on the entire front of the house just before sunset. I already looked up the time sunset occurs on Halloween and it will be at 5:55. Knowing this, I would have to hang a tarp or something to shield the sun from the stoop...at least for the early part of the evening to keep from washing out any lighting effects.

As for the truck grill. I originally was going to put the grill on the FRONT side of the fence next to the carport, but the problem with that is the effect would be spoiled by those approaching the house if they see it go off with another group. BUT behind that fence on the left side of the property is a large hedge. I could put the grill almost fully in the hedge and being on the other side of the fence, the effect wouldn't give itself away too much (you wouldn't see it, but you would hear the air horn). I would have to put something by the gate that would force the people to walk in that direction, then it would get 'em.

Just thoughts that suddenly popped in my head. Maybe they can give you SOME kind of idea.

Definitely, I always appreciate the input, thank you.

Originally Posted by Witchful Thinking

I have experienced the car/truck bumper with lights and loud horn in a haunt before - its very surprising and frightening to have the headlights suddenly coming at you and you get the second scare with the loud horn. I think you will love the results if you do as you planned!

Yes, I know this is an effective scare as I have experienced it first hand as well in at least a half a dozen dark rides. In a dark ride it is VERY effective because a dark ride is mostly pitch black and the effect is very sudden. I, unfortunately, can't make my yard THAT dark, but I have yet to see what the yard looks like at night. Since I have to put out garbage tonight, I will check out how dark the backyard is tonight, particularly that area. I am hoping I have a nice dark backyard.

As a side note the yard is loaded with hedges, so there is plenty 'things' I could put in there. So one of my original plans (from the old location) of having eyes in the bushes will stand. I have several locations that I could pull this off.

I will see as time goes on and how many other suggestions come rolling in. Thank You all for the input thusfar.

Geo

Hello All,

I know I have not posted to this thread in a while as I have been quite busy. The family and I have had our trials and tribulations with moving into the new house. There are several problems with the house that I am right now ironing out with the Landlord. Add to that our area did get hit by Hurricane Irene which damaged a large tree in the backyard. The whole crown snapped off and is hanging down. I seriously doubt the Landlord will have it removed by Halloween. In addition the carport needs some structural work done too as the main support girder is rotted out. Luckily, they are going to start to fix the carport tomorrow. Sooooo, between that, moving in and so many other things on my mind, I am somewhat falling behind in my plans for Halloween.

Overall, I decided to scale back a bit. Because of the aforementioned problems (with the tree), I am not extending the haunt into the backyard. What I plan to do is to still have the Magic Mirror and the Singing Pumpkins as I did last year. I am going to go with a Hallowindows projection on the large picture window. I will have the blinking eyes in the bushes too.

As for scares, I am right now only going to have two. The first is going to be a variation on the "Scary Mary Mirror" and the second is going to be the traditional dark ride "car horn / headlights" scare.

So the walk-through initially planned is out for this year. I do have most of my materials already and I am hoping to start construction by next weekend.

Geo