Thread: My First Halloween Haunt Idea

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Well basically I have just come up with a few ideas for my very first Halloween Haunt...

Please give advice for props and comments on what you think...


Overview

• Haunted Maze
• Garveyard
• Asylum Cage
• Ghostly Window
• Refreshments

Descriptions


Haunted Maze

This is going to be a 6x3 Metre Marquee that is split up into three sections, each section will be a different theme, so people walk through the maze going through each area.

The First Section is based on a childs playroom. It is scattered with dolls and toys all torn up and in pieces. In the centre there is a rocking chair where an actor sits on holding a doll with staples through the head and it hair partly cut. And as people walk by the actor jumps at them and hissing " Want to play dolls" in their ears. The actor will wear an old victorian based dress.

The second section is based on a butchers shop. A table is placed in the back with body parts and blood on and around the table. As people walk by the an actor, who hides behind the table, jumps out holding a cleaver at them and splashes them with water so they think they have been covered in blood. The actor is wearing a butcher costume covered in blood.

The final section is based on "The Ring". In the room is a special tv that has no electrical insides or screen, just a shell of a television. But the screen has been replaced with spandex fabric, and as people walk by an actor puches his hand and face through the fabric creating the living tv effect ( search living wall). In the background static noise will be playing.



Graveyard

This is bascially a graveyard set up in a part of my garden which contains gravestones and a grave grabber, activated by a sensor. Also a fog machine is creating low fog across the graveyard. A light shines on the grave grabber when the sensor is actvated.



Asylum Cage

This is an idea where a trampoline is set up with a safety net around it. And a strobe light is activated when people come close. In the trampoline is an actor wearing a straight jacket, who jumps around crazily with a strobe going. As gives the effect of someone in a cage.



Ghostly Window

The path people walk along goes along the side a garage with a window on it. As people walk next to it, an actor is lit up by a strobe banging on the window and shouting. the window will be removed and is just a hoke in the wall so the actor grabs towards them.



Refreshments

There will be a stall selling some food, drinks and sweets as well as some costume parts e.g. witch hat, vampire teeth.



My Plan of The Garden




Please leave comments and tips....



Ruggerz

I like the idea of the trampoline being used as a cage, I think it will be effective with the strobe light. Great ideas!!

Well thought out.

The one thing I would be concerned about is enough room to present all three rooms in the maze. 6X3, essentially leaves you with a 2x3 space for each. Subtracting out the walkways to get around each, it's probably 1.5x3 actual useable space, wich is not a whole lot for a scene.

You could squeeze just a bit more into each room if you eliminate a wall in each, and force the patrons to walk THROUGH the room, instead of walking by and looking in.

For instance, take the chair. You have a wall on either side of that chair creating 2 hallways.

What if we removed BOTH?

Have them enter right into the doll room, then extend 1 wall so they have to enter, and walk AROUND the person with the doll to get to the butcher shop. Then do the same thing there, make them walk around that table to get to the tv room, which they have to walk around to get to the exit.

You would only need 2 walls on the interior, each room would be more immersive as the patrons have to be IN it, not walking by looking at it, and you get just a touch more room to present each by removing the halls.

(Hope that made sense)

I agree with unortho remove some of the walls to open it up. Also what would be cool if you take some cardboard and enclose under tramp make it look like brick but have a door for an actor to come out after tots. also how about instead of throwing water on people the butcher has a circular saw with no blade of coarse , turns it on and comes at the people load and scary!

Great ideas, sounds like you got a game plan. I just drew mine out for this year on paper, but a digital version would be nice if I had the time. I would consider roping off the open areas so the path is clearly defined. Nothing more annoying then watching a 7 year old go walking through your props and electrical cords while his parents look on, smiling the whole time. ><

The cage idea with the trampoline has been done and it's been very effective. I haven't sceen it done at the the asylum type but the strobe light that's one hell of an idea.

It all sounds great. Can't wait to see it all in action.

Amazing planning and design.. very impressive.

The first thought that came to my mind after reading the comments was, sometimes tight spaces make it all the more frightening... (as long as you have just enough to pull it off)... the person would have that "trapped" feeling for a bit of time.

We use our trampoline last year. But my actors hid under it mostly with the fogger running as people walk our trail.The trampoline keeps the fog low and looks really cool with the lights on it. See pics below.