Thread: Help needed for charity haunted hayride

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II am in need of your help! I have been asked by a local farm to create a haunted hayride for charity. I need everyone's help to brainstorm as many ideas as possible so that I can help these nice folks make a little money for local charities and civic groups.

This all started last week when I was approached by a friend of mine that knew about my enthusiasm for the holiday, and he asked if I would help him plan this hayride for a local farm. For the last few years, these folks have had an autumn festival at their farm complete with corn mazes, rides for the kiddies, and a really nice 30 minute hayride around their farm (click HERE to see their website). They have always wanted to haunt their hayride in the evenings, but have never had the time to organize an attraction. And so, my friend and I have volunteered to organize the haunt.

The idea is that we will take the existing hayride and haunt it using volunteers from local organizations, such as the Jaycees, 4-H groups, local high school clubs, the volunteer fire department, Boy Scout troops, etc, etc. Whichever groups show up with volunteers will get to spit the ticket sales for that night.

And so, I need any and all ideas that you guys have. I know this group is always willing to help out, and I know that you guys have seen a good haunt or two. I don't have any real theme decided on yet; all I know is that I've got lots of space, and a really great farm family that is eager to put on a great show and to help their community.

after seeing the movie Wrong Turn I would theme the Haunt after that. I would say that would get the blood pumping, and a few scares. With alot of in your face scares, jumping on the trailer stunts. That would be my idea

Well...

It's a corn maze. Great barn. Looks like a nice well there in one of the pics?


My first thought going around a corn maze was "Children of the Corn" as a theme. Most the setting is already there, the barn can be done up pretty simple to fit.

A second, rather unorthodox ( ) idea....

I see the Chief Whitehorse trail rides...what about a native american themed haunt? Chief Whitehorse's revenge or something.

Indian burial ground. Some native american ghost stories/legends could be used. Bigfoot, deer woman, the snake tribe, spider woman, I could go on. If there are local tribes nearby, run it by their chief and you might even get them to help out, and donate the money to the tribe.

You could do something like the jeepers creepers monster, that has always come to mind on a haunted hayride. Werewolves, they would fit in if there is woods. Then lastly, maybe some pissed of lumberjacks. The chainsaw is a mighty tool.

Perhaps build large stages alongside the hayride and havethe tractor stop for actors to perform skits. Of course, you need loud noises for the scares. One that I went to had a "No Tresspassin" Siggn that you drove under, that tarted to fall towards the guests. Don't foreget to drive thruogh a barn. The sin was at te begining.

These are great ideas, guys. There is a small hay barn that we can drive through, and we are planning on having that barn stuffed with crazed farmers/zombies/whatever going nuts in there climbing all over the trailer. Pumpkin King, I like the idea of something falling on people.

I guess I should describe the ride a little better. Basically, the hayride runs through a lot of really open terrain. At one point (about half-way through) it runs down a long stretch of dirt road with barbed wire fence down each side. The end, however, has a lot of promise: it runs through an area of fairly dense woods with a several good twists and turns. I wish I had more information, but I've only just found out about this place and have ridden the route once in a pick-up truck.

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far. Keep the ideas coming!

Sorry in advance for this entry, and my sick mind. The second greatest gag I've ever seen on a hayride was a Santa and his reindeer - bullet ridden bodies - crashed into a cornfield, a hunters blind with smoking shotgun barrels (fog machine). I was the only one laughing...

If you could build a small outbuilding at the begining just large enough to fit the tractor and the trailor in it, you could close the gates on either end and read the rules in there, with mini stages on either sides, lots of lights, and several ctors. If you could build doors that close around them and do loud sound effects it would be even better. Just how much dough do the owners have?

I have to concur with Unorthodox the native american theme sounds great!! I love the idea of a old burial ground -pretty spooky!-

One of the best, and perhaps the most low tech way to set the mood for each scene is to have audio effects/startles hidden under the riders cart. If you space the speakers at even intervals you can have panning effects that relate to the themed areas.

Examples of this would be a oncoming train, galloping horses (yet their are no horses), sirens, swamp sounds, etc. The neat thing about adding speakers and other effects into the cart is that you can startle your guest even during the empty areas of the ride.

Some themes and effects to consider are: hillbilly cannibals, alien abduction by way of tracker beam, headless horseman, phobia area, water spray as blood, zombies climbing in cart, oncoming train, pirates fireing cannons at the passangers...and "hitting" the cart, witch scene that involves a "customer" being turned into a monster...etc.

If you're on a budget then cardboard is your friend...and so is lighting...it can hide flaws and illuminate the scenes.