Thread: Haunt themes, good idea or bad?

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For me I like to use different themes each year. I'll see a new idea from someone here that I like and I'll try it out. But there are always the "basics" that you should have in your collection like, skulls, tombstones, fog, spiders, music, lighting effects...you get the idea.

At Transworld I went to a seminar called "Over the Top Art Direction" put on by the guys at House of Torment. Basically, they were saying that before they started using art direction, their haunt was good but disconnected. They realized that to bring their haunt to the next level they must at least use cohesive art direction (theme optional). Art direction meaning have an artistic style to direct the look and mood of the haunt (art stylization). It really helps bring different elements together. So, you don't have to have a 'theme' but a cohesive art direction still somewhat pulls a disjointed haunt together.

Now, I personally like a 'theme' because a garage haunt can only have so many elements anyway so it helps me as well to stay on track. So, following their lead, I decided on a theme (post-apocalyptic vampires) and then made a theme 'poster' using my decided art direction. Then using that poster I designed all new builds with that in mind. Here's the 'poster':



Now, looking at the poster, you can see I have many design elements that I could build on: Stone ruins, broken stained-glass, dark forbidding tone but pops of color (especially red), garbage, mystery, fencing, swords, city ruins, sexy/stylish vampires, tattoos, leather, Japanese influences, silver, piercings, vampire bats.

I found that if I had the poster near the prop I was designing it helped immensely in keeping the art direction cohesive. Here's the props I made this year:







Even our costumes followed the art style:



In the end, I loved doing this because it made the haunt almost beautiful because it meshes together in an artistic way.

Get a base and tell a story! Your story can then be relived / expanded on in various ways each year. Mine is that the master of the manor, down on his luck, turns to the dark arts. This opens a portal to other dimensions and Halloween night is all about fighting back these demons. It is still a bit rough but it is coming together. Next year I hope to explore a bit more into what exactly the master of the manor is up to. What his motivations are and in result why the manor is cursed.

One example that I admire greatly is Goat Man Hallow. Those in PA, I hope you get a chance to see it as I probably never will. But Rotting Flesh Radio and Goat Man Hallow must be on good terms as they discuss the professional haunt a lot. If I remember correctly, the haunt is going on 15 years. It all revolves around the legend of the Goat Man, and each year they seem to build on the story. Sometimes going back in time, sometimes current. Lots of stuff about the origins of Goat Man and the evils that have been commited.

In short have some consistant elements can build a bit of an urban legend around your haunt, and if you keep it broad enough you can really go in many directions with it.