Thread: Asylum ideas needed!

Tweet

Hello everybody!

The hubby and I have finally decided the theme for this year's haunt. We're going for the Shadowlair Sanatorium.

What we've come up with so far is that we're going to have:
- A padded cell room
- An electro-shock therapy/ice cold bath room
- A brainwashing room
- A common area for the crazies to mingle room
- A guard station with a video playing on the monitor (hopefully) so that it looks like there are four cameras filming four different crazies locked in their rooms

So, what I'm looking for is more ideas in general to go with this theme. I would love to hear any ideas you guys might have for a different room setting too, because I'm not thrilled with the brainwashing room idea. I can't think of anything that we'd put in that room really. Hubby wanted it on the list though, so there it is. lol

Also, since we want to decorate the place like an Asylum, I'm thinking that the graveyard we usually put out in the front yard might not work with the theme. Any ideas on what kind of spooky things we could put out in the yard that would work? We'll probably still put the tombstones we have off to the side of the house, but I don't think it'd work in front with this theme.

And if you guys can think of any props or wall ideas or anything else that might be good in the rooms I mentioned above, I'd love to hear your ideas!!

Thanks in advance!

Mordessa

We are doing an asylum theme this year, also. I think if you made the brain washing room something that was literally a brain washing room you could make it more scary and fun. Have a prop head with the hollowed out skull, make it as gruesome as you want and have an actor getting prepped for surgery and the maniacal doctor with some twisted surgical instruments. Buy some of those brain jello molds, make some foam filled latex skins, paint them up and have them on drying racks or hanging on clothespins from a barbed wire clothesline.

Don't see why the graveyard wouldn't work. Crazy people die too! we have an old nuthouse in town thats now a prison but next to it is plain headstones nothing fancy because the state paid for most of the markers. I'll take a pic if you would like.

You could create a short story about an old crazie person that went on a killing spree and murdered the staff and other inmates. That could fit in really nice with your graveyard that way you could still use it _just minus the zombies.

As for a big scare....definately a slammer prop!

one of the best rooms we did could work in your theme.

I hung a ton of sheets in all random order and arriangments, then you could have a demented patient hiding behind the sheets. I also added strobes that helped a lot.

Everyone loved this effect and it could work great for you. I got the idea from HGtv haunted houses and as said was a great hit.

-PB

In the brainwashing room you could have a chamber just big enough for one person with spinning vertical lines. It makes it look like the room is spinning even when it is not. Some sort of window on the front of it would allow people tolook inside. The spiining lines are actually quite disturbing to the equilibrium.

I agree that the cemetery could still be used. Just make new stones saying something like "patient number 123" or something with a poem about the patient on them.

Place 2 spinning wheels with lines on them. Have them spin in opposite directions, use blinking lights, and sounds of random voices mumbling.

Found a neat soundtrack for you. Here's a sample track: http://poisonprops.com/media/mp3/CD111.mp3

It's by Poison Props, Insane Asylum: Poison Halloween Animatronic Props