Thread: Circus themed haunted house

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Hey guys. I work a police dept. and last year I got suckered into making a haunted house. We did it at the Town Hall and it was free of charge for the Community. Last year it was tough because it was a spurt of the moment thing without funding. We did pretty good for the short time and cheap ideas

This year, we're doing a haunted circus. I've got quite a few ideas, which I will list, but I could use a few more, possibly details?

First: Pyro Person. She will be a fire baton twirling circus freak. Her dedicated area will have the Burning coals lining the bottom of the walls, I will use a projector to but flames on the walls, space heaters so the kids can feel the heat, as well as a flaming baton.

Second: The Cannibal Clown's Market. I was thinking of having those packaged body parts here, as well as a few "cannibalist clowns" possibly a victims being harvested for their flesh. I don't quite have the details worked out for this area, so help would be much appreciated

Third: The ring master. All I have going for this character is the costume. Definately need ideas for this.

Fourth: The gypsie. I already have the old beer/wine bottles filled with liquid detergant (it glows under a black light.) A round table, with tarrot cards and a crystal ball. As well as a bookself with creepy random stuff on it. If anyone has any ideas on how to make this are pop a bit more it'd be welcomed.

Fifth: Tightrope walker. Now this one is really tricky. I would love to have her up high walking across a tight rope, but the insurance is never going to allow that. I was also thinkg of having her hang, but then she's not a tightrope walker. I'm really stumped on this one, I may have to change the character so as to fit a themed area.

Sixth: Magician. I know, not typically a side show or circus act, but one of my officers has his heart set on playing this role. (yes, I make the cops participate Anyway, I have absolutly no idea what to do with this.

I know its a long thread, but I need help! LOL

We're hoping to do a circus/carnival themed haunt this year also. One idea we have on our list that you didn't mention is a life size jack-in-the-box. We are going to build it by hand, paint it with flourescent colors, light the area with black lights, have that typical eerie jack-in-the-box music playing & have a live actor jump out as the kids go by.

I also saw another idea on line (can't take credit for it). We're going to use one of our older pneumatic props dressed as a clown & making the stirring motion in a cauldron (painted as a bright colored pot) and label it "rotton candy" as a play on cotton candy.

I'm anxious to see what other responses you get because I need help too! Good luck!

Oh, and don't forget a disorienting hallway of fun house mirrors!

I like the idea of having a tightrope walker- maybe he or she could be walking along something tall, a platform of some sort that isn't really narrow, but camouflaged. Can't think of how to describe it. And funhouse mirrors, yes! My daughter used to have a cotton candy machine, it was really fun and simple to use.

Hmmm just a random suggestion what if u have something that makes people jump in the gypsy room. I'm not sure what but yeah haha You know the eerie music then bam!! Haha For the ring leader thing dead animal skeletons kind of things obviously not real haha maybe painted styrofoam hmmm i don't know but it sounds like it will be awesome!!!

The magician is a great add to a circus, decorate with bunnies and cards, make it as pleasant as possible, but make the magician evil, that will mess with their heads!

The gypsy room needs mysterious things "floating" about, like in those old movies. Lots of scarves, tambourines, spectres, with them moving mysteriously.

And is there anything scarier than a clown?

Tustin Haunt had a clown prop an a bicycle on a tightrope a few years ago: http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=_DSC2480.jpg

This would be fairly simple to make the bike roll back and forth. A trapeze artist would also work. Maybe have one dummy hanging onto another - or just her arms, like they fell out of the sockets.

Do a search on here for Circus and Carnival. There have been tons of great ideas over the years, with whole threads dedicated to the theme.

I like the Clown Tower Scarefactory came out with this year (bottom of this page: http://scarefactory.com/New_for_2011.html) It doesn't look like it would be that hard to make.

We did this theme a couple of years ago, and one of the things that we did that I loved was, my husband was a sword swollower, and I found a 'trick' sword that worked Great on ebay.

If you're not talking real people, please tell us why you think insurance would nix a tightrope walker? I was going to suggest a trapeze artist instead, but it would basically be the same thing -- a prop on a rope, so that would also be a no-no.
It's easy to mix up carnival and circus. Carnival is easier -- freak shows, midway, etc. Circus is little harder. when I think circus, what do I think of?
Three rings. Performing animals: elephants balancing on tiny platforms that look like upside-down KFC buckets, lions (trainer's head in mouth), seals balancing balls. Strong men. Dog and pony show. Midgets getting out of a car. The ringmaster. Colorful tent. Posters. Bareback riders. Contortionists. The movie Freaks. Something jumping through a hoop. Someone shooting out of a cannon. Circus wagon (like the side of an animal crackers box). Unicycles. Human ladders or human pyramids. Peanut shells on the floor. Sawdust. Candy apples and popcorn. Tickets. Great typefaces in red and gold. Calliope music. Movie The Greatest Show on Earth (was Charlton Heston in that?)
How to spook it up? Lion ate the trainer (headless corpse) with recording of ROAR going off every 11 minutes. Skeletal seals or elephants, or zombified.
Freak show/human oddities: snake girl, wolf boy, tallest/fattest/shortest person, geek
I don't know. Half-baked thoughts that maybe someone can work with.

Oh, FWIW, several members have posted Haunted Circus music.