[Shebear1]

We've decided that this year we are going to create a haunted movie theater in our garage/carport. We' are going to enclose the carport and turn it into the theater's lobby/snack bar with gummy worms and bugs, "rotten" candy, popcorn, etc. All of the theater employees will be wearing skull masks as part of their "uniforms" and the walls will be covered with movie posters of horror movies from the Shining to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Very Kitschie with red velvet furniture and a skull chandelier hanging overhead. Then when the TOTs go into the pitch black garage, there will be old black and white horror movies playing non-stop on the screen (The Mummy w/Boris Karloff, The Pit & The Pendulum w/Vincent Price, etc. Kids and parents can sit down and watch a little while if they want, but they better beware, because we plan to have someone dressed all in black whose only job will be to sneak up on people and scare them. That way, TOTs and parents coming up the walk will hear all the screams and wonder what is happening inside.

Tell me what you think and I would love to hear any ideas you can come up with to make this really fun. Also, I'm still looking for the perfect name for the theatre to have on the marquee.

 

[printersdevil]

Dead, But Not Gone Theatre

 

[22606]

I like your ideas, Shebear1. As for the name, perhaps the 'Tremblin Theatre' or 'Nightfall Cinemas'?

 

[Shebear1]

Great name ideas, guys. Much better than what we had come up with! Any suggestions of what other props we need to have in either the lobby or theater itself? I forgot to mention that hanging on either side of the movie screen will be long read curtains with fringe that my grandmother had in her house, for some reason. I'm also going to make a valance to go across the top of the screen and curtains out of foamboard that will have foam skulls carved into it looking every which way at the audience and their eyes will be red LED lights that flash. There will also be a pedestal set up holding a really worn concrete urn holding black roses just inside the door. I'm thinking about buying one of those stand-up figures of the Mummy or Frankenstein to stand in the "lobby" if I can find one for a decent price.

 

[ReaperRick]

I really like this idea. I cant wait to see some pics. Many many years years ago I remember going to a theater to watch "The Fog". At one point in the movie, real fog (well a fog machine) would pump out fog from behind and the sides of the movie screen and creatures/actors would walk out of the fog and scare everyone in the audience. Maybe Frankenstein or the Mummy could make a grand entrance during your movie.

 

[DarkManDustin]

This theater back home, when one of the Scream movies was playing, had a guy dressed as Ghostface running around. I thought about this concept, myself. I thought of taking over an auditorium, or parking lot, showing iconic movies, and iconic movies, but have the characters scaring people.

 

[Wolfbeard]

Too bad it wasn't a Drive In theater, you could play with the sign a bit:

DRIVE - IN

Eric

 

[Shebear1]

Rick, I LOVE that idea. My husband was thinking about dressing up as Frankenstein (he's 6'4") and standing like one of those stand-up photos in a corner until the opportunity to grab someone walking by came up, but I think the fog is a great idea and would make the whole "theater" creepier. Then when we show the 3 stooges meet Frankenstein, Jack could walk out into the theater. Do you think that the fog would make the cement floor in the garage too slippery?

 

[3pinkpoodles]

I would frame your actual movie screen with red curtains pulled back with gold tassels. The curtains can simply be plastic red table cloths from Dollar Tree

 

[mamadada]

Hallow's Eve Cinema

 

[xxScorpion64xx]

If possible maybe an enclosed ticket booth with, you guessed it, a skelly, oh what the heck, a live actor just outside the covered carport...I know I'm getting out of control but it sounds like an awesome idea..

 

[Atomic Mystery Monster]

You could hang film streamers and strips of creepy-looking cloth in front of the entrance and you can find some theater decor ideas here. Having chaser lights surrounding the marquee featuring the movie titles (or haunt name) is a must.

As for those instances where theaters had live actors come out at the audience, those are a type of performance known as "spook shows." Although once very common (even Bela Lugosi got in on the act), such shows are fairly rare today. Thankfully, there are a few groups out there that keep it alive:

Phantom Creep Theatre
The Silver Scream Spook Show
Adam Cardone's "House of Ghostly Haunts"

Then there's this ill-fated attempt to do something like that with "Iron Man 3"...

 

[DavyKnoles]

Here's an idea we did in the theater you had to pass through in the Factory of Fears at the Queen Mary's Shipwreck: Obviously you'll have several rows of seats inside the theater. Pepper them with a few stuffed dummies apparently sitting there watching the flicks. Along with them have one or two live scare actors dressed to look exactly like the dummies that can pop up and scare or at least surprise people passing by.

 

[JustaBunchOfHocusPocus]

Wow I love this idea! Please be sure to add up some pictures once you set it up.

You should add up some horror posters up everywhere with black lights on top. Another idea is you should have some fog in each isle with strobe lights. People dressed up from out of time; like they're dead & have old horror movies playing. This is just an idea I have.

If you'd like to spend money on one, you can even buy you're own popcorn maker.
http://www.freewtc.com/images/products/6_8_oz_popcorn_maker_21_57741.jpg

 

[texaslucky]

They even have a smaller popcorn maker that sits on a table. Sounds like fun.

 

[im the goddess]

I wouldn't actually grab or touch anyone. In this day and age, that is just asking for trouble.

 

[printersdevil]

I agree with you about the touching or grabbing, im the goddess.

 

[grimm-hurst]

I would love to see your finished setup!

 

[JustWhisper]

Me too. And I love the previously suggested idea....Silver Scream theater.

 

[ChrisW]

Cool idea. There are DVD's of movie previews available, all monster and Sci-Fi. That way people could sit and watch a few but not tied up with a whole movie.