[Eyegore]

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.

 

[Eyegore]

yes...Noise is THE most important part. Hayrides are dark, and nothing is more scary than noise.

Audio especially in dark areas forces the guests to use their own imagination, which greatly enhances the FEAR! It's the fear of the unseen that often frightens the most.

Imagine...you just finishing the funny hillbilly cannibalism scene. The cart goes into a barn that's pitch black. Nothing is heard but a faint banjo playing. All of a sudden, the melodic banjo music starts playing jumbled as if the player is now having difficulty playing the song. You hear the sounds of footsteps, chewing and crunching sounds. A man scream is heard crying out from the pain. The sounds continues in total darkness. Finally, as you start to head out of the shack you hear one last juicy "Crunch" and then you get sprayed with what you think might be blood. As you make your wait out of the shack, blessed to be uneaten, you hear hillbillies in the back of the cart maniacally laughing "yall come back now ya hear... the ride moves on.

just an idea. Probably a little to gruesome for a family haunted hayride. but still scary as hell.

 

[Eyegore]

Right now it looks like I've got three main themes going in my head:
1. Cannibal farmers/hillbillies out for blood
2. Indian burial grounds desecrated and the natives are out for revenge
3. A witch in the woods that used animals and zombies to attack the innocent.

What do you guys think?

Seems like a winning combo! It doesn't have to make sense. It just has to be fun and scary.
I still think a UFO alien scene would be dope! "Dope!" "I'm showing my age!"