Mom always said my middle name was Ambitious...or was it stupid? I just got home with a friends help with two trucks and trailers of goodies from electrical to paneling to a new treadmill to hack. There are two small beat up trailers available there still to get but their axles are going to make some type of rotating room/hallway. I will admit I'll be having some 20 hour days here soon but will post as I build which is still about a week away before I can start on things full time. I've never had so much fun stuff become available so I'm kind of beside myself and maybe dreaming of more neck than I can actual bite but hoping I'll be able to do 5 or 6 action stations where people will have to complete some task to pass. Got junk to unload so until next post.
I've decided to go for an very interactive haunt this year
Hey all
I've had a windfall of materials come my way this year as well as a large group of high school thespian club helpers so I've decided to try out a couple new ideas I've had. What I want to create is interaction for my guests. I see all this detail on some peoples props and think, why all my people are running at mach5, lmao, so I'm also wanting to slow them down a tad for both safety as well as to appreciate my work (well that and to stall them so I can sneak from behind 8^) My elevator is slow as will be the new cart/cage so a few more will even things out to guests separated and from running into another group.
My first idea is to build a circular room with a caged hallway/walkway that only goes half way across the room. Guests will be able to see the exit door across room through bars. At the end of the walkway is a crank wheel and when rotated it'll rotate the whole walkway around until it meets the exit door. kind of like cheap version of a Harry Potter rotating staircase kind of thing. I plan on making it out of an old trailer axle and a pair of heavy caster wheels. The door open/close cycles are to be determined and maybe just manual from helpers this first year. Lot's of safety and mechanical issues to think about but feel I can pull it off 8^) I'm thinking I'll go for a neutral setting on crank so it can be pushed and reset by helpers so they don't have to crank it back a few hundred times in 4 hours, lmao 8^)
Next, I want to make a dead end hallway. Guests will enter a hallway with a see through barred door blocking their way. A crank on the wall will open the first door but also close the next door that was slid open and hidden. They'll need to move into the next segment and crank the next wheel to open the 2nd door but also closes the first, resting it for the next guest/s. I'll make sure to install a hidden door or two as well for actors and assistance.
I run a slow haunt and my lines do get a bit long in wait but I like to give each and every guest my utmost attention 8^) In reality each "pride" prop/ride (I don't know what to really call them, lol)I do only takes a couple of minutes to cycle. Anyway, that's a couple of the things I'm looking to incorporate into my haunt this year for a very interactive hands on haunt for my victims..I mean guest for 2014 8^)
I've had a windfall of materials come my way this year as well as a large group of high school thespian club helpers so I've decided to try out a couple new ideas I've had. What I want to create is interaction for my guests. I see all this detail on some peoples props and think, why all my people are running at mach5, lmao, so I'm also wanting to slow them down a tad for both safety as well as to appreciate my work (well that and to stall them so I can sneak from behind 8^) My elevator is slow as will be the new cart/cage so a few more will even things out to guests separated and from running into another group.
My first idea is to build a circular room with a caged hallway/walkway that only goes half way across the room. Guests will be able to see the exit door across room through bars. At the end of the walkway is a crank wheel and when rotated it'll rotate the whole walkway around until it meets the exit door. kind of like cheap version of a Harry Potter rotating staircase kind of thing. I plan on making it out of an old trailer axle and a pair of heavy caster wheels. The door open/close cycles are to be determined and maybe just manual from helpers this first year. Lot's of safety and mechanical issues to think about but feel I can pull it off 8^) I'm thinking I'll go for a neutral setting on crank so it can be pushed and reset by helpers so they don't have to crank it back a few hundred times in 4 hours, lmao 8^)
Next, I want to make a dead end hallway. Guests will enter a hallway with a see through barred door blocking their way. A crank on the wall will open the first door but also close the next door that was slid open and hidden. They'll need to move into the next segment and crank the next wheel to open the 2nd door but also closes the first, resting it for the next guest/s. I'll make sure to install a hidden door or two as well for actors and assistance.
I run a slow haunt and my lines do get a bit long in wait but I like to give each and every guest my utmost attention 8^) In reality each "pride" prop/ride (I don't know what to really call them, lol)I do only takes a couple of minutes to cycle. Anyway, that's a couple of the things I'm looking to incorporate into my haunt this year for a very interactive hands on haunt for my victims..I mean guest for 2014 8^)
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So far I've managed to haul in 49 pallet tops, 35 sheets of various double laminated counter tops/plywood and a very large wood crate and even got some new tools to help out 8^) Going for the 2 small trailers today so I can hack the axles out of them.
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Hey everyone
Thought I'd throw an update on some goings on here on my action stations with the first one roughed out (paint still wet even, lol. It's huge, it's on it's side and it's sunk into the ground but the handle still turns 8^) I'm planning on it rotating a door into the undead clown room (via a bicycle front fork and bearing housing)(the wheel for the cable pulley). I've been looking for a JITB to take the music box from and also playing with a creepy audio but tonight when playing think I'll have the clowns sing the tune (maybe giggle a little as they do) as TOT's crank it, being they'll be able to see it crank as well as at what speed.
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![Red]()
I picked up 3 dimmer switches at a restore for cheap so I'll be mounting those to levers TOT's will pull to light a hallway section. A weight will draw the lever back to the off position making the hallway dark again with no hope of making the next lever in time. This will allow for glow in the dark/black light paintings to appear and guide them if/when full dark. Turning lights on will keep glow in the dark paint charged (if all goes as planned. With a bunch of tight switchbacks I'm hoping this will be a fun and easy prop interaction for people to enjoy and feel they're part of the action and story that I'm going for this year.
The daughter is wanting to be the gingerbread hag this year so I've been modifying the old mine shed into a gingerbread house. I didn't like the tape overspray edge so I tried (and failed 8^) some freehand graham cracker dot/lines so I have so texture and paint to add but wanted to throw a pic of another area being worked. The frosting roof snow will be cobweb/spiders when finished.
![Wood]()
Life's been getting in the way of my build time and I'm a bit behind but I'm not panicked yet (ask me tomorrow though 8^) I'll try and post more as I pick up the pace on laying this years haunt out. Hope you enjoy, I'm having a blast }8^)
Thought I'd throw an update on some goings on here on my action stations with the first one roughed out (paint still wet even, lol. It's huge, it's on it's side and it's sunk into the ground but the handle still turns 8^) I'm planning on it rotating a door into the undead clown room (via a bicycle front fork and bearing housing)(the wheel for the cable pulley). I've been looking for a JITB to take the music box from and also playing with a creepy audio but tonight when playing think I'll have the clowns sing the tune (maybe giggle a little as they do) as TOT's crank it, being they'll be able to see it crank as well as at what speed.
I picked up 3 dimmer switches at a restore for cheap so I'll be mounting those to levers TOT's will pull to light a hallway section. A weight will draw the lever back to the off position making the hallway dark again with no hope of making the next lever in time. This will allow for glow in the dark/black light paintings to appear and guide them if/when full dark. Turning lights on will keep glow in the dark paint charged (if all goes as planned. With a bunch of tight switchbacks I'm hoping this will be a fun and easy prop interaction for people to enjoy and feel they're part of the action and story that I'm going for this year.
The daughter is wanting to be the gingerbread hag this year so I've been modifying the old mine shed into a gingerbread house. I didn't like the tape overspray edge so I tried (and failed 8^) some freehand graham cracker dot/lines so I have so texture and paint to add but wanted to throw a pic of another area being worked. The frosting roof snow will be cobweb/spiders when finished.
Life's been getting in the way of my build time and I'm a bit behind but I'm not panicked yet (ask me tomorrow though 8^) I'll try and post more as I pick up the pace on laying this years haunt out. Hope you enjoy, I'm having a blast }8^)
Hey all
I got one of the dimmer switch levers made. I used a small belt to transfer the lever action to the dimmer switch, which is also wired to a receptacle box for two light plugs. In the down position the light is off and at almost dead top is almost full on. I still need to add limiting blocks for a solid start and stop position and of course mount it to a wall and add some counterweight to pull the lever back to start and turn the lights off. I'd like to build two more for a switch backed 3 light hallway. Not a lot to it but hoping it'll add a little something for the ToT's to interact with as well as changing lighting effect. Here's the front side:
![Wood]()
Here's the backside
![Wire Wood]()
I got one of the dimmer switch levers made. I used a small belt to transfer the lever action to the dimmer switch, which is also wired to a receptacle box for two light plugs. In the down position the light is off and at almost dead top is almost full on. I still need to add limiting blocks for a solid start and stop position and of course mount it to a wall and add some counterweight to pull the lever back to start and turn the lights off. I'd like to build two more for a switch backed 3 light hallway. Not a lot to it but hoping it'll add a little something for the ToT's to interact with as well as changing lighting effect. Here's the front side:
Here's the backside
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