Scareworld - Issue 6

Terror in the Welsh Mountains

Germany’s Latest Scare Attraction The Ultimate Home Haunt Leonard Pickel - Maximising Throughput Frightwater Valley The Science of Scare Part 4 And more...

Sixth scare filled issue

Thorpe Park Fright Nights Review

www.scareworld.co.uk

2

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

4

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

8,12,, 18,22, 24,36

Attraction REVIEWs

6

Scare NEWS

Thw Witches of Warwick, Frightwater valley, The haunted House of 1859, Scarytales, Fright Nights, Edinburgh dungeon

10

The Art of Fear

17

Terror tombs

14

krake lebt

20

The Black Chasm

27

Product review

28

Home is where the haunt is

30

Scary FX

32

Maximising attraction throughput

Logan Knight

Wales’ Haunted House of Horror Germany’s Newest Scare Attraction Orcs invade the Welsh Hills Sinister Symphonies, The Black Grimoire The haunted Howse Deadwalk Designs

Leonard Pickel shares his wisdom

38

Horror Camp Live

41

The Science of Scare

45

Scary World

49

Attraction Reviews

50

scare attractions

Carry on Camping.. if you dare!

Part four

Senritsu Meikyu

scareattractions.co.uk cast their critical eye current listings

This Issues Cover Image: The horror of Krake Lebt!

Germany’s newest scare attraction

June 2011- September 2012

June 2012 - September 2012 3

www.scareworld.co.uk

From the Editor

Fellow Haunters, Welcome to the sixth issue of Scareworld - Europe’s only dedicated scare entertainment magazine.

You can now obtain Scareworld as a full size hard copy publication delivered straight to your door by ordering a copy via our website at www.scareworld.co.uk, or you can read the digital issue free of charge online, plus hard copy back issues are now available to buy if you have missed any earlier editions.

Several permanent UK based scare attractions have opened already this year, and I was asked to open ‘The Black Chasm’ on behalf of Scareworld Magazine and the newly formed industry collective ‘The Scare Network’, you can read about this unique new Welsh attraction on pages 20 and 21.

In this issue of Scareworld we continue our intriguing series of psychological essays from Madelon Hoedt, get an exclusive peak inside Japan’s ‘Senritsu’, Germany’s ‘Krake Lebt!’ and look at The Castle Dungeon’s new ‘Witches of Warwick’ attraction - which demonstrates a welcome new direction for Dungeons. Horror attraction artist Logan Knight takes us into his dark realm of art and we explore the world of prop making with Shaun Davies.

Our growing band of in-house and independent writers present reviews of Frightwater Valley 2011, Scarytales Live, Fright Nights 2011 and The Edinburgh Dungeon’s new feature ‘William Wallace: Allegiance’, plus we are delighted to welcome new feature writer Leonard Pickel - an international ‘legend’ in scare entertainment. In his first feature he discusses how to maximise throughput in scare attractions.

The summer months will be alive with screams across the UK this year with ‘Project: FEAR’ in Sheffield, ‘Horror Camp LIVE!’ in Lancashire and ‘Panic’ in Gloucestershire, we will be covering some of the these attractions in our next issue at Halloween.

For all the latest scare news, reviews and listings, no serious scare attraction enthusiast or producer can afford to be without Scareworld Magazine. Remember Scareworld is your magazine, tell your colleagues and friends, its free to subscribe to the digital issue online - and don’t forget to catch all the latest scare attraction news as it happens on our website at www. scareworld.co.uk Stay scary!

Jason Karl Editor

Editor: Jason Karl jason@scareworld.co.uk Creative Director: Paul Howse paul@scareworld.co.uk Deputy Editor: Jane Willis jane@scareworld.co.uk

Contributors in this issue: Luci Teal Logan Knight Leonard Pickel Go Merlin Shaun Davies Madelon Hoedt Jane Willis Kevin Sudds & Wayne Davis.

Published 3 times a year by AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group © Copyright Scareworld 2012.

All material in this publication remains the copyright of Scareworld and no part of it may be re-produced without the written permission of the publishers.

Materials not copyright to Scareworld are re-produced with permission and all rights are acknowledged.

To get in touch or to advertise in Scareworld please email: info@scareworld.co.uk

4

June 2012- September 2012 February 2012 - April 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

Section Title

AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group launches the UK’s first travelling hotel based scare entertainment experience, FEARooms, an interactive experience which mixes scare attraction entertainment with theming and narrative to create an alternative to the tired ‘murder mystery’ hotel concept.

With staged scares, effects, horror movies and terrifying treats, FEARooms offers hotels the opportunity to place guests in a totally new form of entertainment, with live scareactors who deliver the scares throughout a pre-determined time frame.

FEARooms plunges residents right into the action itself, as part of the story, they determine what happens when, and are free to end the encounter at any time by hanging the ‘rest in peace’ door hanger outside their room.

alternative form of entertainment that can create media buzz, give your guests an experience they will never forget, and take your entertainment programme to an entirely new level.

Watch our FEARooms showcase at http://www.

Either as standalone entertainment, or coupled youtube.com/user/atmoshorror and download with our Themed Dining or Street Theatre our EXScream Attractions guide for full packages, FEARooms offer an affordable information at atmosfearuk.com AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group

Scare Entertainment worth SCREAMING about!

June 2011- September 2012

5

www.scareworld.co.uk

Scare News The scare entertainment industry in Europe is gathering pace with non-Halloween, or ‘scare season’, centric attractions. Permanent attractions have opened this Spring in Brighton, Pembrokeshire and Aberystwyth.

Marc Terenzi, the dark mind behind Terenzi Horror Nights opens his Summer Horror Festival - www.eventturm.de/terenzi-horror-festival/ throughout late June and July based in Hanover, Germany. While German theme park Heide Park Resort - www.heide-park.de/ en/ opened a permanent scare maze called Krake Lebt!, themed around a sunken ship wreck

FEAR based in an old gothic pile in the centre of Brighton offers a seaside scare - www.fearbrighton.com while Bunker 3Zero - www.faceyourfears.tv/bunker-x - in Pembrokeshire is one of two brand new Welsh attractions.

The Black Chasm - www.silvermountainexperience. co.uk, part of The Silver Mountain Experience is a unique attraction housed in an old disused silver mine, and became the first official member of the newly created Scare Network - www.scarenetwork.co.uk.

Masters of the macabre have come together to create the UK’s first all-encompassing networking website for businesses and fans of the country’s booming scare entertainment industry. A brand new website www. scareattractions.co.uk was re-launched on Friday, May 25, to further unite and promote all aspects of the scare entertainment industry in the UK by providing an umbrella site on which producers and creators of the country’s leading scare entertainment attractions can share knowledge about the business both together and with members of the general public. It aims to become the UK’s most prolific independent resource for the UK’s scare entertainment business akin to similar networks successfully operated in the USA where the scare entertainment industry is worth a staggering $500 million per annum. The free-to-join website has been spearheaded by four of the UK’s leading scare entertainment creators and promoters following a recent UK survey which revealed Halloween is the UK’s second most popular holiday season after Christmas.

Zombie experiences are popping up all over the country and some have achieved significant promotion in the national and international press. 2.8 Hours Later www.2.8hourslater.com operated nights in Glasgow and Liverpool this Spring, while Zombie Boot Camp - www. ramtraining.co.uk/zombie_training.html, Zed Events www.zedevents.co.uk and The Last Survivors - www. thelastsurvivors.co.uk are offering guests the chance to immerse themselves in movie-style scare experiences.

Whispers of another similar event based in the north f England have also begun to circulate...

6

Scare Kingdom Scream Park - www.scarekingdom.com, voted the UK’s number one scream park in 2011 by www.terrorattractions.co.uk, announced a new line up of four brand new scare attractions - ‘Inbreeds Impound Scare Zone’, ‘Apocalypse 2012’, ‘The Theatre of Gore Guignol’ and ‘Gaunt Hill Asylum’, and re-branded as Scare Kingdom Doomsday Scream Park for the 2012 season in line with the impending ‘end of the world’ prophesied by the Mayan calendar.

The Asylum scare attraction, announced at the end of 2011 to be based in Glasgow, has been shelved by the attraction operators, and Thorpe Park’s - www. thorpepark.com SAW Alive attraction has been closed, following a small fire which broke out earlier in the year, it is expected to re-open during the annual Fright Nights event over Halloween.

The Dungeon’s www.thedungeons.com opened a raft of new features with ‘William Wallace’ Allegiance’, in Edinburgh, ‘The Rat Walk’ in London, and ‘Execution: Traitors of York’, in York. The Castle Dungeon at Warwick Castle www.warwick-castle.com opened ‘Witches of Warwick: A Cursed Castle’, an exciting new direction in ‘Dungeon’ features with a scare attraction experience unique to the Warwick version. A new character named Morris the Menace appeared briefly on May Day at The London Dungeon, while an announcement from Merlin Entertainments has excited scare enthusiasts with the news that they may be re-locating the attraction to County Hall next year.

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk Over in Hong Kong Disneyland - park. hongkongdisneyland.com, construction of the new ‘Haunted Mansion’ dark ride, named ‘Mystic Manor’ is well underway, and scare fans will be able to experience the world’s most technically advanced dark ride in 2013.

News of 2012’s first Christmas themed attraction has reached the Scareworld office, with ‘Dickens’ Haunted Mansion’ planned for a three night run in December, while scare attraction music label Sinister Symphonies - www.sinistersymphonies.co.uk released their latest album ‘The Black Grimoire’.

In Leeds, Thackray Museum -www.thackraymuseum. org recently presented ‘Fright at the Museum’, a 2 night scare experience featuring medical maniacs, and West Somerset Railway - www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk teamed up with Chapel Cleeve Manor in Somerset for ‘Chapel Cleeve Ghost Express’ in April.

Coming up in June GNG Entertainment will produce a ground-breaking scare attraction named ‘Project: FEAR’ - www.projectfear.co.uk in Sheffield, while ‘Frightmare’ www.frightmare.co.uk at Over Farm in Gloucester have announced a summer attraction named ‘Panic’ to run in July.

AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group - www.atmosfearuk. com launched their UK first scare camping experience ‘Horror Camp LIVE!’ - www.horrorcamplive.co.uk which challenges campers to endure 13 hours of twisted terrors and dare based challenges under the watchful eye of lunatic cannibal ‘Lockjaw’.

The Halloween Adventure Scream Park - www. thehalloweenadventure.co.uk, in Wetherby, Yorkshire, announced their line up of three new attractions for the 2012 season with ‘The Cage’, ‘Zombie Outbreak Scare Zone’ and ‘The Haunting Grounds’.

A new initiative ‘The Dark Tourism Forum’ opened at The University of Central Lancashire - www.darktourism.org.uk The winners of the annual Screamie Awards (since re-named The Scare Awards) www. screamieawards.co.uk gathered to collect their awards at The London Tombs - www.thelondonbridgeexperience. com and Scarecon - www.scarecon.co.uk took place at The Norbreck Hotel in Blackpool in May. At Alton Towers - www.altontowers.com, the opening of their new drop ride ‘Nemesis Sub Terra’ was met with mixed reactions from expectant thrill fans, but the addition of a new small scare maze exit has ensured the attraction is now receiving great reviews.

June 2011- September 2012

7

w Attraction Revie The Witches of Warwick at The Castle Dungeon Review

By Luci Teal

From the creepy laugh of the character in the mortuary scene to the final jump of the curse in the last, everything about Warwick Dungeon had me on edge, and with the addition of the new Witches of Warwick feature for 2012, The Castle Dungeon has placed itself firmly on the map as one the UK’s scariest attractions...

Set in a real castle, the attraction doesn’t let its structural restrictions spoil the overall experience. In fact it plays on this unique selling point by making good use of the winding, dark passageways to throw you off guard and make you feel uneasy. Just as your eyes get adjusted to the dark something else presents itself to remind you of the experience you have signed up for.

The Dark Jester introduced the proceedings perfectly with a warning of things to come and a ‘gentle’ reminder of what was and wasn’t allowed through the journey ahead. Remaining in character throughout, she was very entertaining while informative at the same time.

All characters were larger than life and more than enough to fill the rooms, engaging with the large group in front of them. I would definitely not have wanted to be left in a room alone with any of them, big as they were!

The Castle Dungeon at Warwick Castle is a little different from the Dungeon attractions, as the surroundings really immerse you into the experience. No need for realistic fabricated corridors here as they are all genuine and ‘readymade’ throughout the castle rooms.

You are literally walking up real, historic stone steps and confined to close winding staircases and dark rooms that are centuries old.

Although there weren’t many places for the actors to hide, they counteracted this by making the best use of those dark corners that were available, making me question at some points what was real and what was merely scenery!

8

June 2012- September 2012

I loved their ability to blend in with the surroundings and their patience and persistence really paid off, there were some great screams to be heard in the crowd!

I enjoyed the very first scene inside, leaving us alone just long enough for our eyes to get adjusted to the dark, and then plunging us straight into the deathly tale, it was a brilliant piece if scripting and the extra effects to catch your eye in the room were fantastic, some little touches that really helped create the atmosphere which is apparent in all of Merlin’s Dungeon experiences.

enough to keep you guessing, and a lot to take in, cleverly using a sparsely themed space, blackouts and quick scareactor choreography to produce a unique Dungeon experience which is fresh, simple and incredibly effective.

The Torturer in particular was not a character to be reckoned with. His dry deliverance of the scene was perfectly pulled off and made it a believable experience for all, especially the volunteer from our group who was thrown in a cage, while another was strapped into a torture chair.

I consider myself to be a fairly strong person when it comes to scare attractions, but during the last scene I did find myself with the overwhelming sensation to grab on to the person next to me... but being sat next to a relative stranger however I decided better of it!

The finale at The Castle Dungeon is the brand new Witches of Warwick feature, a perfect blend of storytelling and tension which is a truly frightening experience, and notably different to the rest of the attraction where a healthy dose of humour normally negates the fear which might otherwise build up.

A witch hunter tells the tale of Moll Bloxham - a historical character whose legend is well known in Warwick. As the tale unfolds, the lighting in the room dims, flickers and is at times is totally extinguished, allowing the scareactor to ‘work’ the crowd brilliantly - moving at speed when the light is out and ‘appearing’ in the face of guests when it returns. As the drama unfolds, the room comes alive as the witchcraft of centuries ago brings inanimate objects to life and rattles doors. Without spoiling too much of the experience, the witch herself appears suddenly in the room, sweeping around amidst a searing strobe which makes her look as if she is possessed by the devil himself, before normality returns and the witch hunter completes the story.

It is a brilliant new addition to The Castle Dungeon,

June 2011- September 2012

9

www.scareworld.co.uk

The Art of FEAR Logan Knight “The Beauty of Art Comes From its Freedom” .. that is the philosophy behind the artworks created by digital artist, Logan Knight, who has adapted his creative edge to the scare entertainment industry.

His portfolio of horror and scare art depict dark, macabre, graphic images created entirely through photo manipulation, a contemporary art style that involves digitally pulling apart and re-crafting single photographs to create a new and original image.

It is a labour of love that has even required the artist to pour over his computer for 50 long hours to create one single masterpiece.

“An average time for most manipulations is four to six hours, but I have spent as much as 50 or so hours on one piece,” said Logan, 39, who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. “A few hours tends to be the norm though, although it depends on a wide range of variables such as the type of art and depth of the overall work and ideas.”

It is a passion he has been perfecting since the late 1990s when a friend showed him the amazing phototrickery and manipulation that could be achieved through computer art packages such as Adobe Photoshop.

“Once I was shown Photoshop and all its capabilities, I knew I had to learn as much about it as I could,” Logan said. “Early on it was true trial and error. I had little idea of what I was doing or what all the tools did. But I just locked myself away from most things for about two years and developed my creativity and learning about the tools I planned on using.

“Once I felt I had a decent idea of the basics I would read online tutorials which showed me some short cuts, or different ways of doing something, and that just opened my eyes to more options.

“Over the years I went through many styles of

10

digital art but in the end I really loved to create photo manipulations.”

Using life models or paid and free online photo resources, Logan creates his art through layering various pieces of stock images and blending them together to create compelling and unique artwork.

He said: “The main techniques or tools I use are Adobe PhotoShop, a Wacom tablet, stock photos, original drawings and paintings, Bryce 3d, Apophysis Fractal Program, Ultra Fractal, Daz Studio 3d and just about anything else if it helps my creativity.

I specialize in photo manipulations but have a wide range of skills for different types of artwork.”

It is a craft quite different from the art he dabbled in as a teenager when he scribbled fictional characters for fun.

“In my early teens I would draw comic book characters or dungeons and dragons monsters in my free time and always enjoyed being artistic,” he said. “Back then I never imagined I’d end up doing art as a career. Like most young boys I wanted to be a rock star! But life leads you in different directions and after suffering depression for a few years in 1997 I started to get into computers much more. Once that happened and I saw all that you could do from a

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk creative standpoint, even back then, I was instantly hooked.

drifted towards darker images.

“I enjoy creating a wide range of art styles and genres and I do not like to be limited in my creativity, ‘The Beauty of Art comes from its Freedom’ is my own little quote.

“I don’t create dark art just to shock people, there are almost always deeper messages I hope people can find, but in the end I just want to create what I enjoy and share it with as many people as I can. I do this for myself, not so much for anyone else. By releasing my darker thoughts or frustrations in my art, my personal life is always much brighter and that works for me.”

“That said, however, dark art, horror and macabre art was something that inspired me early on. People like Giger and other online digital artists really stood out to me.

“And going back to my early art days as a teen, the darker monsters always got my attention first.

Rock music, heavy metal, all that usually had images of darker creatures or characters and so I think because of those very early influences, once I got my footing and felt I knew what I was doing with the photo manipulation skills, I just usually

Logan also gets inspiration from the true grit of general life.

The good, the bad and the ugly, so-to-speak, light and dark scifi, fantasy and horror.

“My ideas come from so many places. It really all depends on what type of work I’m doing. You never know what you might get, this is the beauty of creative freedom. But when it comes to commission work or something with a bit more focus, I usually do my utmost to get as close to what the people ask me for, while maintaining my own creative ideas, where all those comes from, well, let’s just say I have a very, very wild imagination.”

Over the years his artwork has been used in a range of genres including book covers and since 1997, as themes and gamer pictures for both Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Ps3/PsP Systems, since 2007, from contract work for Disruptive Media Publishers.

Several hundred of his images have been downloaded from contract work with Arphiola.com which provide cell phone content and his work has featured on the CDs of numerous Indie bands including Electrynose, Katet and Lyle DjLP Reed.

Last year he had three images published in The Future of Erotic Fantasy Art hardback book by Paul Pert Smith and several of his images will feature in the Aaron L Labonte’s Anthology, due to be released this Autumn.

He also creates private commissions and has had work featured in various magazines including Scareworld.

June 2011- September 2012

11

www.scareworld.co.uk

w Attraction Revie

Frightwater Valley

by Luci Teal

With terrifying live action horror mazes and hair-raising frightmare zones, along with gruesome Halloween shows and blood-curdling inhabitants, Frightwater Valley 2012 promises to be shrouded in a menacing cloak of supernatural delight when it opens for the haunt season on Wednesday, October 31.

From Raptor Attack LIVE! and the Haunting of Skeleton Cove to a brand new horror maze, strange happenings in Darkwater Forest, magical shows, awesome theming, creepy residents and the chance to experience a selection of epic park rides in the dark, the creators of the scare attraction are aiming to make this year’s fright-fest the ultimate spine-chilling adventure.

Based in Ripon, West Yorkshire, UK, Scareworld’s Luci Teal, visited Frightwater Valley during Halloween 2011 for the first time and here’s what she had to say.

Located in the theme park, Lightwater Valley, the organisers definitely went to a lot of effort to deck the entire park out for the season with impressive spider’s webs and deathly creatures littered everywhere. Even the park staff and ride attendants were given a ghoulish Halloween make-over which was a great added extra to the experience.

and Dracula’s Labyrinth not open until dusk, I headed first to Raptor Attack: LIVE! The queue was extremely long but seemed to move steadily. During our wait some grim inhabitants from the attraction were let lose into the park to entertain us.

Some were the typical shuffler types who came up close with blank stares while others growled at people. There was even a fantastic character which lost his head whilst sneezing which was brilliant!

The queue finally moved and the crowd let out a cheer, then we were in...

Our group were directed on a long walk down a dark uneven tunnel as we descended into the mineshaft where we had been told the Raptors had been discovered. The attraction in which Raptor Attack: LIVE! is set exists year round, but the addition for Halloween included scientists who had been left behind and forgotten about. The narrow passageways meant that there was not much room for actors to hide, but their movements had been well thought out and it worked well.

In 2011 the park hosted three scare attractions for Halloween including The Haunting of Skeleton Cove, Raptor Attack - LIVE! and Dracula’s Labyrinth, but with The Haunting of Skeleton Cove being a play for children

12

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

One performer was screeching ‘Raptor-style’ and as we progressed further we came across another, seemingly trapped in the communication’s room and attempting to escape from a cage. After the ride itself, we ventured back out of the mine, up some spiral metal stairs to where we could see daylight once more.

But before we could escape into the open air we had to pass another menacing creature which had its back to us, blood dripping from his face... As we gingerly ascended, it didn’t move, just continued to make a scratching noise. I was half-expecting the creature to chase us up the stairs but it thankfully remained in position, scratching away. The feeling of dread and anticipation that this performer created was enough to make it a horror scene to remember.

After a trip round the park and the fireworks, a feature which is not included in the 2012 attraction, we joined the queue for Dracula’s Labyrinth which is based in the disused ‘Amazing Maze’.

Nearer to After being sorted into a group of about 12 people, and being given the routine safety warnings, the doors opened. The maze itself was surprisingly well lit. It was lined with fir trees, very soft under foot with the smell of pine in the air. There was little interaction from the scareactors, who jumped out occasionally from an unexpected lair. Passing by

June 2011- September 2012

a series of vampire related characters, including a bride and a wolfman, the end of the attraction was a predictable encounter with the Count himself.

As a maze I couldn’t really see many set rooms or scenes, just one main theme and characters making appearances as we passed through. Most characters made no noise so it was a bonus that it was light enough to actually see their make-up and costumes which were well designed and suitable vampiric.

I really enjoyed Frightwater Valley 2011, despite the queuing, but it wasn’t really a place for someone wanting intense horror scares. A friendly family experience and a Halloween event everyone can enjoy, with a lot of effort that was put into the minor details.

Frightwater Valley 2012 runs until Sunday, November 4 and is open from 10am-7pm each day. www.lightwatervalley.co.uk

www.scareworld.co.uk

Frightful Feature

Germany’s Newest Scare Attraction Submerged at the bottom of the sea, lies an ancient creaking wreck filled with your worst nightmares... the slime ridden inmates of a long lost galleon, a misty mirror maze and a tentacled captain await those that dare to enter Germany’s newest scare attraction - ‘Krake Lebt!’ or ‘Kraken Alive!’ at Heide Park Resort in Soltau, Germany.

Kraken Live! opened in the Spring of 2012, offering scare seekers the chance to explore an ancient shipwreck, still alive with the creeping corpses of a sunken shipwreck.

Live scareactors are combined with a detailed environment consisting of seven chambers and interconnecting gangways which are housed in a building adjacent to the theme parks headlining new Kraken rollercoaster ride.

The attractions back-story pits guests to outwit the dreaded Kraken, whose tentacles have engulfed the ship, pulling it deep beneath the waves. Inhabited by crew members including a blood soaked cook and assorted salty shipmates, the icon character in the story is the barnacle encrusted half-dead sea captain who still walks the ship’s gangways ready to surprise the unwary.

Using a mixture of contrasting themed environments, guests begin in a submarine capsule where they descent beneath the waves in groups of 12.

The experience begins with a pre-show which introduces the narrative for their forthcoming expedition, but shortly before reaching the bottom of the sea, everything that could go wrong, does, leaving the guests on their own to fight their way through the haunted galleon.

As they enter the wreck, guests are plunged into a disorientating mirror maze with an ingenious impact effect which portrays the teeth of the Kraken itself appearing from the mirrored walls. A moody soundtrack with localised sounds and scores creates a realistic atmosphere when combined with the heavily detailed settings.

Created especially for the attraction by German company IMAscore, the theme music and impact sounds bring the attraction to life, activated by a series of motion sensors as guests pass various points in their adventure.

Working on the audio project for two months, IMAscore faced a series of exciting acoustic challenges when creating the audio for the attraction,

14

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

June 2011- September 2012

15

blending each scenes sounds together to avoid an overlap between rooms which could otherwise have destroyed the individual atmosphere of each environment.

Further into the experience, guests encounter a variety of seafaring rogues as they navigate through twists and turns in the damp environments. Attention to detail is key with the appearance of the scareactors, utilising half face masks and prosthetics to create a motley crew of dishevelled and unruly shipmates.

Heide Park Resort conducted a high profile casting to find the performers to inhabit the attraction and bring the characters to life. Undergoing a series of challenges in front of a panel of decision makers, the cast of actors bring the experience to life, interacting with guests within the narrative of the attraction.

Combined with a multitude of visual effects, it is the scareactors than ensure each journey through the experience is unique.

Mixing the theme of two attractions and offering them as separate experiences is a unique concept for Heide Park Resort, which is operated by UK based Merlin Entertainments, and means guests can endure the thrill of the Kraken dive coaster and immerse themselves further into the storyline with Krake Lebt! horror maze.

With very few scare attractions hosted permanently in Germany, Krake Lebt! joins Grusellabyrinth Kiel in SchleswigHolstein, which is a multi-element indoor experience offering three scare attraction experiences with themed dining . With interest in scare attractions growing all over Europe, Krake Lebt! is expected to be a popular attraction in the park, and certainly has the core ingredients for a successful scare experience which delivers fear and fun to those brave enough to enter.

Krake Lebt! is now open permanently at Heide Park Resort, and offers guests a year-round scare in addition to the annual Halloween Nights event which is held at the resort each October.

For more information and opening times visit www.heide-park.de

16

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

Frightful Feature TERROR TOMBS It cannot be denied that the scare entertainment business has been an established feature in the calendar at many of the top UK amusement parks for decades.

Parks such as Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventure and Thorpe Park, annually offer scarebased entertainment attractions throughout the Halloween season, not only to service an established customer base, but to also attract new visitors through this rapidly growing niche market.

And with visitors to the scare attractions annually on the increase, it appears that the move to tap into the interests of scare-seekers has been a positive step that has paid dividends to the host venues that dare to venture down the scary road of horror and fright during the haunt season.

These days, however, scare entertainment is not just the domain of the big venue players. Lesser known and smaller amusement parks are quickly catching on to the financial and entertainment value of the haunt market by providing good quality scare entertainment a little closer to home for many of its visitors.

Terror Tombs in North Wales, for instance, is a great example of how smaller players in the amusement market can really make an impact in the scare market on a more local level.

Located at the Palace Fun Centre, Rhyl, Terror Tombs, the Haunted House of Horrors, is a permanent scare attraction that attracts scare-seekers from across Wales as well as further afield.

The haunt is billed as an attraction that will “scare, thrill and excite” as it takes guests on an eerie journey into the depths of the darkened tomb where terrors await!

Guests are given the ‘fright of their life’ as they meander through moving walkways, visit the Well from Hell and come up close with the Evil Goblin.

Get lost in the maze, space-out in the Infinity Tunnel before ending up in the Revolving Tomb where guests have to pass the creepy Rocking Grandma and the Vampire Coffin before finally being let out into the Palace Fun Centre.

If you are planning a scare tour of wales’ new scare attractions Bunker 3Zero and The Black Chasm this year, why not take a detour and see what Terror Tombs has to offer, its guaranteed to send a chill down your spine!

www.palacefuncentre.co.uk

June 2011- September 2012

17

www.scareworld.co.uk

Guest Review The Haunted House of 1859 Having heard a lot about the indoor theme park ‘Dickensworld’ in Chatham, Kent, I was excited when I was finally able to visit the tourist attraction and experience it’s ‘Haunted House’ – a permanent indoor haunted attraction featuring storylines from Charles Dickens’ haunted mind…

Making my way from London to Kent seemed like an endless journey and when I finally came across Dickensworld I was surprised to find it packaged in a quasi shopping complex, squeezed between a variety of discount shops and chain restaurants!

After the plain, unthemed, reception area, I was somewhat surprised and excited to find the visual theming inside the attraction to be so expertly done. I could wax lyrical about the Great Expectations Boat Ride, the 4D theatre, or the animatronic show, but my task was to explore the Haunted House and so I navigated my way over rope bridges and around winding alleyways until I came across the drooping gables of a tattered town house displaying the legend ‘ES’ (presumably a nod to Ebenezer Scrooge?) in gold lettering.

‘The Haunted House of 1829’ is a free flow experience in which visitors encounter a variety of ghostly characters from Charles Dickens’ novels. Notably, including those from his most famous ghost story ‘A Christmas Carol’. After being met by a suitably drab Victorian lady in the ante-chamber, I was introduced to the tale of the house. As with all old houses, she told me “this house has secrets”… before drifting up the once palatial staircase and into the gloom above. A crash of thunder shook the very foundations of the room and as I ascended to the upper rooms I took note of the detailed visual theming including ripped wallpaper and a cracked crystal chandelier.

When you get to the top of the staircase the host re-appears and directs you down a corridor where you meet the first ‘ghost’, this is a somewhat childish computer generated image of a spooky sprite that materialises on a chair. An impressive use of the Victorian theatre effect commonly

18

known as ‘Pepper’s ghost’ it utilises a series of glass reflective panels to confuse the eye of the viewer into believing they are watching something in three dimensions which is actually nothing more than a reflection on a pane of glass. The effect works well, but is delivered here with no drama. When the ‘scene’ finishes, you are expected to wander along the hallways until you come across the next encounter, this time a mirror trick in which your own reflection stares back at you from the floor, while a video projection of more ghosts plays out beyond. This is a poor use of a dated technology, hardly keeping my attention and delivered nothing in terms of excitement. Next up, more of the same, this time two ghosts in a hayloft setting, a video projection as pepper’s ghost – by now the need for something different is clear; you can’t put the same effect throughout an entire attraction and expect it to perform for your audience, it doesn’t. I was engaged by the next, penultimate, scene however. Ebenezer Scrooge’s bedroom where he is visited by the manifestations of three ghosts. The combination of live video footage and computer generated morphing is impressive, so too is the nice touch when the ghost of Christmas Yet To Be points at the audience and draws Ebenezer’s attention to you! A nice touch of perceived, if actually static, interaction.

After yet another passageway, cleverly themed and painted to suit the age of an alleged Victorian residence, I couldn’t help but notice the spell was broken continually by the noises from the Great Expectations Boat Ride which obviously runs nearby the back wall of The Haunted House, perhaps some authentic period music would lift the dull atmosphere, while at the same time drowning out some of the mechanical noises from the nearby ride?

Next you come across two cross eyed ‘haunted’ paintings, seemingly pointless and far too high up for any child to witness, I found them to be a lazy copy of the more impressive ones which are available on the market from a variety of companies and used in haunted attractions throughout the world.

The last scene, apparently a darkened chamber with a single chair in the centre, was brought vividly to life by the actress/host whom I had met at the beginning. I genuinely jumped when she appeared in front of me as if from nowhere (yes, you have guessed it – peppers ghost effect again!) and completed the story of the haunted house. Without her, it would have been a limp attempt at what could be an inspired and impressive attraction; luckily she dragged it up from the grave and made it mildly sombre and entertaining…

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

URE FRIGHTFUL FEAT The Black Chasm Luci Teal and Jason Karl After months of careful planning, research and Imagineering, Wales’ newest permanent scare attraction opened in May this year, following a soft launch at Easter. The Silver Mountain Experience, between Aberystwyth and Llangurig in Wales, is a multi-element visitor attraction featuring The Black Chasm - an underground scare attraction hewn out of the mountain itself, and the first of its kind in Europe.

TV presenter and Creative Director of AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group Jason Karl opened the attraction in front of an invited audience of over 130 guests, including the press, members of local government, tourist authorities and scare attraction fans on Saturday 27th April 2012, when the attraction became the first official member of the newly formed professional scare entertainment operator collective The Scare Network - www.scarenetwork.co.uk The Black Chasm is one of the latest in the changeable line-up of permanent UK scare attractions, and joins Wales’ other two current haunts Bunker 3Zero in Pembrokeshire to the south and Terror Tombs in Rhyl to the north. Located high in the Cambrian Mountains on the A44, it is expected to attract more than 30,000 guests a year.

After being signed up for ‘slave labour’ by Grogar, The Black Chasm’s quick-witted and entertaining Orc, guest groups of up to 18 are taken from the briefing room and down into the chilly confines of the old silver ore mine. History and fantasy horror combine to create a truly unique experience which successfully marries technology with traditional storytelling. The experience delivers a cohesive narrative based on Welsh folklore, legends and mythic creatures.

Daytime operations are led by a hoard of hungry Orcs who accompany batched groups through the chasm where they encounter a variety of special effects

20

including localised sounds, strobe lighting, audiovisual effects and static tableaux. When combined together, the 50 minute experience delivers a mixture of light hearted fun and scarier moments, and is not recommended for those under the age of 12.

Special attention has been given to the host Orcs visual appearance, with fur, leather and metallic helmets with horns creating a believable overall look. With heavy theatrical makeup and comedic yet edgy performances, the scareactors portraying the characters have been well cast, and although they are all new to the scare entertainment arena, have successfully grasped the basic concepts of scare acting. They are entertaining and able to build tension when necessary.

The attraction experience is novel, content rich and well scripted. Of particular note is the moment when an explosion disturbs a creature named simply ‘It’ (not the clown of Stephen King origin!). Although it is never seen, the panic caused by the stereophonic sound of the creature ‘approaching’ causes panic among the group as they clamber through a tunnel to escape the sounds and screams getting louder as they hurry into the darkness beyond. Multi level environments disorientate guests as they explore the Orcs lairs, bed chamber and mine shafts. A clever audio visual effect which shows the sudden manifestation of a phantom on camouflaged television screens catches you off guard, as do various other impact moments throughout the attraction. The final scare deserves a mention as three dark robed skeleton lords come eerily to life using low level lighting and smoke effects to deliver a scripted dialogue which completes the story. The Black Chasm experience places guests in a story which is simple and effective, it has a beginning (briefing room and preshow), middle (the main mine sections) and end (the skeleton lords chamber), which means guests leave having understood the narrative, and having endured a cohesive story – a rewarding experience all round.

The clever combination of immersive storytelling and newly constructed scare attraction environments

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

ensures that the experience delivers something for everyone, making guests scream and laugh in equal measure. A good dose of humour and interactivity are thrown in the mix and the content can be tailored by the scareactor host, dependent on whether the guest group is primarily adult or children.

Construction of the new environments follow the standard scare attraction blueprint; copious ropes, wooden clad walls and a large amount of hanging burlap, with more than a nod to Merlin’s Dungeon style theming. Low level ambient lighting, theatrical fog and props complete the look, which blends seamlessly with the natural rock tunnels in the mine itself.

Simon Pickard and Mike Fish of Saturn Imagineering are the creative minds behind the project. After searching for a suitable site to host their own scare attraction, they decided to partner with Silver Mountain to create Wales’ first scare attraction featuring live scareactors, choosing local folkloric

June 2011- September 2012

themes as their underlying narrative which sits perfectly within the natural environment.

A more extreme adult only experience is being planned by the team at The Black Chasm to run over the coming months. ‘Fright Nights’ will offer a similar experience to the daytime operation, but with more live scareactors, a different script and increased scares.

With this in mind, the construction of the set allows for a more intense experience when the scareactors will be up close and personal. The night experience is being targeted specifically at the student market, with a scare factor tailored for a braver guest demographic.

For full information on The Black Chasm and the forthcoming Fright Night events visit the website at www.silvermountainexperience.co.uk and keep an eye out for the new ‘Terror Bus’ - a scareactor driven bus which will deliver local guests directly to the fear at The Black Chasm!

21

www.scareworld.co.uk

w Attraction Revie Scarytales

by Luci Teal

The surroundings were perfect, a deserted gothic looking building with big black cast iron gates. As we entered the Theatre we were greeted with a hearty smile from the girl in the box office, she was chatty and informative and relaxed us before we were due to meet our doom. We were instructed wait outside the wardrobe and wait for the man with the long hair. We waited quite a while, chatting amongst ourselves, it was a little longer than I had expected it to be as there didn’t seem to be a queue.

The girl from the box office passed by, noticed we were waiting and went through the wardrobe to find the man with the long hair. She came back, reported that he wouldn’t be long and continued to ask some questions and gave a good hand over to the man who came out of the wardrobe.

He was good at delivering his tale whilst giving safety warnings then sent us on our way.

I was really looking forward to the this attraction as when I think ‘Scare Attraction’ and ‘Fairy Tales’ I think the concept must have been both easy and equally as difficult to bring to life. The group I was with had already done the obligatory ‘Not it’ with finger on nose to decide who was to go first (instigated by me) so we headed through in our bagsyed order. We didn’t stay in this long as we had no instruction to stick together and different people in the group were caught by different things and characters.

and visual I feel were cheapened a little by it.

I’m always careful to read the conditions on the website before visiting an attraction as I like to treat the trip as a new person might. I like to check what the company describes as being a ‘Scare Attraction’ and also what they describe will happen (without the spoilers of course!) I feel GNGs site let them down a little on this occasion as the part which asks if the actors will touch you has a response of : “No, the actors will interact with you, talk to you and even possibly accidentally touch you but at no time during your experience inside will anyone grab you or invade your personal space to point where it’s no longer a fun experience.” I can confirm - as can my whipped back, that this was not the case in this particular walk through. From the Scarecrow that held my wrist a ‘tad’ too tightly to the Child Catcher that ragged me around and whipped me (I think Alice got a little chummy with the lads too), I can definitely say that there was some personal space invaded and some grabbing most definitely occurred. I would like to qualify that I am not saying that is a bad thing and I’m not complaining. It’s merely an observation, as I know invading of space has to be a key ingredient when putting people out of their comfort zone, but the website really needs updating if this is the road the attractions are going down so people are a little more aware of the events ahead - perhaps joint problems should be added to the list of cautionary warnings.

Overall, a great trip, always a fan of those attractions not restricted to Halloweens parameters. The costumes and make-up were brilliant and the amount of childhood characters twisted and brought to life was amazing, I’ll never look at bedtime stories the same again.

The scenes were cleverly thought through with a great use of dictated space. I’d like to say I could identify most of the stories and characters that we met on the way - apart from the one which I identified to be the contest winner as I remember reading on their page it was a story they had never heard. The scene itself still gave a good startle and was active so I don’t think it mattered that the story wasn’t well known.

The loud music made it difficult to hear some of the characters but I think generally some of the players were just a little quiet to try and maintain the creepiness bestowed upon them. This walk through to me was definitely one aimed at adults, I refer not to the content but more to the language. A few explicit words were used in a few of the scenes, not really ones that would make the modern day adult bat an eye lid but I personally felt they weren’t really needed. The story

22

June 2012- September 2012

Want to be a Scareactor?

Scream School is an independent scareactor talent development and training programme. Our intensive one day course offers scare students the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills required to begin a career as a successful and effective scareactor.

Scream School courses run throughout the year and dates, times and locations of forthcoming courses can be found on the website. Our Mentors can also bring the course to your attraction or project, contact us for further details of how to hire Scream School.

The course also includes an introduction to the scare entertainment industry, the principles of the psychology of fear, basic makeup techniques and advice on which companies and attractions regularly seek to book scareactors for paid work. 

Part of

 enrol today at

screamschool.co.uk

or call 0845

519 4271

www.scareworld.co.uk

w Attraction Revie Fright Nights - Thorpe Park

By Go MERLIN

Fright Nights at Thorpe Park, in the UK, is a very popular Halloween attraction which in 2012 enters its 11th year in operation.

The Surrey-based Merlin theme park annually attracts thousands of visitors during Fright Nights which this year promise to be “as twisted as ever” with the added new addition of The Swarm, Europe’s tallest winged rollercoaster.

Scareworld readers ‘Go Merlin’ took the scary plunge to visit the park’s Fright Nights during its tenth anniversary year and here is what he thought of the horror haunt...

The smoke pumped out across the park, adding to the haunting feeling of Fright Nights, while the audio and lights on rides were altered in spooky fashion to compliment the scare theme.

with guns, splattered blood, and monitors which televise the group via CCTV. And, considering the maze in created inside a shipping container, the theming was excellent.

After a short brief about the attraction our group entered the decontamination room where we were split into two and situated on each side of the wall. An actor dressed in a Hazmat suit called one group forward with urgency and they are sealed in the isolation cells, dark rooms made only for one at a time, where scary noises rang out before you could make your getaway after about a minute. This is more of a psychological scare than a physical scare, but worked well. A different aspect about this haunt is that there are two routes near the start; one a regular walk, the other a tunnel crawl-through. Only at the end you realise both take the same route. From here on, the maze consists of various rooms with varied effects including strobes, sound and smoke. Some include tight and confined spaces which require crouching.

Most rooms are laid out as you’d expect a laboratory to be, minus the test tubes, but there are several hospital beds with either dummies or an actor, used in conjunction with strobe lights and due to the confinement of most areas the strobes did add an edge of panic inside the maze, especially as most people found themselves on their own. Overall I was very impressed with Experiment 10, it was definitely the scarier maze out of the four, and well worth a return visit.

Out of four mazes on offer Experiment 10 has got to have been my favourite. There was an excellent atmosphere in the queue line where crackling music and menacing actors dressed as scientists created a sense of panic and really set the scene. The theme of the maze is a human testing laboratory, owned by the government, where guests initially encounter a rather mad scientist in a room filled

24

The Asylum haunt at Fright Nights is renowned for being the most confusing and ‘maze like’ experience on park. Guests are subjected to heavy strobe lighting and constant loud noises as they explore an Asylum where disturbed patients lay in wait. Working a route through a long chicken-wire path the patients guide you in the right direction in menacing fashion before chasing you out of the haunt. The Asylum is a brilliant maze, in my opinion, which is popular with scare-seekers at Fright Nights, and for good reason in my book.

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

you meet forgotten and lost souls of sailors that have been cursed, while you are investigating the wreckage of the boat. The maze has some subtle, some not-so-subtle, pieces of theming that you’d expect to find on a boat, but didn’t really make much use of special effects, I found, but many well-placed actors and some jumpy moments. The Curse is another maze that always has mixed responses and reactions change greatly year-by-year. However, the potential of a big finale from the captain tends to be the decision-making as to whether you’ll like it or not.

Se7en is one of two mazes that are based in marquees.

But once inside, it’s nearly impossible to figure out that you actually are in a tent. Although themed around the seven deadly sins, greed, gluttony, lust, pride, envy, sloth and wrath, it has no connection to the 1995 film ‘Se7en’, more that guests are explore each sin as they are faced with situations about them. The maze makes great use of one’s senses, particular the gluttony scene, which can lead many people to feel somewhat ill. Se7en always gains mixed responses from audiences, but there can be no criticisms made of the theming and special effects within the maze. Oh, and if that isn’t enough for you, it’s ‘apparently’ the only Thorpe Park maze that features live executions...

Overall the 2011 Fright Nights event was a big improvement from Terror Zone in 2010, in my opinion, and the return of overall park theming meant the atmosphere was greatly improved. I particularly enjoyed the new arrival of the park performers dressed as clowns who created a sense of madness throughout.

Fright Nights will return in 2012, for full information visit www.thorpepark.com

The second marquee based attraction is The Curse and again, it is very hard to take into account that you are in a tent when exploring what the maze is about. With the theme as a boat that has washed up on Amity’s shores 50 years after mysteriously disappearing, The Curse lets

June 2011- September 2012

25

www.scareworld.co.uk

Section Title

Live actors and scary rides

Britain’s most horrible history

Shows and exciting special effects

26

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

The Black Grimoire

Product Showcase

Dare you open the enchanted music book...

Sinister Symphonies Second Album

Sinister Symphonies second album features 13 twisted soundtracks from the creative minds of AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group and dark music composer Tony Longworth. The album features a creepy cornucopia of haunting soundtracks and heart pounding themes crossing all genres in the scare entertainment world. Each track has been constructed of contrasting thematic elements and sound effects which combine to draw the listener into a dread filled realm, where nightmares never end. Dare you open The Black Grimoire and see what lurks inside?

1 Gaunt Hill 2 End of Days 3 The doll House 4 Days of the Dead 5 Phantasmagoria 6 The Ghost Train 7 Sunken Spirits 8 Hocus Pocus 9 Dark Forest 10 Broken Minds 11 Khamundi’s Lair 12 Phobia 13 Underland

sinistersymphonies.co.uk June 2011- September 2012

27

www.scareworld.co.uk

Home is where The Haunt Is The Haunted HOWSE No, it is not a typo, The ‘The Haunted Howse’ is a Halloween home haunt run by husband and wife team Paul and Sarah Howse and their children Jessica and Ellie-May, it has been running in one form or another since 2005 and has been growing year on year.

Every Halloween season the unassuming Thatcham mid-terrace in West Berkshire takes on an all together more sinister feel. Paul has a background in theatre, special effects and magic, and has always been into anything spooky. In 2000, after seeing the potential of bringing the already established American Scare Entertainment industry to the UK, Paul partnered with Creative Producer Jason Karl and they began development of a company that would successfully introduce the concept of scare experiences to a new country and audience with the formation of the UK’s first scare entertainment production team, now known as AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group.

The home haunt began back in 2005 as nothing more than an elaborate Halloween decor, but as friends and family saw the decorations and special effects that were populating the house, word spread and people began to make a date in their diary to ‘pop round’ each year to see the ever growing fright show.

As years progressed this turned into an event where guests were invited to come and experience the decorations and effects, on certain ‘show nights’ performances were undertaken by Paul in a ‘parlour séance’ style setting, with creepy illusions and acts of mentalism that left guest wondering if what they had witnessed was entertainment, or if they had actually made contact with the other side!

Paul, now a family man, although still and active part of AEG and its many sub-divisions, spends less time globe-trotting and spends his spare time plotting even more fiendish delights for his ever growing home haunt.

Last year’s attraction saw the haunt move beyond the confines of the walls of the house, and featured an outdoor display for trick or treating thrill-seekers to watch, as they tried to bob for apples and dodge the gaze of a freaky phantom.

28

Using his personal experience and contacts, Paul now purchases props from all over the world, as well manufacturing some of his own designs. Together with his technical capabilities he is able to create a monstrous masterpiece which gives the neighbours something to talk about!

“Last year’s display made use of a set I had built a few years ago, to create a full Victorian parlour tableaux, complete with a haunted medium at the séance table.”

Paul said.

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk “Eerie music and smoke effects completed that part of the display, but as guests made their way to the table to bob for an apple or get their goodies, craning their necks upward revealed something a lot more sinister happening in one of the windows of the house!”

Paul is planning on advertising locally with flyers for the first time this year, to boost the numbers and hopefully raise some money for his chosen charity ‘The Alzheimers Society’.

If you would like to see this year’s ‘Haunted Howse’ visit the new website where dates will be posted closer to Halloween. There is also a ‘behind the screams’ blog which will keep you posted as the elements of this year’s haunt come together. www.hauntedhowse.co.uk

“ I like to incorporate as much ‘theatre’ and magic as I can, illusion both theatrical and magical are something that I love”.

“Following a great response from our visitors last year, I’m expanding on the theme and this coming Halloween I’m creating my first fully automated home haunt.”

“Visitors to ‘Séance - The Experience’ will be treated (or tricked) in groups of four people at a time to a two minute fully automated show with lights, sound, magic illusions and special effects designed to chill the blood. The show, as always, is completely free and anyone (subject to age/parental consent) can experience the haunt. “ “Following a large turnout of trick or treaters last year, first time visitors will be able to make a donation to charity should they wish to do so - this is completely voluntary and is total at the visitors discretion.”

June 2011- September 2012

29

www.scareworld.co.uk

Scary FX Deadwalk Designs Like many scare and horror artists and creators, Shaun Davies from the UK, got a taste of the genre through watching horror films as a child. “They grabbed my interest,” said Shaun, “but when I began to learn how the effects were made and started trying things out for myself, I was hooked. I love the visual aspect to horror and twisted artworks, I find it all very appealing.”

Shaun has come a long way since those early years of interest and today lives in South West England with partner, Rachel Bemrose, where the couple run the highly successful Dead Walk Designs model-making, prop building and theming company based in Bristol.

“Theming is the name given to creating themed environments,” said Shaun, 30, “be it haunted house, apocalyptic ruins or medieval dungeon. For Rachel and I our usual year is split between subcontract work, producing props and taking on our own projects.

“At Dead Walk Designs we take on theming projects, make models and build props for almost any needs. We like to take on projects with a horror twist as it is our passion and we also have a line of horror products which we sell with an ever increasing inventory. We also work together as freelancers for other attraction theming companies which takes us on projects all over the world.”

Convinced he wanted a career in theming and model making, Shaun set about perfecting his craft as a teenager and embarked on a Visual Arts Diploma at Weymouth College, in the UK, comprising of A-Level fine art, graphic design, photography and art history.

Nowadays, as a partner in his own company, Shaun gets enquiries from all avenues including attractions, festivals and individuals looking for something different and unique.

He added: “Our employment and freelance history would show that public attractions are were we have the most expertise, but we have had our own projects at clubs, shops, festivals and we have supplied props for stage productions and private commissions.

“When we receive a brief more often than not the client is unsure what they’re after. We take the brief and create mood boards and concept sketches from relative reference to show the client what is possible and work from there.

“When I’m working on my own artwork, or building our horror props, it takes time to develop on ideas I have while being busy on other projects.

“I enjoyed my time at college and did learn a lot,” he said, “but at 19 I began working for theming and model making company Creative Solutions in Dorset where my learning grew ten-fold.

“With our line of horror props our most popular products are our Dead Walk Masks, which sell like hot cakes near to Halloween. Another product people go for is our movie standard skeletons, which we provide with high quality costumes and can be made bespoke to the customers needs. The most popular skeleton is the pirate, although we have many different designs, and can even produce a skeleton based on your favourite musician or movie star!

“Creatively I have also been inspired by many artists including Ron Mueck, Frank Kozik, Alex Grey, Chapman Brothers & Chet Zsar. Music plays a big part too. I find the way that US metal band Tool present their work is incredible, be it with album artwork or how they animate their music videos, which is, and has been, quite common in the heavy metal scene for many years.”

“Each project we take on is different from the last, so timescales vary from a quick two-hour design to a threeweek theming project. When a client comes to us with a brief we study what’s required against the budget and work out how we are going to schedule each task to ensure the project is complete on time, on price and to a high standard.

30

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

“As we work from design through to delivery a lot of techniques and skills are used. When designing I use Photoshop, auto cad and 3D modelling software to create mock up visuals and CGI concept renderings. In the workshop we find ourselves regularly using skills such as poly carving, clay and cement sculpting, mold making and paint effects.”

June 2011- September 2012

For the future Shaun plans to continue growing his business and developing new and macabre ideas that he hopes one day might become legendary. “It would be great to create a new iconic movie character who could stand with Freddy, Jason and Michael as an all time classic for years to come,” said Shaun, “And I’d call him Jeff!”

31

www.scareworld.co.uk

ction a r t t A g in iz im x a M Throughput

By Leonard Pickel owner of Hauntrepreneurs® Haunt Design and Consulting

What is Throughput?

We define “Throughput” as the capacity of an attraction in the number of patrons per hour that the attraction can accept without compromising show quality.

With any pay as you go attraction, capacity equals income; the higher the capacity the higher the potential income. If the demand for the attraction is higher than the capacity of the attraction, then the attraction is actually losing money. This is especially true in a Halloween Event where the window of opportunity is limited and attendance tends to increase as October 31st approaches.

The benefits of higher throughput are shorter, faster moving queue lines which equates to more tickets sold.

Fast moving lines could even mean repeat visits for people who really enjoyed the attraction, all of which means happier customers and higher income.

What is less obvious are the drawbacks of low throughput.

No matter how good an attraction is, long waits in line to get in will decrease customer satisfaction. Long lines may also cause potential customers to pass up an attraction, rather than wait in line. In an amusement park, low capacity can cause complaints and demands for refunds because a customer could not experience all that they paid for. As attendance increases, high throughput can become mandatory for the survival of the event.

Capacity Design Criteria The haunt designer’s goal is to design an effective walkthrough attraction that can handle a maximum capacity while holding the high quality level of the experience. This is actually an impossible goal. There is not an attraction in the world that has higher quality at 500 people per hour than it has at 100 people per hour. As capacity increases the quality will inevitably decrease, however there are ways to design the attraction that will hold the quality to an acceptable level.

32

Some room designs actually accelerate patrons through the attraction. A gauntlet type of room design, like a long hallway with doors on both sides, will make patrons pause and then run through to get past whatever might be coming out of the doors. Just make sure there is a good scare to get them moving into the hallway.

Turning off the lights where the patrons are and turning lights on where you want them to go will also get them moving. Chaser lights through the entire attraction can accelerate the flow of patrons.

Different groups go through the attraction at different speeds, and when faster groups catch up to slower groups, you end up with huge groups that decrease the show quality. One way to alleviate this is to provide a large room or a prop in the center of the pathway to create a “passing lane” so people can go around a slow moving group.

Splitting the pathway at some point in the attraction works like a reverse funnel and can increase your capacity by alleviating the back up from slow patrons. The pathways after the split can be identical or completely different. The closer to the split is to the entrance, the greater capacity increase, until you have two parallel pathways through the same attraction. Those pathways can also split again toward the end for extremely high capacities.

Group Size There is no magic group size that maximizes a haunt’s the capacity. However, if you put even as few as two people that do not know each other together to create a group, there is no social bond between them; no reason for them to stay together. If one gets frightened and takes

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

off running, there is no incentive for the other to hurry and catch them. This is a huge problem for scripted scene attractions that need the groups together to be effective.

An attempt to correct this separating of the groups has given rise to the “hands on the shoulders� solution which is ill advised. A patron cannot enjoy the experience locked into a chain of people, and I certainly do not want some stranger holding on to my wife or daughter through dark hallways of a haunted house.

I send people into the attraction as they came to the event.

If a couple comes to the entrance they go together, three people, two couples or a group of friends, go in together.

Groups larger than seven people are asked to break into smaller groups, explaining that it is a better show if they stay apart.

Even a group of seven is too large if the actors are not trained to scare the middle and end of the group. I cannot tell you how many haunts I have experienced seven of more in line and never seen any of the scares. Even in a constant flow, patrons will break into groups naturally.

Designate each scare position to focus on a different part of the group, beginning, middle and end, to make sure everyone gets the full show.

The reality is that no matter how much distance you put between groups, you will always have one group moving so slowly that several groups catch up; creating one large group that will damage the show quality unless the attraction is designed to scare a constant line.

June 2011- September 2012

The Dreaded Conga Line In an attempt to increase capacity, some attractions increase their group size to 15, 20 or even 30 people. These are not groups, they just short sections of a constant line, and if the attraction is not designed to scare a constant line, the show quality will suffer.

An attraction designed for 300 people per hour will lose show quality when capacity is pushed to just 350 or 400 an hour. However, an attraction designed to handle a constant line, about 1,000 or more people an hour and still provide a quality experience, will have better show quality at even at 500 people an hour. Designing for maximum throughput means that when needed the attraction must be able frighten a constant line of people while still providing a quality experience.

Operational Control When it comes to throughput, the most important person at your attraction is the ticket taker. Like the spillway of a damn, this person can open up a flood of patrons or slow the pace to a trickle. Make sure this person understands your capacity needs for that specific night. Their job is to watch the queue line; as the line of people waiting to enter gets long, the distance between the groups decrease, as the line gets shorter the gaps in the groups increase to maximize the show quality. If the crowd is really large then the gap reduces to zero if necessary. It may require two or three people taking tickets to reach maximum capacity.

33

www.scareworld.co.uk

In most cases you will want to hold a line to “Prime the Pump,” as it were, for people buying tickets. Even a short time of no one going through the attraction will cause the actors to relax and not be ready for another group.

Scaring a Constant Line An actor out in the open will have a much harder time startling a constant line of patrons than one who pops out from behind a piece of furniture or a drop panel.

Instruct the actor to pop out, startle the group and then look back to see who the last person was to see the scare. Make sure that patron passes that scare location before it is used again. Designing several places for the same actor to pop out of provides additional scares that are even more effective than the first. The line of people is expecting the scare from the first location and not expecting the second one at all. Add a second actor on the opposite side of the pathway doing the same thing and you can now scare a constant line of people.

Each scare in the attraction must be designed to push the people forward. Scare them from the top, bottom, both sides and back, but never from the front. Never allow actors to do anything that will slow or stop patrons in the haunt. Instead you want to literally chase them through the attraction. You can still give them a show, but give them a show on the run.

An actor blocking the pathway is a capacity killer.

This menacing type of scare should be reserved for queue line or scare zone actors, not inside the attraction. Rather than making your patrons afraid to go forward, train your staff to scare the people forward, and actually accelerate the flow of people through the attraction. Placing the scares further apart in the beginning of the experience and closer together as the experience continues until a total

34

onslaught in the last scene will drastically increase your capacity and the quality of the show.

Each actor needs an assigned position, and each position must have space for the actor to stay out of the pathway. You can have an actor that steps into the pathway as long as the character then chases the patrons forward and there is an “actor return” back stage corridor, to get back to the starting position without walking backward in the same pathway as the patrons.

Capacity Killers Haunting legend Joe Jenson describes haunt acting as 10 second theater, and even that may be generous.

The haunted attraction actor needs to pop out quickly and disappear just as fast. Any kind of scripted dialog will decrease throughput. If your attraction has an intro speech or some bit of storyline that needs to be explained to retain the quality of the experience, then do this in the queue line as people move around the speech character or in one of multiple entry speech rooms.

The attraction can only operate at the capacity of the slowest of its parts, and if you have a slow part, like an elevator, buried alive effect or a “Rules Room,” it must be the first thing in the attraction and I suggest you design several of the rooms side by side to lessen the impact.

Part of what is scary about a haunted attraction is that patrons don’t know exactly how to get out, but hiding the door out of the room makes high capacity impossible. A true maze with dead ends and pathway choices should also be avoided. Not only a capacity killer, once choice of direction is added to the design, the codes change and additional egress marking is required.

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

Even a short dark corridor will slow people down, but a large dark section can slow capacity to a crawl.

Total darkness is an effective scare, so create a separate “Pitch Black” style haunt and consider using the double pathway design to increase the capacity.

Decorations can also hinder throughput. Something as innocuous as curtains in doorways or things hanging in the face of the patrons, while spooky, will decrease your capacity.

Rather than shutting down the whole attraction to break your actor, a better solution is to substitute actors in a rotation for breaks and keep the show running.

Attraction size Most of the people going through an attraction are moving along nicely, not staying in the haunt any longer than they have to. It is that one percent of very slowly moving patrons that clog up the works.

Relieving these bottle necks is crucial to increasing capacity. One way to relieve the bottle neck is to let them out of the attraction. The smaller the attraction the less effect one slow group has on the capacity and the higher the throughput.

Rather than one massive attraction, think multiple smaller attractions. I try not to design anything over 3,000 square feet (280 square meters), but you should have as many of these smaller attractions as possible. This approach lends itself to creating more and varying haunt themes and experiences.

It shortens the line at each attraction, drastically increases the perceived value of the event and provides more for the marketing department to promote.

The Future of Throughput Maximum capacity Haunting is not for everyone.

The favorite style of some Haunt designers may not lend itself to high throughput and physical restrictions such as building obstacles can also restrict capacity. To achieve the needed capacity you may have to move the attraction. In other cases, increasing capacity to numbers in excess of 2,000 per hour is mandatory to keep people from rioting in line!

But what is the cost of high capacity? As corridors widen to reach capacities of 3,000 people or more, what level of experience quality can be retained?

For non-park events the future may be “timed ticketing.” The online ticketing now gives us an inexpensive reservation system with the ability to sell tickets in time slots like a “Broadway show.”

When prime times and dates sell out, people are forced to choose a different night or time to attend.

This spreads out the impact of everyone showing up at 9pm on a Saturday, off onto slower nights and will greatly increase the level of the patron experience in shorter lines and better scares. Impulse buying of times that are about to sell out will also create greater total revenue for the event.

As the crowds to Halloween events continue to grow, maximizing throughout will continue to be a challenge of the attraction designer, but by designing the attraction for maximum capacity and training the actors to scare forward, high capacities can be achieved. By selecting room designs and attraction styles that increase capacity, designating scares and scare placement every attraction can enjoy shorter lines and increased attendance while still providing a quality haunting experience that produces the ultimate goal of happier patrons.

Leonard Pickel is the owner of Hauntrepreneurs®, an international attraction design and consulting company, and coordinator for the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Conference (HAuNTcon), Leonard Pickel built his first commercial Haunted House in 1976 and has designed or built over 100 attractions in 6 countries in the 35 plus year since.

Check out his web site at Hauntrepreneurs.com

June 2011- September 2012

35

www.scareworld.co.uk

36

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk Edinburgh Dungeon William Wallace Review by Luci Teal I am quite well versed in the sights, sounds and stories that Dungeon attractions generally have to offer but the opening of the Merlin’s new William Wallace haunt in Edinburgh now gives scare-seekers something a little different through the combined use of fun and comedy to bring to life 500 years of the Scottish city’s bloody history!

Although initially apprehensive at the size of our group, which seemed rather large, the space in the rooms ahead and the way the actors worked the crowd seemed ample once the tour had started of the eight different scare zones.

The corridors in and throughout each attraction were dark and creepy with heart-thumping music that complimented perfectly. A lot of thought and detail had been given to the authentic costumes and props, some being a little too realistic for those of a nervous disposition!

There was a story around every corner, each based on historical facts and told through a scripted performance with plenty of gore.

Our group was haunted by Mary King’s ghost who died in 1646 on the plague ridden streets of Edinburgh. The stench of death and disease was definitely still in the air.

Coming face-to-face with the spirit of the Scottish warrior hero, William Wallace, our group was given a gripping reenactment of his last days in his battle for independence from England including a very descriptive tale of his gory demise when he was horse-dragged to London, hung, drawn and quartered before his severed head paraded through the streets. This brand new feature named ‘William Wallace Allegiance’ uses video and physical effects to really bring the tale to life in four dimensions.

But by far one of my personal favourites is the tale of Sawney Bean and his terrifying family of flesh-eating cannibals.

Travelling by boat to the Cave of the Cannibals, a monstrous pack who slaughtered and devoured sailors, the terror of anticipation certainly made my heart beat faster, when I first glimpsed the Sawney Cannibal Clan pounding away at the skeletal remains of previous victims and screaming with furious delight at our arrival, I was absolutely terrified.

June 2011- September 2012

The actors worked brilliantly together in this scene and made fantastic use of the echoing space through both vocals and movement. They made light work of getting several screams from the crowd, keeping them hooked until the end.

One tale that I was very familiar with is that of infamous gravediggers, Burke and Hare, who certainly sent a chill down my spine as they began to peer round the crowd looking for new victims to slaughter and supply to Dr Knox!

Edinburgh is easily the best Dungeon I have been to so far now. I did visit a few years ago but it was nowhere near as good as the performance that I experienced this visit. The overall tour seemed longer and the script had definitely had more than a few effective tweaks.

I love that the Dungeons always offer you a bit more for your money with this one boasting two rides, Extremis and the water ride.

I have a love-hate relationship with drop-rides but am always game for a laugh so chose the path of the doomed and took a seat on The Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom which had brilliant added scenes at the top before you meet your fate, a plunge down to doom, just in-time for a quick picture, and it was over in a flash. It was nerve-wrecking ride designed to give an insight into being hanged and it certainly had that effect on those seated who seemed to heighten people’s fears being in close proximity of each other’s screams.

I found that Edinburgh Dungeon is one of a few attractions that provide guests with safety briefings without breaking characters or mood. The use of audiovisual before the drop ride is perfectly placed and the character warning us about the perils of the boat ride ahead in the Cave of the Cannibals also did brilliantly at keeping the rhythm of the story going while imparting important information.

Overall an entertaining, funny and insightful trip and I would most certainly recommend a visit, and if you have been before, go pay William Wallace a visit in 2012 - it’s a scream!

37

www.scareworld.co.uk

‘Carry on Camping’...if you dare, at Horror Camp Live!, the UK’s first interactive horror camping experience opening in Lancashire on Friday 13th July this year.

Inspired by movies such as The Blair Witch Project, Cabin Fever and Friday the 13th, Horror Camp Live! has been created and will be produced by AtmosFEAR! Entertainment Group (AEG) as part of its 2012 line-up of scare haunts both in the UK and overseas.

As a unique scare entertainment experience, Horror Camp Live!, combines live scareactors, indoor and outdoor scare attraction environments, dare based challenges and a horrifying story to create a frightening feast of scare entertainment.

The new 13-hour overnight terror experience will keep campers screaming throughout the night as they are placed in the middle of a live horror experience where scareactors will unleash dare-based games with evil twists and turns.

38

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

content that is intended to shock, scare and entertain.”

Lead by over-enthusiastic camp leaders, Dawney and Davey, the thrill-seeking campers at Horror Camp Live! will start their fright-filled evening around a camp fire where a two-course buffet-style barbecue will be served, but the friendly camp fire ambiance will soon turn nasty as they are lead on a journey beyond the campground where demented serial killer Lockjaw lurks.

Chris said “We have been developing a horror based camping experience for the past four years and felt that this year was the perfect time to launch it as it is an especially spooky time in Lancashire, this being the 400th anniversary of the Pendle Witch trials, which is just a few miles from the Horror Camp Live! site. Although we have been looking for the right site to host it, it is a bonus to our creative team that we have settled on Scare Kingdom Scream Park as the site is ideal, already having the infrastructure and physical site elements we need.”

Horror Camp Live! is suitable for campers aged 18-plus, and is perfect for stag and hen parties, team-building events and celebrations. Younger campers may attend if accompanied by an adult. Horror Camp Live! is also available exclusively to groups of 30-plus or more.

Located at various sites across the UK, Horror Camp Live! kicks off on July 13 where Campground Mass Acre will be located on the grounds of AEG’s renowned horror attraction, Scare Kingdom Scream Park, located in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, in the north west of England.

As an interactive scare attraction-style experience, Horror Camp Live!, is designed to give campers a outdoor experience like no ordinary holiday campsite. Guests will quickly discover that Horror Camp Live! is reminiscent of the 1999 movie, The Blair Witch Project, giving them the feeling that they have wandered into the middle of a horror film set where nightmarish screams and frights are pledged to be plentiful.

AEG’s Director of Production, Chris Kerry, said: “This is a new venture for AEG, but one which we are all excited about as it is going to be very immersive for the guests and give them a very personal scare experience.”

Jason Karl, Creative Director of AEG said “Horror Camp Live! will provide frightful, yet fun, scare-based entertainment, that is perfect for girls or lads on a Hen Party or Stag do, as well as colleagues in business who are looking for something different and challenging as a team-building exercise. Campers will find that they have to rely on each other during some of the dare-based games so there will be no room for shyness. However, there will be times when each camper has to think for themselves as they are given a personal horror experience that is designed very much to scare.”

Accommodation at Horror Camp Live! is in a two-man festival style tent which is provided as is a two course hot buffet style evening meal followed by ice cream and a selection of cakes for dessert. Guests will also receive a hot breakfast and free parking and toilet facilities are available.

Campers planning to visit the attraction are advised to check the website for essentials and a list of provisions which they must to bring to the camp.

For more information visit www.horrorcamplive.co.uk

“Although each camper’s experience will be very different from the next, they will all experience horror-based

June 2011- September 2012

39

www.scareworld.co.uk

e l ebsite it w T g n in d io a t c le e y S r t s The indu .uk

ions.co t c a r t t a e r a c .s www is changing...

MASTERS of the macabre have come together to create the UK’s first all-encompassing networking website for businesses and fans of the country’s booming scare entertainment industry.

The new website aims to unite and promote all aspects of the scare entertainment industry in the UK by providing an umbrella site on which producers and creators of the country’s leading scare entertainment attractions can share knowledge about the business both together and with members of the general public.

Frightma re at Over Far m

© Ste ph

en Can dy

Photog

raphy

hts Fright Nig ark Thorpe P

Tulle Shock ys Farm toberF est

40

It aims to become the UK’s most prolific independent resource for the UK’s scare entertainment business akin to similar networks successfully operated in the USA where the scare entertainment industry is worth a staggering $500 million per annum.

The free-to-join website has been spearheaded by four of the UK’s leading scare entertainment creators and promoters following a recent survey which revealed Halloween is the UK’s second most popular holiday season after Christmas!

Within the first week the following operators have signed up... Freak Week at the Hop Farm, Farmaggedon, Frightmare at Over Farm, Tulleys Farm ShoctoberFest, Cursed, Hallowscream at York Maze, Twinlakes Xtreme Fright Nights, Exbury Gardens Ghost Train, Thorpe Park, The Silver Mountain Experience, Scare Kingdom Scream Park, Halloween Adventure Scream Park, Dr Frights Halloween Nights, The Fear Horror House, Scareshow at Church Farm and many more...

So what are you wai www.scareattracti ting for? Visit ons.co.uk to check out the EVILut ion and sign up your attraction! www.scareattraction www.scarenetwork. s.co.uk www.scareawards.cco.uk o.uk June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

Madelon Hoedt is a Ph.D. student and part-time lecturer at the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Glamorgan (UK).

She has been researching scare attractions and other forms of horror performance for a number of years, focusing on audience response and perception, and has published several articles on these and related topics. If you wish to contact her, please send an email to the following address: m.e.hoedt@gmail.com.

re The Science ofSca

Part FOUR

In the previous issue of Scareworld, this column looked into aspects of narrative: what stories underpin your attractions, and what are the ways in which you can tell these? Narrative encompasses more than the premise, plot or spoken lines and instead can also include sound and visual cues. In the discussion, I briefly touched on the idea and use of space, a topic that is vital when looking at scare attractions and which will be revisited in more detail here.

Last time, I raised the notion that a space can say something and a location can create a different ‘feel’ for your audience. If you have a specific venue at your disposal such as an old pub or disused warehouse, it could be beneficial to play to the strengths of this location. What impression will an audience get when they arrive at the attraction? What features are still in place in the venue that can be highlighted and used to your advantage? Why did you choose to use this location and what can you do to heighten the ‘feel’ of the place?

At the same time, there is the other side of the coin, a situation where the venue itself carries few connotations and where the space of the attraction, first and foremost, will be a created space.

Much like a theme park, scare attractions can be described as creating a world of makebelieve which the audience is free to explore. The experience is spatial and physical, allowing visitors to explore the world

June 2011- September 2012

41

www.scareworld.co.uk

they encounter. What we are dealing with is the idea of environmental storytelling: the space the audience moves through is as important to their experience and sense of narrative as any of the words which are spoken .It is at this point that scare attractions connect closely with theme parks, offering its visitors a sensation of the themed spaces of horror.

Instead of using text, as stated by Scott Lukas in his 2008 book Theme Parks, “...buildings take on the position of storytellers.” (77) These stories, however, are told in a very specific way: in “Game Design as Narrative Architecture” (2004), Henry Jenkins describes how “[t]he amusement park doesn’t so much reproduce the story of a literary work [...] as it evokes its atmosphere...” (123) Rather than building a detailed replica or a direct adaptation, the themed space focuses on impressions and experiences: “The most compelling amusement park attractions build upon stories or genre traditions already wellknown to visitors, allowing them to enter physically into spaces they have visited many times before in their fantasies.” (Jenkins, 2004:123) Don Carson, in “Environmental Storytelling” (2010), echoes this idea: “Armed with only their own knowledge of the world, and those visions collected from movies and books, the audience is ripe to be dropped into your adventure.” (n.pag.)

In the design of the attraction, we are aiming for ‘authenticity’, for something which looks as an audience would imagine it might. This reliance on ‘authenticity’ and expectations can define the experience: If you are creating a game or attraction based on, let’s say “pirates”, you’ll need to play your audiences expectation like a violin. You want to pamper them by fulfilling every possible expectation of what it must be like to be a pirate. Every texture you use, every sound you play, every turn in the road should reinforce the concept of “pirates!” [...] If you break any of the rules, more often than not your team will argue, “we can’t put that in there, that’s not at all ‘piratey’!” (Carson, n.pag.)

it should look. In Carson’s words, is it horror-y enough?

From books, comics and movies, an audience knows what a dungeon should look like: dark and damp, with moisture and moss glistening on the walls. We imagine spiders and rats, prisoners in cells, half-mad with fear of simply being incarcerated in such a place, their chains rattling.

Our mind can conjure up a myriad of horrible creatures that might stalk the labyrinthine passageways, what ghosts and ghouls we might find, and the objects we associate with the location: chains, barred cells and windows, and a multitude of torture devices. When one visits a space that used to be a dungeon, one might end up being disappointed: some of the fixtures might be there, but will an empty cell with bars and chains really send the chill up our spine or make us shiver the way we did when we imagined it? Scare attractions can bring us to the laboratory, the haunted house, the dungeon; they introduce us to the monsters and critters from the darkest

The themed experience is created for us, playing to our wishes and expectations. The space is altered or built to fit, creating a play-world and giving the audience the agency to explore a private, terrifying narrative. As scripting often becomes secondary to other elements, most of the narrative that is presented in a scare attraction is told through the quality of the space itself and of its use. Does it create fear, and does it look like the audience would think

42

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

corners of our minds and bring those terrors to life.

A visit to a theme park invites play, invites freedom, invites the visitor into its world. Although operating on a much smaller scale, scare attractions can similarly be seen as a complete form, integrating every element of its design into one horror themed event: “[Theme parks] use architecture, geography and modes of performance to reference all of the senses for the ends of amusement. [They] give themselves a place by being spaces of hypersensation.” (Lukas, 2008: 67) How, then, should we approach the design of such a created space? Carson’s essay includes some practical advice on how to accomplish this. According to him, the story is key: “...not [...] a linear “once upon a time” type of story [but] a “big picture” idea of the world that is being created.” (n.pag.) Within this process, Carson states: ...the next most important task is to answer your audience’s first question... “Where am I?” No matter how well designed your environments are, if your audience cannot answer this question in the first 15 seconds, you are already lost. [...]

Your next question to answer is “What is my relationship to this place?” (n.pag.)

Apparently sound advice from Carson, but perhaps a little obvious. In the case of scare attractions, visitors will have clear ideas of what they expect to see: although horror is difficult to define, it is easy to recognise. In addition, our audiences make a decision to visit a specific venue, where the need to be drawn into the story is perhaps less pressing than in a theme park, where attractions are unrelated, vying for attention.

June 2011- September 2012

43

www.scareworld.co.uk Because of this, perhaps we need to look at Carson’s comments from a different angle. If we show an audience where they are, and how they relate to the place, what happens when we change this information? In the first column of this series, I drew attention to the ideas of control and distance in relation to horror: if a visitor is able to stay in control and to distance themselves from the action, they are likely to be less affected by the scares thrown at them. This control and distance can be both physical and psychological, leaving us with the challenge to try and diminish these sensations in order to really ‘get to’ our audience. Can we use space in the same way? What if we were to follow Carson’s advice, giving visitors a clear idea of their relationship to a place, only to use it to surprise them when we change the information we started with? Can we turn their expectations on their heads and use this to scare them even more?

It is the close relationship between the use of space and classic horror conventions which will make such a decision successful. These ‘rules of horror’ have a specific place when we look at scare attractions, and it is this topic that will be addressed in the next issue.

44

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

Scary World Senritsu Meikyu Fuji-Q Highland, Japan

It is generally believed that the scare entertainment industry, and in particular walkthrough haunted house style experiences, originated in America - the earliest recorded being a Haunted House by attraction designers Orton & Spooner which dates from 1915, but Japanese scare attractions may in fact predate their American counterparts with the first ‘scary show house’ dating from 1804.

Unlike western haunts which traditionally operate around Halloween in the darker months, Japanese attractions are popular during the summer leading up to and including August - when the holiday of ‘Obon’ - a festival of ghosts, is celebrated.

In Japan, a visit to a traditional ‘Obake Yashiki’ or ‘Haunted House’ is a popular Obon activity, and leading theme park Fuji-Q Highland, located at the base of Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida , houses the largest scare attraction in the country.

Long renowned for holding The Guinness World of Records title as the biggest scare/haunted attraction in the world, ‘Horror Hospital’ underwent a major re-imagineering in 2011 and was renamed ‘Senritsu Meikyu’ or ‘The Labyrinth of Fear’. The huge renovation project coincided with a major 3-d motion picture named ‘Shock Labyrinth’ which was based on, and shot inside the attraction at the Japanese theme park.

Although no longer the holder of the Guinness title, which according to www.hauntworld.com subsequently passed first to Erebus in Michigan (USA), then Cutting Edge Haunted House in Texas (USA), followed by Factory of Terror in Ohio (USA) and is now held by Haunted Cave in Ohio (USA), the attraction is still considered one of the world’s largest scare attraction experiences.

June 2011- September 2012

45

www.scareworld.co.uk

Popular with both Japanese and international visitors, guests queue for up to five hours to enter the hospital themed attraction, which has an impressive 3000 metre square footprint and spreads across two floors.

Senritsu throws guests into a nightmare experience bought to life by animatronics, special effects, live scareactors and an incredibly realistic set, which many have described as similar to environments in the ‘Silent Hill’ movie and game franchise.

Prior to entry, those of a nervous disposition may purchase a glow in the dark ‘Omamori’ which keeps the scareactors inside at bay, giving them a slightly less horrifying experience. Omamori are a traditional Japanese protection amulet which afford the bearer protection from malign spirits.

Also part of the experience is the obligatory photo opportunity, taken at an opportune ‘scare’ moment, and which surviving guests can view and purchase at the end of the attraction.

Armed with only a penlight torch, guests enter the attraction in batched groups, beginning with a video pre-show which sets the narrative in a long forgotten hospital, where the remnants of dark experiments and vile twisted tortures await the unwary.

Combining a mixture of static manikin characters, and live scareactors, guests explore a seemingly unending complex of rooms, wards, laboratories and corridors, each designed to deliver its story through props, lighting and the scareactors who lurk in the dark.

Unlike western scare attractions, which often rely on large scale sudden impacts, power tools, copious amounts of blood and powerful ambient sound, Senritsu is different - designed for the Japanese audience and builds tension through subtlety, using clever low level lighting and silence which creates a feeling of creeping unease as you explore further into the warren of rooms.

Impact scares are delivered through careful placement of manikins as you turn a corner, by unexpected jets of cold air and by the scareactors dressed as half dead nurses, doctors and patients. Although no scripted narrative is apparent, the storyline is imparted by the environment itself, this combined with the attractions sheer size delivers an experience which is both impressive and epic.

During the recent re-design , new rooms and features have been added to further enhance what was already a popular attraction. Guests navigate through The Bacteria Lab, Quarantine, The CT Scan Room, Operating Room, Mortuary and Diagnostic Examination Chamber, among others.

Situated at key points are a series of exit doors which allow guests to forego the remainder of the experience if it is getting too much for them.

With a journey lasting over an hour, not everyone who enters is able to complete the experience, but they can watch the exit door as others emerge screaming and laughing with relief that they have survived!

Senritsu Meikyu is Fuji-Q Highland’s headlining scare entertainment

46

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

experience, but also on offer for scare seekers are ‘House of Executions’, ‘Gegege no Kikaro Haunted Mansion’ 3D film experience and ‘Coffin Graveyard’ - a simulated ride which places guests inside a coffin as they face their worst fears.Worth, TX, then Factory of Terror in Canton, OH and now Haunted Cave at Lewisburg.

terror featuring Japanese devils and demons.

Full information on Senritsu Meikyu and Fuji-Q Highland can be found at http://www.fujiq.jp/attraction/special/ senritsu/index.html

At Nagashima Spaland you will find a traditional haunted house style walk through experience.

Other Japanese ‘Obake Yashiki’ attractions can be found throughout the country; At Namja Town in Tokyo, ‘Onnen Ryokan’ or ‘The Haunted Inn’ offers guests a ten minute journey of

June 2011- September 2012

‘The Room of Living Dolls’ at Joypolis, Tokyo, is a creepy doll themed experience in which guests wear a pair of headphones as they sit to experience the scares in stereophonic sound.

‘Thriller Fantasy Museum’ at Nagasaki Huis Ten Bosch offers three interactive scare experiences with different narratives ‘Ghost Wedding at The Carillon Museum’, ‘Melody in the Dark Orgelhuis’ and ‘Japanese Ghost Story Hall’.

47

www.scareworld.co.uk

2011 Winners Best Year Round Scare Attraction

London Bridge Experience featuring the London Tombs

Best Seasonal or Halloween Family/Daytime Event (large venue) October Fest, Tulleys Farm

Best Seasonal or Halloween Family/Daytime Event (small venue) Twinlakes Family Scream Park

Best Seasonal or Halloween Evening Event (large venue) Shocktober Fest, Tulleys Farm

Best Seasonal or Halloween Evening Event (small venue) Freak Week, Hop Farm

Best Seasonal or Halloween Scare Attraction/Maze (large venue) Terror of the Towers, Scarefest, Alton Towers

Best Seasonal or Halloween Scare Attraction/Maze (small venue) Bunker 13, Magna Science Centre, Rotherham

Best New for 2011 Seasonal or Halloween Scare Attraction (large venue) Hell-ements, Shocktoberfest, Tulleys Farm

Best New for 2011 Seasonal or Halloween Scare Attraction (small venue) The Fear Horror House, Copthorne

48

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

Once again Kevin, Wayne and their team have been out and about in search of a scare.

Scareworld are pleased to have some of thier latest reviews here for you.

Don’t forget, for the latest news and reviews on all the scariest goings on, check out their new look site at www.scareattractions.co.uk.

The Haunted GRIMM House Situated in old town Kissimmee, Florida, USA is one of the areas longest standing scare attractions. Gone are the famous ‘Terror on Church Street’, ‘Skull Kingdom’ and ‘The Haunted Mansion’ (although Walt Disney World’s famous haunt of the same name remains), leaving The Haunted Grimm House as the destination for scare seekers looking for a chilling experience.

Legend has it that in 1886 this elaborate Victorian estate was constructed in the swamp for the Grimm family.

The impressive residence housed the Grimm’s funeral business until, finally, in 1929, the family succumbed to their son’s growing insanity, the stock market crash and their butler’s penchant for murder.

you want an old fashioned haunted house experience filled with twists and turns, then drop by the Haunted Grimm House next time you are in Florida, and visit their website at www.hauntedgrimmhouse.com to download a 20% discount voucher off the standard entrance fee.

One hundred years after its construction, Old Town grew up around the old Grimm house and its terrifying reputation. Fearful of unleashing the home’s spirits if they tore the place down, the Old Town council decided in 1993 to open the house to the public with the warning that they would not be responsible for what might happen to anyone inside its 4,000 ‘scare’ feet of winding corridors and wicked rooms. Fortunately, not one guest has been reported lost to the two-story, 20-room house, although there have been some close calls...

With an elaborate facade and detailed scenes comprising of a dark maze, haunted house style environments and a variety of scares including live scareactors, the Haunted Grimm House claims to be the number one attraction in Kissimmee’s Old Town district.

Perhaps not the scariest of haunted attractions in the USA, the Haunted Grimm House provides spooky moments with an occasional hair-raising encounter, and is suitable for all audiences. If you are seeking a high fear experience then the attraction may not be for you, but if

June 2011- September 2012

49

www.scareworld.co.uk

Scare Listings CURRENT EUROPEAN SCARE ATTRACTION ENTERTAINMENT LISTINGS CURRENT EUROPEAN YEAR ROUND SCARE ATTRACTIONS The London Dungeon London, England www.thedungeons.com Attractions: Vengeance 5d Laser Ride Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom Traitor: Boat Ride to Hell The Great Fire of London Jack the Ripper Sweeney Todd Surgery; Blood and Guts Labyrinth of Lost Souls Plague Torture Judgement of Sinners Bedlam

Terror Tombs Rhyl, North Wales www.palacefuncentre.co.uk The Black Chasm Silver Mountain Experience, Wales www.silvermountainexperience.co.uk Bunker 3Zero Pembrokeshire, Wales www.faceyourfears.tv/bunker-x The Ghostbus Tours London, England www.theghostbustours.com

The York Dungeon York, Yorkshire www.thedungeons.com Attractions: Dick Turpin Ghosts of York Bloody Vikings Guy Fawkes Witches: Burned Alive Execution: Traitors of York Plague Labyrinth of Lost Souls Judgement of Sinners

Scream London, England www.madametussauds.com

Carnesky’s Ghost Train Lancashire, England www.carneskysghosttrain.co.uk

The London Tombs London, England www.thelondonbridgeexperience.com

Pasaje Del Terror Lancashire, England www.pasajedelterror.com

The Castle Dungeon at Warwick Castle Warwickshire, England www.warwick-castle.co.uk Attractions: The Black Jester Dark Chapel Plague Pit Plague Doctor Torture Constable of Warwick Castle Labyrinth of Lost Souls Execution Witches of Warwick

2.8 Hours Later Regional, England www.2.8hourslater.com

Buccaneer Bay Newquay, Cornwall www.buccaneer-bay.co.uk

Terror Tower Yorkshire, England www.terrortower.co.uk

Sunken Village of the DAMNED Newquay, Cornwall www.buccaneer-bay.co.uk

The Edinburgh Dungeon Edinburgh www.thedungeons.com Attractions: Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom Mary King’s Ghost Sawney Bean: Cave of the Cannibals William Wallace: Allegiance Burke & Hare Judgement of Sinners Torture Labyrinth of Lost Souls

Zombie Boot Camp Worcestershire, England www.ramtraining.co.uk Zed Zombie Survival Events Regional, England www.zedevents.co.uk The Last Survivors Essex, England www.thelastsurvivors.co.uk Horror Camp Live!

Regional, England www.horrorcamplive.co.uk

50

Haunted Crypt Lancashire, England www.pleasurebeachresort.com

The Haunted House of 1859 Kent, England www.dickensworld.co.uk Dracula Experience Yorkshire, England www.draculaexperience.co.uk

June 2012- September 2012

www.scareworld.co.uk

The Blackpool Tower Dungeon Blackpool, Lancashire www.thedungeons.com Attractions: Elevator to Hell Dark Chapel Plague Torture Judgement of Sinners Labyrinth of the Lost Vikings of the North Skippool Smugglers Pendle Witches Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom The Amsterdam Dungeon Amsterdam, Holland www.thedungeons.com Attractions: Het Martelkabinet De VOC Zwarte Jan De Bloedraad Meynes Cornellis Amsterdamse Straten De Pest Magere Hein Nieuw Bij Dungeon The Hamburg Dungeon Hamburg, Germany www.thedungeons.com Attractions: Hamburg Brennt 1842 Stortebekers Hinrichtung Sturmflut-1717 Zuchthaus Extremis: Sturz In Die Holle Torture Chamber The House of Fear Allou! Fun Park, Athens, Greece www.allou.gr El Viejo Del Caseron Parque De Attraciones, Madrid, Spain www.parquedeatracciones.es

June 2011- September 2012

La Maldicion de la Momia Terra Mitica, Benidorm, Spain www.terramiticapark.com Pasaje Del Terror Tivoli World, Malaga, Spain www.tivoli.es Krake Lebt!

Heide Park, Germany www.heide-park.de Krueger Hotel Barcelona, Spain www.tibidabo.es The Bram Stoker Dracula Experience Dublin, Ireland www.thebramstokerdraculaexperience. com SCREAM! Madame Tussauds, Amsterdam, Holland www.madamtussauds.nl

CURRENT EUROPEAN TEMPORARY SCARE ATTRACTIONS Project Fear Sheffield, England www.projectfear.co.uk

SCARE DINING The Creaky Cauldron, Stratford Upon Avon Warwickshire, England www.seekthemagic.org Attractions: The Stratford Ripper Experience The Jekyll & Hyde Experiment The Halloween Imagiscarium of Dr Thaddeus Bombay The Hellfire Club, Manchester Manchester, England www.thehellfire.co.uk

The House of Magic, London London, England www.houseofmagic.co.uk Frankenstein, Edinburgh Edinburgh, Scotland www.frankenstein-pub.co.uk Frankenstein, Glasgow Glasgow, Scotland www.frankenstein-pub.co.uk

STAGED SCARES The Woman in Black, Fortune Theatre London, England www.thewomaninblack.com Circus of Horrors, Touring the UK www.circusofhorrors.co.uk

51

52

June 2012- September 2012