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Kennywood Ghostwood Estates Set to Open

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  • Kennywood Ghostwood Estates Set to Open

    There is a media day this Friday and after that on Saturday, yes this Saturday Kennywood's GhostWood Estates will open and I'm hoping it will become an instant classic. I wish we could spend more time on the place, I wish we could build more stuff, but its opening this Saturday.

    I will personally be there on Friday and Saturday.

    If you want to meet up let me know!

    The attraction features like 10 CGI effects, ghost effects, over 250 targets, 10 scenes, a wireless ride system, an awesome facade, and a SUPER cool haunted preshow room.

    Its hard to say if its better than Disney's Haunted Mansion because it doesn't have a 50 million dollar budget, isn't nearly as long, but in many ways its very similar and on the same level.

    The scenes in this place are AWESOME!!!!!!!

    You really need to see this attraction with the lights ON, rather than the lights OFF. Most attractions look horrible with the lights ON but this place is the opposite it looks 100 times better with the lights ON.

    I will say for a fact this is the BEST thing we've ever done anywhere!!!!!

    Kennywood officials told me they think its the best themed ride they have ever done, and its the closest thing to Disney you'll see in Pittsburgh. Kennywood wanted this to be family friendly but not sacrifice the haunted side of a haunted dark ride, so the real goal was Disney with a little more teeth.

    The ride is a targeting ride, meaning the animations do not even activate unless you target them with your Ghost Blasters!!! So its a haunted mansion like Disney, but also is a game like many of the others you've seen in the past.

    Its a mix of both!!!!

    Kennywood built the facade, ETF supplied the ride system and we built the interior and working as a team I think we've made something special here.

    We had help from several vendors in this industry such as Unit 70, Scareparts, Scarefactory, Ghost Ride, Sinister Scents, Pale Night Productions (Kip Polley), Distortions, Digital Sound and Lighting, all sorts of stuff from Morris Costumes, Pete did a great job on the CG effects, and our entire crew in St. Louis.

    We'd also like to thank the crew from Scarehouse who helped us install the attraction the first time we came...even Ben Armstrong lent a hand for a couple days.

    There are just a lot of people who helped!!!

    Sooo...if you get the chance come on down on Saturday and ride the ride and experience Kennywood's GhostWood Estates.

    All the DAFE members are invited to attend a special MEDIA only day on Friday, and I think they're getting a lights on tour. So if you are a member come on down, if you're not a member JOIN DAFE, the lights on tour will be worth EVERY PENNY if you get the lights on TOUR!

    If you get to walk around behind the walls for the attraction you'll see what seems like MILLIONS of controllers mounted more than you've ever seen in your LIFE!!!!

    I will be there on Friday and Saturday.

    Hope to see you there. I wish I could upload more photos but I don't want to get in trouble...hehehe.

    Take care.
    Larry
    Larry Kirchner
    President
    www.HalloweenProductions.com
    www.BlacklightAttractions.com
    www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
    www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

  • #2
    Congrats larry!
    Buried deep beneath Darksyde acres Haunted house In Michigan I'm the Best at what I do, What I do Isn't very NICE!

    Comment


    • #3
      Sounds really nice Larry, how many sq. ft. does the ride consist of?
      Tim Dunne
      www.FrightKingdom.com
      Proud Member of the HHA
      www.HHAssociation.com

      Comment


      • #4
        You know I'm not sure how many square feet the ride is but it's not very big... I do actually know how many feet the thing is because I have a blueprint but I don't have it handy. Its not big I know that... maybe 4,000 square feet maybe bigger.

        Something like Disney's haunted mansion is probably 15,000 square feet or bigger I don't know. I never looked into it but I'm sure its real big. This dark ride has ten scenes and they're all awesome!

        Every scene is HUGE as well... if we took this same space and made it into a haunted house it would have about 20 scenes at least.

        You have to remember a massive car has to drive through the sets so the rooms are big!

        Larry
        Larry Kirchner
        President
        www.HalloweenProductions.com
        www.BlacklightAttractions.com
        www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
        www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

        Comment


        • #5
          Larry, When can we drool over pics?
          Listen to them, Children of the night. Oh what music they make.

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          • #6
            Well we're going to upload several to our website but it won't be until after the ride opens. Larry
            Larry Kirchner
            President
            www.HalloweenProductions.com
            www.BlacklightAttractions.com
            www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
            www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

            Comment


            • #7
              i cant waite Larry!

              -Taylor

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              • #8
                Any of your haunted house / dark ride nuts want to meet up on Saturday I will be at the Park all day long. Let me know if you're coming!!!

                Larry
                Larry Kirchner
                President
                www.HalloweenProductions.com
                www.BlacklightAttractions.com
                www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
                www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  Unfortunately, I will have to wait a couple of weeks to see it as I'm committed to The Eastern Haunters' Convention, but I'll be visiting Ghostwood more than a couple of times this summer. Kennywood is about 6 miles from my door.

                  I might be able to get my wife and daughter to renew our DAFE membership and have a sick day, though ;-)

                  Chris

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                  • #10
                    Since we are sorta on the subject of The Haunted Mansion, heres a link to most of the plans for the mansion, I dont know if you can decipher square footage from them or not, they are kinda hard to read even after seeing the hi-res version (you have to give your email address and name to get access to those)

                    The website is the haunted portrait company so some of you have probably seen this before. Enjoy.

                    http://www.hauntedportraits.com/Haun...Blueprints.htm

                    Larry I wish I could be there for the grand opening it sounds really cool, plus ive never been to Kennywood so ill have to get up there soon!
                    Nate Mitchell|creative consultant
                    [n8 creative studios]

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Here is a tid bit for you...

                      On the Kennywood ride Kennywood set up the pre-show room and they used Changing Portraits stuff for the walls. We also used some stuff from Haunted Memories, so both Haunted Memories and Changing Portraits will have their art live for the life of this ride.

                      Larry
                      Larry Kirchner
                      President
                      www.HalloweenProductions.com
                      www.BlacklightAttractions.com
                      www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
                      www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I'm heading out and will be at Kennywood Amusement Park. I hope you all can make it ... give me a ring at 314 504 3970 if you end up at Kennywood this weekend and want to find me.

                        The guys from Scarehouse stopped by last night to check out the place...they said it was amazing. It really is a really cool haunted mansion that you really must see with the LIGHTS ON!

                        We did so much detail to the place like mudding the walls, to give it stucco look I wonder if anyone will ever see it... you can with the lights on! LOL

                        I hope to catch some PA people out there this weekend.

                        Friday is their media party so I'll find out what DAFE thinks then!

                        Larry
                        Larry Kirchner
                        President
                        www.HalloweenProductions.com
                        www.BlacklightAttractions.com
                        www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
                        www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          As Larry said, we were lucky enough to check out Ghostwood Wednesday night and it looks fantastic.

                          It's very high-tech and filled with tons of detail, as you can probably imagine -- but it still very much feels like it belongs in Kennywood. It's very colorful, very fun, and very much a part of the dark ride tradition that K-wood has developed over the last 100 years.

                          Kennywood's dark rides have always had a great sense of whimsy and character to them ( the gone-but-not-forgotten "Le Cachot" dark ride featured skeletons jousting on motorcycles, as well as several highly psychedelic scenes) -- and Ghostwood feels right at home.

                          It's easily the most detailed dark ride Kennywood I've ever seen at Kennywood, and I'm sure the response will be amazing. As was mentioned in earlier posts, the ScareHouse team was lucky enough to participate in the installation -- which was a total thrill.

                          KDKA TV did a preview of the ride yesterday morning, which you can watch here: http://kdka.com/video/?id=40793@kdka.dayport.com

                          The Post Gazette did a story yesterday: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08122/877774-55.stm
                          Scott Simmons
                          The ScareHouse / Undead Productions Inc.

                          http://www.scarehouse.com
                          http://youtube.com/thescarehouse

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                          • #14
                            Leaving for Kennywood in a bit here. See everyone there!

                            Can;t wait to see Ghostwood Estates!!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              So what is everones impressions on Ghostwood?
                              (For those who have ridden)

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