Haunted Theatre?

[Jason Kloos]

Hi folks,

Looking to open a small haunted theatre attraction. Guests come sit in a room in small groups and are told ghost stories by an animatronic (or something along those lines). Need this to be frightening and feature some loud noises/ surprises along the way. Has anyone seen something like this done? There used to be something similar called Ghosts and Legends Theatre in Myrtle Beach but it is now closed. I also believe there is something along the lines of this in Atlantic City, NJ? Please share any thoughts in regard to going about this type of project. All suggestions are welcome! Thank you.

Jason

[Front Yard Fright]

What's your budget? There's a company called Life Formations that put together something similar to what you're explaining years ago at a haunt in Texas called Thrillvania. They've also done a couple restaurants called The Jekyll and Hyde Club with several animations programmed to various songs and skits. Only thing is, they are not cheap in the slightest!

Hope this helps some!

[ZombieRaider]

I saw a 4D movie called "Haunts of the olde country" at Bush Gardens Virginia in 1995....It was a theatre setting that had a spooky atmosphere as soon as you stepped inside....They handed out glasses at the entrance and the mood was already set with wind and thunder strobe light effects as you waited for the movie to start....You could even feel the air moving a little...Probably from the hidden fans making the curtains rustle...Set the atmosphere really nice....The details in the theatre itself was nice with paintings and a suit of armor, etc....When the movie played it had many special effects from rain (overhead sprinklers) with just enough droplets to get the effect across to the smell of perfume....You could feel the breezes and there was an interaction between a real actor dressed as a witch in the back of the theatre and the movie itself....In the movie the boy threw water at the witch at which point they shot real water out from the front of the stage getting people in the front couple rows with water....During the party scene they shot confetti from the front of the stage....It was actually a pretty cool effect since it was blending the 3d elements you were seeing in the movie with real events happening around you that you still saw since you were wearing 3d glasses.....You couldn't blend elements together like that if you went with VR goggles ....It was the first time I ever saw a 3d movie that I can remember and that show left quite an impression on me....I just did a search on youtube and found the video....At the 14:28 mark is where they incorporated the interaction between a live actor and the movie....ZR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBJIFzWZfUU

[drfrightner]

Im not going to lie I would love to do a haunted theater show its something I'm considering for Creepyworld since we built the midway. Send a video if you make it!

[Jason Kloos]

What's your budget? There's a company called Life Formations that put together something similar to what you're explaining years ago at a haunt in Texas called Thrillvania. They've also done a couple restaurants called The Jekyll and Hyde Club with several animations programmed to various songs and skits. Only thing is, they are not cheap in the slightest!

Hope this helps some!

Thanks! Will look into it.

[Jason Kloos]

I saw a 4D movie called "Haunts of the olde country" at Bush Gardens Virginia in 1995....It was a theatre setting that had a spooky atmosphere as soon as you stepped inside....They handed out glasses at the entrance and the mood was already set with wind and thunder strobe light effects as you waited for the movie to start....You could even feel the air moving a little...Probably from the hidden fans making the curtains rustle...Set the atmosphere really nice....The details in the theatre itself was nice with paintings and a suit of armor, etc....When the movie played it had many special effects from rain (overhead sprinklers) with just enough droplets to get the effect across to the smell of perfume....You could feel the breezes and there was an interaction between a real actor dressed as a witch in the back of the theatre and the movie itself....In the movie the boy threw water at the witch at which point they shot real water out from the front of the stage getting people in the front couple rows with water....During the party scene they shot confetti from the front of the stage....It was actually a pretty cool effect since it was blending the 3d elements you were seeing in the movie with real events happening around you that you still saw since you were wearing 3d glasses.....You couldn't blend elements together like that if you went with VR goggles ....It was the first time I ever saw a 3d movie that I can remember and that show left quite an impression on me....I just did a search on youtube and found the video....At the 14:28 mark is where they incorporated the interaction between a live actor and the movie....ZR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBJIFzWZfUU

Thanks for sharing- there are some great ideas here!

[Jason Kloos]

Im not going to lie I would love to do a haunted theater show its something I'm considering for Creepyworld since we built the midway. Send a video if you make it!

Absolutely will do!

[monsterwax]

Why not use a live story teller instead? I would think the audience would prefer it. We did "Ghost Tours" of our haunt during the off season, and would walk a group through the different stations in the haunt and tell different stories that seemed related to the props. (We also used one other actor to preform certain ghost illusions or jump scares.) It was pretty darn creepy! (But that building was pretty darn creepy, too!) I went on a Ghost Tour in St. Augustine and the host walked you to different historic places, doing the same sort of thing, but solo. (I had a similar experience in Savanah.) With the right atmosphere, the right stories, and a good story teller, I would think it would be very effective. Ours worked well except when it got too cold in winter nights (and we only did them at night).

[MaestroPhantom]

What you are describing sounds very similar to the Hauntings attraction that used to be in Gatlinburg Tennessee.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YxrK79KeiXY

[Dreamreaper]

Maybe as a side attraction, we pull our hair out trying to keep them moving every 30 seconds.

[proaudiodude]

What you are describing sounds very similar to the Hauntings attraction that used to be in Gatlinburg Tennessee.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YxrK79KeiXY

That was a great show. Did it years ago and got a good scare. It was well done and pretty advanced for its time. I have been wanting to recreate it for some time as an extra attraction.

[RJ Productions]

What ever happened to Granny Lupus' Haunted Seance Room at Thrillvania??? Is this something like you were envisioning?

[drfrightner]

Your video doesn't work do you have a good link to it? Dude I saw that in person. That was an animation from Lifeformations. I think Verdun was the first haunted house in the WORLD to buy an animation from that company. It was a witch in a swamp house. Todd James owns Verdun now. I'll ask him. Larry