Tweet
Okay follow this thread as I will update you on everything as we build new scenes, create drawings, or have updates.
Last year we built a new building from scratch and inside that building built two new attractions on top of renovation of the existing Darkness. The new building didn't start erection until the end of October. It was a miracle we could ever even build that building, renovate the darkness, install four attractions around the US and build two new attractions inside our new building prior to March.
That was tough! During last years tour the building itself was not completed and it took another two or three months before it was finally done... well its done now!
This winter we will focus only on building or rebuilding or haunted house. We have a very aggressive plan, we had a meeting on Saturday and the wheels went into motion today. We are starting a bit late because last year we started the day after we closed this year we will barely start or doing any work in November.
However we have started!
Here are some details of what we are doing, the website, when we'll open and all of that...
Terror Visions: We are not doing an overhaul but we are adding more animations, more props, more detail and changing one of the rooms. We are also adding some new painting effects. It won't be the same but it won't be a ton different either but it will be like twice as good because it will be MORE built out. Hard to explain but you'll see if you come to our tour. Last year Terror Visions was more of a maze with painted walls with some props, now it will be a maze with awesome paintings but 4 times more built out. Hard to explain.
The Darkness Downstairs: Downstairs is getting a more built out que line and one room is being changed nothing major. The one room we are replacing will be turned into a scene where everone inside the room gets scared at once. One room is being gutted and rebuilt... the animation will come from overhead. Again nothing major here... but the one room we are building people will LOVE!
The Darkness Upstairs: This is getting over 50% gutted! We are turning the upstairs into a funeral home... I know sounds like been there done that... but not like this it hasn't. This is taking a funeral home theme way over the top. We will be building walk through crypts, all custom animations much like the moving floor swamp house, big over the top effects that scare or affect everyone in a room.
We are building this one thing that is like a falling wall but so perceived dangerous that Kip said he didn't want to build it... LOL.
I don't think its dangerous otherwise I wouldn't be building it but it will look dangerous. Its hard to explain what it does but a wall will fall towards you then things inside that wall will look like they are going to fall out or off that wall and hit you. Hard to explain but you'll see.
We are going to build this pipe tunnel like where all the pipes and stuff for the house like a tunnel... inside that tunnel a whole bunch of stuff will happen with rats, pipes breaking and spraying you, to leaking pipes dripping on you... blah, blah. The idea again is to scare 10-15 people at once shot. You'll see it will be awesome!
We will also be converting all of our actor stations into triggered sound/light scares... in other words the actor himself presses a button, or steps on a pad to activate a digital sound effect and lighting effect to assist the actors being a monster, much like Universal does.
You'll get to see how that works if you come to the tour.
We are also going to build a system that allows our actor to launch from the ground and fly over the customers heads. I have not seen anyone do this yet so we'll see if we can make it work.
We are also building or should I say KIP is building this one effect that we are going to do inside one of our crypts it should be cool... can't saw what it is because I think Kip wants to sell them at TW after we build the first one.
We are also going to build at the exit of the Darkness the coolest graveyard anyone has ever seen... it will be awesome! Can't explain just yet but it will be something else. We are going to raise the floors, custom animations and more.
We are gutting the following scenes: Swamp, armor room, bedroom, study, snake room, baby room, luggage room, last scene (garage), boiler room, bar, kitchen, and other rooms are staying just being re-themed like the wedding room, art gallery, playground and maybe a couple more can't remember.
The total renovation cost for this project will be around $200,000.00... that is the figure we will spend to do all of the above and then some.
We will start contacting a few vendors to create some stuff for us that we can't make ourselves. And off we go...
-------------------------------------------------
We will try to get people to walk through the attraction like a normal customer this year and for that reason we'll open on both Friday and Saturday. This should NOT hurt any other tours because you can come either day or both days (LOL). Rather than have a thousand plus there on Saturday all standing around looking at stuff and not walking fast we're hoping for half the number so we can put people through slower.
We will also hire industry actors (if interested send me an email) additionally we are going to hire more actors, and with less to do this year have time for actor training and more.
We will also do a behind the scenes tour again but it won't be such a big deal... just show up and walk through that will be on Thursday night. I don't have all the details yet but we'll go LIVE with the website on January 1st and that is when tickets will go on sale as well.
I'm going to do the behind the scenes tour different, as I will have some of my staff stationed like inside our actors room, here and there to answer questions. We will only allow cameras on this date, no camera's of any kind when we have actors inside on Friday or Saturday.
Anyway if you have any questions feel free to ask me, and or if you have questions about the stuff we are building. I will start posting photos of the progress starting next Monday.
Its hard to believe that one minute Halloween is over and the next we are already stressing about trying to open again...
We'll do our best!
The tour website address will once again be www.thedarkness.com
Larry
Last year we built a new building from scratch and inside that building built two new attractions on top of renovation of the existing Darkness. The new building didn't start erection until the end of October. It was a miracle we could ever even build that building, renovate the darkness, install four attractions around the US and build two new attractions inside our new building prior to March.
That was tough! During last years tour the building itself was not completed and it took another two or three months before it was finally done... well its done now!
This winter we will focus only on building or rebuilding or haunted house. We have a very aggressive plan, we had a meeting on Saturday and the wheels went into motion today. We are starting a bit late because last year we started the day after we closed this year we will barely start or doing any work in November.
However we have started!
Here are some details of what we are doing, the website, when we'll open and all of that...
Terror Visions: We are not doing an overhaul but we are adding more animations, more props, more detail and changing one of the rooms. We are also adding some new painting effects. It won't be the same but it won't be a ton different either but it will be like twice as good because it will be MORE built out. Hard to explain but you'll see if you come to our tour. Last year Terror Visions was more of a maze with painted walls with some props, now it will be a maze with awesome paintings but 4 times more built out. Hard to explain.
The Darkness Downstairs: Downstairs is getting a more built out que line and one room is being changed nothing major. The one room we are replacing will be turned into a scene where everone inside the room gets scared at once. One room is being gutted and rebuilt... the animation will come from overhead. Again nothing major here... but the one room we are building people will LOVE!
The Darkness Upstairs: This is getting over 50% gutted! We are turning the upstairs into a funeral home... I know sounds like been there done that... but not like this it hasn't. This is taking a funeral home theme way over the top. We will be building walk through crypts, all custom animations much like the moving floor swamp house, big over the top effects that scare or affect everyone in a room.
We are building this one thing that is like a falling wall but so perceived dangerous that Kip said he didn't want to build it... LOL.
I don't think its dangerous otherwise I wouldn't be building it but it will look dangerous. Its hard to explain what it does but a wall will fall towards you then things inside that wall will look like they are going to fall out or off that wall and hit you. Hard to explain but you'll see.
We are going to build this pipe tunnel like where all the pipes and stuff for the house like a tunnel... inside that tunnel a whole bunch of stuff will happen with rats, pipes breaking and spraying you, to leaking pipes dripping on you... blah, blah. The idea again is to scare 10-15 people at once shot. You'll see it will be awesome!
We will also be converting all of our actor stations into triggered sound/light scares... in other words the actor himself presses a button, or steps on a pad to activate a digital sound effect and lighting effect to assist the actors being a monster, much like Universal does.
You'll get to see how that works if you come to the tour.
We are also going to build a system that allows our actor to launch from the ground and fly over the customers heads. I have not seen anyone do this yet so we'll see if we can make it work.
We are also building or should I say KIP is building this one effect that we are going to do inside one of our crypts it should be cool... can't saw what it is because I think Kip wants to sell them at TW after we build the first one.
We are also going to build at the exit of the Darkness the coolest graveyard anyone has ever seen... it will be awesome! Can't explain just yet but it will be something else. We are going to raise the floors, custom animations and more.
We are gutting the following scenes: Swamp, armor room, bedroom, study, snake room, baby room, luggage room, last scene (garage), boiler room, bar, kitchen, and other rooms are staying just being re-themed like the wedding room, art gallery, playground and maybe a couple more can't remember.
The total renovation cost for this project will be around $200,000.00... that is the figure we will spend to do all of the above and then some.
We will start contacting a few vendors to create some stuff for us that we can't make ourselves. And off we go...
-------------------------------------------------
We will try to get people to walk through the attraction like a normal customer this year and for that reason we'll open on both Friday and Saturday. This should NOT hurt any other tours because you can come either day or both days (LOL). Rather than have a thousand plus there on Saturday all standing around looking at stuff and not walking fast we're hoping for half the number so we can put people through slower.
We will also hire industry actors (if interested send me an email) additionally we are going to hire more actors, and with less to do this year have time for actor training and more.
We will also do a behind the scenes tour again but it won't be such a big deal... just show up and walk through that will be on Thursday night. I don't have all the details yet but we'll go LIVE with the website on January 1st and that is when tickets will go on sale as well.
I'm going to do the behind the scenes tour different, as I will have some of my staff stationed like inside our actors room, here and there to answer questions. We will only allow cameras on this date, no camera's of any kind when we have actors inside on Friday or Saturday.
Anyway if you have any questions feel free to ask me, and or if you have questions about the stuff we are building. I will start posting photos of the progress starting next Monday.
Its hard to believe that one minute Halloween is over and the next we are already stressing about trying to open again...
We'll do our best!
The tour website address will once again be www.thedarkness.com
Larry
Comment