Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Any new Ideas?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Any new Ideas?

    New to the board...2010 will be my 9th year with our local Fire Dept. 2 mile hayride and haunted house. My scene is one of the most popular ( of about 15 different scenes ) but after so many years, we are running out of ideas. Theme is Slaughter House, I am the Ma to the hillbillies. We have a permanent structure and scene that covers a couple of acres so activity isn't confined to a small area. We use chainsaws, shotguns, a bonfire, music, a few gory props & lighting. The group is made up of about 8 men and 8 females who have participated since the beginnning so we each have become familiar with our roles....so have the guests unfortunately. We use wigs, our ragged clothes, some makeup...the men are a tough looking bunch We have used wrecked vehicle scenes, a old wrecker to chase the hay ride wagons, cages for victims. a butchering table, victims hanging from trees, ( all this is done by actors, not props or animatronics ). Since we are a volunteer group, budget is very limited. We run 6 nights and have an average of 2,000 + guests per night. Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the Slaughter House/hillbilly theme but still make it less predictable and scarier?

  • #2
    Start A "War"

    The killer hillbillys VS The Civil War Yankee Zombies!
    Who will win?
    Bring the hay racks passed a couple of empty buildings, get the people too familiar with the scenes wondering, what's something wrong?
    Then the hillbillys all come running out,(this could scare the customers) Then here are the Civil War Zombies chasing the hillbillys and it's a whole new ballgame!
    Some zombie manniquins could be at the edges of the scenes to multiply the body count as also could already mutilated Hillbillys here & there..
    Civil war cannons firing loads of body parts at the guests might be fun?
    Then it all ends with, "It was just a drunken moonshine dream sequence!"
    (cheap & stoopid, I know.)
    hauntedravensgrin.com

    Comment


    • #3
      Have you done a moonshine still yet?
      You could play up the "moon" angle and have a werewolf burst out of the still
      Or you could just get an old hot tub as the tank and have it full of body parts as a nasty mash
      As part of the still you could do a steam/ fog scare
      or an air cannon,
      Or have the moonshine turn people into zombies and use backkpack sprayers to hit the patrons with a bit of it
      Or completely different angle you could have several outhouses built along side the wagon and attack from there then change it up so the out house is a distraction and the scare hits from the other side
      I trust you have one hillbilly with a banjo playing dueling banjos? that sends a shiver through most men's spines.
      If you are really hurting for freshness then you could have a hillbilly slaughterhouse office christmas party. think of the ideas that could generate.
      When you find something inspiring be sure to post on it so we can generate ideas around that theme.
      Allen H
      www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
      http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

      Comment


      • #4
        Great thoughts...yes, we have used a "still"..when the cast member isn't using it for himself. Good idea to really play it up more tho.

        Dueling Banjos is one of our favorite music selections. We try to cue it just as the wagon reaches the main part of the scene and the crowd loves it.

        We also are considering a zombie influence this season..maybe a battle between the zombies and the hillbillies.

        THANKS a million for any and all ideas.

        Ann

        Comment


        • #5
          To Jim...I also like the Civil War ideas too One year we hung a Confeterate Battle Flag...the dang organizers of the event made us take it down...didn't want to be "politically incorrect". Oh well...

          If anyone wants to check out our little event we can be found by googling Haunted Hills of Lynches River. We are an all volunteer group who let our hair down every October for a good cause...our local fire dept.

          Thanks so much for responding. Any input is most welcome.

          Comment


          • #6
            Familiarity Breeds Contempt

            Ever thought of bringing some children into the mix? Kids can be hard to control, but if you get some older ones who are willing to commit you could go for a Children of the Corn type scenario in some parts. Hillbillies also speaks inbreeding and mutations to me, a great opportunity to give someone a few extra limbs to chop off!

            Why not even take advantage of the fact your guests are becoming familiar with your characters? Those stand by characters can now have a more personal relationship with your customers by protecting them from those nasty zombie/mutant/aliens/damn_yankees that are invading. That doesn't mean they cant still get a few scares in themselves- by the point you reach the end they could be deciding it might just be better to fed someone else to the zombies so they can make a get away. Who knows? you might even get some people begging for the hilbillies to drive them home to keep them safe?
            Join The Collective

            Comment


            • #7
              Don got there first. The mutations and birth defects would be fun and could probably be done on the cheap, too. Pick up some cheap masks and fake arms and then cannibalize them for parts. Spirit gum some extra ears, a second set of nostrils, and a few extra withered fingers and you're all set. Of course taking this further is all the better and something like an extra arm and head would make a distinctive profile to get the scare from further away. Oh, and as the Ma, you could ask for compliments on your freak-of-nature baby. That would be good for a laugh.

              Here you go, a $20 freak baby.

              Comment


              • #8
                Thanks to the last 2 posters for the good ideas. In fact, this year, we are looking into more distorted, disfigured characters to shake things up a bit. The original people who began this scene 9 years ago are still with us ( me included ) and we have become familiar fixtures. We now have about 15 actors ..some have been with us just a couple of years, but most are regulars who eagerly look forward to October. The event overall has about 12 to 15 scenes along a 2 mile hayride and we have always been the # 1 scene everyone comes to see. We are a totally volunteer group who do this yearly as a fundraiser for our local fire department. Everyone are cops, firefighters or EMS workers and this is the best way we know to blow off a little steam :grin:

                Comment


                • #9
                  When I think of Hillbillies I think of outdoors. There are many scenes and things that could be put into play with that. Cemetarys, and old swamp with crocodiles. Like others mentioned zombies, mutations and outhouses. I also think scarecrows in an old farm scene. Or maybe an old barn with scarecrows hiding in hay. Maybe an old building or shack or two where they are turning its customers into the best jerky around. Killers with chainsaws wearing pigheads. The possibilities are endless. Hope this helps.
                  Damon
                  Damon Carson

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X