What to use for door openings

[RJ Productions]

As you can see from the posts (all good ideas!) you can basically use ANYTHING as a doorway!! It all comes back to theme.

Do you want to disguise the opening? Use features or textures that fit within the room to create a "hidden passage" to the next room.
Remember this will slow down the audience if they have to find their way out, or an actor may have to direct to next room.

Do you want to speed you audience up? Use the same material for every door opening. It does not match decor but stands out ie: black
material. This way they always knowwhere the exit is.

I have areas where it is a normal door to enter, but the backside of the door blends in with the room. Once in and the door closes behind you it becomes part of the scene.

As stated any fabric must be fire treated. So just decide the look or use that is best. Blend the transition, mask the transition, or highling the transition.

It's really a personal choice, all will work effectively.

Rich

[Uptown Haunts]

I plan to setup actual door frames built into boxed side columns with overhead header beams and very flat base plate joining the columns at the bottom. There's a good chance that I may not have an indoor venue and will need a way of locking it up at the end of the night if I end up doing an outdoor/open air gig. Some type of wire mesh fastened to the top of the walls will also help to keep the haunt a little more secure. Inside the haunt, walls that open like doors would be a great asset in the event of an emergency. Exit signs on these panels could be wired to light up when the emergency lighting goes on. Off while operating. Outer perimeter exit signs will have to be lit during your show.

Steve...

[HauntedPaws]

what's a good door width? What width is the typical room 8'?

[Allen H]

36" door width and there is no typical room width, but its ard to do alot on less than 12'. any less and they are so right on top of the detail that they dont really see it. Think of movies, the bigger the sets and the wider the shots the bigger the production values. It is the same for haunted houses.
Allen H

[Jim Warfield]

Total darkness, empty darkness. A voice tells you a story. Much detail. Proffessionally interesting, intrieguing, taking you places only the mind's eye can see.
Feel it?
It's working.
Working on you. Now. It's working ... in you.
Too late to fight it, it's established itself, wormed it's way in when you were slightly distracted.
No seat belt. No roll bar.
You will now HAVE to pass some gas to break the hypnotic spell.
This usually works, the gas thing.

[RJ Productions]

"Secret Passages" can be a great pass through. Build them according to your theme. The better you can disguise them the better.

In the opening room of the Hotel we have a fake staircase they thing they are going up. A startle scare stops them from entering the stairs so they have to use the secret passage. A section of the wall is hinged. But to better hide it I actually have a small table with a phone on it attached to the "wall/door". It also have a two way mirror. Attaching real items makes people assume you can't move them.

We have a bar/lounge area with a large bookcase. Instead of a faked bookcase this is a REAL piece complete with real books and knic knacs. It has a metal frame attached to it with heavy duty hinges. It has moved smoothly for over five years.

A friend also did the fridge as a pass though, but instead of visible chains and a a track, he cut the back off and you actually open the door and walk through the fridge.

The best way to accomplish this is the have things that you not expect to be able to move, move. Look at the room. What would you expect to be the pass though? Then what is the least expected? Figure out how to do the unexpected. That's we Haunters do!!!

[Karl Fields]

Steve,
Capet tack strips screwed to the tops of your exterior wall might also deter those trying to climb over - that, or really piss them off!

There's a good chance that I may not have an indoor venue and will need a way of locking it up at the end of the night if I end up doing an outdoor/open air gig. Some type of wire mesh fastened to the top of the walls will also help to keep the haunt a little more secure.
Steve...

[Front Yard Fright]

Steve,
Capet tack strips screwed to the tops of your exterior wall might also deter those trying to climb over - that, or really piss them off!

Lmao! Ouch!!!

[hauntedkimmy]

I did this last year in my fortune telling room. My real bookcase had wheels to roll out of the way to hide the exit. I gave my fortune telling skit and people were so nervous looking around the room for the exit since they knew they only visible door was where the haunt started.

[RJ Productions]

36" door width and there is no typical room width, but its ard to do alot on less than 12'. any less and they are so right on top of the detail that they dont really see it. Think of movies, the bigger the sets and the wider the shots the bigger the production values. It is the same for haunted houses.
Allen H

Gee Allen, you would REALLY have trouble designing and operating in a trailer!!! Welcome to my world!!! Eight foot width!!! There are tricks my friend!!

Rich