To crawl or not to crawl

[markgordy39]

I'm not getting any younger and the ol body is starting to brake down so i was wondering how everyone feels about having to crawl around in some haunts? I don't mind ducking under something but the crawling is hell on the knees :lol:



Gordy
http://www.facebook.com/midsouthhaunts

[Badger]

As long as the haunt owner clearly states at the beginning that there are areas where you may have to crawl, I don't have an issue with it. I know some haunts that have detours around the crawling areas. Make sure you know what you're getting into before paying...

I'm 43 with a trick knee and usually check beforehand if I'm going to a new haunt that has low areas...

[Dreamreaper]

I don't care for it, I also hate the claustrophobia that I call "snot rags" I do like the low pillows that you have to walk through like a swamp. I have only crawled through one haunt and I found out after there was a detour so I would suggest that you add one also.

[MDKing]

I don't care much for them either. You have to look at your haunt and determine if it adds anything to your show. If you're going for realism doing let's say a victorian mansion theme, do you think they would build thier house using crawl spaces to get from one room to the other? Maybe it could be an attic? I think they are better for a "fun house" type show than for a haunted house. I also think they are a throughput killer and for those with special needs you have to have a bypass and make that clearly visible.

Allan

[Jim Warfield]

Who'd Want ?

To have the task of cleaning a crawl space? Someone pukes in there? Spiders? Worse?
I used to have a crawl space and of course some loved it, some hated it. The first thing I did was put double padding under the carpet and then used thick, nice carpet, making it as user-friendly as possible.
Anyone at any age can and will have various problems, walking, bending, crawling.
I would try to make it more enjoyable for everyone by singing to them as they crawled, mostly old favorites like "Getting to Nose You!" (Getting to nose all about you!)
The Classic Beatles tune:"I Should have Nose better with a girl like you!" (That I would love everything that you do!)
WILD CHICAGO-Tv show loved my singing , asked me to re-sing to make sure they picked it all up, then lost their nerve and my singing debue found it's home on the cutting room floor!
I was told they re-broadcast that show 35 times in 3 years! People kept voting to see it again!
Most anyone could tell we were all having fun here when they filmed it. I think that was a large part of it's popularity.

[spookologist]

We use them...

We have used them over the years but have had a bypass.
Here are some of the uses: An oven (several times), morgue drawer, duct work, alien space ship, entrance to Halloweentown, fog hallway etc . We get some complaints but its a great distraction.

Wayne

[Novus]

It always added a fun element to our attractions. Yea, it is kinda a throughput killer, but smaller haunts can definitely pull it off. We had customers crawl through an oven and over a collection of beds.

[screamforadream]

Always have a detour! But they can be fun, my fried designed a scene last year where it was a short oven as part of a crematorium that was pitch black on the inside, with a plexiglas window near the end on th bottom of the tunnel, where an actor had a red strobe light and burnt makeup. So as people's faces were over the glass, he'd switch on the red strobe light to light up his face and started clawing at the window and freaking out. It was great!

[Front Yard Fright]

Crawling is something I've never liked in haunts. People come to get scared, not to go through boot camp.

[Raycliff Manor]

I would recommend you find out if your local officials approve of it before you put any time and effort into it. We are not permitted to have dead ends or spaces that require crawling. The reason for this is so that, in the event of an emergency, evacuation is quick and easy. I know many places just require the alternate "no crawl" option in case of emergency and then allow it. Not so in our case. As you've probably heard, interpretation and enforcement varies from place to place. The last thing you want though is to find out in the middle of operation that you are being shut down until you can make modifications and schedule a walk-through, at the inspector's convenience, before you can re-open. Also, check your insurance policy and make sure they don't have any restrictions against it as well. Our first year policy didn't allow crawling, stairs and live animals to name a few. Just a heads up and word of caution.

Kel

[thrilltainment]

business may slow down due to crawling

I'm not getting any younger and the ol body is starting to brake down so i was wondering how everyone feels about having to crawl around in some haunts? I don't mind ducking under something but the crawling is hell on the knees :lol:



Gordy
http://www.facebook.com/midsouthhaunts

not only consider this from a safety or regulation point of view, consider it from a business perspective:

how is crawling going to impact your haunt throughput? if you're not pumping through that many people per night, maybe it's a cool effect... if you have over 600 people standing in line, a 30+ second delay could negatively impact your business.

If crawling is a must in a high-capacity haunt, consider multiple paths.

[Jim Warfield]

"Through-put?"

Before they crawl, make 25cents per/person when they have to check their footwear in a locker.
Duct the fumes from the lockers into the haunt for hideous, vomit-inspiring PU's!
(Just helping everyone "Go -Green"!)

[thrilltainment]

hey, whatever works =)

Before they crawl, make 25cents per/person when they have to check their footwear in a locker.
Duct the fumes from the lockers into the haunt for hideous, vomit-inspiring PU's!
(Just helping everyone "Go -Green"!)

don't forget to charge them again for retrieving the shoes.

[Jim Warfield]

We Used To Watch..

A woman working in a bowling alley get the bowling shoes for the customers, then after sticking her hands inside of the old shoes turn and grab the raw hamburger, make a patty with those same unwashed hands..YUM!??
"What is that "Flavor"?
"Sweaty-feet-meat"

[dungmaster]

Absolutely no crawling whatsoever! I've had to do it twice in my many times through haunts - the first time I was with a group of all ages, including elderly people, and not only did we all have to crawl, but unbeknownst to us until it was too late to do anything about it, they had us crawl into the back of a van and then took off with such speed and such a jolt that several of us were injured in the process - definitely not cool.

The next time, again it was a mixed group of ages, etc., going through and the actors directing people were looking at people, deciding by appearance who would crawl and who could take the alternate route around the crawl space. You cannot always see people's disabilities by looking. I know for a fact that one of us had a herniated disk in the back and had no business crawling and kept asking repeatedly if there was an alternate route but was told the only way to get through was by crawling. Another in the group who runs marathons regularly and could easily have crawled through was told about the alternate route.

I say absolutely no crawling, but if you are going to have a crawl space, then give EVERY single person the same opportunity to crawl through or use the alternate route, and ALWAYS have an alternate route.