To crawl or not to crawl

[devolino]

It could be fun in the right situations [i agree with the fun house thing that someone said earlier] but sounds like more trouble with fire marshalls/handicap accessibility laws than it would be worth.

[graystone]

Shanes Take!

Hell NO! Who wants to get all nasty! Shane and it's more trouble than it could ever be worth! Shane

[Blade-of-the-moon]

We've used a crawling area for 3 years now ( with alternate route ) and just about everyone goes through the crawl area instead..we get a lot of repeat business from people who went through and want to see their friends do it as well.

There does seem to be a limit as to how long people will put up going..ours is about 40'. We vary it up each year a bit, but so far everyone has loved it..I think it makes them feel like kids again..at least for the older folks. One elderly lady laughed the whole way through swatting at people with her cane..she was a hoot to joke around with as well.

I guess a lot depends on the individual as well.

[Frightener]

Even at my mid 30's, haven't bench pressed since my back injury 12 years ago. No running. Fatter, 80lbs overweight (according to charts) and I STILL LOVE having to crawl! BUT! and I do mean BUT... ONLY if it's cool! If it ain't cool, don't fkin make me hurt for a dark wall with a hole at the bottom.

1. I've NEVER been to a haunt, that if you crawled, you had an option.
2. Jaycee's haunt the next town over, had 3 holes in a dark maze you had to crawl through and they were barely waist high.
3. I've been to a few that were cool. Like going through a spider tunnel. It had strings hanging and a cool static spider with strobe and sound when you got so far in it.

But, what I was wanting to do, is have a crawl through a large oven for cremation. But only have the crawl a few feet and on soft flooring. There'll be an actor whose SOLE JOB is to direct folks through the path or alternate route, and clean the 6 feet of flooring between groups. I have it drawn up to where, once they get through the door of it, they're not enclosed. It just looks that way. It'll be dark and when the door shuts (patrons thinking they're in a tube) the sound starts, big buzzer outside the door sounding, and then lights, warm air rushing in and flicker flames all around them come up at the same time. Then the lights come up and they realize they weren't in a tube.

Safe, scary and they have the false sensation that "hey, WTH??? " lol.
I have some tinted glass to be used as a window. People can see in, but people can't see out. So anyone in the group going the alternate route, can watch them as the scare happens. I'm still working on the crawl, it may not require hands and knees, but at least a big dip with a handle bar for support. I'm intending on them standing up once inside. THey'll walk through a dark curtain to exit on the opposite end.

Hope I explained it enough for you to get it. The only thing is, my design requires so much space, that it'll be one of the biggest rooms.

For me, I think crawling is cool, if you can make it great for people who have to go around too. Make it worth the trouble in other words. I don't think I'll have a full crawl until I get a huge building where I can build bigger rooms.

[Blade-of-the-moon]

I think I've only had to escort a handful of people around the opposite route, they included some whiny teenagers, a mother with a baby, a veteran who was injured and a cop. Most people it does freak out but they love the challenge.

I've changed ours a couple times so far..one was a longer crawl then dumped out in a pit of stuffed animals with an actor in it. Last year we installed a ball pit so crawl halfway and then drop out into the pit then have to get back into the tunnel to escape. This year I'm thinking to keep the same length but make it square instead of straight with more turns. You will actually be entering right beside where you exit but with a separation between it.

[Frightener]

I LOL'd! I pictured that stuffed animal room quite well in fact. Love the idea. I bet he was in a suit of animals himself huh?

I plan on making a cave that's just barely over 6' tall. At 6 foot, 90% of the folks can stand under it, but they'll STILL walk through crouched, I love it :P

[Blade-of-the-moon]

I LOL'd! I pictured that stuffed animal room quite well in fact. Love the idea. I bet he was in a suit of animals himself huh?

I plan on making a cave that's just barely over 6' tall. At 6 foot, 90% of the folks can stand under it, but they'll STILL walk through crouched, I love it :P

Yep ! Well for half the season he was. Those stuffed animal ghillie suits are heavy and it's easy to keep losing pieces of them...so we switched to a large stuffed bunny costume mid-season...worked much better for the actor.

Our Tunnel is about 4' high or so ..we had it at 5' last year and found out most people just squatted or hunched over and didn't actually crawl. With a 1' reduction they had to and that put them more up close to the scares and effects we had in there.