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Should a queue line have it's own theme?

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  • Should a queue line have it's own theme?

    Should a queue line have it's own theme? for awhile I have been thinking of this but didn't know if it sets the mood of the haunt or just a waste of time to do. i don't know if any one else has done this be for but more than likely it has been done. just wanted to know if it helped your haunt.
    50
    yes! it does help a haunt set the mood
    92.00%
    46
    it helps a little bit
    6.00%
    3
    no! it doesn't help a haunt at all
    2.00%
    1
    it's ok... the dark has many faces you can't see..

  • #2
    Entertainment is good but I haven't seen one which had a theme other then Halloween.

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    • #3
      I would say its a very good idea to theme your queline. It engulfs your customer as soon as they walk in the door. And it kinda gives them an idea on what to expect next. Never seen one with its own entirely different theme. But one that builds or prepares you for the haunted house is always nice.The Darkness in St. Louis has a great queline. Probably the best one ive ever seen. Also the Edge of Hell in K.C looks amazing!
      Damon
      Frightmasters
      www.houseoffright.com
      Last edited by damon carson; 06-12-2011, 11:54 PM.
      Damon Carson

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      • #4
        We have always had a theme. Medical, the year Swine flu was a concern, last year we had the evil tooth fairy, big bad wolf, etc. , this year we will have a funeral outside with a trumpet and a drum. We will be dragging our old casket with chains. The folks that play our characters every year are very good. We could tell them to dress like clowns and hold signs and go on strike and they would be entertaining. I have stood in line, freezing for 2 hours, without any entertainment. That was horrible.

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        • #5
          Last season I was acting as a psycho clown entertaining the crowd while standing in line. We had another guy in different costumes usually playing some sort of silent slasher and another person wearing either a stalkaround or this clown costume that looked like it was walking on his hands all the time. People had a great time taking pictures and interacting with the characters.

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          • #6
            As an actor, designer, and also patron of haunts, I will say it is always way cooler to have a facade and scenery on the exterior and/or cue line (some cue lines are outside). It helps set the mood and brings a lot more excitement than the side of a blank buiding or black walls, as well as an added backdrop for the cue line actors. Details in general always improve the haunt in my opinion. Even if some patrons only see it for seconds or dont see it at all, those that do notice the extra touches are the ones that are going to tell all their friends how cool your attraction is.


            Mike "Pogo" Hach
            -Mike "Pogo" Hach

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            • #7
              They should have something...

              There is nothing worse than standing outside your local mall in front of sports authority waiting to enter a haunt. I walk thru the doors and bam, haunt starts. No prep, no build up, I go from real world to haunt world in less tine than one can say WTF. A common theme I have noticed among the "top rated" haunts is complete theming from start to finish. To me, a good haunt takes your into another world. Like a book, there beginning, middle and end. I know some haunted have limited space, but there is always something you can do. Have a holding room with short queue line in a tent or hallway. Anything to transport the person from the normal world into your scary fantasy land smoothly. One haunt that does this with perfection is Erebus in MI. You start outside a parking garage, into a death metal concert then end up in a science lab where they trust you into a world of terror. If you haven't seen these guys you gotta check them out.

              Long story short, I think queue line themes are a critical part to a haunted house.
              Joshua
              www.hauntedprints.com
              info?hauntedprints.com

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              • #8
                Since our haunt is outdoors, we theme the queue-line as a 1950s haunted Drive-In, with a hearse projecting our movies on a big screen. This year we're adding tombstones and graveyard things to create the idea that this drive-in is placed among the dead...and a few roamers of dead 1950s teenagers to boot.

                I agree with the previous post. Themeing the queue is essential. One of the best parts of a Disneyland ride, for example, is the waiting line -- it's essential to keep guests' interest and anticipation up during the long wait.

                Dark Hollow Haunted Forest
                www.DarkHollowHaunt.com
                DARK HOLLOW HAUNTED FOREST
                www.DarkHollowHaunt.com

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                • #9
                  Thank sounds creative. You should post some pics on the forum.
                  Joshua
                  www.hauntedprints.com
                  info?hauntedprints.com

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                  • #10
                    Strangely enough, I have no photos during the day on film. Plenty of video (of the videos, 'natch) but nothing in daylight when it's all set-up. I have a shot of a partially-built queue in the distance, and a dark pic at night, and the "movie poster" we use near the lighted sign. Time to take more pictures.

                    Dark Hollow Haunted Forest
                    www.DarkHollowHaunt.com
                    Attached Files
                    DARK HOLLOW HAUNTED FOREST
                    www.DarkHollowHaunt.com

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                    • #11
                      Yes!!!

                      Anything that adds that bit of extra detail is always good! Our ticket queue has a sort of overgrown structure theme. Not to mention we have a huge indoor water fall

                      right in the center of the attraction
                      Matthew Colton
                      Frightworld America's Screampark
                      http://www.frightworld.com/

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                      • #12
                        I Really Got Their Attention!

                        I had some video clips playing on my outdoor TV from a movie that was not yet availble, yet VERY popular , and long awaited by numerous FANS!
                        "How! Where? Did HE get that?"
                        Probably the LAST thing they ever expected to see here in the middle of "No Where". Little Mount Carroll, Illinois.
                        The lesson is.. never under-rate anyone, no matter who they are or where they live, or you will get surprised!
                        And some people don't like surprises! (Insert evil laugh here~)
                        hauntedravensgrin.com

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                        • #13
                          I think anything that can set up customers expectations for your event is a good thing. The sooner you have their attention the more time they will be entertained, and that is their money well spent. This is also where line entertainment comes in handy with giant queue-line costuming and other roamers can play a heavy roll.

                          www.gore-galore.com/gallery.
                          Just check out some of the early pics of the cemetery. This scene was just after entering the building so it was a covered area that held about 45 people and was also the first room. And there was additional Queue-line for about 400 people outside the event under cover.

                          The main characters in the in door queue-line set up the rest of the event by telling the back story of the attraction. It was the beginning of the attraction.
                          Kevin R. Alvey
                          info at gore-galore.com
                          www.gore-galore.com
                          www.halloweenmusicgalore.com
                          www.youtube.com/goregalore13
                          www.facebook.com/goregalore


                          sigpic

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                          • #14
                            Think Disney!

                            No, your queue line shouldn't have it's own theme. It should share the theme of the attraction. Your attraction doesn't start after people get through the line, it should start when people get in line or earlier.

                            1) Entertain people while they are in line.
                            2) Introduce people to the theme, storyline, etc.

                            When designing my attraction, I actually divided it up into 4 zones:
                            1) Outside entertainment (before they get in line)
                            2) Queue line entertainment
                            3) The main show
                            4) Exiting the attraction

                            All 4 of these zones were planned with separate entertainment, but all tied into the same overall theme. People who paid close attention (I know there were some) found elements that carried over from zone to zone to tell a story within the story of our attraction.
                            sigpic

                            There are three rules to designing a haunt. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.

                            Website: www.HauntedMidsouth.com
                            Haunt: www.ScarecrowTheater.com

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                            • #15
                              Another thing to think of is no one who's successful runs a haunt they run a haunted attraction. From the minute you get there til the second you've run to your car you're immersed in the experience. Also the real good ones people are like "wait I'm in sewer now?". When they can't tell the difference between reality or forget this isn't real that's when you have a product which sells itself. A FB post is worth 50 radios ads because it's an endorsement from them.

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