2012 Darkness Haunted House Tour - TW Show

[drfrightner]

Okay folks just wanted to put a bit of info out there... there will be many things to do at TW this coming year. I am in the know on some of it and its going to be overdrive this coming year. I know TW is also shooting for a lot of new vendors, parties, and more this coming show. We all know in about 3 weeks we'll shift all conversation from the 2011 haunt season to the 2012 TW tradeshow.

We actually considered NOT opening this year... TW wanted a haunt tour. They looked at the map and just couldn't find much else close. I know they are talking to some haunts in some cities but everything remains to be seen.

Anyway so TW wants us to open... I don't want to open unless I can do something that YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE, something making it WORTH you seeing the place AGAIN!

OMG ... my head is already spinning around in circles just thinking about this. Oh well ... here it goes again.

So now that I've been talked into (LOL) it forced me to start thinking about what I would do.

I sat around all night thinking it through... and I already know what rooms we will totally GUT. It might not sound like a LOT but it is... 2 down stairs and 2 upstairs. However the four rooms we will build will be OVER THE TOP! I've come up with some idea's that even "I" don't know how it can be done.

I am organizing a think tank on how to make it happen, because its so complex I don't know if it can be done... but when there is a will there is a way. RIGHT?

This doesn't include that I'm going to add some more spice to a bunch of other rooms and I'm going to do a massive OVERHAUL to Terror Visions 3D. The upstairs of the haunted house will be totally themed around Zombies trying to break into the building. The downstairs the same just enhanced. Terror Visions will get some MASSIVE never before seen animations, and FX, plus we are going to make some stuff for the place that will blow your mind.

So there ya go... I'm not done with this season and I'm already working on the next.

As we get details on the renovation I will start to post them.

Hope your season is going well.

Larry

[mindtumor]

Is it going to be the same sort of deal as in the past? I mean a lights on and lights off tour on different nights?

[drfrightner]

What do you think? I was thinking of only a deal where you walk through nothing else, no actors just everything turned on, thought about doing it with actors only who knows. What I do know is I'm not doing it every night not like last year. Just one night. So what do you guys think.

We are going to build something very very very cool... so cool i have no idea how much it will cost or how or if we can even do it.

Still haven't figured that out yet.

Larry

[mindtumor]

You probably should do both. People will just walk too slow if you only do a live show. But if it is one or the other just do the lights on version.

[HauntChick]

Larry,

I came last year, and you know what I thought of the presentation of the two separate showings. I think lights off tour with actors will be best, but have yourself and other staff available at the end to discuss props and scares. This way it's more affordable for the attendees and we still get the same thing as last year. You post all your updates for us as it is and answer every question that comes up, so I don't really see why most people would need to look at every prop individually. Most of the haunters take the actor tour really slowly to see more detail anyway.

OR

If you decide to do a lights on and a lights off tour, I'd definitely like to see a few people scattered throughout the haunt to answer questions about your props and scares and such. Just walking through the haunt and looking at stuff isn't really gonna be very helpful to anyone who could benefit from your experience in the industry. They will need explanations of things. Obviously you can't have someone at ever corner, but maybe at the big things? And if someone has questions or would like to see something other than just face-value props, lets say for instance your pneumatic systems, these people can direct them appropriately. I think that was a major let down for me was that we couldn't see anything "behind the scenes" other than the make-up room.

Hope you take it in to consideration. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[HauntedPaws]

Yeah veterans and new people are gonna be more interested in lighting effects and props then the actual scare me part. You should do an encore run one night to experience The Darkness. Most people there are looking to get themselves to that level.

[drfrightner]

Would anyone be interested in this concept...

Guided tours by our staff very private and limited tours so as we go along we can explain how we do things??? Would that be of interest?

Couple of other things... and I again I don't think the price we charged we unreasonable considering the extent we go to put on the event. We have to make it an event like no other, it has to be cutting edge, it has to be a learning experience otherwise its just another haunted house opening its door. We can't be that, nor will we.

Additionally I will NOT show the haunt with no show lights on so again my version of a lights on tour is no actors, show lighting conditions with no fog. A flash from a camera and all the lights we have in there should do the trick.

I will be honest, I really didn't want to do it, and now I'm starting to wrap my arms around it... why? Because on one hand it keeps me alive I guess. I like the pressure in some ways to make my brain think of coming up with things no one has seen before.

I was already talking to vendors today... here we go! OMG!

I do NOT have everything flushed out YET... but I have a general plan. The theme will be to turn the upstairs into a building trying to keep zombies OUT! In other words the whole things is built like zombies are NOT inside the building but they are OUTSIDE trying to get INSIDE! We would gut totally two and a half rooms, and change or improve many others upstairs. The downstairs we are simply going to keep the same theme and totally gut two rooms and go all out to change them with something awesome.

The biggest difference will come from Terror Visions 3D. That attraction needs an overall overhaul and that is just what I plan to do... so out of the three area's downstairs, upstairs and terror visions 3D, the biggest overall change will happen inside Terror Visions.

I'm going to take Terror Visions to another level.

Larry

[mindtumor]

Guided tours might be interesting. Would you be able to move enough people through that way?

[drfrightner]

It might be during the show itself or something like an interactive tour/seminar or something. You know another thing we are going to focus on HARD this year is our gift store. We will go all out to put our logo on everything you can think of... plan on blowing that out as well. Larry

[HauntChick]

Would anyone be interested in this concept...

Guided tours by our staff very private and limited tours so as we go along we can explain how we do things??? Would that be of interest?

The biggest difference will come from Terror Visions 3D. That attraction needs an overall overhaul and that is just what I plan to do... so out of the three area's downstairs, upstairs and terror visions 3D, the biggest overall change will happen inside Terror Visions.

I'm going to take Terror Visions to another level.

Larry

Yes, Larry, I would love to have a guided tour. And I'm extremely excited to see your renovations to Terror Visions. That was the most amazing experience I've ever had in a haunt before. I can't imagine how you can top it, but I'm ready to see what you've got in minD!