The Fake Distruption technique

[DarkTikiEntertainment]

Have any of you had experience using the fake disruption technique? You know, like when you're on a ride at a theme park, but they claim something has disrupted the ride (like some kind of disaster or attack) even though it's all really just a part of the ride itself? Or like, for example, having your werewolf themed haunt suddenly interrupted by an all out zombie outbreak, or having your Victorian haunt suddenly interrupted by a radiation leak causing mutated freaks to attack... That kind of thing. Anyone done it? Anyone had any problems with it, such as someone really believing the fake disruption/emergency is real?

[BarnofTerror Noblesville]

I run the barn of terror in Noblesville, an up and coming haunted attraction. I wanted to do the idea where a "disgruntled" SP neighbor was coming over to complain at the hayride tractor driver and an argument broke out and the neighbor shot at him with a blank gun. BUt my crew members talked me out of it in fear of people believing it was TO real. That might of been a little to extreme. But doing like a sudden zombie outbreak would work something that is still fake but not people will know it is fake you know what i mean haha. but i am curious if anyone out there has tried a more real fake scene ?!

~BOT

[BrotherMysterio]

Have any of you had experience using the fake disruption technique? You know, like when you're on a ride at a theme park, but they claim something has disrupted the ride (like some kind of disaster or attack) even though it's all really just a part of the ride itself? Or like, for example, having your werewolf themed haunt suddenly interrupted by an all out zombie outbreak, or having your Victorian haunt suddenly interrupted by a radiation leak causing mutated freaks to attack... That kind of thing. Anyone done it? Anyone had any problems with it, such as someone really believing the fake disruption/emergency is real?

What exactly is your question?

Are you asking "Would it work thematically", or are you asking "do you think the faux emergency would induce real panic, a la Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre on the Air's famous 1938 Halloween production of War of the Worlds?"

In the first instance, if you are suggesting something like Seth Grahame-Smith's Jane Austen mashup, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or his more recent (and soon-to-be-released-as-a-motion-picture) Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, that can make for an interesting idea for a theme. We even have a haunt like that here in DFW, based on a Southern plantation that gets cursed and overrun by zombies. It has a Southern Gothic take on the classic Victorian manor, only with flesh eating zombies lurking around every corner. That can be very interesting indeed.

If, however, you are referring to a scenario along these lines . . .



. . . I'm not sure how well that would play. Most people have a hard enough time getting the main theme working well, let alone having it "attacked" and "invaded" by another disparate theme.

In the second instance, well, I guess it depends on how realistic the supposed threat or faux emergency is. For instance, if you are talking about a Southern plantation being attacked by a zombie apocalypse, or a medieval castle attacked by aliens, there's probably not that big of an issue.

If, however, you have a faux fire brigade execute an emergency evacuation plan at your circus haunt, your patrons might think that that is indeed real (and why wouldn't they?) and that could very well induce a very serious panic. That stunt would probably also induce the not-faux Fire Marshall to close you guys down on the spot, as well as inducing officials at Town Hall to run you guys out of town.

C.

[DarkTikiEntertainment]

I was definitely thinking along the lines of starting with one theme (like werewolves), but then having the haunt "disrupted" by government officials in chemical suits warning us to end the haunt tour due to an outbreak, then the zombies attack. Definitely nothing involving a fake fire, or guns... Where I live there WILL be armed customers going through the haunted woods. No way around it short of metal detectors.

[BrotherMysterio]

Where I live there WILL be armed customers going through the haunted woods. No way around it short of metal detectors.

Wow, "armed customers". That's comforting.

Well, in past seasons, what kind of themes did you do, and for how many seasons did you do your more popular themes?

C.