Outdoor Actor Placement versus Indoor

[mrfoos]

I've worked in and run a small indoor haunt where the structure of the "maze" let a single actor hit groups in multiple ways from multiple angles and locations. But now I run an outdoor trail that winds through the woods. I'm having a significantly harder time setting up ways that a single actor can do this. The result is my actors are further spaced out and really only able to hit the groups once... twice at the most. Any outdoor haunt guys have some good strategies for this?

[estavares]

It can be challenging if you have minimal actors outdoors. For us, it would depend on the layout of our trail. If it curved, we would blaze a small path so actors could run from one turn to the other. They could drop in behind guests, follow for a while, then disappear to emerge later down the trail. If you only have a straight shot, and you have some kind of enclosure or tent or other structure, they can use that to allow access at one point or another. Sometimes we had a small trail parallel to the main trail so, if the actor is quick, they can scare, disappear, then run to another point and do it again. This does get exhausting.

[monsterwax]

Yes, if the trail double's back, the same actor can attack from the left going one direction, the emerge from the same bushes on the other side (right) wearing a different mask/ hat/ wig.

[drfrightner]

Yeah this is a problem of the trails but keep in mind it takes a whole lot less work to make a trail look scary than an empty building... so you can splurge more on actors. What I use to do when I had a trail was make the trail do an oval like you do a circle so all the actors actually are in the center of that oval so they can hit people on both sides of the trail. This worked for me 110%!

Larry

[Marr Branch]

Where was your trail at Larry, Busch Stadium?

[Jim Warfield]

Use a Wall.

I have a wall the customers walk down one side of it, but they also have the option of heading the opposite direction.
I can "Cover both of these options by myself, without moving or running anywhere. I built a box into the wall, with a rain-shedding metal roof. I am in the "wall"and I may then just lean out of box-hiding place and stick out my monsterous claw hand either direction, lean back into the open box and I am gone but reset for the next person, even if they are going the other direction.
They are basically on my back or emerging in front of me at all times.
Of course providing a lit up display to get their eye away from me also helps greatly and is really pretty necesarry.
I do have that too.
Sometimes you can buy more time to race down a path and come out ahead of the group by doing very simple things, like have a door in their path. They will be aprehensive, usually, and approach it with caution, open it slowly, which provides several reliable seconds of time needed to change your hiding place to the next location. I have a brick tomb with a heavy steel door for them to open. If the door is left hanging open I find I have less time to set up ahead of them, if the tomb door is closed I can take my time just because of their natural, common hesitation.