DESPERATELY NEED HELP!!!

[Beth-a-roo]

Do you have any suggestions on where to look for ideas that would scare the crap out of a group of high school kids for a party?

We're having a birthday party for my 16 year old sister and we scare the kids every year but it was a lot easier when they were 13 - 14 years old. Now we will have 16-18 year olds - a little bit jaded and too cool to act scared, even if they are. We won't call it a success until some senior boy either wets himself or cries...)

We are going to be out at a farm - it's very dark and lots of places for people to hide out and we were thinking of a "hayride that goes badly" concept, where we have to split them up and walk them back or leave some behind.

I consider myself a haunt enthusiast too, and in the past have drawn from things that I have seen or put in haunted houses, but it's getting harder and harder when you don't have them in a very structured area. Plus I want to consider safety and things like that as well, of course - we don't want REAL blood!

I would welcome any suggestions that you might have, or would love to know of any rescources that I could look up to give me some ideas. We're expecting about 30 high school kids and will have plenty of adults around to supervise.

[slash]

If there's any way you can make an indoor maze, or make walls outside using stakes for frames or something, do it. Make black plastic walls, strobes, and good props. Also, drop panels are awesome scares. Basically, it's a plywood sheet, with a window or "panel" cut out of it. It looks like a regular wall, until the actor behind drops the panel, making a slamming noise, scares them and slides it back up. Very scary. This scare is very easy to make. If it's outdoor, you couls support it by driving 1x3 stakes into the ground, and securing them to the panel. Help me out with some DIY links here guys!

[Jim Warfield]

Younger teenagers do two things when they get scared,: Scream and Run.
Clear them a running path, remove obsticles they could fall on, maybe light it more so they can see where they are going better.......
Here's an idea I just had. Build a coffin, put some small wheels under it as it would lay flat, attach a small cable , paint the cable flat grey and black to hide it then have the coffin slightly, slowly roll towards them, but have the real monster hiding behind them and when they back into him the fun and the screams begin.
If someone is in the coffin it will be much harder to pull and probably break off the wheels after a short while.

[Bonesaw]

Threaten to have their parentz come and dance disco in front of their friendz.

That'll scare (and scar) them! :lol:

[Zombie]

Nice one Bonesaw!

Actually it’s not that difficult to scare older teens. The key is to bombard thier senses to the point of overload then spring an unsuspected scare on them.

On your "Hayride gone bad" idea. Here is a thought. Recruit a few teens (Lets call them group A) to be in the scare. For best effect they need to be well known be it good or bad.

Have them wear something loud during the party such as brightly colored shirts or maybe coat them in glowies. They need to be loud and boisterous to get as much attention as possible while on the ride.

During the ride recount a fictional story of how you used to do this ride all the time until a group of drunken teens from a nearby town slaughtered some kids in that very field and were gunned down by the police. Act dismayed that they had not heard of it and accuse them of living in a bubble and comment they need to watch more news.

When the ride goes bad group A starts to moan and groan. They do not heed the advice to remain with the wagon or whatever. These few, after garnering much attention run off into the field.

While you work on keeping the rest of the group (Call them group B) in place group A goes to a predetermined area where assistance is waiting to "Kill them" Do your best to create a gory scene. Scatter glowies and lots of fake blood everywhere. Have Group A position themselves in as grotesque a pose as possible. For one I suggest a piece of canvas painted black to conceal the face of one of the group and present the illusion he has been decapitated. For another to give the illusion of a broken limb just dig a hole big enough to stick a leg into. The actor needs to have a pair of pants that have a velcro or zipper from the cuff to the back of the knee. have your actor lie down with thier leg in the hole and cover it up. At the break point get a cheap fake leg and unzip the pant leg and insert the fake appendage and angle it to look broken. Just use your imagination.

When they are ready have one of your assistants helping group A signal you by walkie talkie which you would be using to seem to try to get help. Practice to get your assistants voice to sound distorted by waving his or her walkie talkie around while speaking into it or crumpling paper by the walkie talkie while talking.

You finally seem to concede that walking back is the only option so you lead group B in Group A's direction. Supply a few in group B with cheap flashlights that are slightly tinted. Wal-Mart window tint would do. That will keep the scene dark as possible and keep the atmosphere just right.

When you get close fall to the side of the group as they break into the clearing where Group A is waiting. Have them either lie still or twitch. The decapitated one should twitch his or her leg slightly. Don’t give them much time to take in the scene then unleash the killers. Need several gored up teens, preferably in jerseys carrying machetes. If you time everything out properly then no kid, no matter how brave will leave with clean undies.

Zombie

[Beth-a-roo]

These are fantastic - keep them coming!!!

We tried to get too intellectual and "creepy" with them last year - we had a good payoff scare and EVERYONE, even those senior boys, took off running. So we know that we need scares like that - cheap ones, I guess.

I thought that they would respond to atmosphere and a good back story since they were older- not so much.

We need something that is "goober proof" - you know, the kid in the group that is too cool to act scared so he makes stupid comments and tries to be funny. I know that he is probably as scared as anyone in the group but it's just annoying, lol. Maybe we should target him and everyone else will just be a bonus, or maybe instead of trying to scare him, get him to help so at least he doesn't ruin it for everyone else?

[Joedog]

damn this is so cheap and cheesey....

AT the very end when they think its over and its time to leave have the biggest guy you can find jump out from behing bushes/coner of the building/ running out of the woods flailing a running chain saw chase you around the corner out of sight you scream as in pain and go silent..... let him cut up some soft wod to bog the saw for a few seconds them come back out after the group. Would work best if the saw was clean as he came out and covered in a red corn syrup when he came back

[Jim Warfield]

Joe, When the guy running with the running chainsaw, with it's chain/blade on(while wearing a mask) trips and falls down there will be real blood on the chainsaw and his clothing!
Save your "Karo" money.

[Bonesaw]

Have a really wrinkly old woman walk up to the cheerleader and say....
"Look at me, you're going to look just like me before you know it!"

An old man can say... "You're all going to be old geezerz! Therez no escape!" :lol:

[Xeverity]

Try a red-herring approach. Feed them false information so their expectation run in the opposite direction. Tell them this years them is humour related and make everything funny so when something goes horrible wrong..... it seems all the more real!

Can you also maybe have one or two of them (in on it) disappear and then you have to wait for them shouting their names and go looking for them?

You can also suspend any disbelief by adding realistic touches such as getting a real pigs head or animal parts from a butcher or 'road kill' and littering the path towards a 'scarfice' seen that doesn't look like it was part of the show and is away from the main event.