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  • Are Clowns Old Hat?

    "Many People Are Afraid Of Clowns..."

    After knowing this fact for many, many years (I use to be a clown called Troubles for kid's parties), the first two years of my haunt reinterated it for me. Since I love clowns and many are afraid of them, why not put two of my loves (clowns and scaring others) together to create a theme for our 2007 haunt.

    The thing is....

    Aren't clowns old hat? They have GOT to be one of the most popular and quite possibly overused theme for haunted houses. Since I'm one who loves to come up with original ideas and storylines, taking on a theme that is centered around characters overly used just isn't my cup of tea.

    But, then....

    I COULD come up with a completely original idea and storyline behind the clowns, themselves. They do represent both sides of the way I endeavor my haunts to be - Scary and Fun! Plus....I just bought six clown masks and a pair of clown shoes off ebay. LOL!! :lol:

    Are clowns out of the picture as a main haunt?

  • #2
    I think creating an interesting storyline is a great way to keep the clown character fresh. As far as being old hat? what about chainsaws? Leave them out and people always ask where was the chainsaw guy? Take care, Mike
    Mike Bizub

    Ghouls Gulch www.GHOULSGULCH.com

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    • #3
      After my comedy chainsaw routine in the front room, nobody asks me "Where's the chainsaw.?"
      Clowns and the fear of them is a phobic thing for alot of people, so for those so afflicted , they will not be seen as old-hat, but some clown-phobics do not enjoy that fear in the least and might not enter or return.
      I have never understood how people can be so afraid of clowns, but then I never dated one in high school either.
      hauntedravensgrin.com

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      • #4
        I've done a bit of research since posting this thread.
        The fear of clowns is called "Coulrophobia." There's actually those who claim they can treat and cure those with this phobia. Yahoo at one point rated Coulrophobia as number nine out of ten phobias.

        After reading several threads from other forums and comments from those how are afraid of clowns, their main reason is the fact that they wear such dramatic makeup. And there is the smile, of course. The smile and the image of being happy all the time makes people suspicious. One guy even went as far as to say that clowns are weirdos, perverts and sickos. DAMN!

        John Wayne Gacy was mentioned quite often by clown-a-phobics, as well. Which is something I just don't get. Why must he be seen as a clown who turned serial killer? In my opinion, he was a serail killer who turned himself into a clown.... :!:

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        • #5
          Haunt clowns aren't really John Wayne Gacy directly, not are they the happy clowns with a code of ethics traceable to some clown college. How they are percieved in a haunt is just like the unknown man in the mask with a twist.

          On the internet it seems all those represented from Christian clowns to Birthday party clowns are perhaps falsely and pretentiously happy. I think they are far more retarded than the haunt clowns. But, then you will go all the way to the dark and discover clown perversion.

          In the real world good clowns visit hospitals, raise funds for the needy of all ages and have to learn how to ride a unicycle, juggle and learn a bunch of gags and skits to be a card carrying professional clown.

          Then you run into the anyone can be a clown problem and blow up balloons and get a gig of some nature. It is a job? It doesn't mean they are good people.

          Kids will sit on Santa's lap and go into trama because they are with a stranger. They are faking something and smell funny and mommy is way over there.

          You have to throw away what you know and have been informed about in the happy world, then start all over to deal with what haunt clowns might be capable of.

          As children the victims have been conditioned that like Santa, things are not really right here and mommy has lied so many times. They freak. Worse than a chainsaw but, still harmless for the most part in the controlled environment of the black plywood habitrail.

          One nice site is www.madclowns.com take the time to listen to any music like the juke box plays a few different songs.
          sigpic

          Another fabulous post from the U.S.Department of Wild Imaginings, now in spectaclar stereo, sponsored by the Adhesives and Sealants Council, suggesting ways to stick things together since the 1800s. Not fabulous in a gay way. Your results may vary. Illinois residents add 8% sales tax. These posts have been made by professional post makers, do not try this type of posting on your own without extensive training, lovely assistants and a trusty clown horn.

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          • #6
            Does anyone know of haunts with a clown theme that has a photo gallery or video on their site that I can show my crew? Some of my crew cannot picture how a clown haunt would work at all.

            Are there any displayed on the Haunt World Videos/DVDs?

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            • #7
              Hauntworld Tape #9 has a tour of Verdun Manor, the second attraction ends in quite a few rooms that are clown. A room of hundreds of clown masks on the wall, clowns wandering the hall with a horn. A spiralling wheel on the wall. Clown graffiti.

              It has been done but I have never seen more than a few rooms. Oh I take that back I did see one out in the real world that I did like. Stripes on the walls or big dots, spinning light effects, chainsaws painted clown. Generally mazes and balloons two feet thick on the floor. The entry way was up into a circus wagon, in the old days the horse brought these through town as a parade to the circus grounds as quite a spectacle and they were large and ornate with statues and carvings.

              Some ideas for reference material is to look up circus wagons circa 1870 or earlier. Colors seem to be red and yellow stripes or blue and red stripes and white stars on tents. In looking at what has been done there is always the jack in the box that is a clown head or clown masks from Killer Clowns from Space the movie.

              For costumes you could take any wild color from the groovy section of Goodwill and add polka dots and stripes even with the airbrush with mismatched panels of materials. What is being offered as real official clown costumes start out at $150 and go up to $1000 as far as serious clown "traditional old" designs go.

              Also on Hauntworld videos are several visits to Terror Visions in 3D. There are clown puppets and stalk arounds available from Wayne Toth, Exmortis.

              Other things I have seen that look cool are buying hundreds of cheaper masks and costumes and putting them out in the wind like an army of clowns walking by at a distance. Of course when ever there are many a few are potentially real.

              The fun part is just about any object can be painted clown. Big saw blades, peddle cars with wagons on them (clown limosine) Ford pintos.

              Just put the word clown into the search engine of this forum for some wild ideas we all came up with some time ago. Don't make me go into Barry's head again.

              You can do a hallway of clown hands, some may be on sticks that come toward the customer slightly, Any monster or vampire mask can get a clown nose attached and a little paint and it is weird. Dolls can be painted up, you don't see much clown furniture but, there you have it any old crap is striped out to look wrong. Lots of circus signage and so on. Posters of the side show freaks on even the interior walls. Any thrift store painting can be modified to be a clown theme or portrait.

              The rest is acting and dummies. What looks like a poorly animated clown robot becomes a jumping clown in real life. For the most part just following patrons is all that is needed to freak them out. Plus duplicates of the same costume can make some freak out as the "same" clown is somehow everywhere.

              There are few photos from inside of haunts. Search words would also be carnevil, badclowns, badclownz, whatsinbarrysheadnow.com (just kidding)
              sigpic

              Another fabulous post from the U.S.Department of Wild Imaginings, now in spectaclar stereo, sponsored by the Adhesives and Sealants Council, suggesting ways to stick things together since the 1800s. Not fabulous in a gay way. Your results may vary. Illinois residents add 8% sales tax. These posts have been made by professional post makers, do not try this type of posting on your own without extensive training, lovely assistants and a trusty clown horn.

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              • #8
                hey Emperess did you get any of the masks from darkside studios? They are as close to the Killer Klowns movies as you can get. I have the shorty one.

                I forgot to take out the newspaper that it came in and now there is some ink inside the mask. What's the best way to get rid of it?

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                • #9
                  But if you get rid of the newspaper ink what will you read as you are bored waiting for the parade to begin?
                  That mask is big enough to have a pretty decent light on inside of them.
                  My "shorty" is on a manniquin in the corner of a well-lit room. Some people ask us to put a blanket over him so they can walk into that room.
                  The last time I wanted to put a blanket over a clown I resisted the temptation, I just lunged across the campfire and accidently punched my best friend in the mouth, the dam clown ducked!
                  Rolled up in a blanket , belts tight keeping the roll in place, a shallow creek and he will submerge with help.
                  hauntedravensgrin.com

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Greg Chrise
                    Hauntworld Tape #9 has a tour of Verdun Manor, the second attraction ends in quite a few rooms that are clown. A room of hundreds of clown masks on the wall, clowns wandering the hall with a horn. A spiralling wheel on the wall. Clown graffiti.
                    Greg,

                    Excellent stuff! Everything you've said has gotten me more excited about my choice of theme. Going to Transworld? I would love to meet, sit and chat a while with ya.

                    Russ,

                    the masks I purchased were not from Darkside Studios, but I HAVE seen them. Fabulous stuff! They are on my list!

                    Jim,

                    on one of the "I hate clowns" forum I went to, there are a few examples of how clowns have indirectly caused accidents such as a twisted ankle and such.
                    I know that those who boarder between not being afraid and just a tad freaked by clowns will have a good time. However, those who cross that boarderline I'm quite leary of. I don't want my actors being punched. I always advertise what we're about ahead of time, so perhaps those with a serious issue about them will stay away.

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                    • #11
                      Empress,

                      I think I remember seeing a video of Larry Kirchner's Terror Visions in 3D haunt on one of the Hauntworld videos. Terror Visions was Larry's 3D clown haunt. I'll check and let you know.

                      There are pictures of the Terror Visions 3D artwork in the Hauntworld Haunted House Photos section http://www.hauntworld.com/gallery/th...s.php?album=31

                      See ya at TW!
                      Kevin
                      MindWerxKMG, LLC

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                      • #12
                        Wow!
                        I wish we COULD paint a walls so professionally. There were a few simple walls that gave me ideas.
                        Thanks!!

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                        • #13
                          Clowns...don't sleep or they'll eat ya.

                          We've had clown rooms throughout the years, generally never more than a couple back-to-back rooms, though.

                          However, years ago we had a 3-D show called Carnival of Illusions. Much of it was circus/freak-show themed. People loved it.

                          I think if you are going to theme a full haunt with clowns, that going all out would really help, as far as those who aren't really afraid of clowns are concerned. Cover every little detail. I've got ideas galore running through my brain....
                          www.mindseizure.com
                          www.myspace.com/mindseizurehauntedhouse

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by SpFXChic
                            I think if you are going to theme a full haunt with clowns, that going all out would really help, as far as those who aren't really afraid of clowns are concerned. Cover every little detail. I've got ideas galore running through my brain....
                            Oooooh, Honey...

                            Write me a PM and DO share!!

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                            • #15
                              Russ, I'm afraid the ink is there forever. There is nothing that willl get it out without ruining the latex. Off season though I would fill it with paper towels or terry cloth to absorb any ink that might ooze out. Basically you have an ink stamp right now and over time you will put it on and the newspaper will be printed backwards on your face creating a whole new character.

                              Emp, This year I will be sending Jim Warfield on my behalf to Transworld. You can tell him anything. Once again the decorative concrete business has left me seasonally a poor man after paying all of the taxes on way too many helpers. Unless something good happens in the next two months?

                              The clown thing gets a lot of feed back from customers as it is certainly one identifiable thing: I saw these clowns! They were doing things. In comparison the other monsters and zombies might be a bit less identifiable like that girl with white hair and blood on her or the ninja guy and so on. So having 20 clowns is maybe a good thing for fun. Which clown? Can you describe him Miss? He had green hair and suspenders and big feet. Oh, yeah we know the one.
                              sigpic

                              Another fabulous post from the U.S.Department of Wild Imaginings, now in spectaclar stereo, sponsored by the Adhesives and Sealants Council, suggesting ways to stick things together since the 1800s. Not fabulous in a gay way. Your results may vary. Illinois residents add 8% sales tax. These posts have been made by professional post makers, do not try this type of posting on your own without extensive training, lovely assistants and a trusty clown horn.

                              Comment

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