Are Clowns Old Hat?

[SpFXChic]

Has anyone used rolls of Mylar to mirror your walls?

We did this season! Not sure of the exact brand...I can ask if you'd like.

[Empressnightshade]

I think I've found a fairly inexpensive place to order it from, but yes, ask for me.

What I really need to know is how you adhered it to the walls and how effective it was.

[drfrightner]

One of my actors put it this way...

People don't realize just how scared they're of a clown until they see one in the dark.

Trust me people are terrorfied of clowns!

Larry

[Jim Warfield]

Almost any haunted house owner would love to see a few car loads of clowns show to be his customers, imagine , say three little-bitty cars parked infront of your place and you're full-up , filled to capacity!!
(Elelphant parking in the rear!)

[Empressnightshade]

One of my actors put it this way...

People don't realize just how scared they're of a clown until they see one in the dark.

Trust me people are terrorfied of clowns!

Larry

I told my children the other day that I had chosen a haunt theme centered around clowns. I was completely shocked at the reaction I got from them.

My daughter (22 yrs old), the eldest and having my first grand baby today....HOORAY...her response was, "Eeeew! I'm NOT going in next year! They weird me out! They're just not right."

My eldest son's (19yrs old) response was after laughing, "I don't know if I'm going through....You are completely insane, Mom!" Well...I knew that! :P

My middle son (15yrs old) reacted with a "What?! I don't like that. They are always trying to be happy, cute and dancing all around....PLEASE!"

My youngest (10yrs old) is the one with Autism. I have not explained it to him since he's a visual person and seeing it being created is the best way to present it to him. The clown masks and shoes I'm waiting to be delivered will be a start in introducing the idea to him. But, I know my little man. He's gonna love it!

Now, the first three are the demographics we're trying to target. If I'm getting this reaction from my own, what about the rest of the city and county? For the past two years we've been asked by customers before entering, "Are there any clowns inside?" If the entire haunt consist of clowns, we're probably going to loose those particular customers. If so, I'm hoping it will also bring others that wouldn't normally show. I'm guessing, there will be more children as some parents will feel the haunt won't be as threatening and scary......WRONG.....!

I've been researching all aspects of clowns for the past several days and it has brought back all these deep feelings and memories I've stored away as a child. One is the fact that my mom dressed me up as a huge clown for the Halloween costume contest in Elementary school. I took 1st place for the Funniest and was the most popular kid on campus that day. They kept following me around asking me to fall down. They would laugh and laugh to see me rolling on the ground. Of course, by the time I got home, my costume was split up the crotch and my stuffing was coming out, but I didn't care. I had a ball! I was one of those who wanted to run away with the circus for a time, so although I can understand how clowns can get the reaction they do from a large part of the population, I cannot agree. However, it is this understanding that will allow me to play on every fear they have of them. :twisted:

I think this theme has been coming for me for a longtime. And I think that's why I'm having more fun than I ever had planning it.

[Jim Warfield]

Solve your potential clown problem as to whether to have them or not? Whether they are going to make fewer people come through your place or not?
Have all the clowns in a clown room and make it optional, an item of customer choice. Also have a sign or statement advertising an extra scary room and have this be the clown room, this way some clown-phobic people will accidently end up there getting their extra scare, just like you offered!
Haunted entertainment is always a balancing act, too scary? Not scary enough? And everyone is different as to what scares them. (pretty much)
I maintain the ultimate amount of flexibility here often talking with people before they enter the house discovering what some of them are looking for in a tour here , and discovering that some of them are being drug in and really do not want to be here , and they have certain fears or phobias and they will not be having a fun time if those things happen to be a fixture in my presentation.
We adjust the show, but then I adjust the show for each group that comes in here.
This can be alot of extra work and require extra time to do it, but on the other hand, these people just drove for a couple of hours to get here and might never come back again if they are being lied to by me and get overly embarrassed infront of their family, friends and maybe some strangers in the group.
This is my job, my livelyhood, I have nothing else bringing in any other money, I can't afford to leave people sitting in the van while everyone else sees the house. Of course once the nervous ones laugh, settle in, I can take my time to frighten the brave ones in the group, seeing them scream makes the chicken have a good time!
We might even set the chicken up to affect a good scare on the rest of their group! Talk about converting a potential non-customer to a returning fan! This does it! "Remember the time I got to scare you, Grandma?"
"Yes, I'll never forget it, and just think, at first you didn't even want to go in the house!"
I need people to come back again, give me some more of their money.
These customers don't have to see an expensive ad, they already know all about the house(A $aving$ right there), since they had a fun time here , they convince everyone else to make the trip, take the time, make the effort and spend the money to do this, very, very few ads, if any , can ever begin to be nearly as effective in bringing in customers as word of mouth.
They are a walking, talking, testimonial-giving , genuinely enthusiastic, unpaid salesperson!

[Empressnightshade]

I've taken another step, a quite large one I must say, towards transforming our haunt into a mental institute for the comically insane in 2007.

Last week, I went on craigslist and saw where a woman was holding a sale to get rid of all her father's medical equipment. He's a pediatrician who had a stroke and can no longer practice. I immediately wrote to her seeing if she could donate any items that did not sale. Well, she and her mother and father did better than that.....they donated ANYTHING WE WANTED in his office!!!
So, after two loads of stuff, this is what we got:

Two (2) Adult size Examination Tables

One (1) Baby Scale/Examination Table

Working Computer

White Desk

Doctor's Office Scale

Clear Glass Cannisters holding Cotton, Long cotton tipped Swabs, tongue depressors, etc.

Blue Plastic Cannisters

HUNDREDS of Syringes in individual packages (Saw II immediately came to mind! :twisted: )

Four drawer File Cabinet

1 Reflex Hammer (the one doc hits your knee with)

Blood pressure instruments

Ear/Nose/Throat instrument (The one doc uses with the tiny lite to look in your ears, nose and down your throat)

Oodles of Draping Cloths (To cover your nakedness when you're sitting on the table waiting for doc)

Wicker Chest full of toys (For waiting room)

Winding Bead Toy (The one that has the colorful winding wires and beads on each for a child to follow along the wired path. For Waiting Room)

LOTS of chid related and parent magazines (For waiting room)

Five Pictures of flowers with gold frames (For waiting room)

1 Picture of Fish

Several "In and Out" boxes for paperwork

1 box of new file folders

Two desk chairs

Lots of stationary stuff such as message pads, pens, pencils, staplers, staples, tape, post it notes, rubber bands, paper clips, etc..

Working Typewriter with lots of spare ribbons and correction tape.

Clipboards

2 clear Bins that attach to the outside door of an examination room. They hold your medical files in them.

One TV Cart

One Push Cart

One HUGE metal file bin

Three large wood organizers that sit on top of a desk

There's more stuff that I know I have forgotten to list, but all in all this blessing is definitely going to make our haunt more believable!

[PumpkinHead]

Sounds like an awesome score, Empress ! I did a clown haunt last year and an asylum one this year. You are combining two of my favorite themes into one! Be sure to have a morgue with a freezer doors on one wall.

Two cannibals were dining on a clown. One cannibal said to the other, "Does this taste funny to you?"

-PH

[Jim Warfield]

I overheard two of my customers discussing possibly giving me 50 old dental chairs, they owned them, didn't know what to do with them!?
I could have series them and raised a really big room full of people with all of those chairs,Then drilled alot of teeth!
Didn't happen, oh well?
Now I don't have any reason to be looking down in the mouth.

[SpFXChic]

Empress hit the JACKPOT!!!

Congrats! That's an awesome haul!