CREATIVE and ORIGINAL SCENES

[badlander2000]

I am the new member and I am shocked that there aren't more topics in this section that is why im starting my own!

[ScarlettP]

Ditto Badlander.

AS for your poll question, I voted NO. Many of the gags described in that book are still viable. Many of the promotional ideas are getting outdated. Empiressnightshade already found out that getting a PSA is a lot harder than just calling up your local Radio Station and asking for one. Most cities also have strict guidlines on selling food for extra revenue.

"How to Run..." is STILL the best known book for haunters out there, and I still suggest that everyone have a copy or at least read through it. But there are better ones available now. Kel Allen - who posts here - has a very good one. As for building projects, there are LOTS of websites out there that will tell you how to build bigger and better props on a budget.

[mindtumor]

I have three hauntworld DVD's and those have some good scare ideas in them. I have found that some of our best scares are stuff we came up with on the fly the first weekend.

[badlander2000]

I never thought anybody would make any more replies in this section because last time I was on everybody was flocking around the professional haunting section. But now the home haunting is growing under my section. I really want more replies because I think we actually need to talk about the design of our haunts.

[Jim Warfield]

You have to design your place anticipating the clumsiest, stupidest , drunken person might get inside, then hope that he doesn't.
Of course if I could design fool-proof things I would be making big money designing nuke plants and cars.(Or like when I was a kid nuke-powered cars! Everyone was going to have one by 196-? The Walt Disney coloring book said so, I think?)

[slash]

Even though it's outdated, it's actually one of the better books out there.

[MidnightEvil]

Two other books you might want to check out are

Haunted House Halloween Handbook by Jerry Chavez

The Complete Haunted House Book By Tim Harkleroad

[badlander2000]

We should be talking about scenes not books

[AcoreMANNER]

I was thinking of an Indian theme. By Indian I mean tomahawk waving, scalp scraping savages. I picture a variety of lead up scenes like forests, meadows, messed up Indian villages, etc. I see bloody war scenes of rival Indian tribes, evil medicine men, arrows flying past peoples ears, and the psychadelic rattles of venomous snakes all around

Also, I was thinking a narrow really tall hallway with no cieling would look neat...allowing people to look up and out at the night sky may make a forest or dungeon scene even more realistic.

As for books - I like the ones mentioned. The books touch on a lot of stuff, and can yield many ideas for those willing to meet the books half way. A lot of ideas/ illusions/gags I found in a couple of my books (The Complete Haunted House Book- Tim Harkleroad, Give Them a Real Scare this Halloween- Pfeiffer) are painfully corny.....but by turning those ideas upside down and improvising a little...those books can still be like gold. Especially the book by Tim Harkleroad......its got a lot of scene ideas.

[drfrightner]

Who wrote the book you're talking about?

Larry