Planning!!!!! DO NOT just start building; you need to make a blueprint first. I do this on graph paper, each square representing a square foot of my garage. Of course, to do this you need to know the dimensions of your garage, so grab a tape measure and start measuring. If you don't feel like going through all that trouble, you can always just use a blank piece of paper.
Simple Walls-
1. Insert an eye bolt into the walls of the garage at either end where there is any wall along the line between the bolts.
2. String ropes from the eye bolts to the ones across the garage. Now, you can hang your walls wherever needed, and keep the spaces you want open clear of plastic. Be sure to string the ropes very tight, as there will be a lot of strain on them from the plastic.
3. Wherever you want walls, use duct tape to attach a hanging piece of plastic. Be sure to keep the bottom of the plastic just off the ground so nobody trips over it.
Other walls-
*Instead of plastic, hang white sheets and bloody them up for a gory scenes.
*Use pallets stacked two high to give a very creepy look to a narrow hallway. Especially cool when a strobe is used as well.
*Build a framework out of two by threes and attach particle board. Be sure to paint these walls, as bare lumber isn't too scary.
*Use what you have available! Picket fences make great walls. Lattice and chain link can be used to separate a group from an actor for the first scare, and then the actor can steak around through a gap for a second scare. A hallway covered in tinfoil with a strobe light in the mix can provide a very disorienting experience.
Remember, all this takes time to do, so start early if you want to have a good haunted house. I start at the beginning of August, and I recommend you start, at the latest, at the beginning of October.
PROPS!!!!!
You can make an easy scarecrow style prop by taking two pieces of wood and screwing them together in a cross shape. BEFORE doing this, put the piece going horizontally through the sleeves of a shirt. Then, once it's together, staple on a pair of pants and stuff them with newspapers. Then, put a mask on it. If you want, you can add other features such as a hat. If you want to put the scarecrow in a pose, use PVC pipes and joints to pose it.
You can make realistic guts by spraying foam insulation onto a wall and then spray painting it red.
Cobwebs are great, but you need to completely stretch them out to make them look realistic. A wad of cotton isn't scary.
In hallways, you can hang black thread to simulate cobwebs. It works great on everyone.
Advertising-
I print out flyers every year (always on orange paper) and pass them out to cars and put them on houses. I have a blog and a web-site for my haunt. I have a sign in the front yard for the haunt and have a bunch of fliers for people to take out front. Also, if you decorate the entrance of your haunt, it will draw trick or treaters in.
What it all comes down to...
SCARING PEOPLE
Before we get into the acting, you need to understand the five components of a haunted house: Actors, sets, props, lighting, and sound
We've already gone over props and sets, so now let's look at lighting and sound.
Lighting-
Lights and their effects-
Spotlights- Illuminates props and draws guest's attention to them, making it very easy for a darkly dressed actor to pounce on them from the other direction.
Strobe lights- Makes it hard to see. Great for startle scares
Black lights- Illuminates a scene with any white in it, creating a sense of wonder.
Green and Blue lights- Spookify a scene, more of a creep factor than a scary vibe.
Red lights- Good for bloody scenes, makes everything red.
Sound-
If you can afford it, I'd get a more expensive CD from a Halloween superstore, in the range of 10-20 dollars. I paid 5 dollars for a CD once and 3 of the 12 songs were people breathing heavily, one was the sound of a chainsaw, and the rest were other cheesy effects. Get a more expensive CD for a better feel to your haunt. The best sound for a haunt is creepy background music with the scary sounds produced by your actors.
Actorless Scares-
The brick wall in the picture at the top looks boring, right? Actually, it was rigged on a bungee cord so an actor could push it down on guests as they entered the room and then it would spring back up at the actor. Of course, numerous safety precautions were taken, including roping off the area directly in front of the wall. Of course, while the actor triggered the scare, it was the wall that actually scared the trick or treaters.
Another idea is to use compressed air to scare people. Simply hook up an air line from the air compressor, through a trigger that an actor can squeeze to let out a burst of air, and into the scene, where it will make contact with the frightened guests. The best places to aim for when you install the air line is the back of the neck or ankles.
Finally... ACTORS!!!!!
Picking the costume-
First, look at where the actor will be. Pick a mask or make up that fit the scene, then choose the rest of the costume based off the mask or make up.
Scaring People-
*Distractions. Make people look one way while the actor comes from the other. To do this, keep the lights where you want them to look, and have the sound come from the distraction, not the actor's hiding place.
*Stay still to make them think you're a prop, and then pounce. This is very effective if guests suspect another prop in the room (Remember, Distractions).
*Drop panels are devices built into walls or behind picture frames that slide down to let an actor scare from the new hole in the wall.
*Humor can keep guests entertained. People get scared more easily within 30 seconds of a good laugh. That does not mean that you should have someone walking around telling blond jokes! Only use humor when you can find a way to incorporate it into the scene.
*Target the weakling. Don't waste your time scaring the people who obviously aren't (Sometimes the macho guys are easiest to scare, if you have perfect timing). If you scare one or two people and entertain the rest, you have a good show.
*Learn people's names. One way to do this is to have a guide. The guide can enter the first room acting (in character) very friendly, and ask for the names of the two or three people who look most scared. Then, the guide can relay this to every actor in the haunt. Another way is to ask for the most scared person in the group and give then an item to guarantee safe passage (A sign that says "CHICKEN," a balloon) and tell them to write their name on it for it to be activated. Then, actors can target this person and use their name to get personal.
There are lots of other scaring methods, but it would take forever to list them all.
Just remember to have fun with it! Happy Haunting!
