Blogcritics

Fiendish Friday Interview: Larry Silverman of Discovery Channel's A Haunting

hauntedreport — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:11:54 EDT

Listen to an interview with Larry Silverman of the Discovery Channel.
It's October, which means it is time for an interview. Today we interview Larry Silverman from The Discovery Channel's hit cable TV show and one of the only scary shows on TV, A Haunting. Earlier this month I had a chance to sit down with Larry and talk to him about "A Haunting". If you didn't know, A Haunting is one of the...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

DVD Review: The Pit and the Pendulum

hauntedreport — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:29:03 EDT

By Iloz Zoc"I was sick, sick unto death, with that long agony, and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me." -- Edgar Allen Poe, The Pit and the PendulumHaving grown up on TV shows like Davey and Goliath and Gumby, stop motion animation is an enjoyable form of storytelling for me. From the simplicity and witty fun of Gumby, to the richness of design found in The Nightmare Before Christmas, the stories are often magical and the characters always imaginative. Stop motion techniques can be used with clay, puppets, and realistic-looking articulated models like Willis O'Brien's emotive King Kong or Ray Harryhausen's creepy fighting skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts.Stop motion has been skillfully and shoddily used with many traditional and avant-garde horror and science-fiction films since around 1908, and lends itself to the short subject rather well, especially when the setting is simple, and the actions straightforward. Marc Lougee's stop motion adaptation of Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum is a good example of this. Poe's story is a straightforward narrative of despair, desperation, and horror. The anonymity of the villains, the delirium of the victim, and the increasingly horrific situations he confronts is ripe for a short film that captures this singular time frame of struggle against increasingly dire odds.While Poe's story is required reading for many college kids, this visualization of the torments suffered by the unnamed prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition would be a welcome addition to the curriculum. While a bit of license is used for dramatic visual effect (the prisoner doesn't have a metal helmet locked around his head in the original story), the short seven-minute film adheres to and captures the essence of terror with vivid detail in its CG-enhanced miniature sets and stylized puppets. There's an exaggerated character movement inherent to stop motion. It can either breathe dramatic life into the actions of its diminutive characters, or create a cartoonish effect that hinders more serious storylines. Poe is deadly serious here, and animators Weiss and Fairley create movement that conveys much of the drama and tension without whimsical or absurd motions. The robed tribunal members, murmuring and motioning with their heads and hands in a condemning way, and the prisoner's halting steps, exhausted posture, and fearful exploration of the dungeon, visually portray the literary tone of the short story with their painstaking and time-consuming attention to detail. Dwayne Hill narrates the inner thoughts and feelings of the confused and fearful prisoner, condemned to the dark dungeons without maudlin overtones. His voice is that of a rational man in irrational circumstances; a man trying to reason through his predicament in hopes of finding an escape from his tormentors, and their fiendish instruments of torture and death.One ray of hope and beauty written into the film, and not in Poe's gloomy tale, is the entrance of a brightly-colored bird fluttering around the solitary window of the cell, high up out of reach. The cheerful scene contrasts with the somber browns and blacks of the walls and floor. It is a nice foreshadowing of hope as the prisoner looks up toward the feeble light, entering through the bars, illuminating the red feathers of the bird flying about carefree. It fortifies the visual storytelling in a simple but majestic manner.Though not based on historical accuracy, the fictional pit and pendulum of the story heighten the fearsome depravity and inhumanity of the prisoner's death sentence. In true horror story fashion, death is not the worst part, but getting there is. While reason keeps the prisoner from succumbing to the razor-sharp blade of the pendulum, it can't stop the heated iron walls of his cell from forcing him ever closer to that infernal pit in the middle of the room. What horrors await should he fall down into the deep darkness?It's hard to capture Poe's narrative detail, the rush of terror-filled thoughts overwhelming the long-suffering prisoner in his final moments before succumbing to the foul-smelling pit, especially in a six-to-seven minute film. But the climax here, with its carefully framed arm darting down to rescue him as he descends into oblivion, pulling him back to sanity and safety, is thrillingly done.The Pit and the Pendulum's stop motion artistry proves that old techniques, when combined with creativity and a touch of new technology, still have much to offer.

iamlegend is the full time chief editor and blogger for several blogs, but confesses that The Haunted Report is his favorite. It covers the haunted house/horror market. Basically, if it tries to scare the crap out of you... we cover it.

Fiendish Friday Interviews: Pigman's Lair

hauntedreport — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:43:18 EDT

This is a series of interviews we do with people who are changing the face of the haunted attractions and horror industry. This week we interview Chip of Pigman's Liar Haunted Attractions. Why did you first become interested in the haunted house/horror business?Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been into it to some degree. I loved scaring people, monsters, masks, and all the cool special effects stuff. Like most haunters, I would build haunted houses in my basement, and set up elaborate yard displays. As far as the business end of it, 1999 was my first venture into the professional side of it.What previous jobs have you had?My entire working background since high school and college has been restaurant management related. I also briefly worked in customer/sales service at a carton manufacturing company in North Carolina.What job do you do right now? Is the haunted house/horror job your full time gig?I have been working for Potbelly Sandwich Works for the past four years. I am a general manager at the Arborland location in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I would LOVE for the haunting business to be full-time… maybe someday!How long have you been in the business?Eight years, professionally.How did you start?I went to the first North Carolina gathering of haunters, put together by Leonard Pickel of Haunted Attraction Magazine. It was located at Morris Costumes, where he was in the process of designing and building their haunted attraction/showroom. This gathering would eventually evolve into the now well-attended HauntCon. I met Eddie McLaurin from Woods of Terror there. Working one year with Woods of Terror, I helped with some of the promotional and marketing stuff, as well as several prop and scene constructions. I also helped with the set-up and teardown, and helped revamp several scenes. After that, I typed up a business plan and proposition with the Winston-Salem Jaycees, and opened my first show the next year. (I had accumulated several years of props and costumes by that point). They were great to work with, and that was the birth of the “Pigman’s Lair” theme.What’s the scariest haunted house you ever attended?My own -- Pigman’s Lair! The scariest that I remember was the Niles haunted house out on Bell Rd, in Niles, Michigan. This was well before they turned into the huge operation and screampark they are now. It was much scarier back then -- but I was much younger as well. I don’t get scared a whole lot… startled, yes! I’ve been known to shriek here and there, but as far as scary, it’s real hard to creep me out. Some of the best I’ve attended, as far as actors and detailing go include: Netherworld in Atlanta, Dream Reapers in Chicago, Woods of Terror in North Carolina, Erebus and Realm of Darkness in Pontiac, The Haunting in Adrian, The Haunt in Grand Rapids, and the Terrorfied Forest in Pinckney. I’ve heard great stuff about Terror on the Fox, Bates Motel, The Darkness, and I’ve always wanted to go to Deadly Intentions in Warren. That’s one haunt I’d love to check out, and it probably will creep me out, which is totally fine with me!Do you still find time to attend Haunted Houses?Yes, whenever I can. I wish I could see more. All the conventions I attend have haunt tours, and that’s great, but I’d really love to take a whole year off, and hit about a hundred (and not pay!). Being so close to the haunt capital of Detroit, and being open only on Fridays and Saturdays, I should be able to.What inspires you to create?The reactions I get from my customers. The look on the face of my wife after I’ve made something really creepy looking. The fact that I know that people will come through my haunt, and will not be able to recognize any corny “store-bought” props. Going through other haunts inspires me too. If I see a really cool idea, I’ll try to expand on it and make it better, without stealing it. If I go through a haunt, and they are doing the same old tricks you see at haunt after haunt, and they’re using the same boring props, that also inspires me to be more unique in my show.Do you ever get scared anymore?Yes. More so when thinking about family, and their safety and mortality -- things like that.What does scare you?Outside of the answer from the above question, really big, fast moving scares that come real close to me. Erebus had a giant ape-looking thing (very similar to the Gore Galore over-sized products). This creature was lurking in a corner, and the actor was fast and very loud -- it was a great scare! Something that big and that fast made me jump. Seeing something appear from nowhere, like in a window. Anything that glides, darts, or floats quickly into and out of my field of vision -- like I’ll be looking out a window, and a ghost or something will just shoot by real quick. Or I’ll be looking down a long hallway, and a little kid or something will fly across the hallway from one room into another. Also, the imagination. We try to use that in our haunt. What you THINK is out there, and what REALLY is out there are two totally different things. If I have time to psych myself up, I’ll get scared. That’s what I need to tell my customers who come in. Don’t come in with a hard-ass attitude, and act all tough in front of your friends -- you will not have fun! If you try to believe in what you’re seeing and hearing, even if for only 20-30 minutes, it will be the best time of your life, and your haunting experience will be so much better!Do you believe in real haunted houses and ghosts?Yes. I’ve seen some things that make me believe, but it doesn’t bother me.What is fear?Fear is your brain and imagination telling you that what you are experiencing is not right, could hurt you, could cause you great pain, and you’ll never get out.Who’s your average customer?18-25 year old students are our average customer.What are your five-year goals?To continue to increase attendance, quality, and efficiency of our show. To make it THE haunted house in Michigan to attend, in addition to the other great haunts. To be five years closer to making the haunt industry my full-time gig. I would love more than anything to spend my career designing, building, managing, and acting in my own haunted house. I know of people who do it. It just takes a lot of time, money, patience, and even more passion. I’ve got three out of the four. Hopefully after this season, I’ll have four out of the four!

Fiendish Friday Interview: Netherworld Haunted House

hauntedreport — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:07:38 EDT

This is a series of interviews we do with the people who are changing the face of the haunted attractions and horror industry. This week we interview the folks from NETHERWORLD haunted house. They build some of the sickest sets you have ever seen.Why did you first become interested in the haunted house/horror business?It seems like I have loved scary stuff all my life. I did a haunted house at my elementary school and got hooked scaring people at a very young age! I had all the classic monster models, read Famous Monsters Magazine -- the whole nine yards!What previous jobs have you had?After college, I worked at TV stations in Tallahassee, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia for 18 years. During those years I mainly worked on the production of news shows, running camera, audio, directing and such. I also shot and edited commercials, was a lighting and set designer, produced special events like telethons and parades, and eventually moved into management. But the interesting thing that was horror related was my TV show Tales From 6 Feet Under, a local hosted horror show. Every week I would run old horror movies with crazy skits during the commercial breaks.What job do you do right now? Is the haunted house/horror job your full-time gig?I still do occasional special event related projects, but NETHERWORLD is my primary focus.How long have you been in the business?Since I was ten years old! No, really I would say three years of actually designing and running real charity haunts in conjunction with my TV show, three years with a professional haunted house chain (Silo X) and 11 years of NETHERWORLD, so pretty much about 17 years.How did you start?Well, I was doing the hosted horror show as the bizarre Dr. Speculo, and after working closely with the Muscular Dystrophy Association for years on the local telethon coverage we decided that a haunted house would be a great fund raiser. Using my collection of horror props, the TV station, and my actor friends who helped with the show, we hooked up with the charity and did our first show, “Dr. Speculo’s Trail of Terror!” After the memory of how hard it was wore off, I guess I was hooked!What’s the scariest haunted house you ever attended?Wow, that’s a tough one! It might have been some of the Jaycee haunts I went to as a kid, probably because I was a kid, but I still remember them as being pretty good. I think the scariest haunt sort of thing I remember is exploring an old abandoned Spanish fort when I was in elementary school. That sort of stuck with me, so haunts or scenes with an dark, old, realistic abandoned feel are the creepiest for me. I can still get startled in haunts, usually by a good actor, or by a falling wall or pit, but that only lasts for a second. Now there are some scary haunts I have seen that look really dangerous from a safety aspect, but that’s another thing entirely!Do you still find time to attend haunted houses?Absolutely! I almost never get out during the season, but I travel to as many haunts as I can usually during trade shows and such. I got to see the legendary Rocky Point in depth at their final Fright Nights this year, and I have also seen such great haunts as Burial Chamber, Terror on the Fox, Dreamreapers, Realm of Darkness, and the massive EREBUS in 2007 already.What inspires you to create?Personally I find ancient, mythological, historical, and literary elements to be more inspiring than most mass-marketed horror movies. The direction video games have taken with survival horror and complex storylines is much more to my taste than standard slasher fare. When I visit haunted houses I am impressed by producers who try new things, rather than the same old hockey masks. But on the flip side you always need to be aware of what your audience wants, and give it to them. When I see a lot of love and effort in a haunt, be it in an elaborate presentation, engineering marvels, innovative ideas, or a tight operation, that’s what inspires me! And also to quote the late great Lance Pope referring to his patrons, “Give them a good show… they deserve it!” That’s the real reason to create -- to give your guests a great show.Do you ever get scared anymore?I do get startled on occasion, but haunts don’t really scare me. The feeling of suspense you get before the drop on a rollercoster, and certain peak moments in good haunts or during a good horror movie come close, but real scares are limited to real dangers like driving in Atlanta!What does scare you?Bad weather and having my slider pads slip when I am sliding in our parking lot. Ouch!Do you believe in real haunted houses or ghosts?I don’t believe in them per se, but I think something interesting is going on. Hopefully the continued application of science to odd events will eventually shed more light on them.What is fear?Real fear is something you inspire once in a while in guests, and it is not always a good thing. When they think they are really going to die and completely lose it, it means that you have pushed too far. I really dislike haunts who market making guests lose control of bodily functions, even though we see it a lot. It’s generally not a good experience for the guest, and I think glorifying it is crude and unprofessional. My favorite reaction is a huge startle, followed by a shock release where they sort of slump or lose balance, followed by laughter or smiling. You got ‘em good, they are having a great time, and they leave happy. If you terrorize a patron to the next level they will leave traumatized and will probably never go to another haunted house again. That is bad for them and bad for the industry. But the reputation that you are that scary is actually an advantage when marketing, so you are always trying to ride that line.Who’s your average customer?Everyone! We have huge crowds in all shapes and sizes. But the most common type I would say is young adults in pairs or groups looking to have a good time, and we try to give it to them. What are your five-year goals?I love this line of work! I want to keep doing it till they pry my screw gun from my cold dead fingers! Really my goal is to run a safe, fun, impressive show that is always evolving and always taking it to the next level. You just go year by year and do the best you can. I am also excited about getting my kids into the business as they grow older and seeing where they can take it in the future. What more could you want?

Fiendish Friday Interviews: Jeremy from Midnight Fire

hauntedreport — Sat, 9 Jun 2007 10:11:49 EDT

This is the weekly series of interviews we do with people changing the face of the Haunted Attractions and Horror Industry. This week we interview Jeremy of Midnight Fire Attractions. They build custom attractions, sets and props for the themed entertainment industryWhy did you first become interested in the Haunted House/Horror Business?It all started when I was 13, pretty much by accident. It was about a month before Halloween, and I just happened to mention to a friend that I was bored and needed a project to work on. He said, "why don't you do a haunted house?" I barely even knew what a haunted house was, and had certainly never been to one. But I was intrigued, and together we came up with $90 and put on a little show in my parents' basement. I was hooked from that moment on.What Previous jobs have you had?I guess the first real job I ever had was re-shelving books at the local library. That was not fun. Since then, I've worked as a graphic designer, video editor, and musician, in addition to my themed attraction work.What job do you have now?I now run a company called Midnight Fire Attractions, and we build custom attractions, sets, and props for the themed entertainment industry. For anyone who's interested in learning more about us and the work we do, there's a lot more information available on our website MidnightFireAttractions.How Long Have you Been in business?We officially incorporated the business in 2004, although we had been working on attractions for several years before that.How Did You Start?It all just grew out of my fascination (and, I guess you could say, obsession) with running that little haunted house when I was a teenager. I know that a lot of people in this business started out the same way. And then one day, it hits you that if this is what you love to do, you should try to see if you can make a living doing it.What's the scariest Haunted House you ever been to?I remember this very vividly. I must have been about 16, and I'm on vacation with my family near Niagara Falls. We're in a mall in the tourist area near the falls, and there's a haunted house in there called "Screamers." My two younger brothers and I are extremely apprehensive about going in, so we convince our dad to join us.Now to put it mildly, this was not the most creative attraction in the world. Most of the experience (and we were warned of this ahead of time) consisted simply of total darkness. Little red LEDs were placed throughout, and we were told to walk toward the lights.So we start down the first hallway, walking toward the first little LED... and we’re totally on edge, in anticipation of what's going to happen. It's pitch dark, and we can't see an inch in front of us. Then out of nowhere, an actor slams himself into the wall directly in front of where we're walking. We instantly do a 180 and run out screaming. We return to the ticket counter and, unfortunately, are informed that we won't be getting our money back.What Inspires you to create ?I create because I want to evoke some sort of emotional response in an audience. I want to make people feel something... whether it's fear, or excitement, or laughter. I think that's what it's all about. Try to give people an experience they've never had before, so when they leave, they want to tell people they know that they "have to come see this." When that happens, I feel like I've accomplished what I set out to do.Do you ever get scared anymore?Do I ever! I get scared very easily. I remember a couple years back, I fell for one of those internet video tricks where they have you watching some song lyrics on the screen, or whatever, and then a photo of the Exorcist pops up. I had trouble sleeping for weeks after that.Do you believe in real haunted houses?No, I don't. I'm very skeptical when it comes to stuff like that. But I'm a big believer in the potential of the whole concept to create some really powerful entertainment.What is Fear ?I think fear is our universal reaction to the unknown. We get afraid because we don't know what will happen, when it will happen, or if it will happen. And a good haunted attraction knows how to use this to its advantage. You get people to let their guard down, and then you hit them with something big. Or you set up a scare that just comes completely out of nowhere. That's why that "Exorcist" video on the web is so effective.Who's your competition and why ?Well, there are several companies out there that build attractions. But I try to make my own company stand out through the quality and attention to detail that my staff and I put into our work.What Is your 5 year goal ?I have some big plans for the next five years, and I have to say I'm very excited. In addition to growing my business, I've been working on a concept for a really innovative haunted attraction. I think it will be a "new breed" of haunted house, something that people have never seen before. I really have no interest in doing what's already been done, my goal is always to innovate. Honestly, I think this will be so different, that at the beginning, people won't even know what to think about it. We've all gotten so used to the "standard" haunted house stuff (actors growling at us, chainsaws, etc.) that an attraction that goes in a completely opposite direction might be hard to wrap your mind around at first. But I think once it catches on, it could be very big. I hope, anyway.

Fiendish Friday Interview: The Chainsaw Mafia

hauntedreport — Sat, 26 May 2007 12:17:21 EDT

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews we do every Friday with someone changing the face of the horror/Halloween industry. This week we interview Shannon Lark of the Chainsaw Mafia. Talk about your horror performance art!What is the Chainsaw Mafia?The Chainsaw Mafia is my horror production company which specializes in horror film and splatter theater. TCM is also a networking board online designed to help independent horror filmmakers get support for their productions. It’s kind of like a Craigslist for the low budget filmmaker.TCM’s motto is “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter,” which indicates the need and request for more women in the horror genre.Who are the Living Dead Girlz?The Living Dead Girlz is a zombie dance troupe based in San Francisco. The director, Amber Steele, is the choreographing genius behind all of our moves. We always tell a new story with our shows, and specialize in non-commercial jazz, sock hop, cha cha, chair dancing, tango/waltz, and a little bit of burlesque (although we are not a burlesque dance troupe).We also eat brains, disembowel, and rip hearts out of people. We spray about five gallons of blood at our “wet” shows but can adapt our shows to venues that need to stay dryer.There are seven of us total, although four or five of us travel to perform for away shows.What is the show about?The storylines always change with every new show we do. We just performed a new show where we attack a threesome of pretentious Goths at a party. We chair danced to Nelly Furtado. The very first show we did, called “Meet the Living Dead Girlz,” takes place in a morgue. The Doctor injects herself and is reanimated. She injects all of us, and we come back to dance to the Pussycat Dolls and NIN. In this show we have our individual personae. Ghetto-Fab Zombie, Swat Team Zombie, Voodoo Zombie, etc.We try to mix it up and not have shows that have similar choreography, costumes, or storylines. It takes about two months to create one show, and the piece is about ten minutes long.Who usually hires you to perform?Oh boy! Clubs, wrestling events, b-day parties, film festivals, and other horror-esque events. We just signed up with the Bay Area Derby Girls and have even gotten requests to perform at weddings!Fangoria has hired us for a slew of their conventions as well.What's the worst show you ever performed?For me personally, it had to of been Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors in San Jose. I was coming down with something and felt like I couldn’t keep up with the moves or was about to fall over. It was pretty awesome!What's the best?A show we did recently at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. That’s really our home venue, and we had so many supporters. Even though I did hurt my back from playing too rough in the blood, it was so so so much fun!How did you find the ladies of LDG?I shot this short horror film called “What Ever Happened to the Zombie Killers?” Amber Steele did all the zombies’ choreography in the film and played one of the zombie Killers with myself. I think it might have been Amber who said she would like to direct a zombie dance troupe someday. I pestered her for about one or two years until she gave in.How did you get into the horror business?Once I decided it was what I wanted to do, I would land parts on films and follow the director and the crew around relentlessly, asking questions. I read books and picked up a camera and taught myself. I also took out a loan and did independent film study at the Film Arts Foundation.Is this your full time gig?It is my full time gig, but I still have to work to pay the bills. I get up at around 7 a.m. to start working on my passion. I have a job that remains flexible with me running off to where I need to go. I usually get done around 2:30 a.m. Then I wake up and do it all over again.Are you into haunted houses at all? Favorites?Totally! I think the best haunted house I have ever heard of is Hell House by the insane Christian fanatics. What they are doing is truly frightening.What is fear?Adrenaline pumped quickly into your blood stream. It’s really great!Do you get scared anymore?No. Not when dealing with horror films. I have nightmares all the time but experience them as surges of creativity.I do get scared sometimes of the thought of walking by someone with an umbrella and getting my eye ripped out by one of the spokes. I duck a lot in San Francisco.

Fiendish Friday Interview: Javier C. Rivera, Filmmaker

hauntedreport — Fri, 18 May 2007 04:54:35 EDT

This is part of a series where we interview people who are changing the face of horror/haunted houses. This week we talk to Javier Rivera, who wrote and shot the haunted attraction documentary The Scare. The trailer looks amazing and provides a real sneak peek behind the curtain of haunted attractions.Why/how did you first become interested in horror?Oddly enough I became interested in horror because of comedy. I grew up in Wisconsin watching Son of Svengoolie, a TV show based out of Chicago. It’s basically a guy in costume presenting horror movies. He’s still a hero of mine and I’m fortunate enough to have an autographed rubber chicken.What previous jobs have you had?My first job in this profession was as an editor for Owen May of Metro Video Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a great match because he taught me a lot of the old school equipment and I taught him the new. I’m happy to say we still keep in touch.How long have you been a filmmaker?I produced my first piece my junior year in high school (around 1992). If that counts, then I suppose I’ve been a filmmaker for almost 15 years. Personally, I only count 10 years because I began to write, edit, and direct films in college. I graduated from Columbia College in Chicago where students start making films within their first semester. It was a great place to grow as a filmmaker.How did you get your start?There are two versions of this story. The first is that I’ve always liked to write and create movies with my toys. I didn’t play with my G.I. Joes following the cartoon’s storylines. I made up my own, sometimes bringing different toys into the mix. My favorite was He-Man versus Duke Hauser.The second version of how I got started was when I was in my second year at UW-Parkside. I met a guy at my job and he told me about Columbia College. Until then, I was an English major with no idea of my future. He opened my eyes to the possibility of having a career as a filmmaker. I transferred to Columbia the following year.What’s your film about?The Scare is a documentary that follows The Mansion of Terror cast and crew through their third haunt season. It explores the reasons for their success as one of Austin’s best haunted houses.What inspired you to create this film?Originally, it started because I didn’t want to act for the 2006 season. I had acted the year before around the time I first moved to Austin. It was a great experience but I’m not an actor. I told the owner that I’d be happy to volunteer again, but more in the audio/visual aspect. We came up with the idea to film behind-the-scenes during the season. That grew into wanting to discover their success. Although I went into it with the mind-set of documenting their business plan, I got so much more. It’s not about money; it’s about family.Do you ever get scared?Yes.What does scare you?The unknown. One of my biggest goals in life is to embrace the unknown and overcome my fears. I also have a hard time with heights and confined spaces, but I can get through it.Do you believe in real haunted houses? Ghosts?I believe anything’s possible, and I know there’s more around us than what we can physically see.What is fear?Fear is the unknown.What are your goals for the next five years?Currently, I’m working on a feature-length screenplay. I hope to have had it either sold or made in the next five years. I’m also working on directing more. In the next few years, I’d like to have at least one feature under my belt.Where will your film be playing? Are you looking for a DVD release?I’m lucky because The Scare is playing twice in the same weekend. The first is Friday, May 4 at 8:30PM at The Oaks in Manor, Texas. The second is in Michigan during HauntCon where I’m happy to say it’s also one of the top contenders for first place.DVDs will be available at The Oaks as well as through the film’s official website . The website also provides more information on the film, news updates, and a link to our official blog.

DVD Review: The World's Most Famous Haunted House

hauntedreport — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:22:42 EDT

By Iloz Zoc When was the last time you had a really good scare — for fun, I mean? Admit it. You love to be chased around by freshly unearthed ghouls and sundry creatures of the night, don't you? And you're willing to pay good money to see your friends frightened out of their wits, right? Horror is such a communal thing after all — best shared by friends and lovers.Haunted house attractions put you in the middle of a horror movie — willingly, of course. And while some haunted houses are scarier than others, or more ghoulish than others, or more jaw-dropping - oops, just wet my pants - horrifying than others, one name stands out as the most elaborate, most engaging haunted house ever done -- Britannia Manor.And it didn't cost a dime to get in! Not one cent. The purveyors of haunted house attractions, STB Productions, recorded for posterity the goings-on at Britannia Manor during one Halloween. Their DVD, The World's Most Famous Haunted House: A Tribute to Britannia Manor, contains a short but highly informative interview with Richard Garriott, mastermind behind Britannia Manor, a photo gallery of assorted medieval items of violent intent lying around his home, and extensive archival footage that includes actors and make-up artists preparing for a typical night's events of thrills and chills.Rounding out the DVD is an actual you-are-there experience as you follow a party of lost souls making their way through the various creepy tableaux of Britannia Manor, which provides lots of logistical information for the students and designers of haunted house attractions.In the interview, game designer Richard Garriott talks about what prompted him to go to such great lengths to turn his home and surrounding grounds into an elaborate role-playing adventure during Halloween, between 1988 and 1994. According to the Wikipedia entry on Britannia Manor,The events were designed like a roleplaying game. Participants would go through Garriott's mountain property in adventuring parties, gathering clues to solve mysteries and quests, while facing different perils and pitfalls. The actors would touch, grab, and physically as well as verbally interact with the guests, who could not simply wander through like in most haunted houses. They would have to swing, crawl, climb, and row their way out. It was not uncommon for parties to lose members in the course of the quest. Garriott spent a great deal of money annually around Halloween to pay for makeup, tools, construction materials, special effects, and costumes for his haunted house. The actors and techs were all volunteers, many donating hundreds of hours for the honor of being a part of the show, and a free t-shirt.Free t-shirts will do it every time. I hope those lost party members were eventually found, too, and didn't lose any arms or legs.What really stands out as you watch the archive footage and tour—taken from the 1994 Descent Into Madness adventure—is the elaborate and highly professional make-up, costuming, and staging of special effects.While Garriott, dressed as Lord British from the Ultima computer roleplaying game which he created, entertained people waiting on the long lines to get in, hooded monks guided small parties of participants into the interactive environment.The adventure begins with a descent through a sarcophagus as smoke swirls about, and entry into a dimly lit tomb where a dying monk implores participants to find the Avatar. A ghoul suddenly comes to life — oh, you know what I mean — and speeds up the monk's mortality while the participants race to escape and find the Avatar. Along the way, they meet the bizarre denizens of this Britannia Manor netherworld, who either assist the hapless participants in their quest, or scare the pants off them.Each tableau of horror or terror they encounter contains actors who do a very good job of creeping them out, and the bloody icing on the cake is their encounter with Minos, who mercilessly belittles them, then sends them on their way. The pyrotechnics at this point are amazing. I wonder if anyone got their eyebrows singed?Participants really do need to be in shape, as they must go through strenuous gyrations to make their way into and out of the various rooms containing demons, ghouls, and black-lighted flying banshees.Sliding down long and tight tunnels in the darkness, taking a dip in a lagoon, and crawling through pitch black corridors to get away from monsters is a big part of the interactive adventure. Funhouse-styled rotating tunnels, just like the ones I've often up-chucked on at "amusement" parks, provided even more shake and bake anxiety for the participants. After about forty minutes, the Avatar is finally found, and all join in the climactic battle as she fights the big demonic guy with really big horns. Richard Garriott hopes to re-start the world's most elaborate haunted house in 2008. Until then, for horrorheads interested in learning more about Britannia Manor and experiencing its exciting magic, this DVD is a worthwhile resource.

Fiendish Friday Interviews: Scott Michael

hauntedreport — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 06:48:22 EDT

Editors Note: This is another in our ongoing weekly series of interviews with people who are changing the face of Horror/Haunted Attractions. This week we interview Scott Michael of Las Vegas who is selling one of his Haunted Houses for one dollar on eBay. Does this seems like a deal to you? If so, check out everything that is included.Why did you first become interested in the Haunted House/Horror Business?I was about the ripe age of 12-years-old and lived in Garden Grove, California. My brother and I were trying to sneak into our childhood playground, Disneyland, as we had so often before. We had our usual shoebox full of Disneyland ride tickets with us (yes, they once had individual ride tickets), and a great desire to enter through the unprotected hand stamp gates. These gates were usually our free pass into Disneyland, but not this day. If we wanted to have some fun, we would have to ride our bikes even further across town to Buena Park. Knotts was always the plan B when it came to sneaking into theme parks as a kid. Getting into Disneyland or Knotts without having our mother called by security was our weekly quest and challenge. At that time Knotts had just begun their 1st annual Halloween Haunt set up. The area where we usually would get into the park was now blocked by a large green tent. The tent had an opening, so I decided to check it out.It was the "Haunted Forrest" section of one of their haunts. I was amazed by what they were doing to the Knott's for Halloween. After about an hour of trying to get into the park without prevail, we decided to go home and bug mom for tickets to the Halloween haunt at Knotts. My brother and I went that year when I was 12, and I haven't been the same since.What previous jobs have you had?Officially, my career would be pool and spa technician as that’s what I have been commercially trained for, although I went to school for art and music. I mainly have been an entertainer my whole life in some form or another. I play drums professionally and own and operate a large DJ and Karaoke service. I also dabble in film and television occasionally. My other occupation is commercial arts and graphics.What job do you do right now? Is the Haunted House/Horror Job your full-time gig?The haunt takes up most of my time now, but I still operate DJ and Karaoke shows (I did a private Karaoke party for Rosanne Barr last Monday) and sometimes take a drumming gig to keep up my chops. (I tried out for Blue Man group today.) How long have you been in the business?I've been a professional haunter for 11 years. I have been operating my own commercial haunts for five years.How did you start?I started out like most of us - building haunts in the basement and garage. It eventually expanded into my High School where I produced "The Haunted House" in the drama room. I went on to do non-profit events like "The Haunted Bunker" at the Illwaco Washington Coast Guard station. I later advanced into selling self-built Haunt props on eBay. Now I'm a full fledge Hauntoholic - I mean, professional haunter.What’s the scariest Haunted House you ever attended?To tell you the truth, I have never been scared in any of the 100's of operating commercial haunts I have been into. I've been immune to them since childhood. On the other hand, I have been scared shitless by the real ghosts who inhabit our haunts in the off-season or after hours. Those are real scary!Do you still find time to attend Haunted Houses?Without fail I will attend all of the haunts in our area to see what the competition is up to. I also like to make a Halloween date with Knott's whenever possible.What inspires you to create?I get inspired by many things, but my biggest inspiration is Walt Disney and has been since I hung out at his Magic Kingdom as a kid. I still take regular trips to see Uncle Walt and his creations both at Disneyland and Disney World. Visiting the ever-changing parks and attractions gets my creative juices flowing.Do you ever get scared anymore?I don't get scared of commercial Haunted House gags and props. I do get startled on occasion by my actors who challenge each other to scare me, but as I tell them, "Startles are not true fright, just a natural human defense reaction."What does scare you?The scariest thing I face each and every year is the ridiculous amount of ever-changing rules and regulations that govern the operation of Halloween events across the country. Every year it gets tougher to operate because of non-voter approved laws that are made up on a whim by those who regulate haunted houses and operations.Who’s your average customer?Our clients usually consist of a wide variety of people, in all ages, all backgrounds. I think it's because of the way we set up multiple style attractions on one lot, in the city format. It seems to appeal to freaks of all ages.So why are you selling your Haunted Attraction on eBay?Plain and simple: Las Vegas Compliance Laws.Our trailer attractions are among the safest in the industry and would do well in most parts of the country as far as compliance goes, but somewhere along the line, whoever first built a trailer haunt in Las Vegas had it permitted as a building structure rather than a portable amusement attraction. Since then, our 8 ft. X 45 ft. trailer haunts have had to do everything thing that a sky scraper would have to do to be compliant as a permanent structure. This year they came up with their own set of rules that they call “Haunted House” regulations. Basically it says that all of our existing haunts would have to be approved by a structural engineer. Well, structural engineers have never heard of approving a semi-trailer and none will even talk to us about it, not even the ones they suggest. Las Vegas has a history of changing laws on a drop of the hat to avoid taking responsibility for what they do not understand about our trailer haunts.Every year, for the past five years, we have had to restructure the way we operate to make the officials happy. We have the option to operate out trailer attractions in Las Vegas for the 2007 season as they are, but want to get a jump on the officials. As far as selling the hotel for a buck goes, I have made my money over and over again with the hotel. It has been an icon in Las Vegas for the past five years and has had right around 30,000 victims through it since it’s birth. Although it is still like new and ready for the season, I feel it is time for it to be relieved of its Las Vegas duties.

Masters of Horror: Ray Keim of Haunted Dimensions

hauntedreport — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 16:02:59 EST

Editor's note: This is part of an ongoing series of interviews with the people who make the Haunted House/Horror Industry great. This week we interview Ray Keim of Haunted Dimensions. He is an artist and Horror fan who runs one of the largest Disney Haunted Mansion sites on the Net. Why did you first become interested in the Haunted House/Horror Business?I have always been fascinated with haunted houses, even as a kid. I can’t explain where my fascination originated since no one else in my family had much of an interest in such things, but as a child I was always cutting up old cardboard boxes and building miniature haunted houses with trap door, revolving bookcases and hidden rooms. Of course, Disney’s LP “Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House” was a huge influence on me and even now when I listen to it, it takes me back to my Charlie Brown Halloween memories of carving pumpkins, trick or treating and home-made haunted houses! This may explain why I have an obsession with designing miniature paper model versions of the Disney haunted mansion attractions.What previous jobs have you had?In the 80’s I spent several years as a day care program director, which also included designing sets and props for a few successful haunted trail fundraisers. I also built scale models of broadcast studio design concepts, which eventually led me to the world of CGI and animation.What job do you do right now? Is the Haunted House/Horror Job your full time gig?I’m a freelance illustrator and animator. Primarily I create animations for medical and pharmaceutical companies. Most of my “haunted art” is created for my web site “Haunted Dimensions”, which is where I can scratch my ghostly itch in my spare time. However, I just came off of a three-month gig working on the art and design team of Universal Studios, Orlando, Halloween Horror Nights. I produced graphics for their Halloween Horror Nights web site, as well as designing park banners, creating blood splattered displays for their “RIP Tour”, and creating an animation for the “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure” show. I also learned a lot about what it takes to create world-class haunted attractions. It was a spectacular experience, which I hope to repeat soon!I was also recently invited to take part in Mezco Toyz’ “Living Dead Doll Art Show”, for which I was asked to design my own Living Dead Doll. On Halloween night I will be in New York to attend the gala opening and hopefully meet some of the other artists who were asked to participate.What’s the scariest Haunted House you ever attended? “Psychoscareapy” at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, Orlando! Sights, sounds, smells and “patients”! Gorgeous detail!Do you believe in real Haunted Houses? Ghosts? Etc.I love ghost stories, and I love visiting places that are reputed to be haunted, however I am a skeptic. I have seen no evidence personally, or “officially” that would lead me to believe that hauntings are any more than overactive imaginations and hysteria. Having said that, the Lizzie Borden House, and the Eastern State Penitentiary, both have an unexplainable atmosphere that makes my skin crawl!