Tips – An Unorthodox Halloween

A while back, I posted some getting started tips.

I want to re-visit the importance of sound.

There is little that can drive more fear than the proper music and/or sounds in a haunt. Now, acquiring a suitable sound for your setting can be quite difficult. Anyone who has attempted to do a haunted house before, and has gone shopping for some music has probably seen the “scary” Cd’s (or tapes, back in the day) that promise some great atmosphere. Only to bring these home to find some music being totally ruined by really horrid cheesy sound effects.

Now, by far, the most common settings out there are nice and spooky, and if you haven’t yet, you really should be checking out Midnight Syndicate.

And, for those of you seeking more sound effect in nature, a couple of great options are found from the guys at Big Scream CD’s. From screams to chainsaws to creeking mansions.

And then, there is the more unique sound experience over at Zombietronix. A surround sound assault on the patrons. Very cool and creepy.

However, as you might have noticed, my stuff really doesn’t fit into the norm. We go much more tribal in nature, and have had to resort to creating my own sound track. This involves searching for music worldwide, and has come to include Native American drumming, Djembe drumming from Africa, Haitian drumming, and Japanese Taiko drumming.

I do want to note Portland Taiko, however. Their CD’s are masterfully recorded, capturing the rich sound of Taiko better than certain better known groups. Very nice. :b:

And yet, I’m never satisfied. I’ve been trying to find some chants to go into the drums as well, and have been searching Native American, African, and Haitian chanting this year for the right sound. So far, I have lots of chants that are fun to listen to, but none that fit the right “feel” for Halloween.

Or so I thought. I was listening to one of these CD’s when picking up my son from Soccer practice. His team mates looked around, and gave the car very strange looks, keeping their distance as the chants blasted out the window…

The power of music.

Every now and then I get asked this question. So, with a friend asking once again, I figured I may as well post it here as well.

The first rule in starting a haunt of any kind is to have fun. If you’re not going to enjoy it, or if it becomes more work than play, it’s just plain not worth it. At the end of the day, this is art. And, artists that don’t enjoy what they are doing…well…their stuff tends to suck.

Now then, you need to decide what you want. If you’re in it for money, you need to focus on numbers. You want LOTS of people to be able to go through as smoothly as possible (notice I do not say quickly). If you just want to scare up some trick or treaters, you must realize the older kids will try to rush through to get the candy and be off to get more. Ask around if you’re new to the area how many kids to expect. Then plan on double that. Kids with cell phones these days will call each other if they see a cool house, especially one giving out nicer candy.

Next would come deciding on an age group that you want to target. Are you gearing for teenagers, or tots?

With that age group in mind, it’s time to think about a theme. And, I use the term ‘theme’ very loosely. I’m not even sure if there is a ‘theme’ that fits my yard, for instance, but you want everything to make sense when seen together. A bunch of clowns right next to the vampires just doesn’t blend well. And, if you are going to do multiple areas, think of how they go together as well. Don’t just move someone from a butcher’s shop into a padded room without some kind of transition that makes that journey make sense.

But, above all else, there are 2 key features.

Lighting and Sound.

Lighting that suits the mood, accents what you want seen, and fits into the theme of the scene is quite possibly the most important aspect to a scene.

Sound adds in that overarching mood, and sets the tone in the person’s mind. Notice that I do NOT say ‘music’. Some scenes are better off without music, but even those, SOUND is important.

And to answer the inevitable follow-up question from those brand new to the idea of making a little spook alley to scare some kids (or those of you with kids wanting to try to do this), what is a simple theme to do?

The tried and true, ancient, guaranteed to scare folks and be fun….dress up as a dummy, and hold very still until they think you ARE just a stuffed dummy. Then move. Doesn’t need to be a big move, either. Effective either sitting or in scarecrow variety. Best when matched with some actual dummies.

Dummy can be anything, so long as the face is not seen. At least not clearly.

Last time I did that I had a poor kid’s father shining a flashlight into my mask for what seemed 10 minutes as I sat there trying not to breath, holding that little candy bowl that said ‘please take one’. Finally the father stood declaring “no, it’s just a dummy” and they started to walk away. I followed them to the end of the driveway before the father jumped out of his skin and the kid ran screaming into the night.

Category: Tips

Music.

How do I get started?