How has the luck been with having "plants" in the audience? As in, sending someone through who acts like a normal patron, scratching at their head every so often, up until they pull their entire scalp away (wig + bald wig + fake blood)? It seems awfully promising on one hand, but on the other hand it might make some folks get the wrong idea.
Re: #9
One haunted house I used to -adore- in my childhood was run in one of the Denver Stockyards' old slaughterhouses ("Thousands of documented deaths!" -- neglecting to mention the deaths were cows). They'd run a slurry of dry ice, red water, and torn-up toilet paper through the blood-troughs along the floor, so every so often you'd see this nasty mess of (seemingly) slow-moving clotted and steaming blood.
In terms of using "plants" or "shills" with the guests, I've found that it often works great. A shills job can be nothing more than starting an infectious laugh, wow, or scream which helps the thrills along and diffuses the "too cool for ghouls" attitude some kids have. Once one person's screaming it's not long before everyone's screaming and having fun. Shills can also be used if a gimmick involves audience participation, but be careful not to do something too transparent. For instance, say you're doing a magic show, a poor use of a shill would be as the volunteer that picks the card. A good use of a shill would be if the trick should go horribly wrong, like sawing a guest in half and having blood and fire erupting from the box, or collecting info so your "psychic" knows his audience. I saw a haunt where a shill interrupted the performer because the gag going on was "unfunny and offensive" the atmosphere quickly became tense and everyone thought a fight was on the verge of breaking out, but instead the shill pulled off his shirt to
( ... )
My concern about the "wrong idea" would be say, with the plant claiming it was offensive? Some of the real patrons joining in with the (little do they know, fake) complaints about it being offensive. But yes, somewhere between too transparent and too plausible (EG: We'll have him clutch his chest, fall to the floor, and fake a seizure! ...eh, no. Not unless you want to panic everyone with First Aid training who happens to be in the audience with the shill) seems like a very good medium if one can reach it.
Haunted Housesbloodvamp4uSeptember 8 2008, 21:41:17 UTC
Hey thanks! My fiance does haunted houses every year! The kinds love it! We decorate our front yard and make our house like a maze! We hired my friend to be a giant bear its freakin scary in the dark!
Comments 7
How has the luck been with having "plants" in the audience? As in, sending someone through who acts like a normal patron, scratching at their head every so often, up until they pull their entire scalp away (wig + bald wig + fake blood)? It seems awfully promising on one hand, but on the other hand it might make some folks get the wrong idea.
Re: #9
One haunted house I used to -adore- in my childhood was run in one of the Denver Stockyards' old slaughterhouses ("Thousands of documented deaths!" -- neglecting to mention the deaths were cows). They'd run a slurry of dry ice, red water, and torn-up toilet paper through the blood-troughs along the floor, so every so often you'd see this nasty mess of (seemingly) slow-moving clotted and steaming blood.
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Oh, that's LOVELY!
My concern about the "wrong idea" would be say, with the plant claiming it was offensive? Some of the real patrons joining in with the (little do they know, fake) complaints about it being offensive. But yes, somewhere between too transparent and too plausible (EG: We'll have him clutch his chest, fall to the floor, and fake a seizure! ...eh, no. Not unless you want to panic everyone with First Aid training who happens to be in the audience with the shill) seems like a very good medium if one can reach it.
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