chiller blog

Posted Oct 21, 09 09:31 AM

The Wages of Fear

Impenetrable was the darkness and piercing were the screams. I labyrinthed my way 'round twisting walls when the blue-haired beast lunged at me, pronged teeth frozen to strike. A curious roar it uttered, claws thrusting toward my jugular.

My glasses went flying.

"Er...sorry," it said. The both of us dropped to all fours, patting down the perimeter.

Found 'em.

"Got it?" it said, paw on my shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem," the creature nodded, retreating to its cranny.

Ah, you haveta love a great Halloween haunted house. Or ship, vault, mall, lighthouse, whatever. That go-round, it was a junior high visit to a barn facelifted for late October by the local Kiwanis Club and partnering radio station. Come senior year, I donned rubber Grim Reaper gloves and volunteered at the community center's Haunted Forest. Seasonal attractions such as these - thanks to the dark - illuminate a LOT about human psychology. People single file, buy their tickets, then out-pretend the staff.

Adolescent and college girls are the best. They huddle together like gazelles at a mountain lion's favorite watering hole. One scream and the chain saw revs, some Leatherface knockoff pursuing shrieking Tammy all the way back to her Toyota.

Adolescent and college guys are the worst, provided they're too cool to be scared. These are the dudes, room by room, who won't stop wisecracking...because if they did, you'd notice how they use their dates as human shields.

And the staff? Well, consider this. Customers pay for the expectation of fear around every it's-only-a-show corner. They know it's coming. But how anticlimactic - and annoying painful - is it when some obvious figure in a mask lurches out and shatters your eardrum? Give me the slow, dreadful lurking mass in the corner any day, the one who will only target the most vulnerable of your lot. Boo hah hah dee har.

How eerie then that Halloween's a dying, tough sell overseas - in France, this American export is all but DOA. But at home, merchandise sales have catapulted October 31st into the #2 position on the most lucrative holiday list. And haunted attractions? They're as popping as ever.

CHILLER talked nuts and bolts to the glue behind one such staple. Meet Christopher Nathaniel, Creative Director of the Haunting Factory, who will launch VAMPYR INN'S BLOODY BALL in West Hollywood, CA from October 29- November 1st.

CHILLER: Nowadays, haunted house attractions decreasingly resemble something thrown together by, say, the local Moose Lodge. The very best of them showcase the production values of high theater. A fair assessment?

Christopher: I do believe that this is an accurate conclusion. Coming from the world of theater makes me want this production value. If you go to HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS at Universal Orlando, you will find an amazing story in every maze. Since around 2000, they have had an icon each year that guides the storylines of the tie-ins. What they can achieve there is pretty amazing. We at the Haunting Factory strive to create similar story and production driven mazes. This year's event is VAMPYR INN'S BLOODY BALL. We have a large cast of scareactors that drive the story and the scares - making sure that not only do you get high production values, but also high scare results.

CHILLER: VAMPYR INN's engagement runs four days - that's a great deal of economic pressure, recouping on a limited-show attraction. But how early does the planning start, and what strategic factors will increase your chances of success?

Christopher: Great question. First, we are extremely lucky to be in one of the best cities. West Hollywood is very supportive and also hosts the largest Halloween event that I know of in the US. This gives us a great opportunity on Halloween night to have 500,000+ people at our doorstep. In the future, we plan on being open for the entire month of October. It's all about finding the right space at the right time.

This year's planning started about six months prior to the event. Next year's planning has actually started already! This year is just a strong preview of what we hope to bring in the future. Just like any business, every year you grow, learn a little more, and work to be the best in the industry. Making money is a perk in working on something you love, and I love the haunted house business. Our goal is to recoup and build a strong base in our community as a reliable scare attraction. Most businesses usually don't make money in the first few years, so even if we recoup we will be ahead of the game. You can't go into the haunt business wishing to make a quick dollar. You go into it because you love it. If you work hard, have the passion, and give the audience what they want, then you will be rewarded. In success, everyone is successful!

CHILLER: Hmm. So why then do some Halloween attractions fail to deliver - and others fail, period?

Christopher: The main one that comes to mind is lack of staff. Being a scareactor is a hard job. You have to be able to read people and work at it for long hours. We are grateful to have two rotating casts. This is a trick I learned from Halloween Horror Nights. It keeps the house fresh and scary. There is nothing worse than going through a maze that has had its actors in it for six hours. They are tired and over it! It's also hard for a lot of haunts because they are staffed with really young kids. This happens, I believe, because a lot of haunts don't work out a reward plan with their actors. They are all volunteer-based, so they don't mind working eight hours for free while the owner kicks back and makes all the money off of them. When companies give to their employees, their employees give back.

CHILLER: For me, it was stacked chairs and clothes-pinned blankets in the basement. What was it like, the first haunted house you put together?

Christopher: The first was in my living room. I hired my sister to play the scary monster and we put a sign out at the end of the road. When we started getting a line of people, my sister backed out and I had to step in as the scareactor. I used blankets and some black lights. By the following year, I got some friends involved and we did it in the basement of my house. This one was much more productive and even turned a profit.

CHILLER: You make yearly pilgrimages to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando. What are some of the best scares/effects from all of the haunted attractions you've experienced/researched? Have you ever sought out "the real thing"?

Christopher: Yes, I have been to HHN Orlando every year since 1998. It is really incredible what they do at the event and it shows! They have won the best Halloween Event award for the last two years. They built a system that allows you to walk through a maze with a helmet (that) has a red light on it... The maze is pitch black and the helmet is programmed that when you are in a certain area, it turns on and off or changes color. An amazing effect. The best scare was in a maze called the Bone Collector. The theme was in the realm of Jack the Ripper meets Sweeney Todd. Going through the maze, they used lots of misdirection. In regards to "the real thing," I believe that there is an energy around us, but I am not looking to explore it more in depth at this point in my life.

CHILLER: So what's the crowning jewel of the VAMPYR INN? What are its influences?

Christopher: The best part is the number of scareactors we have. We have found some really good talent. The influence came from a dream I had as a teenager that I was invited to this hotel for vampires - a mix of gala, rave, and sacrifice.

CHILLER: So what scares you?

Christopher: Anything that is dedicated! Most characters don't scare me. Seeing a guy in a Freddy mask and gloves doesn't make me shake. One thing that scares me the most is the idea of a pitch black room. Not knowing what's there... the unknown!

CHILLER: Thanks, Christopher.