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Deep in the darkest recesses of the earth a boiling cauldron of terror brews. The sounds of arching electricity and screaming
demons fill the stale, damp air as Sinister Scott brings his twisted creations to life!
WELCOME TO THE WORKSHOP!
Welcome, I've been expecting you! Come in out of the cold, it's A LOT warmer in here. I'm surprised you found me down here
but I'm glad you did! Hello fellow haunters of the world. I'm so glad you've arrived. My name is Scott..(SINISTER SCOTT) creator
of the world famous HYSTERIA CITY Halloween adventure.
I've got a lot of my sacred secrets stored here and I've decided to share them with YOU! Please beware! Creating these
concoctions and mechanisms can lead to long term HALLOWEEN ADDICTION! Proceed if you dare into the HYSTERIA CITY WORKSHOP!
Inside this mad house is where you will learn the morbid art of haunting. I will guide you through these narrow halls
of knowledge by showing you the way to creating cost effective props and illusions that will mystify and horrify everyone
at your next home or pro haunt!
Always remember to run a safe and happy haunt. YOU are responsible for you home created Illusions,props and effects. I
take no responsibility for any damage, injury, electrocution, drowning,cuts, scrapes, bruises, skin irritations, occasional
dryness, internet viruses, acne breakouts, or any thing harmful that may occur during the construction of these devices.
WALK THROUGH A NEW KIND OF TERROR!
As you wander through the dark halls of the workshop you are surrounded by visions of a new terror. It all seems somewhat
familiar, but strangely different and unique. You encounter new visions and ideas in the ancient world of the dark as you
enter a vortex into the future of haunted props and effects.
In a world that seems to have plenty of blood shed, gore and violence, Hysteria City tames horror by creating low gore,
non violent haunted house props and effects. Our belief is "Terror is best achieved psychologically". Never the
less, chain saw maniacs do have a place at Hysteria City, just not in the work shop.
FRIGHT ZONES
The haunted venue is nothing less than a grand stage show containing just about every aspect of the theater arts including
acting, sets, scripts, lighting, effects, make-up, audio, video, and so on. All of these theatrical atributes are part of
a haunters arsonal that we use to reach our victim's personal "FRIGHT ZONE".
Everybody seems to have a fright zone in variuos areas of their thoughts and beliefs.
Part of this fright zone is conditioned, conscious fear. Another part is subconscious, natural fear and the last part
is personal fears.
All of these fears are activated through our body's senses (sight, sound, smell and touch and our personal intuition) As creators
of terror we must keep in mind these basic facts, and try to penetrate as many individual fright zones as possible.
BLOOD AND GUTS
Somewhere along the way somebody came up with the first blood and guts horror movie and gore pretty much became standard in
the motion picture industry. Now, blood and guts are pretty much standard in the haunted attraction industry. In fact, I even
use these gags in limited quantities at Hysteria City. People have came to expect it and notice when it's not there, but it
rarely scares them. I would personally rather terrify a person without using a whole lot of blood or dismembered bodies.
This is achieved by reaching the victims natural and personal fears. These are the deepest rooted fears.
Conditioned fear as we are basically "trained" precieve as fear since birth, such as we see on the big screen.,
(I.E. Jason, Freddy, Chucky, gemlins in water, etc.) where the experience is there and then gone.
When we feel the sense of fear in our natural or personal fright zone, the uneasy feeling and thoughts of the encounter
stick with us, permanently, and that's truly terrifying!
Now, I am no phychologist, This is just my personal experience in the art of haunting the mind!
DIGITAL TERROR
As we delve into the digitized marvels of home computers, DVD's, home theater and other entertainment systems the possibilities
for creating sophisticated "HOME HAUNTS" for the average Halloween Buff is now within reach. By combining some basic
home electronics with some junk you may have in the garage, you can create some spectacular haunted house effects.
We've all seen the high tech in your face monsters and characters in the movies like "Jurassic Park" and "War
Of The Worlds". All of these life like creatures were created digitally, using some very sophisticated computer software
and a whole lot of computer memory in the hands of trained technicians.
The motion picture industry creates these digital masterpieces for many reasons. I believe the idea is, that by creating digitally
instead of physically, movie companies are able to represent realism, save location fees, save on set and prop expense, and
above all, create things that can't be created, or to enhance images that are shot in real life.
Digital characters are also used to create an overall high tech appearance for contemporary film making. This digital
style of film making sells millions of theater tickets per year.
These are the same reasons I believe digital imagery and Hi Definition video can be extremely beneficial to the future of
the Haunted Attraction Industry.
In this section I will be describing how you can create and use some outrageous digitally enhanced video footage to bring
your personal haunt to a new level at a low cost.
HOW CAN DIGITAL VIDEO HELP MY HAUNT?
Video images are used in almost all major dark attractions that I have seen. These prerecorded creations can be used to produce
great ghost effects, talking statues, crystal balls, pop up scares, elevator simulators, fire simulation, lighting effects,
and many, many other applications. Once you use digital video to haunt, you will be hooked!
Safety is always a concern. As far as animated effects go, I believe video is the safest medium there is to create haunted
illusions and effects. Most video and audio equipment sold in the United States has been approved by Underwriters Laboratory
(UL) which controls safety regulations and guidelines for the electronics industry. These devices are time tested and hold
up under the worst of conditions.
MECHANICAL VS VIDEO
Most of us have seen the incredibly expensive mechanical animated wonders the industry refers to as "ANIMATRONICS".
They are abundant on the internet and there are many web sites dedicated to building the air powered monsters and effects.
These types of devices can be extremely effective if used in the proper context.
The problem with "animatronics" found in most haunted houses and attractions is that they are generally not true
animatronics. They are usually simple phnumatic cylinders that push a mechanism to make a simple movement. Sometimes so called
animatronics will incorporate multiple cylinders to create a multi movement function. These motions are usually activated
via some sort of a trigger such as a pressure pad, photo detectors and so on. The motions are generally controlled via air
pressure regulator plus or minus , and a timer to control on /off time. These types of mechanism's motions have a tendency
to look extremely mechanical and unnatural. Although there are many different versions of these types of devices, this is
a general description of my personal experience.
A true "Animatronic" (Walt Disney created the word "ANIMATRONIC") is an actor or technition programmed,
computer controlled motion that is usually created using hydraulic cylinders rather than air. These true animatronics (such
as the presidents at Disneyland) are designed to create a more fluid, natural movement that reduces noise and awkward starts
and stops in the device. They are generally extremely expensive to buy, operate and maintain. There are newer phnumatic systems
that do create this type of motion but they are also on the high end of the animatronic budget.
In either case these types of Animatronic systems can be expensive to install and have mechanical and electrical issues that
will have to be dealt with before your device can even be activated, unless you have a portable pressurized air can device.
I'll get into that later.
Animatronic figures have their place as they can be very big, and big is good plus they are formed in a three dimensional
medium that can stand alone in a set.
VIDEO EQUIPMENT IS EVERYWHERE!
Video equipment is everywhere! You may even have a spare television and VCR in your garage! Most of us have or know someone
who has a video camera of some sort. Maybe you even have a computer that has a video editing program installed? If so your
on your way to creating unbelievable video illusions and props!
Most of us can hook up a VCR to a Television. (programming the clock on the VCR is another thing) Most of us can hold a camcorder.
That's almost as technical as it gets to create simple video illusions and effects.
Video systems are extremely inexpensive to incorporate into your attraction.Using digitally enhanced video footage can in
some cases reduce the amount of animatronics as well as actors in your haunt. The cost of a typical used 25" television
and VCR is under a $100, so you can afford to add a system or two into your set up.
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