Spring Break
Haunted houses open creaking doors
Brooke Cowlishaw
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: LIFE
In October, evil things roam the darkness night after night, creeping through winding hallways in search of fresh prey, feeding on the terrified screams of helpless passersby. These creatures come in many forms and guises: masked men with chainsaws, victims of the undead, scary clowns and vampires. But inside these horrific costumes are real people who just love dressing up and scaring others.
"The biggest compliment that you can give a haunted house is that you wet your pants," said Kay Kuser, director and producer of Dungeon of Doom in Arlington. "If someone comes out saying 'I peed my pants, I peed my pants,' we ask who made them do it, and the actor gets to make a chalk mark on the wall in their room so we can keep score."
Scott Reese, manager of Phantom's Ghost Ranch and Hayride in Allen, said the people who get scared the most aren't always the ones whom you might expect.
"I've seen babies come through and not even whimper," he said. "And I remember seeing a 50-year-old biker guy one time that picked his wife up, threw her at me and took off running."
Reese, who has been working with Phantom's for 10 years, claims to be able to pick out the screamers from the non-screamers and uses that to his advantage.
"If you work here long enough and your timing is right, you can see them coming," he said. "You can pick out your sheep."
In all of the fun and excitement, though, each of the venues has an "escape plan," in which a patron who gets too scared can be ushered out quickly.
"It gets overwhelming," said Richard Kinney, public relations director for Reindeer Manor in Red Oak. "If somebody does get a little bit too terrified, we have exit points in each of the rooms that are kind of a 'bail-out.'"
Many haunted houses get inspiration from horror movies and try to update the scenes from season to season.
"Your basic competition is movies and video games," Reese said. "You have to keep up with that. If you don't change, then you're history."
"The biggest compliment that you can give a haunted house is that you wet your pants," said Kay Kuser, director and producer of Dungeon of Doom in Arlington. "If someone comes out saying 'I peed my pants, I peed my pants,' we ask who made them do it, and the actor gets to make a chalk mark on the wall in their room so we can keep score."
Scott Reese, manager of Phantom's Ghost Ranch and Hayride in Allen, said the people who get scared the most aren't always the ones whom you might expect.
"I've seen babies come through and not even whimper," he said. "And I remember seeing a 50-year-old biker guy one time that picked his wife up, threw her at me and took off running."
Reese, who has been working with Phantom's for 10 years, claims to be able to pick out the screamers from the non-screamers and uses that to his advantage.
"If you work here long enough and your timing is right, you can see them coming," he said. "You can pick out your sheep."
In all of the fun and excitement, though, each of the venues has an "escape plan," in which a patron who gets too scared can be ushered out quickly.
"It gets overwhelming," said Richard Kinney, public relations director for Reindeer Manor in Red Oak. "If somebody does get a little bit too terrified, we have exit points in each of the rooms that are kind of a 'bail-out.'"
Many haunted houses get inspiration from horror movies and try to update the scenes from season to season.
"Your basic competition is movies and video games," Reese said. "You have to keep up with that. If you don't change, then you're history."
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Special Effects Contact Lenses
posted 10/19/07 @ 3:04 AM CST
Haunted houses here I come..... For a really freaky look I am planning to wear the Black Out special fx contact lenses.
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