| damn-na-tion
n. 1.everlasting punishment; doom 2.where evil dwells 3.see
Terror Syndicate
Prepare Yourself For A Tour Of A Home
Haunt Like No Other!
Welcome to Damnation...
This is the top of the first gate.
The sign is 2" thick foam board 2'x5'. The lanterns use
11w bulbs with a flicker circuit wired into both. It provides
just enough light for the sign without lighting up the whole
driveway.
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The first gate was constructed using
the guard box from last year as an archway. The guest line
starts at this point and runs up the driveway. 2-3 guests
at a time are brought through this first entrance to the main
gate. Everything is built in sections for easy assembly and
removal over the several nights of operation.
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The above pictures show the changes
made to the former guard box. Also the picture to the right
shows the tripod style railing we setup along the side of
the driveway to contain our victims.
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This year we continued the boarded
windows around to the side of the house near the haunt entrance.
We also move the scarecrow closer to the driveway. We post
as many warnings and rules as possible.
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Two of the newly build MM props that
"oversee" our guests as they wait in line.
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As you walk through the first gateway
the GateKeeper prop stands to your left. The Night Watchman
prop stands in front of you. This year we changed him a bit,
if you look under his chin you can see a dark square. This
is the lens of a weatherproof camera box. One of nine inferred
cameras used through out the haunt is placed inside this prop.
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The Main Gate 9'h x 10'w is the front
door to our haunt. Guests enter the door in the center and
turn to the right. The exit door for the haunt is out the
left side behind this gate. Once this gate is closed, terrified
guests can leave immediately directly behind the gate to the
left. Without going through the haunt or coming back out the
closed door. It makes for a nice entrance only haunt. We use
two actors in our customary hooded black monk robes. One is
in charge of the first gate, bringing the next group to the
main gate when signaled and giving them their directions.
The second actor opens and closes the main gate door from
behind, saying nothing.
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The Fog Heads are custom made by us
and provide a nice way to signal for the next group to begin
their tour. The heads are controlled by a single digital style
dimmer switch. Each head lights up from inside making the
eyes and mouth glow red. Fog is triggered as the heads light
up and pours out the mouths. The fogger is hooked up to fan
box that blows the fog into the back of each head. Once the
guests enter through the gate, the heads dim and are ready
for the next group.
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Left - an overview of the entrance
area. Right - the open door of the main gate. The guests are
instructed to follow the lights inside the haunt. Like moths
to a flame! They are also told that if they come to a doorway
or curtain go through it and to keep moving forward. Lights
and props are fully controlled by us and are switched on and
off as you walk through the rooms and hallways. Each area
has it's own inferred video camera which is viewed and switched
from inside the control room.
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Once inside the gate you walk down
a hallway. This pop-out prop is lurking in a dark wall visible
only from the flickering black light hanging from the ceiling
of the hall. When triggered it shoots forward 6" just
to the front of the wall and lights up with a 75w flood bulb
from below.
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You now come to another gate to go
through. The ceiling light goes out and a small spot lights
the sign on the gate.
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Once inside this next area you are
greeted by the Stork prop on your left. Inside the wall in
front of you is a half corpse suspended on a 180 degree turning
tree motor.
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Notice the material hanging behind
the corpse. This is landscaping erosion control fabric or
better know in the haunt industry as "Dorp". We
us it everywhere in the haunt to add texture and to fill spaces.
The picture to the right shows the next door to enter. The
"light to follow" is visible in the upper left corner
through the frosted glass window.
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Once the door is pushed open at the
end of a small hallway is the prop called the "Jerker".
He jerks forward toward you as you start to turn the corner
to the next room.
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Turning the corner to the left past
the Jerker prop you see light coming through a door cracked
open. Pushing this door open you begin to enter the main room
of the haunt. You first see a mirror of skulls and then start
to notice your standing in a some what dark, very hazy room
full of skulls and rotten corpses.
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The sound of running water from a wall
fountain is faintly heard over the custom soundscape we designed
for Damnation. This room uses 4 light circuits which we use
to keep people moving in and out.
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At the end of this room is the "Death
Box" prop a 6 stage air prop. The lid opens, the guy
inside jumps up, and then jerks forward, then back, drops
down, and the lid slams shut. From here the lights drop down
and red light shines through the door to the left shown below.
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Once your through the door your looking
at another one of our Headlights. Once the door closes, the
Watcher prop stands quietly in the corner until the lights
go out and a squealing blast of air hits you in the back of
the legs. An air solenoid is mounted low on the back of the
door shown in the picture to the right.
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Next you proceed through a set of curtains
down a dark hallway loaded with fine black thread hanging
from the ceiling. A very simple effect that works really well
on all ages!
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At the end of the hall, the lights
slowly rise to show the "Soul Snatcher" prop tucked
away in the shadows. When guests turn around toward him or
look at him the hands reach out.
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Directly across from the Soul Snatcher
hangs the light for this area and another full corpse bound
to the slat wall with Dorp strands. Dorp comes apart really
easily as it is woven so open and loose. The strands look
great hanging through the wood slat walls or hanging from
the ceiling. However it's a good idea to keep it out of the
direct flow of guests as the strands can get tangled and catch
people by the neck. The picture to the right, shows the next
curtain to enter, left of the light.
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This area is almost completely dark
except for one single flicker flame bulb inside the upper
corner. The walls are draped with camo netting. The room is
"C" shaped so you walk right around the prop in
the center. Netting is hung on both sides to keep guests from
running into it. This guy is called "Guts" he stands
up against the wall waiting for someone to touch the trigger
wire hanging down from the ceiling. We added several dummy
wires to keep people from knowing what triggered him. Plus
the sensor is on a 5 second delay timer to prevent repeat
trips. The prop mask was supplied by Fearmakers and is close
to 1/8" thick. A great mask for prop building!
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Leaving this area you go through another
curtain into the "Monk" room. He sits in the corner
in very dim flickering light. When guests filter into the
room he slowly rises to almost 6' high. With the correct lighting
it's hard to tell if he's alive or just a prop. From here
the lights drop out and the next curtained area lights up.
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As the ceiling light glows through the curtains the exit door
is slowly opened by our doorman behind the main gate. This
room is heavily laced with Dorp from the walls to the ceiling
creating a path to this last door. When you first enter this
room there is a small wall making you walk to the left.
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Behind this wall is another blast of
air that gets just about everyone we hit with it. Once past
this cheap shocker, the Acolyte prop stands holding his two
candles to the right behind the blast wall.
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As you head for the open exit door
the last air scare is the Barrel prop. Then out the door to
the right back around to the first gate. And that's Damnation
for the year 2000!
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Now for a look
behind the scenes...
This was a 7 month long project that
started being planned back in Nov. of 1999. Building started
in April and went right up to one week before Halloween.
This picture shows the access door
into the control room.
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This is control central, setup inside
our shop on the other side of the first hallway. From here
the lighting, props and cameras are worked for maximum effect.
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This is an extremely large version
of a prop controller. On the back is 12 duplex outlets giving
a total of 24 single switched outlets. 4 digital dimmers can
be set at a certain level, raised or lowered with a single
push. Several switches are covered to prevent being turned
off. It helped simplify some of the room sequences. The red
button in the lower left corner is the fog control for the
Fog Heads.
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This set houses the first pop-out and
can be pulled away from the doorway to allow the overhead
door to close. It's smaller than last year since only being
used for a prop and no actor.
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These are the small inferred cameras
we used inside the haunt. Each is inside a 4" PVC housing
that can be capped for weather protection.
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The fog systems are setup on the upper
deck above the haunt. The picture to the left is the fogger
that supplies the Fog Heads. The right picture is the fogger
and blower box that supplies fog to three areas inside the
haunt which runs on a timer control.
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This is two shots from behind the haunt.
The OSB board in the picture to the left is the room that
houses the Guts prop. The stockade fenced section is the entrance
and exit areas. 90% of the exterior haunt is taken down and
stored away leaving a "normal" looking deck for
at least a few month out of the year!
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Last but not least, The Official Damnation
Pumpkin done by Rick Buziewicz. Plans
for props built for the 1999 season and many other designs
can be found in Handbook
Volume Three.
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