Archive for March, 2011

Theatres of Terror: Scream Inside Story

Thursday, March 31st, 2011


Ghostface is looking at his knife collection and in just 14 days he’ll be back on the screen going after Sidney and her new friends. Before you watch Scream 4 be sure to see BIO channel’s Scream: The Inside Story airing on Wednesday April 6th. For our fellow Haunt Stalkers in L.A. you can attend a screening party for the show next Tuesday, April 5th.

SCREAM: THE INSIDE STORY (TV)

Air date (US): April 6th 2011, 8pm ET

Channel BIO (Check your local cable listings)

Running time: 120 minutes

Director: Daniel Farrands & Thommy Hutson

Cast: Wes Craven, Neve Campbell, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan

Screening Party

The Big Bear Horror-Film Festival presents: the LA Screening of Inside Story: Scream (alternatively titled Scream: The Inside Story). One day before the anticipated documentary will air on BIO, the chance exists to see it in a public venue with other Scream fans – something rarely afforded to television airings.

In attendance will be the trio of director/producer Dan Farrands, writer/producer Thommy Hutson, and producer Lito Velasco who will all be open to questions.

The event is open to the public but we’ve been told it’s a case of first come, first serve so we advise attendees get in early.

Where & When:
The Bungalow Club
7174 Melrose Ave
Tuesday, April 5 · 7:30pm – 11:00pm

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Posted in Haunted Happenings, Horror Movies, Southern California, Theatres of Terror | No Comments »

Rumor Zone: New HHN Hollywood Maze Decoded?

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

The consensus seems to be that John Murdy’s HHN clue “Soap Opera” refers to an “Evil Dead” maze!

John had posted an additional clue in reference to the Soap Opera maze, which was “run forest run.” Looking at both of these clues together, it was deducted that Bruce Campbell, who is the main star of The Evil Dead franchise, played a soap opera star in the movie Fargo, and Evil Dead takes place in the forest. This conclusion seems to be very likely given that The Evil Dead was also one of the themes asked about in the HHN survey. It’s also possible that the maze could be themed to the third movie in the series, Army of Darkness. This would make the Shrek theatre the perfect location for this maze, which was yet another clue John has given out.

Now the next question is how scary would an Evil Dead maze be given the campy and humorous tone of the movies? It did feature some of the most amazingly gory effects for its time and has great shock value, so it will be interesting to see how they pull it all off.

Here’s some more background on The Evil Dead series.

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Posted in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt News, Horror Movies, Rumors | 1 Comment »

HHN Hollywood Reveals Six Code Names

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

John Murdy has been holding a sporadic contest via Twitter to guess what this year’s mazes will be based on the code names and clues he’s been giving out. Here’s what we know so far:

Maze (and Other) Code Names

1. GV Black (maze)

2. Soap Opera (maze)

  • Additional clues: “Run, Forest, Run” and “O’Dowd”

3. Trivia (maze)

4. 3DN (maze) (Full name: 3 Dog Night)

  • Murdy has said this is NOT a 3-D maze
  • UPDATE: We’re hearing this could be a “Hostel” maze: The band “Three Dog Night” had a song called “Eli’s Coming,” and Eli Roth (director of Hostel) is serving as one of the judges in HHN’s short film competition. Also, Murdy has said that 4 of the mazes are set outside the United States this year, and “Hostel” would fall into that category.

5. Bunny Gibbons (maze)

  • This code name was release on April Fool’s Day, and Murdy says to “keep that in mind”

6. Steven (maze, scare zone, or terror tram)

  • Additional clue: “something in common/connection with Back to the Future and Indiana Jones,” however, Murdy says that connection is NOT Steven Spielberg, and the clue doesn’t have to do with the characters in that movie
  • In this “project,” you will see a basement and a headmaster, and hear a tape (note: It is NOT SAW)
  • You will also see these clowns in this maze/scare zone/terror tram (whatever it’s going to be)

Additional Clues (Corresponding Code Name Unknown)

  • “Slim”
  • “Broken Neck”
  • “Anarchy in the UK” (specifically the abbreviation “IRA” used in the song)
  • “Real Wild Child”
  • “Blue Cross”


*********

The real G.V. Black was a “founder of modern dentistry” and inventor of the foot-driven dental drill. Mr. Murdy has implied that the name has some (perhaps tenuous) link to the maze itself, and the obvious guess was Saw. Which he denied. He did indicate that he came up with the code name by reading the movie script. There have been a lot of guesses that this could be Trick r Treat or Candyman.

As for “Soap Opera,” our guess is that this will be an Evil Dead maze, given the clue of “Run, Forest, Run” and the fact that Bruce Campbell played a soap opera actor in Fargo. However, Murdy has said that no one has correctly guessed what this maze is, so now it seems that our Evil Dead theory might not be correct. What we DO know is that this maze will be going into the Shrek queue area (where Nightmare on Elm Street [NOES] was located in 2010). So it appears reasonable to infer that NOES will not be returning this year. Murdy has said “Soap Opera” is not a “Scream” maze, but then again, he has also said that he cannot “confirm or deny” any guesses on Twitter.

Additionally, “Nicasio” was revealed as a code name for a maze this year, but according to John, the deal fell through and it will not be happening. However, he said that it may happen sometime in the future, so he won’t reveal what it was going to be. He did say that none of the guesses were even close.

Let us know what your guesses are for these mazes. Remember that the usual criteria for a maze at HHN Hollywood are a strong main character (who can be represented by actors) and many different environments for the guest to experience.

Posted in Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt News, Rumors, Southern California | 17 Comments »

Knott’s Announces New Maze for 2011: Delirium

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

 

At today’s West Coast Bash event, Knott’s announced that the tired, predictable vampire maze Club Blood will (finally!) be replaced this year an all-new maze: Delirium.

Video courstey KnottsScaryFarmRuler

It looks like Delirium will have some kind of “nightmare” theme. For more details, visit Theme Park Review or Theme Park Adventure.

Knott’s also confirmed during the presentation that the following mazes will be back this year:

  • Lockdown
  • Doll Factory
  • Slaughterhouse
  • Virus Z
  • Dia De Los Muertos

We would also expect Fallout Shelter and Sleepy Hollow Mountain to definitely be back, since 2010 was the first year for both of those. We’d also expect Terror of London and Uncle Bobo’s to survive another year. We’re a bit surprised that Doll Factory is returning yet again. That maze has run its course and should be laid to rest in the haunt graveyard.

No word yet on the retirement of any of the other mazes. We’re hoping that Labyrinth will finally be put to rest and replaced with something fresher. The Calico Mine Train is also due for a new layover, but Knott’s has not been able to come up with a good theme for that one for years. But we have our fingers crossed that they’ll be able to surprise us. We were really impressed with Virus Z and Fallout Shelter last year, so we have high hopes that they’ll continue improving their event and will give us a great event in 2011!

Posted in Haunt News, Knott's Scary Farm, Southern California | No Comments »

Monsterpalooza: April 8-10, Burbank, CA

Friday, March 18th, 2011

The TransWorld haunt convention has come and gone, but there are plenty of other spooky conventions still to come for 2011. The next major event is Monsterpalooza, taking place this April at the Marriott Burbank Hotel & Convention Center, in Burbank, California.

This event is geared toward the horror film industry and fans. The convention focuses on “the art of monsters,” such as horror makeup, sculpture, and artwork. The show itself is not that big, but the presentations are always great. It’s a must-attend for anyone interested in horror makeup, art, and special effects. And of course, the presentations from horror makeup artists can be very useful for haunt actors and haunt makeup artists.

This year, some of the celebrity guests include Malcolm McDowell (actor), Natassja Kinski (actor), John Goodwin (makeup artist from The Thing, Men In Black), Bela Lugosi Jr., and Ve Neill (F/X Artist, Beetlejuice, Sweeny Todd).

One highlight of the show will be a presentation given by Michael Burnett, makeup supervisor at Halloween Horror Nights Orlando. He will be giving a seminar on the creative process for HHN and how he and his team bring the monsters to life every year through makeup.

Monsterpalooza will run from Friday, April 8 through Sunday, April 10, 2011. The cost is $20 per day, for $50 for all weekend (3-day pass).

The Scare Zone will be attending Monsterpalooza and will be reporting from the event and posting photos, so be sure to check back!

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Posted in Conventions, Horror Movies, Southern California | No Comments »

2011 Haunt Profile: Terrors Coming to the Winchester Mystery House

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

The twisted minds behind the excellent Sinister Pointe haunted attraction (formerly located in Brea, California) have been hard at work in 2011 designing haunts for other locations. They’ve been sharing details via Facebook about some of their projects, and we were excited to hear that they’ve been helping design a brand new maze for 2011 at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.

The Winchester Mystery House was built continuously between 1884 and 1922 by Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester gun fortune, who was convinced that she had to keep building the mansion in order to ward off spirits of those who were killed by her husband’s rifles. The house is 4 stories and 160 rooms, including stairs that lead to the ceiling, doors that open to a sheer drop, and a repeating motif of the number 13. The house holds tours year round and features a nighttime “flashlight tour” in October. Some claim the house is actually haunted, and they play up these stories to attract tourists.

Sinister Pointe did not give any details about the haunt or where exactly it would be located, but there’s no way the haunt will be in the actual Mystery House itself. The house is a mansion and includes things like gold chandeliers and impressive antiques. So don’t expect to be walking through those halls waiting for a monster to jump out at you.

Sinister Pointe also claims to be working with Horror Hall haunted house in Scranton, Pennsylvania. And of course, last year, they helped the Queen Mary completely revamp their Halloween offering into a great, scary event. Check out our 2010 review of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor.

We just hope that with all this consulting, Sinister Pointe still has time to bring their own haunt back to Southern California this year.

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Posted in Haunt News, Northern California, Southern California | No Comments »

Killers Live!

Monday, March 7th, 2011

The UK is home to some great year round and traveling haunted attractions and during the last weekend of this month (March), you’ll be able to embark on a new and promised to be shocking haunt experience called Killers Live! This will be apart of Whitby Gothic Weekend.

This makes us want to dust off our passports and jump over the pond for some Bloody British terrors.

Killers Live is a full on, shocking journey into the unknown where YOU will be the main course. You will make your way through a multitude of rooms, corridors and locations where anything can and will happen. Using live actors, special effects, lights, sounds and detailed sets Killers Live is not for the faint of heart. If you like the idea of being in the centre of your very own horror movie then Killers Live is for you. Grotesque creatures, masked murderers and vile, blood soaked lunatics await you inside this nightmare world of terror. We dare you to give it a go…

KIllers Live is running for 4 days ONLY from Thursday the 24th of March to Sunday the 27th of March at the The Shambles, Whitby. If you want to experience the nightmarish world then book now to avoid dissapointment. Advanced booking is highly recommended and tickets can only be purchased beforehand through the website via Paypal.

KIllers Live opens from 11.30am until 8pm for all 4 nights. For exact ticket information, prices and dates please see the booking page.

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Posted in Haunt News, Haunt Videos, Screaming Soon, UK, Year-Round Haunts | No Comments »

Haunt Conventions ‘Spring’ Up Across the Country

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Here’s a list of this spring’s Haunt Conventions across the country. Keep checking ScareZone for updates and information. Only 6 months til Haunt Season!

TransWorld’s National Halloween & Haunted Attractions Show (THIS WEEK!)

The haunted house industry FINALLY has its own haunted house show and it will be held in the America Center in St. Louis, Missouri on March 10-13 2011.  Prepare for three jam packed days of over 100,000 square feet of haunted house products, amusement products, seminars, education, and haunt tours through one of America’s best haunted houses “The Darkness“. This is THE MAIN event of the year if you own or operate a haunted attraction, amusement park or any sort of amusement facilty. The show floor will showcase over 100 vendors from the Halloween and Haunted House industry!  Several entertain events are held, annual meetings for the Haunted House Association, tours through several haunted houses like The Darkness and much more.  

International Makeup Artist Trade Show

This is held in New York this April 9-10. Make-up artists, vendors, manufacturers and enthusiasts convene for the make-up world’s biggest gathering to discuss, display, discover and collect the best the industry has to offer.

HauntCon

HauntCon travels each year to a different city so that attendees can visit haunted houses around the country. Hauntcon is held each year in the month of April 27- May 2nd. This years show will be held in Louisville, KY. The tradeshow floor is smaller but with some really cool haunt vendors with cool products on display.  These shows (MHC, HAUNTCON, etc) do not offer the sheer amount of vendors and massive tradeshow displays as the Transworld Haunt does however because of their cheaper booth prices it opens the doors to smaller up and coming vendors.

National Haunters Convention (Philadelphia, Pennslvania)

This years event will be held May 5th-8th in Philadelphia and will feature a tradeshow floor, haunt tours, and seminars. The show leans more to enthusiasts and home haunters than professional haunted house owners.  Because there are so many haunts in the area the show planners are able to offer tours through some of the best haunts in the nation.

Canadian Haunters Convention

Held May 12th-15th in London Ontario, Canada. Haunts from around Canada will visit this show to trade ideas, teach seminars and much more.

West Coast Haunters Convention

May 13th-15th in Salem, OR. Another smaller show where haunters will gather to learn new tips and trade ideas.

Great Lakes FrighFest

June 3-5 in Petersburg, MI. This is another small haunters gathering with a focus on Michigan hauntsevents include demos, door prizes and events for kids of all ages.

Midwest Haunters Convention

MHC is held in Columbus, Ohio June 3-5, 2011. Learn from many other haunted house owners, actors and more. The show somewhat leans towards the home haunts and enthusiasts more so than just the professional haunt owners however the show features a ton of vendors and events for both home and professional haunters.

IAAPA Attractions Expo

November 14-18. The IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) show is the biggest amusement show on the entire planet held every year in Orlando. The show is over 750,000 square feet and offer over 1000 vendors.  On average there are about 100 haunt related vendors to choose from. Additionally IAAPA has been producing haunted house seminars each year at their event.

Corn Maze Conference (Corn Maize)

Each year the Corn Maize industry gathers for conference held each March.  The conference consisits of meetings, seminars, education, events, tours of attractions and a small tradeshow floor that includes industry suppliers and much more.  Next event will be held in California during February 2012!

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Posted in Canada, Conventions, Haunt News, Illinois, Kentucky, Southern California, Terror Tips, Year-Round Haunts | No Comments »

2011 Haunt Profile: The Darkness Haunt

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Here’s a sneak peek video of what The Darkness haunt has in store for next week’s Transworld Halloween & Attractions Convention. The Darkness owners have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prepare the for the convention and hope to  host an inspiring and educatational interactice experience. The Darkness is one of the top rated haunted houses in America comprised of  three attractions, the Darkness haunted house,  Terror Visions 3D’, and the Monster Museum.

Video Courtey of  Halloween Productions, Inc.

If you own any type of amusement attraction YOU CAN NOT miss The Darkness Tour or the Halloween Haunt Show itself… this is a ONCE in a lifetime, ONCE a year event.  R

In addition to The Darkness another haunted house ‘Lemp Brewery Haunted House’will open, which happens to be located just down the street from The Darkness.  The Lemp Brewery haunted house is located five stories underground in REAL caves and caverns in what might be the most unique location for a haunted house in America.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY at www.TheDarkness.com for either the behind the scenes tour or the live with actors events.  Follow them on Facebook or Twitter

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Posted in Conventions, Haunt News, Haunt Videos, Illinois, Missouri, Screaming Soon | No Comments »