I realize that most people do not. Most people are just trying to get through it without begging for reprieve, mercy and/or forgiveness.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Madness and Mayhem in the ScareHouse Basement
I realize that most people do not. Most people are just trying to get through it without begging for reprieve, mercy and/or forgiveness.
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8 comments:
I've always enjoyed my annual trip to the Scarehouse, as I think it's successfully addressed so many of the issues that exist with other haunted houses. It's clear that they put a ton of work into not only the amazing design of the house, but they also have spent a ton of time working out the logistics. When you buy your ticket online, you have to pick a 30 minute time frame for your visit, which is incredibly effective at reducing the line/wait to get in. Also, the house itself is incredibly expensive. Each house leads into one another, instead of just having you wait in three separate lines for all three separate houses. The whole experience inside the house takes a whole 30 minutes - just under an hour, depending on how quickly you move through, which I find to be incredibly satisfying compared to the relatively short experiences you may get at similar and even more expensive attractions, such as Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, which has often been said to be the gold standard for haunted house experiences.
It must take a lot of work to change the Scarehouse and Basement every year and still keep it scary as well as give it some sort of story. I have not been to the Scarehouse yet, but it seems like it really goes by its name of scaring most people that enter. The Basement seems like a really good experience for people who really like to be scared and be fully immersed in the experience. I understand that you can be touched and tied up, which I would personally not like that much since I would like to be able to escape if there was a problem or I was not having a good time. They are really putting people into the experiences of the story they are telling. You become part of the story, which is pretty interesting. I wonder if the audience members have the ability to change the story a little depending on what they do and if there are contingency plans or different outcomes of the story.
I commented on an article about ScareHouse last year at this time, and I'll probably say very similar things in this comment one year later. I really want to go to ScareHouse! I'm very sad that I didn't end up getting to go last year. As soon as I finish writing these comments, I'm going to try to harass some of my friends into going. I know some people that want to go to the haunted house part, but most people don't want to go to the basement. However, I say if you're getting scared, go big or go home. If I have to make a reservation at a haunted house, I'd better come out emotionally traumatized, unable to sleep for weeks. I think the whole asylum theme is a little bit dry and overdone, but I can definitely see how it would work. However, the most realistic and terrifying thing in the world is the human mind, so really I guess the asylum thing can never really get old. Regardless, I really want to go, and I hope when I inevitably comment on the next ScareHouse article one year from today, I'll be able to speak more knowledgeably, having actually gone.
I'm always really impressed with the production value of the Scarehouse and the amount of time they spend developing their haunted house every year. I think that it is really unique that they not only focus on scaring the people who come through their space but on crafting a new story every year. I've never been to the Scarehouse but it's something that I'd like to try at some point during my time in Pittsburgh. Personally I don't think I would want to go the basement because I don't know how comfortable with how intense that experience is. Anything that makes me sign a waiver is usually not something I'm down for. I would definitely like to see some of their less intense areas though mostly for the production value and the design aspects of the haunted house. In the future I would love to work on a haunted house, but I do wonder if it ruin other haunted house experiences for me.
I love haunted houses! The design has to be so meticulous with one thing in mind; to scare people. But I think there is a very fine line, almost microscopic line, between scaring people and just doing to much. A haunted house still has to be enjoyable for people while offering that thrill factor . Sound for horror has to tap into a human physiological response. I am fascinated by that and completely enamored at how to actually do that. Fear is such a visceral response to an action and to be able to control someone’s fear using one of their senses, hearing, is a remarkable sense of power. I’m now working on sound designing a playground piece that is a compilation if horror stories. I am looking forward to doing research on how to achieve this goal. I am going to do a lot of research on what scares humans how our hearing plays a roll in this response.
Before coming to Pittsburgh, I had heard about the ScareHouse, and particularly the Basement attraction, and as I am learning more and more about it it seems to be almost an immersive theatrical piece. “…you are here for a round of urban exploration” is such a profound statement when talking about visiting a haunted house attraction, or really any entertainment event. Obviously, you go for the entertainment aspect, but after taking a step back and recounting your past experiences, it is also possible to explore the emotions and the encounter you just had with the piece you just witnessed- especially after being in such an intense environment like the Basement. While I personally never see myself going to the Basement, I think what they do is absolutely incredible and they continually draw such an intense audience that they have no other choice but to keep up and continue the true craft they have developed.
A really challenging thing is to make an annual, interactive experience that is always new and brings people back, but still maintains the integrity of the production that the audience first fell in love with. From the comments already here, it seems as thought ScareHouse has done this successfully. I am really excited to visit ScareHouse myself to see all of the different pieces that come together into this collective house. I really like how it is built with a story line for you to follow throughout. You are still getting all of the scares that you’d visit a normal haunted house for, but you’re engaged in a way that is more than what you’d experience otherwise. The basement sounds like a really interesting piece because of its designed intensity; having to have a fully blown, intense permission slip sends a very clear message as to what you’re about to walk in to.
While I am such a scardy cat when it comes to haunted houses and horror films, I have so much respect for the artists involved. For me going to ScareHouse, would be the ultimate form of pushing my own boundaries as it would be way outside my comfort zone. I would like to work up to a place where, I could at least get through it. Ever since I was a kid, I have been intrigued by special effects and I would love to work for a haunted house and get an insight into creating an event that scares me. I want to know more about how they did the makeup, came up with the stories, and designs. As an extreme form of immersive theater, I have so many questions for the creative team and the actors. I would love to experience it one day, if I ever have the nerve.
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