Monday, February 22, 2010

Sinister Pointe to Sell Props on eBay

Sinister Pointe, a haunt in Brea, California, is auctioning "a number" of the props used in their 2009 Silent Hill haunt. The first on the auction block is a life-sized replica of the "Pyramid Head" creature.

The prop is 7 feet tall, and according to the listing, the head can be removed and worn as a mask.

(Photo above is NOT of the actual item for sale.)

Bidding starts at $300 and ends in a few days. This looks like a re-listing of a previous auction, so there might not be a lot of people in the market for this specialized item.

Of course, the REAL story behind this is what the auction means for the Sinister Pointe haunt. Last year, they had 2 walk-throughs: Silent Hill and Fear. Although Silent Hill was well-themed and had a great eerie atmosphere, Fear was undoubtedly one of the scariest (and most fun) mazes we attended in 2009. We can assume from the auction that Silent Hill, at least, will not be returning in 2010. We can't wait to see what theme they cook up for this year. The haunt hadn't been on our radar before 2009, but after our first visit, we DEFINITELY plan to make the trip to the O.C. to experience it again. Sinister Pointe is a "must see" for all haunt fans in Southern California.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Darkness: Haunt Tours Scheduled for March 25-27

The Darkness, St. Louis' premiere haunted attraction, will open its doors again this March during the annual Transworld Haunt Show.

The Darkness is consistently rated as one of the best haunts in the country and has been featured on the Travel Channel and National Geographic Channel, among others.



The Darkness is offering a behind-the-scenes "lights-on" tour on Thursday, March 25 (price: $100), as well as "full production" tours on Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27 (price: $50). The full production tour will feature live actors. Prices go up after March 1, so if you plan to go, be sure to buy early. Although the tour is created for those attending the Haunt Show (which requires registration with industry credentials), it doesn't seem that credentials are needed to attend the Darkness tours.

For tickets and more information, go to The Darkness Web site.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Haunt Review: Blood Manor Bloody Valentine's Weekend

Hope everyone had a Happy and Bloody Valentine's Day. If you were in NYC this past weekend then you could have had a bloody good time at Blood Manor anti-Valentine's day haunt. Scare Zone was in the city to check out this haunt favorite.
Blood Manor is located on the (far) Westside of the city and was a little hard to find as 27th street which it's located on, doesn't connect direct to avenues 9-7. That is a minor detail but better directions from the website would have been appreciated. Blood Manor is in a fairly nondescript building and sets the right feeling of foreboding for a city haunt. Upon entering the building guests have to climb up 5-6 (lost count) stories to get into the Manor. Not sure if they have disabled access but even for those in shape it was a workout! On the main floor guests walk down a dark corridor painted with images of monsters and ghouls lit with florescent lights. People walking out of the Manor seemed to be very pleased and some very scared which added to the anticipation for those of us in line. The wait was fairly short (no need to spend the extra $15 for a VIP pass). There also were a few scareactors trying to spook guests in line.
After a brief safety spiel (no touching monsters, no pictures, etc.) we pushed through the dark curtains and entered the Manor. The first scene was a very detailed foyer which made you forget you were in a city building. The scares started right away with a monster jumping at out from a hidden doorway. From there you went through various scenes of the house with some good scares and sets. Being Valentine's Day there were cryptic message of 'love gone bad' painted in blood throughout the scenes. There was not a set story or theme but rather various scenes of horror, where even Michael Myers stalked a long dark hallway with a strobe light and Freddy was lurking in his boiler room. However, we wondered where was the miner from My Bloody Valentine or a Jason Takes Manhattan scene?

In other scenes aliens and 3D clowns ran amuck. A note on the 3D rooms, they give you 'used' paper glasses before you enter the 3D rooms and then take them back after. While this is eco-friendly and cost savers for the Manor, it isn't really hygienic and at $30 a ticket they should let guests keep the glasses perhaps with a coupon printed on them to return in October (?).
The Manor did have some kink horror which may not be suitable for children but it was marketed as an anti-Valentine's Day event for adult singles. In one scene there was a bondage session taking place which wasn't scary but very freaky as a helpless male victim locked in a cage in his very tighty whities, with back piercings, was being pulled in two separate directions by his female masters. There also was a scene with strippers and anatomically correct female mannequins. Freddy was also feeling frisky making some strong innuendos to both female and male visitors, but that's always been his style. Another scene in a bathroom included a guy in his underwear being threatened by a Mrs... err Mr. Roper-looking drag queen who was wielding a plunger in only a towel and daring guests to take it off. None of it was offensive and all in fun. It actually felt somewhat right for the holiday... love goes bad sometimes, doesn’t it (?).
Overall, Blood Manor was a Valentine's treat. It's nice to get some haunt action throughout the year. The scareactors had full energy, were in the moment, and tried everything they could to keep you scared. The sets and props were very detailed also offered some scares of their own. The crowd got backed up making a lot of the scares less effective, but controlling New Yorkers can be a difficult task so we won't hold that against them. The price was on the very high side (Regular: $28.50 adv - $30 on site, VIP: $42.50 adv - $45 onsite). The full value for the price didn't feel recognized as the prices should be dropped by $10-$15, or even a discount offer for same-night return visits or for October visits would add some value.

We Smell A Wolf In The Mist

On Twitter, Halloween Horror Nights was asked if they have any movies yet which would be certain for the 2010 haunt and the somewhat cryptic relpy was "we're gonna be able to keep some of the WolfMan pieces that long".

This is interesting and one could believe that there is a strong possibility of there being a WolfMan maze this year. They filmed the movie on the Universal Studios Hollywood lot and it's reported that many of the set pieces are still set up which would make for a good maze if they can use the authentic sets. In addition, the DVD/BLU Ray release wil most likely be late summer/early fall making it a good time to cross promote.

Scare Zone is going to check out the Wolfman movie and will update the post with a review. We will be watching for anything that could translate into good elements for a haunt. Share your thoughts too if you've seen the movie!


Thursday, February 4, 2010

First Look at the SteamPunk Vampires of Knott's Scary Farm 2010

Knott's has released this early sketch for their SteamPunk Vampire scare zone:

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Knott's Haunt Update: R.I.P. The Gauntlet

Knott’s has confirmed that The Gauntlet scare zone has (finally) been killed off and will now R.I.P. in the Ghostown graveyard. According to their Twitter, taking its place in 2010 will be a new scare zone with a Victorian Steampunk Vampire theme.

This could be interesting and very effective if they invest in the right costumes and props, but if it's done on the cheap, it runs the risk of looking like a Lady GaGa video (which actually could be horrifying in itself). Let's hope for the best!

One has to wonder if this means Knott's obligatory vampire maze will return to this section of the park (Camp Snoopy). If so, let's hope that the Club Blood theme goes away and they create a more foreboding setting for a vampire maze. This also could spell the end of the Labyrinth maze, which should also be put to rest.