Glue On, Fill In, Creep Out

by: RFR Casket Crew Hatter 99

Last week I talked a bit about the value of experimentation in the haunting industry. This week I’m going to zoom in a bit more on one of my own off-season experiments from the past week.

Hat ON.

I remember way back, when I was a wee one, when I could smear grape jelly all over my face, and everyone would just laugh, comment on how cute I was, and then clean me up with a moisty nap. At some point, though, when I entered the public school system and had to begin to conform to society’s vision of a good citizen, that type of play was, for the most part, abolished. As much as I wanted to dig my fingers into the pudding on my lunch tray, draw little ghosts onto my face with my pen, and spread the contents of my little Heinz ketchup packets around my mouth, that type of activity would have been frowned upon. So I retreated to the safety of spelling and mathematics, and over the years in school I learned quite a bit of book-stuff. I don’t regret that one bit; however, that little fanciful child within still pokes my ribs sometimes, yearning to break free. How can I provide an escape for him, allowing him to vent that pent-up energy that has accumulated (and continues to accumulate) over all these years?

Well, thankfully the Halloween and Haunted Attractions industry comes to the rescue. I can scream at the public. I can wear clothes that don’t fit. I can forget the chemistry and calculus for a bit. I can smear stuff all over myself, and it’s accepted. Case in Point: Last weekend the little wild-child inside me became enamored with the oncoming Haunt season, so I decided to run out to Spirit Halloween, buy some makeup, and use my face as a morbid canvas for the afternoon. Was there a real-world reason for me to do this? No. Was I working in a Haunt that night? No. Did I have a costume party to go to? No. Was anybody going to see it in person? No (except for my cat). I just wanted to do it. So, I bought my makeup, turned up the Halloween music, and set out to glue toilet paper all over my face. Of course, the whole time I was envisioning teachers and parents, shaking their index fingers at me, insisting that Elmer’s school glue was meant for gluing cotton balls onto lambs made out of construction paper. And toilet paper, of course, was made to be used on other parts of the body, NOT on the face. But I imagined their disapproving stares, smiled slyly, and squirted even more glue onto my face. After an hour or so of gluing, shaping, and drying, I pulled out the base makeup to fill it all in, blobbing huge gobs of brown, purple, and yellow onto my cheeks and lining my eyes, nose, and lips with black. Then I ripped parts of the toilet paper, creating areas of morbidly delightful peeling skin, filling the wounds with red base makeup. Then, of course, the blood. Ah, the blood. By now I imagined the proponents of propriety turning their heads in disgust, so I gladly pulled out globs of thick blood and smeared it into the wounds before accenting them and my chin with stage blood. Finally a quick dabbing of my teeth with black paint finished the job.

I had no real plan for what this face was to become, so after a few moments of reflection I decided to make myself an evil elf. I grabbed a hat from my closet, blackened my neck, and that was it. I took a few photos, admired my work, and then peeled off the mask and cleaned up. I was quickly my “normal” self again, but the evident joy of that little freak inside me is clear in the photos. I enjoyed myself, and for a time, that placated me.

The result wasn’t perfect. The hat could have used some distressing work. And a few parts of my face needed some more makeup, but overall I was satisfied with what I had accomplished in a couple of hours. I’m still very new to the horror makeup processes, and while I’ve attended some seminars and watched numerous YouTube tutorials, I’ve found the most effective (and most enjoyable) means of learning is by experimentation. I don’t always have a plan for what I want to do. I just pull out the glue and start molding. And I take pictures so that I can study what I did and tweak my methods in the next session where needed. It’s a scientific method. It’s academia. Nothing wrong with it.

Now, I can feel the little rascal within me wriggling again. I think I’ll go make a cotton-ball-construction-paper lamb. Maybe I’ll decapitate it. The blood sticks to the cotton balls well. Lamb chops?

Take THAT Establishment.

Hat OFF.

Scare-Actor Spotlight: Ro Tag

by: RFR Casket Crew Unknown Scare Actor

As Rotting Flesh Radio draws closer to the Haunt Season, we continue to bring the Haunted Attraction Industry, Halloween Fun, Home Haunt, Pro Haunt and more to you weekly. With that said, we like to bring you the people who bring those haunted houses to life, scare you and make you shiver in fear every Halloween. So this week we continue with our SCARE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT.

Let me start by saying that my name isn’t ro tag; but it is the name I use when online & scare acting. I’ve always been into the Halloween bit. As a kid I almost always dressed as a grim reaper. I first got the taste for scare acting when I was in middle school & participated in a fun, but short lived haunted house that the 4h horse & pony club. I would roam around as the grim reaper but didn’t really discover how much fun scaring could be till the night they stuck me in a casket & I got to control the push button fog machine.

Now after that, I was no longer timid of haunted houses & started to visit several as a patron. After the year of 2008, I decided that I would try-out for Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt in 2009. I got placed in there attraction called Urgent Scare as an infected nurse towards the end of the maze (if you have seen the movie called “The Crazies”, that’s what the attraction was based around). It wasn’t too much longer after rehearsals that I started to explore my talents.

I had some nights where I would sit on toppled over shopping carts & play statue; then for the one’s who wouldn’t be paying attention. That’s when I would snap to life on them. There were other nights that I would fit into small tight spaces that you wouldn’t expect someone (let alone a BIG guy) to be hiding in & pop out rapidly making cannibalistic snarling noises. Then there were times that I could get a group twice, once & the beginning of a straight away & then sneak down the backside of the straight away to nail them again when they would reach that end; followed by a sorta dance back down to other end of straight away. There were times I couldn’t necessarily get back in time for the next group coming, so I would sprint down the straight away till I got near them, then I would side step & bounce up off the curb to get airborne & look like I was going to land on top of them (but I made sure I never did land on them (safety). & lastly one of the easiest scares I learned to do is that I figured out how to make the fog thick enough outdoors to where I could hide in it. Then I would take on huge step (bout 6 ft lunge) toward the guest & snarl in there ear (while keeping a smile on my face), followed by flinging myself back into the dark shroud of the fog.

I went through the 2010 season visiting haunts & doing some fill-in work here & there. During the off-season, I was going to horror conventions dressed as Dr. Ro Tag. The basis behind this character is that he is a Zombie Voodoo Doctor. He has an accent that is a cross between Cajun & German. I do like this character, but I also miss the scaring; so this year, I can be found out on a trail as a scarecrow @ a place called The Mayhem Mansion. It’s located on 13966 DeCoursey Pike, Morning View, KY 41063. For more info on this Scream in the woods, you can visit: www.TheMayhemMansion.com.

Some advice for the newbie’s that are just getting there start: Rest up before your nights of scaring as it can wear you out if you don’t get plenty off it. Explore your surroundings to help build your character Bring enough cough drops &/or water that you can disguise in your scene Know the difference between someone slinging a punch out of fear & someone just trying to harass you.

Build multiple scenarios as to keep yourself fresh (that way you don’t get bored & if you encounter the same guest over & over, you can provide them with a little new material. Always listen to the veterans as they are a plethora of insider info & been there long enough to know what works & what doesn’t. Don’t & I repeat DON’T say “boo” or “get out”. Those are just cliché & tacky. & lastly don’t let anyone get you down or say that you suck. Prove them wrong by scaring the hell out of them.

After 25 Years, Dublin Ohio will Scare it up with a Haunted House

It’s been more than 25 years since a haunted attraction operated in the Dublin area. This fall; the Scare-A-Torium, one of the scariest Halloween haunted attractions in Ohio has relocated to the Dublin Village Center south of I-270 and Sawmill Road. The Scare-A-Torium provides two attractions with more than 50 creative scenes with a support staff of 80 actors, makeup artists and safety personnel.

The last haunt in Dublin was operated by the Jaycees. They used to operate in old schools and abandoned houses, but requirements for sprinkler systems and costly safety features forced many of them to close. Haunted attractions have evolved in many ways to entertain guests in a safe manner. Also the appearance and performance of entertainers has changed with special effects makeup and custom characters.

[

The Scare-A-Torium, housed in the 31,000 square foot Dublin Village Center space will offer the ultimate in fright-entertainment. The Scare-A-Torium formerly operated for two years at Karl Road and Rt 161 in a former Big Bear grocery store space. "The haunt received rave reviews from haunt teams that traveled throughout the Ohio Valley. We were rated # 1 in acting, costuming and makeup by the Ohio Valley Haunt Reviewer. They visited over 80 attractions last year we’re thrilled they voted us the best," boasted Kelly Collins, the mastermind and haunted industry veteran behind the attraction. He continues, "We have a solid team of performers and we’ve been holding training sessions on makeup and acting year round.”

“With the new location in Dublin; we’ve added more scenes and created an awesome castle entrance that will be visible through large windows from the parking lot” added Collins. “Our new location offers lots of free parking and is easily accessible from the Outer belt, Dublin Granville Road, Riverside Drive and Sawmill Road.”

The Scare-A-Torium includes two haunted attractions and they’ll be open Thursday through Sunday nights during the month of October and the last weekend in September. The Scare-A-Torium is a collection of fears from around the world with a second attraction; RIP’s Funhouse; creating one of the largest haunted attractions in central Ohio.

The Scare-A-Torium is a very frightening experience and it is not recommended for small children, but special Family Friendly tours are offered on October Sunday afternoons from 4:30 – 7:00 pm for families. Kids 12 and under are admitted for just $1 with a special $7 adult admission ticket purchase. The overhead lights are on, the sounds are on, but there won’t be any monsters in there to frighten them. Members of the Ghost Busters of Columbus and non-scary performers will assist as tour guides during the Lights-on tours. A portion of proceeds is donated to local community organizations.

The Scare-A-Torium Haunted Attraction is located in the Dublin Village Center at 6765 Dublin Center Drive in Dublin, Ohio, 43017; immediately South and East off I-270 and Sawmill Road near the Dublin AMC 18 Movie Theater.

Please visit www.ColumbusHauntedHouse.com for Tickets, Pricing and more.

**We have RFR Casket Crew’s Pierce attending the event along with RFR Casket Crew Blogger Claymation Werewolf this opening weekend and will bring you Deadites full coverage!!**

If only we could ask Dr. Frankenstein about his “Abby Normal” Experimentations…

by: RFR Casket Crew Hatter 99

For some of us, IT’S HERE. For others (like myself), there are a couple of weeks or so to go until our haunts open. Whatever the case, the witching season is near…Here in Ohio there is a cool nip in the air, cornstalks reaching toward the stars, and Halloween superstores popping up everywhere. This week down the rabbit hole let’s discuss the importance of experimentation, while our neonatal Halloween season is still gooey and awaiting its newborn spank.

Hat ON.

Technically I only began my haunting career one year ago, so almost everything that I’m doing is still experimental for me. I expect that many veteran haunters with open minds are likewise constantly involved in similar experimentations. For a newbie haunter like me, though, I learn a thousand new things every night. From scaring methods to makeup techniques to dealing with difficult members of the public, there are multiple opportunities every night for experimentation. Thankfully, I’ve found that most haunts encourage their employees to experiment. Any good haunter will know if a particular technique is working in soliciting scares; likewise, any good haunter will want to experiment with a different technique if things aren’t going so well. Of course we all have our boundaries and are responsible for keeping within those boundaries, but it’s not like we’re assembling computer chips…There is no mathematical science in this gig. What works for one group might not work for the next, and one reason that haunt owners hire actors instead of buying animatronics is that we are capable of adapting to various situations. Is one hiding-place not creating a satisfactory number of scares?

Try somewhere else. Do groups keep bumping into each other at a certain point in the Haunt? Maybe they need to be sped up or slowed down somewhere through some creative acting. Devise a theory. Develop a plan. Test your hypothesis. EXPERIMENT. We’re not going to get 100% scares every time. If you’re a good haunter, you’ll know it, and you’ll get enough good scares to make up for the duds. We all know that some members of the public refuse to have fun and get scared in a haunt, and in those cases we can’t do anything about that, but in other cases it might be a genuine rift in the haunt itself that you, as an intelligent, problem-solving, living human upright thing can solve through experimenting.

Hat OFF.

House of Shock Delivers All-New Website and a HALLOWEEN Festival!

As we have said time and time again on Rotting Flesh Radio, a haunted attraction must stay current, and up to date on its website. This is to both, keep the current times and dates, information and more for the 2011 season as well as give your potential customers that ‘First Glance’ at what to expect out of your haunt.

This is an important piece to any Haunted House because this could make or break potential customers. This is what gives them the hint at scares lurking at the haunt and more.

Well all-new for 2011, Chad Savage of Sinister Visions has completed and helped the HOUSE OF SHOCK unleash their new site!

The new site captures the true terror that awaits customers at this intense Haunted Attraction. The graphics are very interactive, fluttering across your monitor sending chills down your spine while giving you chills of pure delight in what you experience at the House of Shock.

The House of Shock has been featured on television, including the Travel Channel and is one of the most intense, terrifying, sadistic, demonic haunted attractions that will leave you in sweat waking from your bed at home!

Within the new website you can see photos from the event, including the dark haunting images that are burned into your brain after peeing your pants at the event.

Chad Savage has done a fantastic job on the new site and it remains easy to navigate for users, has full photo galleries and is interactive for your haunter delight. You can buy from the store and see some twisted videos.

The House of Shock is kicking off on September 30, 2011 and will run on weekends until the close of the Haunt Season. Tickets go on sale at 7:00 pm at the box office (in front of the haunted house) on OPEN NIGHTS ONLY.

The haunted house opens at 8:00 pm. The Box Office closes at 11:00 pm on Fridays & Saturdays, 10:00 pm every other night.

The haunted house closes after all ticket holders have been through the house – this can range between 11:00 pm and Midnight.

to find out more about the House of Shock and the event that will scare the tears out of you, you can visit: www.HouseofShock.com

MORE ON HOUSE OF SHOCK:
The House of Shock is a legendary Haunted Attraction known throughout the world for almost 20 years.

Now, The House of Shock is much more than just a haunted house… It is a HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL! More Food… More Outside Entertainment and of course MORE FIREWORKS!

We have remodeled our entire event and now have plenty of areas to just hang out and watch the freaks! Come on down and get a dose of Liquid Courage from our full service bar or something to eat from the ORIGINAL Hell’s Kitchen! Watch national bands on the House of Shock Music Stage and our NEW Multi-Media Stage Show complete with live actors, stunts and pyrotechnics!

THE BEST PART ABOUT THE HOUSE OF SHOCK OUTDOOR HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL IS THAT IT IS ABSOLUTELY FREE!*

So if The House of Shock was too intense for you before… Now you can come out to enjoy the festival and watch all of your friends, family and total strangers get the $#!T scared out of them! There is no better entertainment than that!

*May be a cover charge on some nights for certain special events or live entertainment.

The Importance of Sound Design: Tale Tell Heart and Puppetmaster

by: RFR Casket Crew Maestro Macbre

In Poe’s classic story, the beating of a heart causes nervousness and paranoia in the lead character.  The sound of a EKG beeping, growing faster and then flat-lining.  The sound of a video game charecter underwater, as the sound gets faster and faster till the poor little digital creature drowns.  The fact is the tempo of a sound can literally make you nervous, uncomfortable and even cause panic.

However, pairing tempo with frequency can act as a double whammy.  Think of the “Psycho” theme, the shrill of the strings.  Think of the sound of nails on chalk boards.  These high frequencies cause us discomfort and to tense up.  On the opposite side of things, bass frequencies cause us to relax.  So using both makes one edgier and paranoid.

How can you use this.  Increasing tempos at the beginning of a haunt will set your customers on edge before entering.  the human heart beats at 60-100 beats per minute.  Increasing the tempo by just a few beats per minute can physically cause a persons heart beat to rise.  Don’t believe me?  Think of a defibrillator, that is just a amplified electrical current sent through the body to restart the heart.

Unexpected changes in rhythm can also cause discomfort, heightened awareness and that jumpy feeling.  A good example of this is “Tubular Bells” or the exorcist theme to those of you hard core horror freaks.  The tempo settles in and then throws in an unexpected hit every now and then that almost makes you jump.  Some time signatures also create discomfort because of the unnatural rhythm of the human body.  Time signature that are odd like 7/8 and 5/8 feel like they actually skip a beat, causing the feeling of confusion and hypersensitivity.

You as a haunt owner/designer can use both of these to your advantage, however it isn’t that simple.

If you have ever used a “Buttkicker” speaker or a similar system, knows you can physically feel sound.  The best utilization is to invade and manipulate your customer!  Rhythmic beats interrupted by unexpected hits, can startle anyone.

Well most of you don’t write your own music or create your own sounds, how does this help?  Start looking for things that do use these!  The best source is movie soundtracks, haunt soundtracks and sometimes even classical scores.  However, be careful and aware of copyrights and performance rights.

So how do you lay this all out and be the puppet master?

Outside in a Cue, you want songs that will create ambiance and atmosphere.  Think carefully about what your theme is, location and target audience.  Nothing turns me off more than a confusing haunt theme.  If you play on fears, think of those fears and find songs that characterize those.  For example: haunted mansion should include sounds that fit that, a church should be filled with church like sounds and organ drones.

Cue music should be practical not personal, just because you like a certain style or genre, doesn’t mean it will always work.  If you aim toward teens and young adults, heavy metal works, however, you are turning off older individuals, that might not appreciate your desire for GWAR.  So sometimes a combination of the two works best.  Think about it, does your haunt usually attract younger audiences or older?

Also don’t look past finding your own unique style!  Have fun and listen all year.  There are great albums by composers that spend a GREAT majority of their time carefully creating these pieces.  Nox Arcana, Midnight Syndicate, Dead Rose Symphony, Virgil, Jerry Vayne, Rotting Flesh Radio’s Dark Pandemonium and even myself, to name a few.  Don’t overlook the importance of cue music.

Waiting room or welcome rooms, are becoming ever more popular to gauge the flow and also prep your patrons, if you have the space and means, DO IT!  This is where you create a uncomfortable feeling.  Quicken the tempo and frequencies.  The Great thing about welcome areas is that you can use a prerecorded consistent track.  But careful more than a minute makes your scare dull and annoying.  The key is to create immediate discomfort and to make your patrons afraid to enter the haunt.  This is a good primer, but remember, NOT TOO LONG!  20-30 seconds is best!

But the other school of thought is, just send them in unprepared.  This works too, but you have to use the same basis, you have 20-30 seconds to  scare and surprise, use original scares, not the standard, “boo” or prop.

Once inside, Ambient tracks work best, save the music for themed rooms (Music boxes in nurseries, Organs and bells in churches, you get the picture).  I won’t really elaborate on this because I covered it in the previous post.

Remember to make sense with sound.  Using high volume only works if the music or sounds are subtle.  You shouldn’t notice them unless you think about it.  Less is more in there.  It makes your scares more intense and unexpected, when you are waiting for that, SHOCK.  If there is loud chaos and screaming going on it’s more annoying than scary.  So tell your actors to save it for the scare.

I do want to emphasize the need for loops that are short and can be used to lead to the next room.  Great areas for this are vortexes, transition halls, and segues to the next haunt.  use a brief short loop, maybe 20-30 seconds, that take the rhythm from comfortable 80BPM to 130-140 BPM.  This can be easily made on your own, or pay someone to make something unique.

Remember, if it annoys you, it will probably annoy your patrons!

Placement of speakers is important as well, but I will cover this in the next article.  I will show you how to create surround sound on a budget!  Impressive and fun!

As with all tips and tricks, you have to analyze your own haunt and objectives, but these simple tricks can be used to aid you in preparing for this fright season!

If you have any questions of comments, please feel free to contact me at scaretacticproductions@gmail.com or email me at ScareTacticProductions.com

Scare Actor Spotlight: The Blood King Mathias of Lexington Screampark

Alright all you Deadites,

One thing that brings a haunt to life is its’ actors. It is these talented people that put the scare, terror and fear into your event. These Scare Actors deserve some spotlight, because without them, animatronics, makeup, details and webs wouldn’t come to life and scare your customers. If you would like your character to be featured be sure to email us at: news @ rfrpodcast.com and put “Scare Actor Spotlight” in the subject head.

In keeping with our Rotting Flesh Radio Scare Actor Spotlight we have another mad man to introduce to you. THE BLOOD KING MATHIAS of LEXINGTON SCREAMPARK.

About Jay Neal – The Scare Actor:
“I’ve been a home haunted and Halloween enthusiast since i can remember. My first experience in a haunted house was universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, after that I was hooked I went every year then I moved north to Lexington, KY and wanted to cross over into professional haunting. I joined up in 2010 with Tyler and Ed’s Lexington Screampark and I’ve grown to love it more than HHN. Combine my love for making Medieval Armor with acting, Mathias is a direct result of that.

The Blood King Mathias:

Field report,

In 1224, a warrior rose to the role of king in the country of Masovia. A frigid and hard land, Masovia was politically in anarchy with the lords fighting amongst themselves. The warrior known as Mathias made a name for his prowess on the battlefield and for his devotion to his men. After fighting many useless wars for his lord, Mathias saw that the only way Masovia would ever be a unified nation, a single ruler would have to rise.

He set forth with his men to bring down the current noble class and unite his land. A swift victory was achieved over most of the land by Mathias and his men, and the castle Torún was chosen as his military base. Mathias knew that his reign would be in jeopardy if he did not bring the remaining nobles down. Here, the story takes a dark turn.

Mathias held a celebration tournament thrown in honor of his victory, there was to be music, dancing, food, wine, and general merriment was to be had by all…for a while, at least. On the second evening of the event, he had the nobles and their families kidnapped from their beds to be beheaded and impaled upon stakes. The next morning, Mathias addressed the people in front of the bodies.

“For too long has the nobility of this land robbed the common people of their lives…! See them now, as they have been brought to justice…!” The speech carried on in this fashion, interjected only by the cheers from the people as he spoke. As the peasants cheered, they felt that for the first time they had escaped oppression. This was to be a short-lived felling for them.

As time went on, Mathias’ law became harsh and his punishment harsher yet. The people lived in fear of his iron fist and his cruel punishments. These included hanging, being drawn and quartered, impalement, being skinned alive, and entombment in the castle walls, among many others too gruesome to be mentioned.

He grew to be known as the “Blood King” by his enemies and his people. In 1241, he was murdered by a rival general, who then scattered the Blood King’s armor, shield, sword, and crown throughout the kingdom. With the Blood King’s final breaths, he swore that he would come back with every Nightmare, demon, and beast from Hell to extract his revenge upon those who would betray him.

With that, his reign came to a bloody end. However, there is a legend that says his very soul is in the armor, shield, sword, and crown taken from him the night he was slaughtered. It goes on to say that if they were ever reunited, the Blood King would rise, bringing with him an army of the dead and humanity would be lost.

After his death, the local clerics tried to bury the knowledge of Mathias and his accursed armaments. Their efforts proved useless as in 1983, archeologists uncovered writings from a monk discussing the locations of the “Nameless King”, and a search started for the resting place of these items.

The armor and sword were recovered and put on display in the British Museum for a time, until they were later put in storage, coming up missing in 1996. The crown and shield resurfaced in 2006 and were auctioned off to private collector, who reported them stolen a short time later. It is alleged that a haunted attraction in Lexington, Kentucky; called SCREAMPARK; has located and reunited these items in their attraction, the Castle of Fear. These poor souls do not realize what they have released. I intend to travel there to warn them…my only hope is that I am not too late..

I will report back with my findings, whether they be grievous or joyous. Let us hope for the latter.

Robert Walker
Paranormal Investigator London Society for Paranormal Research

Mr. Walker is far to late I am here and I await him and all the fools that enter my castle. The forest of the impaled will rise, and the river’s of blood will flow.

Join the Blood King on Facebook:
KING BLOOD MATHIAS ON FACEBOOK

Visit Lexington Screampark’s Official Website at:
www.ScaryLexington.com

Disneyland Paris brings the fear at TERRORIFIC NIGHT 2011!

Each year at the Walt Disney World Resort, they hold Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. It is a family friendly event for kids of all ages, to romp with Mickey and pals, do some trick or treating, meet some villains and more. Now in contrast to that, no one can say Disney doesn’t have a Dark Side because once you hit that jet and fly on over to Disneyland Paris you get a little more Halloween Horror Nights in feel with the Disney Hollywood Studios TERRORIFIC NIGHT!

Now Terrorific night began as a one time event back in 2008 and the event was so popular it returned last Haunt Season in 2010 with Terrorific Night 2. And once again the event continues to be so popular that coming back for 2011 is the TERRORIFIC NIGHT 2011 where the Walt Disney Hollywood Studios in Disneyland Paris will fill the streets with ‘scare actors’, Halloween Shows, PArades, Music, and more for two nights this October 29 and 30th.

Not much has been released other than the poster teaser art that seems to have jumped on the Walking Dead, Zombie feel. But if it is true to last year it will give those looking for an amped up Disney-Scare a good time.

The event in 2010 was described by the Disney Company as “Prepare to face the darkest night at the Walt Disney Studios Park. Attractions are open exclusively for clients with gruesome creatures, monstrous characters and other-worldly artists haunting the abandoned park.”

Now us here at Rotting Flesh Radio think this is a great contrast to the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party here in the United States. Many haunters and halloween enthusiasts head over to the Bush Gardens Howl-O-Scream event or Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights for those dead on, hardcore scares, but then wrap up with a friendly Mickey. So bringing this event back to Hollywood Studios at Disneyland Paris is going to once again bring those who love Disney and Halloween some satisfaction.

To get a feel of the event, last year Disney released a teaser video where a park guest was trapped inside the theme park. Check it out:

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO

The event also has a Terror Tram ride much like that of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights and many scares, haunts and fun. The event will run all night from around early park closing to 1am. These times are estimated as of this time though.

If you would like to see some of the scare fun from the 2010 event, there is a pretty sweet photo gallery at: www.PhotoMagiques.com. We will keep you posted as the event develops and possible get one of the RFR Casket Crew over seas to cover it for you Deadites. So until then, all you Disney, Halloween, Horror and Haunt Fans can now feel all your favorite things are one. Sit Back, Relax and rot Away…

No Chills in the Summer

by: RFR Casket Crew Claymation Werewolf

Okay, I realize that I’m a new guy here in the Casket Crew. The last thing that I would want to do is make waves while you ghouls are just getting to know me but sometimes I’ve just got to speak my mind. So at the risk of being controversial I’m just going to come right out and say it; I think Halloween should be in the autumn. That isn’t to say that we shouldn’t celebrate that spooky holiday 365 days a year. Of course we should. I just believe that fear works best when kept cool.

I was driving through the countryside with my werewolf bride today, it was about 86 degrees outside and we had the windows down. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. As I looked across the fields of green grass, blooming flowers and singing songbirds, the thought hit me. Boy, do I hate summer.

It seems strange that I would despise a season that everyone else seems to love but I do. To begin with I hate the heat and always have. Not only does the heat rear its ugly head in the summer but so does it’s source. The horrible, horrible sun. Because of my pale “redhead” skin, I sunburn very easily and in fact can sunburn while sitting in the shade. Some days, when I walk outside into sunlight it’s all I can do to keep from pulling my cloak over my face and hissing. All that being said, the worst thing about summer has to be the fact that it feels so far away from everything creepy. The days get longer, the nights get shorter and the streets fill up with the one thing I really do fear. Other people. I always miss the chill in the air, the early sunsets, the wind blowing dead leaves across the sidewalk as they rustle around your feet. All these things announce to me the impending arrival of trick or treat, of bobbing for apples and of costume parties. In short the arrival of Halloween.

Horror in general is at its eerie best in the fall. Monsters strike while school is in session. Ancient horrors return with the harvest moon and unless you happen to be at a summer camp, it is the height of poor taste to be a slasher in the summertime. One of the only things about summer that I appreciate are the barbeques and they RARELY get invaded by zombies. There are no vampire pool parties (or baseball games!) And creatures of unspeakable evil from the darkest depths of Hell do not enjoy flying kites. Fall is the time for bonfires for ghost stories and for the heavy consumption of alcohol, followed by the casual sex that will lead to your grisly doom.

I hope I haven’t made any enemies out there. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who wishes for cold rain, biting wind and grey skies. Who longs for the day that the watermelons in the fields are replaced with pumpkins…Who dreams of fall.

There are a lot of things at home in the bright sunny summertime. Children’s animated movies for instance! I’m just saying, if I end up being slaughtered by a cruel and twisted maniac neither alive nor dead with a rotted heart full of rage and revenge, then that would be bad. If this same slaughter happens and I also have to be hot and sweaty with the sun in my eyes? That just seems unnatural.

Until next time…Sit Back Relax and Rot Away…and have a nice day!

Fear Fair Haunted Attraction Announces ‘Fear Camp’ 2011

FEAR FAIR ANNOUNCES FEAR CAMP:
A Collaborative Educational Opportunity for Current and Potential Cast Members

The producers of “Indiana’s Scariest Haunted House” are planning a day of education in the art of haunted attraction acting and makeup to be held at the Fear Fair Haunted Attraction on August 6th, 2011 from Noon until 6:00pm. A faculty of expert actors and makeup artists plan to present a fast paced schedule of classroom style instruction, practical exercises and demonstrations.

“We have always held a casting call for new cast members in later summer/early fall,” said Fear Fair Director, Brett Hays. “This year, we thought it was time to step things up a notch though. We are bringing together some of the most talented actors and makeup artists in the haunted attraction industry to provide a once in a lifetime opportunity for our current cast to improve their skill levels and for potential cast members to get an intensive exposure to the world of haunted attractions” said Hays.

The Faculty for Fear Camp is a veritable who’s who of haunted attraction acting and makeup design. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from the likes of Katie Lane, a nationally touring actress, costume designer, makeup artist and part of the Rotting Flesh Radio Casket Crew. Katie will offer instruction on acting, makeup and costuming.

Fear Camp is collaboration in the truest sense as multiple haunted attractions will be represented among the instructors. Bud Stross, co-owner of The Dent Schoolhouse, will provide instruction on acting and makeup. Bud is one half of the comedic queue line duo of Jasper and Jynx. The killer clown couple has found renown on Youtube, at the Dent haunted attraction and various haunted attraction industry events. Bud is currently providing makeup for a major film production.

Tad Dezarn, Teddy Summers and Lucian Tomes, Jr. of Baxter Avenue Morgue will also be providing instruction. Baxter Avenue Morgue is one of the longest running haunted houses in the nation and has long been known for excellence in acting.

Lucian Tomes, Jr, who plays the iconic Warren Vanderdark at the Baxter Avenue Morgue has over 35 years of experience in haunted attraction acting.

Aspiring haunt actresses will receive instruction from up and coming Scream Queen, Kitsie Duncan. Kitsie is the star of the upcoming indie horror film, Mothers Blood and was crowned 2010 Famous Monsters of Filmland Scream Queen.

The days’ fast paced schedule of instruction will be followed by a cook out and party. Anyone who has ever considered acting in a haunted attraction, doing makeup in the haunt industry, or who just wants to learn to scare the bejezus out people cannot afford to miss Fear Camp.

There is absolutely no charge to attend Fear Camp, but advance registration is required and only limited spaces are available. This event is expected to reach capacity rather quickly, so those wishing to attend are encouraged to reserve their space early by sending an email to: fearcamp@fearfair.com. Please include your name, gender and age in the email. Fear Camp is only open to those 16 years of age and up. Registration is open to both current and prospective Fear Fair cast and crew members.

Fear Fair
800 A Ave East
Seymour, IN 47274

Date: August 6th, 2011
Time: Noon – 6:00 pm

ABOUT FEAR FAIR
Fear Fair is ranked as one of the top haunted attractions in the Midwest by Ohio Valley Haunts, City Blood Haunt Reviews, Louisvillehalloween.com, and other noted review sites. Fear Fair was recently featured on the haunt tours for Hauntcon, and National Haunted House Industry Convention.