Things that destroy the "illusion" of a haunted house:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

For me--seeing the "ghosts" out back smoking cigarettes on their break.

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. The wires. Always with the wires!

Sorry dude.

Last year's party had cool black stuff on the ceiling, and cool stone stuff for the walls (hides the wires).

But this year, we're going au naturel for the walls and ceiling. With cathedral ceilings, it was going to be WAY too hard to put that crap back up again this year.

The front yard will look better though. More ambient lighting. And although there will probably be folks lighting up in the backyard, they won't be paid professionals that we hired for haunting purposes.

:D
fsc

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. No, it's cool... I was thinking of the commercial kind of haunted house.

In Ocean City, Maryland, on the boardwalk there was a place called Morbid Manor when I was growing up, one of those things where you pay, walk through, and the ghosts terrorize you, at the end there's a dude with a chainsaw with no chain who'd chase you and buzz your leg etc. while you ran out.

Remember, since I'm old, that "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" were actually NEW, somewhat original, and not the total cliches that they are today, after having spawned a whole generation of copycat knockoffs, including their own sequels LOL.

It was just funny seeing the bored teenagers who held those jobs, in their ghost getups, out back smoking cigs in between shifts.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. Ha ha.

I figured we were about the same age. (?)

I think Friday the 13th came out about my junior year of HS, so I remember when it was new and different too.

I've never been to one of the professional ones, but we did have a half-assed one in the basement of the parish hall when I went to Catholic school.

fsc

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. There's nothing "professional" about any of them, LOL.

[Zuni]

7. In Ocean city?

Man I grew up in MD and went OC a million times, but the only haunted houses there I remember were lame

There was one in Deale, MD (south AA county) called "Morgue Manor", put on by the Volunteer Fire Department that had a really, really good show, including chainsaws at the end. It had all live performers and was the best haunted house I ever went to

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

12. Did you ever have Thrasher's Fries in O.C.? Fried in peanut oil.. so good

[Bunny]

14. Isn't that a state law or something? If you go to Ocean City, you

are required to eat Thrasher fries??? That's what I've been told...

;)

[Zuni]

16. and Bull on the Beach roast beef sandwiches

thrashers fries with a bit of vinegar and old bay...:9

[ghostsofgiants]

5. How do you think they became ghosts in the first place?

:evilgrin:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. I see a classic Public Service Announcement commercial, or an

ABC Afterschool Special from this!

[CanuckAmok]

8. they would'a got away with it if it weren't for those medling kids.

n/t

[0007]

9. Put on at the local church!

[Dangerously Amused]

10. Ghosts and monsters trying to scare you... while wearing sneakers. nt

[MountainLaurel]

11. Knowing the monsters personally

Near the school where I did undergrad, there was a farm and plant nursery that did a huge haunted house/farm thing every year. They usually had several different setups, both indoors and outside. Generally, they hired drama majors from the university to do much of the set design, "acting," etc. I was a member of the marching band and thus new a lot of the drama folks, so inevitably I would recognize some of the actors.

One year, I went with a bunch of musician friends. As we walked past one scene of an Indian camp, one of the Indians looked at us and pronounced "I smell band fags."

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

13. That's actually scary and funny all at the same time.

I think these haunted houses should use more strobe lights. Imagine a room where a very slow strobe flashes, and it has mannequins or monsters or whatever, and some of them move a little between each flash...

Another idea is if you had a long corridor with a lot of doors on either side you had to walk down... As you walk down you sometimes see the shadow or sihlouette of horrible things, rush past some of the doorways...

Too much for the crashcart Cheney set though.

[ComerPerro]

15. LOL

"Hey, Ghost! Put down that cigarette! Those things will kill you!"