|
|
 |
March Madness 2001!
by Paul Boyd and Elizabeth Baron
It is not Basketball, but the 17th National Halloween, Costume and Party Show, which was held in Chicago last March, is a Madness that all haunters anxiously await for every year. It is the best chance to see all the newest and greatest, gore and gadgets, all under one roof. It is the one time of year that Haunters from around the country, and some from overseas, have an opportunity to network with their fellow bretheren. It is a chance to renew old friendships and make new ones as well.
Just days before the show, a Nor Easter was threatening much of the East Coast with predictions of up to two feet of snow in some areas. With Mother Nature on our side and a little bit of luck, the storm came through a little earlier, faster and with less snow than first thought. Whose idea was Chicago in March anyway?
Friday morning at 9 o'clock sharp, the opening day of the show, throngs of buyers stampeded onto the trade floor in search of those killer effects for 2001, the items that everyone will have to have! Our game plan was to start at one end of the show and work our way methodically, aisle-by-aisle, collecting brochures and catalogs from the exhibitors until our backpacks are filled and our feet are too tired to keep going. This is at least a two-day process for most attendees, and there is not enough room to list all of the great things we found, but the following are some highlights:
To start with, the floor plan the show itself was redesigned this year to allow for larger aisles…up to 50% wider than last year. The redesign also allowed space for additional booths with over 700 exhibitors this year! Most of the excitement seemed to come from one end of the showroom floor, where most of the Haunted exhibitors had their booths. Although we always walk the entire floor, the way the exhibitors seemed to be grouped kept us at the one end of the show most of the time. Even Morris Costumes seemed to be a little bit too far away from the area where the action was; but then again, Morris could be in the next building and everyone would still search them out! From Morris back and across to the Dark Zone was where most of the buyer traffic could be found.
The Dark Zone, an area of the show that is darkened and sound proofed from the rest of the sales floor, is always a favorite place to visit. As in the past, ScareFactory had one of the largest and best-looking displays at the convention. They introduced their new line of props, offering economically priced character scares that do not require pneumatics. The Springline items are ‘puppeted’ by an actor and do not require power or an air supply, making them perfect for outdoor attractions such as haunted hayrides and forests. These included strolling gags such as a Strolling Baby Carriage. With a pop up that would drop most anyone! These gags are great for queue lines or anywhere you want the actor to be able to move around freely. Some other new stand out props and animatronics from ScareFactory were the Striking and Slithering Snakes and the Giant Skull Façade, and of course, the most detailed corpses available. There is no doubt that ScareFactory is one of the most innovative manufacturers in the business.
Next up is Distortions, who always have some of the best items at the show. Displaying in both the Dark Zone and on the main show floor. Modifying some old ideas, they came up with some real killers this year! First was the Shake N' Bake, a new and improved Electric Chair. With new mechanics, this piece thrashes and vibrates more violently than ever before. The character wears jeans, a long sleeve shirt, rugged boots and a black cloth bag over his head. We have one of the original Electric Chairs, which we said we would never give up …well, we never said anything about not upgrading! Another update from Distortions was Evil Annie a little zombie girl chewing on a dismembered leg. If you thought she was disturbing as a static piece last year, think again! This year, Annie comes to life, turning her head while chewing on the meal of fresh, rolling her eyes back in her head. Distortions also created the Dark Puppet Theatre. This big item, with the big price tag, is a life-sized marionette that dances slowly to music before a wall of fog rises to conceal its head turning into an evil face and the whole character lunges forward through the fog at the crowd.
Also exhibiting in both areas this year was Morris Costumes, the world’s largest distributor of Haunted Attraction props and supplies. In the Dark Zone, Morris displayed a hot, new item called Tortured. The piece had a body tied down to a metal table with real chains, its head covered in a studded leather fabric hood. This pneumatic prop shakes and kicks wildly in a very life like motion. This is one of the best new props at the show! Other Morris items that caught our eye were static props such as Igor, the hunchback drooling over the fresh brain he holds in his hand, and Scary Carrie with her possessed head turned backwards staring at you. Now if they can make her head spin…maybe next year! Other attention getters were Bad Betty and Maniac.
A completely new product at the show was the Scream Cam and Gotcha Cam brought to you by first time vender Gotcha Digital Imagery. As haunters, we get a kick out of seeing people getting scared, so why not share this with your customers? This new innovation is an affordable ‘thrill camera’ technology that allows you to capture a color video and audio clip from inside your haunt and transfer it to a CD to give away or sell to your customers. Providing them with a unique souvenir while effectively advertising your Haunt each time they share the video clip with others. So whether you want to add some entertainment for your customers waiting in line or want to increase revenues at your Haunt, this system is a must!
Wait; is that a real flaming torch? Great minds do think alike, and this year it seemed almost every booth had a simulated flaming torch. The Le Flame torches by Le Maitre Special Effects are the best looking faux flames available. With several styles to choose from, they are a great addition to your haunted scenery, and your fire marshal will love them too!
There was no doubt that this year's show had a large number of costume exhibitors, but looking through a Haunter’s eyes, we would have to say that the best costume of the show award goes to Rozzy Alexander. The Pirate. costume that they had on display was to die for. The Scarecrow costume, which was new at last year’s show, is also an outstanding choice.
Speaking of costumes, Castle Blood always has a great selection of well-made, versatile outfits, and they do custom work too. Their Death Jester and Hooded Horseman outfits were our favorites this year. If you are looking for that special costume for your host character, Castle Blood should be the first place you call.
Among the many masks, we were very excited about the official Michael Meyers mask released by Cinema Secrets this year. Also, Dynamic Design International had a new line of masks that got our attention including Rafter Ghost and Granny Ghoul. These masks are stylized after the ghosts you might find in Disney's Haunted Mansion.
The new Mummy movie coming out this summer inspired some of the new props at the show. Little Spider had some outstanding looking mummy pieces. Their Reaper Lamp Post, a static figure holding a lantern, stood 74" tall that drew a large amount of shoppers.
In 1999, Ex Mortis stole the show with the introduction of the StalkAround and everyone had to have one. This year, they managed to bring the StalkAround back into the limelights with the introduction of three new characters. Creepo clown, the Mummy/ and a triple faced Freak. If there was an award to be given for the exhibitor with the most energy, Ex Mortis's crew would wins hands down!
The Ghost Rider Productions booth, harmless looking Wild Boar Trophy sprays a mist of water and air at guests as they pass by! This effect was also available as a skull. As we were checking out some other great things in the booth, a Falling Wall animation had people jumping quickly out of the way. Great effect!
One of the best looking booths at the show was a collaboration between Boneyard Productions, VP Productions and Kevin McKurdy. The outside was detailed with effects of rotting wood, a magnificent archway and animatronics in the windows and rooftop. You then walked into a dark room where you a ghoulish figure sitting in a chair spoke to you; it was almost like a séance. During the short show, a creature behind a scrim appeared and spoke as well. Lights flickered, chandeliers swayed back and forth, boxes rattled and an image of a girl having a demonic transformation in a mirror all added to the experience. It was a great performance to show the versatility of what they can do for your haunted attraction.
Another first time vender at the convention, was in the form of a new partnership between John Burton and Leonard Pickel. These two industry greats have teamed up to create D.O.A., a consultation, decoration, design and operations firm specializing in Haunted Houses, Hayrides, and Trails. With over 50 years of combined experience, this dynamic duo has the most impressive client list in the industry.
As in years past, there were several new videos available at the show. Halloween Productions had HauntWorld Volumes 8 & 9 and are the best of the series to date (and not just because our own event, Arizona Fright Nights is on the tape!). Castle Blood had a new video called Scarewaves 1and Boneyard Productions released their latest video on actor management!
Aside from the usual props and displays, we found an item that would make the task of ticketing a smooth process.Weldon, Williams & Lick, Inc. displayed their desktop ticket machine that allowed custom printing in seconds with the date, time, price and up to 48 ticket categories and bar codes. It also makes ticket accounting and management control a breeze. Depending on the number of ticket windows you have, this may be too pricey, but is certainly worth the investment.
Overall, the 17th National Halloween, Costume and Party Show was a great show, filled with new creations as well as new twists on some old standbys. It was great fun seeing old friends, and making new ones from as far away as Hong Kong. Each year, the Chicago show is like the starting line for our Haunted race to Halloween, but we still cannot help getting excited thinking about what may be in store for next year’s March Madness.
Paul Boyd and Elizabeth Baron own and operate Graveyard Productions, Inc™. They produce Arizona Fright Nights, an annual haunted event and host HalloweenPlus.com, the Internet's largest selection of Halloween and Party Supplies online. They can be reached by phone at 623.869.7734, by e-mail at info@graveyardproductions.com or visit them online at any of the following urls: www.graveyardproductions.com, www.halloweenplus.com or www.arizonafrightnights.com
|
|
|
 |
Order this Special Issue:
Buyers Guide
Issue 26
|
|
