by Dave Alma
The 2002 hit movie The Ring, www.ring-themovie.com, had a profound impact on the Horror movie industry. Its visual depiction of a dark haired girl, Samara, rising from a decrepit water well was drilled into the minds of modern day movie goers and the core audience of the Haunted Attraction industry…teens!

The following animated prop pays homage to this instantly recognizable scene; a stone well with the little girl about to climb out. (read more)

By James C. Boyer
Over the last 15 years I have traveled rather extensively across the country and visited numerous Haunted Attractions. In that time I have seen few of what I would call “E Ticket” attractions, (an old Disneyland designation for the top level rides), a few dozen adequate but hopeful events and far too many substandard or less than average Haunts. The best attractions have several things in common, but one element that stands out the most. Realism! The best Haunted Attractions all seem to have vast amounts of detail incorporated into the scenes that helps to suspend the patron’s disbelief. (read more)

by Jim Kadel

Here’s an inexpensive, easy way to make a bubbling tower for the Lab or UFO scene your haunt It is built from those clear plastic sleeves used to protect eight foot fluorescent bulbs. Most home improvement stores sell these for around $4, and also stock all the PVC fittings and other hardware needed for this project.

Although the plastic sleeves are strong enough to support a column of water, for their total eight-foot length, I recommend cutting the m down to six feet or less. This makes them easier to handle and store. This bubbling tower is made to be disassembled and stored dry. This description assumed that those who undertake this project, have as a minimum, standard shop hand tools. For one bubbling tower an 18-inch square base of 5/8 inch plywood, particleboard, or flake board is sufficient to keep it upright. (read more)

by Brian D. Oberquell

“Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?”
from William Shakespeare’s MACBETH

“More blood, more blood! Here, give me the bottle!”
director William Wyler on the set of BEN-HUR

One of the effects that I am always being asked for is blood. Whether it is a small amount for a play or a large amount for a film involving major mayhem, blood is one of those things that if used properly, brings out a reaction in the audience. Sometimes the effect is subtle, like a poisoning victim in Ten Little Indians, with only a small amount of blood running from the corner of the mouth, and sometimes the effect is designed to create a larger impact, like the scenes form The Wrong Apartment, where there was wholesale death and destruction. (read more)