The Art of Fear: Theories of a Dark Entertainer eBook Edition

By Mr. Maniacal

The Art of Fear was Mr. Maniacal’s first book published back in 2005. With another book on the horizon Mr. Maniacal has revised his first book and has decided to re-release it to the public.

The Art of Fear is Mr. Maniacal’s in-depth look at the
haunted attraction industry and the creative nerve center
behind the show. Not your typical “how-to” book, The Art
of Fear is a collection of theories and techniques he has
gathered over the past 15 years in the industry. Covering
topics like room design, soundscapes, lighting, character
creation, and more makes this book not just for haunted
attraction owners, but everyone involved in putting on a
haunted show. The industry and customer expectations
have changed and the haunted attractions must change
with them. This is a perfect companion for any haunter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781304021625

Book preview

The Art of Fear: Theories of a Dark Entertainer eBook Edition

The Art of Fear

Theories of a Dark Entertainer

By, Mr. Maniacal

ISBN: 978-1-300-99823-5

The Art of Fear: Theories of a Dark Entertainer

Written by Mr. Maniacal

Original Version Copyright 2005

Revised Version Copyright 2013

The Art of Fear: Theories of a Dark Entertainer Revised Edition 2013

Back in 2005 I began to write this book and much to my surprise it was published. The company that published me combined with my inexperience as a writer left this book riddled with mistakes. Plus when I would go back and read it there was much more I wanted to add. After my contract was up my book was released and now I have completed a revised edition. I didn’t change references to dates, and time periods…I let the book stand as if I was still writing it in 2005, but I did correct mistakes in grammar and spelling that slipped by and added additional thoughts.

I am currently working on a new book to be released Fall of 2013 and thought fixing and re-releasing this book would be a nice companion. Enjoy!

Mr. Maniacal

Table of Contents:

Chapter One: The Art of Fear-The Introduction

Chapter Two: Room Designs and Adding Realism to your Haunted Attraction

Chapter Three: Props and Set Dressings Cheap and Easy

Chapter Four: Added Perks-Lighting and Sound

Chapter Five: Special FX Make-up-The Art of Creating a Monster!

Chapter Six: Character Creation: Character Backgrounds, Costuming, and Props

Chapter Seven: Haunted House Style Acting

Chapter Eight: It All Comes Together

Acknowledgements

Chapter One: The Art of Fear-The Introduction

It is a cold October night and the smell of decay is in the air. The moon is full in the black of night as a storm approaches from the east. You sit alone in the safety of your home, alone reading by the table lamp with only the soft rumbling filling your ears. Suddenly there is a flash of light outside your window and the loud crack of thunder stirs you to your feet. The storm grows stronger as the wind blows the clouds over the perfect circle in the dark sky. There is nothing to fear your mind plays over and over in your head when again the loud crack of thunder startles you once more, but this time the power is gone. You sit in the dark waiting, listening to the storm when your senses pick up on a presence…something in the room with you. You frantically run to the kitchen looking for matches and a candle, but the breathing in your ear is louder. So loud in fact, that it drowns out the sound of the storm. Finally you find the candle and strike a match, but what was that in the corner…that black shape proving you are not alone. The candle is lit and you try to refocus on the shape, but nothing is there.

Sounds familiar huh? That’s because whether you want to admit it or not we have all been through that scenario one way or the other. Are we alone, or is there such a thing as ghosts that haunt the shadows of the world around us? Well it doesn’t matter what you believe in, or what your theories are, it all boils down to one thing…fear. Fear is a wonderful feeling if you think about it. Where does it come from, how does it work, why does it plague all of us no matter who we are? These are questions I often ponder being a part of the haunted attraction industry. You see it’s my job to create fear, to instill it in the ones that pay us every October haunting season to feel the power of fear. I like to think of fear as an entity of its own. Something alive that lives inside each and every one of us using the tools of our brains such as the subconscious mind to manifest itself. That is the mystery of fear. You can have all the psychologists in the world handing out explanations left and right, but to those of us in the haunted attraction industry all we need to understand is how to give fear a helping hand.

Even now as I write this fear is playing with my mind. I am sitting alone in the dark with only the light of the computer monitor to see by and the soft haunting sounds of Beethoven playing in the background. Now I swear out of the corner of my eye I keep seeing shadows move. I have this strange feeling I am not alone in this room. I keep looking over my shoulder to see if someone is there, but there isn’t. I have even looked in the other room and my wife is sound asleep. So I ask you is my house haunted, or is it the dark, the sounds, and the subject matter of which I write affecting my subconscious? Either way my point about fear being a powerful tool is made. The art of fear or psychological horror, whatever you want to call it, is the future of horror. In movies, books, plays, or haunted houses it seems that the ones that contain these psychological based horrors become the most popular forms of horrific entertainment. However I want to stay focused on one particular form of entertainment I have grown quite fond of and that’s the haunted attraction industry.

I have been in the haunted attraction industry for the past 14 years now as an actor, Special FX artist, room and prop designer, and attraction manager. I like to call myself, and the others I work with, Dark Entertainers. That’s just what we are. We specialize in terror and fear. I started back when I was fourteen in a local haunted attraction. There I met many like me that guided me in acting and make-up. I was lucky to belong to such a group of people that took this industry very seriously many of which I still have the honor of still calling friends today. Back then the industry was strong and at it’s peak of popularity, but there was chaos as well...at least in the part of the United States where I lived. Each haunted house always tried to out shine the other and there was little or no networking between your competitions. However in the mid-nineties that started to change and some networking began. Everyone started to realize that sharing knowledge opened new doors for the attractions creative teams. Then freelance actors and FX artists started to appear and the industry has become stronger. There are still some house owners living in the eighties and haven’t taken the industry serious enough to realize the changes are for the better, but mark my words those haunted attractions will be gone before you know it no matter how long they have been in existence.

Now that the whole business side has changed it is now time for the creative side of the industry to change. It is time to come out of the dark ages and realize what really works and what doesn’t. Let’s face it the days of the floating Jason masks and dot rooms are over. Those classic room designs are easy, but there really isn’t place in the attractions for them anymore. Building your entire house out of those classic rooms is like installing an eight track in a brand new car. Now don’t get me wrong, if you have the space and want to appeal to the portion of your customers that want to see the classic rooms go right ahead and throw one in for old times sake, but make sure for every classic room you have at least two others that are more realistic that utilize the art of fear. The one thing I like to bring to light whenever I talk to a person in the haunted attraction industry is that your competition isn’t the house in the next town…it’s Hollywood. That’s right! Hollywood with its big budget computer generated effects have influenced viewers greatly and deadened the senses of the masses. The shock value is gone in today’s society because we have seen every way a person can be killed disemboweled, and skinned alive thanks to computers and special fx artists. Thanks to new technology our jobs as haunters just became even tougher. Look at it like this, the average person goes and sees the