Even with only one week before Halloween, there is still plenty of time to get out and visit the local haunted attractions. It’s actually very difficult to spend any time driving around the Salt Lake Valley and not come upon a pumpkin patch, haunted corn maze, or even a full-blown haunted attraction. This last week, I was able to visit another one of Utah’s top-notch haunted attractions; Nightmare Mansion.
Nightmare Mansion is the sister attraction of the Castle of Chaos. It is located at 5600 s. Redwood Road in a building that looks like it may have once been a grocery store. The Nightmare Mansion is in its first season of operation and has all of the right ingredients which make a long-standing haunted attraction.
What are those ingredients you ask? Well, it’s more complex than I originally thought. Sean Murray, owner of the Nightmare Mansion was able to give me some details on what it actually takes to create an effective haunted attraction. I was very surprised that it was much more than just making some gory sets and some jump scares from actors. It involves both art and science.
Sean, who started his career in the business as a consultant for other haunts in surrounding states would travel to other haunted attractions and haunt-conventions teaching what they called “The Laws of Fear” which are techniques that should be followed in order to maximize the terror each guest experiences as they make their way through the haunt.
Sean has also has helped his partners, who co-own Nightmare Mansion, at the Castle of Chaos for the 
last three years. They felt like this was the year to branch out and open up another attraction. As I talked with Sean, he explained that one of the reasons for this branching out was attributed to the fact they wanted to supply a little variety to their audience. He explained that where Castle of Chaos offers more of a dramatic, theatrical, experience, Nightmare Mansion is more of a straight-forward haunted house. Another valuable advantage that these attractions share is the fact that there are deals where for one discounted price; a guest can obtain tickets to both places. This idea was a response of the general public that one of the biggest complaints that an audience has at any haunted attraction is the length of the attraction itself.
When I asked Sean how he got his start in the haunts business, he explained that at age 12, when his father told him that he was too old to trick or treat, he decided to start his own spook-alley. However, he wasn’t interested in running any run-of-the-mill spook alley, so his father brought him a real human skeleton to use as a draw. This actual skeleton is still in use today at the Nightmare Mansion and is on display.
Sean knows his stuff so well in this business that he has actually written a book on the subject. The book is called Secrets of Halloween Theater and is available on his website. Sean has been hired to teach the concepts in this book to many actors for many haunted attractions.
I asked Sean about how he makes decisions about what to include in the haunt, he says that he follows the principles of being original and unique. He told me that he doesn’t do any purchasing of props from movie sets. He has learned that it is more effective to create characters and scares that nobody is familiar with. It’s because this rule that there are very few recognizable characters inside the mansion.
One of the most fascinating elements of the Nightmare Mansion are the precepts that he has put into play as explained in his book. His book deals with the Five Laws of Fear that makes this attraction better. It’s actually amazing because it is difficult for one of the “uninitiated” to understand the thought and planning that goes into creating an effective haunt. He is currently still teaching these principles in his Scare School and makes sure that every one of his actors has been trained in and is familiar with. These five laws are:
- Remove the Comfort Zone
- Prey on Multiple Senses
- Escalate the Tension
- Distinguishing Between Gory and Scary
- Create Synergy Between the Effects
I won’t go any deeper into what each of these laws in greater detail because as you go through the Nightmare Mansion because it is better if you don’t know that the hosts have you right where they want you as you’re experiencing the haunt. However, having them explained was one of the most interesting parts of the evening and to see how Sean has put them into effect is very fun.
So, there you have it. Sean is still actively training actors for this business as well as helping others to make the best haunts out there. Sean and his partners have signed a long term lease for the building that Nightmare Mansion is currently in and are planning on using the time in the off season to improve upon what they currently have and build bigger and better crowd pleasers!
For More information: Visit http://www.nightmaremansion.com
Comments
Wish we had some haunted attractions so cool around here.
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