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^They might as well have a random guy rescue you with a boat from "Gerta and Gunter's Boat Rental." Seriously though, I think the pirate theme might work, but how are they going to have two boats right next to each other? They might be able to set up cheap skeleton pirate animatronics on river barges. They could probably start setup at 5:30-ish. The only risk I see with the theme is that if it's too popular, we might get stuck with Cut Throat Cove for a while. It is a good maze, but that area has never had the same house for more than two seasons.
 
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I've been to a lot of haunted houses and haunted hayrides, many of which have tried something like this and IT DOES NOT WORK. The actors are expected to be scary without any hiding places or element of surprise. If I pirate jumped aboared he would have no way to scare you. He could maybe make a couple of threats or something but ultimately they are left with nothing to work with.
 
So I didn't get to go to last year's HoS, but I've got a few (very simple) ideas:
  • Bring back the Victorian funeral theme to Banbury Cross. One of my favorite scare zones -- just creepy enough to start and end the evening right! You could probably even mix it with Ripper Row, if that was something that people really loved.
  • Make 13 an upcharge maze ala Alone, but with small groups or singletons. Those long, boring hallways? Way creepier when you're trying to navigate by yourself. This will also let them do more intense scares and not worry about the backup in the Fear of Heights room.
  • Classic ghost story show. I'm not sure where they'd put this, but I'd love a really understated, atmospheric telling of some of the park's stories. No special effects, just very well-trained actors/storytellers, a lot of atmosphere, and the tension of HoS.
 
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Ghosts stories would work better with the river cruise,with low lying fog along the waterways.And,Unicorn,greats minds seem to think alike :) I am 100% with you.Ripper row was great,but they (GP) dont wanna see the same old crap over and over again.Change it up slightly.
 
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So, I was thinking about London Rocks, and I had an idea for either a house or a scare zone in Banbury Cross.  I think it could be very cool to theme either the entire area or a house (not sure where it would go?) around Pink Floyd's The Wall.

Setting aside logistical and music rights issues, I think it would be a frightening take on the current rock n roll theme in that area (regardless of what you think about the retheme).  I don't think I can really explain the movie to those who haven't seen it, but for those of you have experienced Bob Geldof's cinematic decent into madness and flirtation with British fascism, don't you think the music alone would create an intense and disturbing atmosphere?

Obviously not all of the movie lends itself to HOS, but I think the following songs/scenes could work really well:

Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2
Goodbye Blue Sky (not for any reason other than I love this song)
One of My Turns
Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3
Bring the Boys Back Home
The Show Must Go On
In the Flesh
Run Like Hell
Waiting for the Worms
Stop
The Trial

Basically, I envision the images from the scenes where he is going insane and then leading the fascist movement being used with the music, itself, to create the terrifying version of Britain portrayed in the movie.  Does that make any sense?

For those who have not seen the cult classic: imdb

I know this isn't fully fleshed out; I am still thinking it through.
 
Well, one not so original thing to do, is have a throwback to the 60s zombie/campy horror flicks. Have killer hippies, with catchphrases like "All you need is blood!" and the sort. Use bright colors and creepy music and make it look like london is being attacked by the crazy hippies, Basically using the stupid colors to the parks advantage and create a twisted but unique experience. Also, im sorry they could do a show like monster stomp in the globe. Have another staged car in there, like a volkswagon or something, that looks like its on fire or something,crashed into the bus.
 
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Jacques said:
Use bright colors and creepy music and make it look like london is being attacked by the crazy hippies, Basically using the stupid colors to the parks advantage and create a twisted but unique experience.

Why would Hippies attack anything? Peace, Love and Granola, brother. Why would Hippies be in England? It was very much an American phenomenon in the 60s.

Oh crap. I just went Theme Gustapo. My apologies. I do like the campy humor idea, though.
 
Here are my ideas of how HOS should be this fall:
Mascot of the Event: Lady of the Gardens
England:
1. Terror-tory: Keep Ripper Row, change up the set and make it seem like it is a different place.
2. House: Sweeney Todd themed. You enter what seems like an ordinary barber shop on an old street, specifically Fleet Street. The first couple of scenes take place in the barber shop where there are twisted hair cuts and shaves occurring. Then the barber beckons you to his chair where you take a slide down to the sewers where the vicious murders take place and where the patrons are being cooked for a pie shop down fleet street. End the house with you exiting through the pie shop.
3. Show: Monster Stomp ReRe:Vamped.
Scotland:
1.Terror-tory: The farmers of Scotland have gone insane and the farmers will attack whomever gets close to them. The cornstalk decorations with the jack-o-lanterns hanging in the trees still fits the theme.
2. no house
3. no show
Ireland:
1.No Terror-tory, but themed to mad Freakinstein's castle courtyard.
2.House: The mythological creatures and ghosts of Ireland have inhabited a nearby cave (entrance to where 13 currently is and exit through the entrance of EItA) There can be banshees, ghosts, ghouls and any other Celtic mythological figure in the house.
3.Show: Fiends, I really enjoy Fiends, but i would change the story and keep it up to date for pop-culture and have them actually dance the Time Warp and not have us exit with it playing.
Wild Reserve:
1.Terror-tory: Werewolves have invaded the reserve and they are looking for unwilling guests to be bitten and become new members of the pack.
Aquitaine, France
1. Terror-tory: Keep Demon Street, the DJ can play darker and scarier music to make it less like a rave and more like a scare zone.
2. House: Underneath the Royal Palace theater lives a secret, a phantom, who terrorizes those who search under the stage of the theater. I see that they can use old stage props and have creatures scare you and then a finale with you coming face to face with the phantom himself.
New France:
1. Theming: I really like what they do with the spiders and the webbing all around new france.
2. Terror-tory: Widow Makers makes it return with the lumberjacks attacking those who seem suspicious.
Germany:
1. Terror-tory: Transform the wonderful scenery of Germany into Transylvania and have Vampire Point return with more hiding spots for the Vampires
2. Experience: Blood Banquet returns with new characters and new material.
3. House: Root of all Evil gets a revamp and features the Lady of the Gardens in the entrance scene as a statue and then at the end for the finale.
Octoberfest:
1.No true terror-tory. I like this area as a safe zone and also fun with the games and as a party
2. House: Bitten returns retheamed with more ruthless vampires and the change up of the sets. Also, The second house in this are is used again and vampire hunters have fortified themselves inside a shack outside of the vampires nest, bitten. and they will attack anybody coming into the cabin, ie they think you came out of bitten and were turned into vampires. the house would have holy symbols and have the scent of garlic though out the house, inorder to keep the vamps away.
3. Show:Night Beats returns with new material in the Festhaus
Italy, Invention Garden, and Festa
1.Terror-tory: Ports of Skull returns with a new batch of pirates.
2. Houses: Deadline and Cut Throat Cove returns revamped and better than before.
3. Festa: The pirates have created a twisted carnival to welcome back the salty dogs that have survived their time at sea. This could include the extensive themeing that the area received for the clowns and the tea cups.
 
^Only problem, it would have to be ell done and lets face it, Busch would say, "Well, its just for two months! People will buy it just because its new, lets half-ass it!" Then halfway through the event, nobody goes through,and then they start offering discounts and the wasted manpower of that maze could of gone to other areas that needs more staffing. Before we add more mazes and go willy nilly, why not go back and fix up everything were keeping?(i.e. Demon Street, Ports o' Skulls, Vampire Point, CTC, Bitten,etc.) refurb,recast,or replace. Thats the three REs that we need.
 
I wish demon street had a darker feel. When I think of "The Underworld", I don't think of a club with party music playing. I think of fire, and evil. Have a darker shade of red around, maybe some black in there too. Have more scare actors running around too. I could easily walk through most of the terror-tories without being scared at all. It was a walk in the park, literally. Howl-o-scream has for sure gone down in scare, but I feel with some things added and taken away, that could easily shift. Several more scare people could be added if they did not need to have people work the bars and such.
 
^Well first busch would need to hire more scareractors, and this year, a majority of scareactors wont be coming back, since busch wont let most normal employees do howloscream. So, theyre really gonna need a large pull this year or theyre gonna be even more understaffed than usual.
 
I stated these ideas for HoS 2015 in the 2014 thread, but I guess it would ba appropriate to state them here as well: theme: the Plague, theme for house on Ripper Row (if possible): The Tower of London.
 
The peace lives on, man
Imagine a Terror-Tory in the England section of the park themed to zombie hippies. Going through England at night the past summer with the lights and the british soundtrack it was just screaming to be a Terror-Tory. The props would be the same that it is during the main season along with a hippie van, peace signs and other peaceful symbols projected onto the buildings, and the arch near the entrance except this time it would be set up to look like a tent. Along with that a whole lot of fog and colorful lights would be set-up throughput the village. The zombies would be dressed up with beards, sunglasses, and bandannas. To top it all of there would be the normal england soundtrack playing and a group of zombie carolers singing. Wouldn't require much work but would still change the village theme and is a 100% original theme. Thoughts?
 
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