Day 2- Air cannon installed!

Lot's of freshly brewed frogsbreath on hand as we finish up the last parts of the haunt and work well into the early hours with all the goblins and ghoulies from halloweens past! Yes, the cannon looks like a go after all!. I've never done anything with pneumatics in the past and decided to try this out. The misconception on these cannons on my part was that it isn't the rush of air that scares people, it's the loud noise (see video)! It sounds like an air gun that carpenters use for nails etc only louder. This one was easy to set up and does work very well. Actually 'DC props' who make these are very nice folks who respond quickly to emails and provide great customer service. They told me exactly everything I needed to get this to work safely and properly. More of a hassle is the air compressor which you have to buy separately (I didn't know that at first. Many vendors who sell these do not give even a hint that anything additional is required). The compressors use a lot of juice and I tripped several garage outlet fuses before realizing I had to use an outlet from inside the house! Keep that in mind. However, once the compressor is full it does not make noise at all until it has to refill. I had it unplugged and fired off many shots before it needed more air.

Finally we got the end hall framed out. Can't believe I am still building with 2 days to go, but it went up quickly and now the haunt structure is done! The end hall is also simple and will have some hanging props, strobe light, fogger, actors entering the hall to scare people from the left side. And then on to the vortex....let's hope it survives the snow!

Day 3- Winter storm approaching

Unbelievable! Last year we got hit with a rain noreaster but now it's 6-12 inches of freaking snow! I give up. The canopy is definitely NOT rated for any significant snow loads! So I suppose I will have to be out there every hour getting snow off of the roof. This will be interesting to say the least. Monday on the other hand is supposed to be fine weather wise so perhaps I should be thankful that we will have 2 days for snow removal!
Today we will see if in fact the cannon can be used this year. The end hall framing and sheeting will be finished off. This is going to be very quick and simple with a straight hall leading into the vortex, strobe light and hanging props. From the sides there will be a couple actors entering for scares. I hope I will have time for some video before the show begins!
We discovered yesterday after some testing in the front hall that you can't attach anything to the drop panel. I destroyed unintentionally 2 of my 'gortraits' trying to secure them to the panel. Unfortunately there is too much impact force for anything to last, so for now we will leave it as a blank black panel almost as though a picture has been removed, and the ghoul actor will pop his head out from behind the panel when it drops.

Day 4- Mansion entrance hallway

This image shows the completed hallway entrance. In the 'walkthrough' parts of the the haunt which this is, we often use these small openings in the wall I call 'hand ports' which can be used by people behind the wall to stick their hands through effecting a simple scare. We also have in the front hall as we showed previously, the drop panel, now complete with overlying picture on the right. When guests enter, a mat switch triggers a sound card which plays a segment from the Disney Haunted Mansion. The sound is directed toward one of those simulated lightning boxes which causes the downlights on the portraits to flicker. All these portrait props are seen everywhere, perhaps overused, but basically to set the scene for the main events later. I would love to build all the sets from scratch but there is no way I can start this thing any earlier than I do!
What is left over the next 4 days is the end hall, the entrance door which can only be completed when the garage is open, a few details in the crypt room, vortex lights and lightproofing, hopefully the cannon (I did get the clamps I needed) and lots of testing. We have Sat and Sun actors and helpers coming for walkthroughs.

Day 6- Some front hall details

The entrance hall is a standard mansion set with the pictures along each wall. Please refer to the plan diagram in post on the right side of this page. Last 2 images show a quick and dirty 'drop panel'. We will have a picture mounted on the black board. The wood is a very dense particle board. I used some aluminum frame pieces from a shower door we took down for the side slots and greased the insides. We will have a ghoul actor stand behind the picture. As the guests go by the latch on the backside of the board is slid over to the left and the board falls with a crash!  The panel can be 'reloaded' using the eye bolt and latch. Very simple and cheap and took about 30 minutes to build. We also have our standard haunted chandelier. I wanted to make one but didn't have time so instead we are using a prop I have had for several years. It does have a shake feature which we will activate using an X10 module.

Day 7- One week left!

Well it's been pretty crazy this time around and I can't believe how fast this came! While it's going down to the wire it looks like we will barely make it. The elevator platform was completed at the end of July and just yesterday I finished the ceiling, sound and light! We spent many hours on the detailing for the elevator and map room as expected, but I think it was well worth it. The vortex interestingly this year was almost like an afterthought in terms of the build. It went up easily without any glitches. Actually it's totally done now except for the lights and some lightproofing we want to improve on this year at the end of the tunnel. Really the only thing left is the front and back hall which will be a quick frame and sheet, a couple of lights for the ghost hall with some sheeting there and a little finish stuff in the crypt. Unfortunately we might have to defer the air cannon to next year. I was going to set it up yesterday only to find out I didn't have the clamps I needed to secure it. We'll see if they can get it here by week's end and if I have enough time to deal with it. Over the next several days I will try to post as many images as possible, not necessarily in any order.

Day 10- The Final Countdown~!

The fast and furious pace continues as we race toward the finish! Today we installed the elevator weight drop. The idea is once everything is completely dark in the elevator for a second or 2 we drop this 20 pound weight onto the elevator ceiling and the whole thing shakes suddenly before the wall panel is moved! I found this old bird house in the garage that just needed a little modification to contain a dumb-bell standing upright which could be pulled upward using a pulley about maybe 5-6 inches before being stopped by a 2x2 bar inside the box. Then when you let that drop it causes a thud with a shake. The pulley is routed over the elevator to the back 'service area' where the elevator 'operators' will be stationed. The birdhouse is screwed onto a dense plywood board spanning the 2x2's as shown. If you look closely in the video at the moment of impact you can see the elevator shake a little!

Day 11- Live Foyer

We installed 'Cam 1' in the foyer with a good vantage point for guests entering and leaving the elevator and entering the map room

Day 12- Elevator lights

These are the moments all haunters wait for! After literally months of sweat and blood we finally get to see a finished product, or close to it. The elevator foyer lighting features an eerie amber down light and a small interior spot to show the doors. We also have an indirect black light which will enhance the actor standing in the corner. Unfortunately it's difficult to reproduce exactly what you are seeing for real but at least you get some idea of the scene we are creating. This is what the visitors will see as they wait for the doors to open! I think this could be our greatest creation in the short haunting career of  'xtremegaragehaunting' thus far! What do you think?

Day 13- Elevator details and peppers ghost frame

We finished the elevator interior paint and detailing. The frame for the peppers ghost cart was also completed. It's much darker in there now so imaging is more difficult. Currently we are working on lighting for the elevator facade and front hall. In the images shown here the elevator view is through the open doors to the back where the window is positioned. I placed a chain around the interior of the elevator instead of the usual side rails. Now the ghost frame has a small side pocket to allow the fake wall to slide into it. Our ghost actor will have to slide the wall out (as shown) to create the crypt level scenery when people exit the elevator, then once they enter the crypt the wall is retracted back into the frame on the left for the next group to enter the main hall. Hopefully that's not too confusing.

Day 14- Vortex sucessfully rebooted!

Just like that. We hooked up the motor and turned it on. We had to manually push it for a few minutes just like last year to 'get it cranked up' but it didn't take long. I had to increase the tension slightly on the belt by moving it about 1/2" further away from last year's spot. We did get the bridge assembled and positioned minus the handrails.

Day 16- Fake walls

What seems like 100 years ago we laid out these plans which called for, of course, the elevator as the key event this year. If you look at those plans on this archived page (scroll down a bit) pay attention to the red bars in the diagram, or you can also find the plans in one of the posts to the right (under 'popular posts'). These are moving walls. In order to create a 'realistic' elevator sequence, you have to keep in mind that the guests are entering and leaving through the same doors! You have to figure out some way to alter the scenery when they get out onto the crypt level floor! This is why we created 2 fake walls as it were which are pictured here. When the guests come around the corner from the entrance hall to the elevator foyer (see plans above as needed) the first wall (shown here as a random stone wall) is retracted out of view into the peppers ghost hall area where the ghost actor is waiting to do the ghost routine. The second wall is visible in the foyer as just part of the normal foyer type scenery. This wall is positioned in front of the crypt door concealing it until the guests re-emerge onto the crypt level! I will paint it black and dress it up with many pictures to come! Now when the guests enter the elevator, my elevator operator actor who lets the guests in will slide the wall back exposing the crypt door and the ghost actor will slide the stone wall forward which then conceals the entrance hall! The fake walls are foam reinforced with 1x2 strips. These are extremely light weight and easily maneuvered using the same rolling suspension mechanism used on all the doors this year. Again, this rolling door concept was a major breakthrough and I was able to put up 6 of these with no problem this year!
I realize this is extreme, Ghouls, but hopefully you can see what we are trying to do. Ask any questions you wish!

Day 17- Moving peppers ghost illusion

Well I almost gave up on this but finally got it figured out! The concept is to place an actor on a moving cart and have someone behind the actor push the cart toward the glass which will appear to the viewer getting out of the elevator as a ghostly image approaching. Hopefully that makes sense. To review the peppers ghost effect in general you can read the posts on the right that pertain to it. Anyway I got the cheapest dolly I could find and constructed a lean-to extension as you can see. The problem is the wheels swivel and there is no way to get smooth motion of any kind on concrete, so I had to build wooden tracks that were just wide enough for the wheels to be contained where they would stay in 1 position. I tried various configurations of wood before arriving at the solution that worked. The bottom of each track is an 8' 2x4, sides of the track are 2x2's and the actual track itself is about a 1" x 1/2" which raises the wheels just high enough where the metal housing is not impinging the sides, only the wheels themselves are in the track, as shown. I tested the cart motion with my sons standing on there. They are adult size. The actor I intend to use will be smaller. It works great. So if you intend to do this, you can't just put the dolly on the floor and expect it to work. You must build individual tracks to fit just the wheels. The other key element of this is that you need to line the tracks up with the center of the glass so the projection is accurate. I placed a light on the center of the dolly and checked it from the center of the elevator opening to be certain that the image will be seen from that vantage point. Now going forward we have to build an enclosure around the tracks and cover the inside with black sheets. Basically a lot more to do but this was a big help getting this to work properly!

Day 19- Elevator facade gets some brains!

I think it was last year that some good friends of ours got me this halloween gift for my birthday. It was a prop human brain packaged similar to hamburger meat you buy in the grocery store! At that time I really had no use for it in the haunt since it was a totally different deal than this year. Way too dark to see any props of any kind. Well this year I found a place for it! I removed it from the packaging and as you can see here, bolted it to the elevator facade top where it has found a home as the 'pointer' for the individual floors: 'F' for foyer, 'M' for morgue and of course, the crypt (alias map room). Now there is some kind of gooey red stuff they put on the prop to make it more realistic I suppose. What happened was that in the process of placing a bolt through the brain center, I squeezed out some of the red liquid which then dripped onto the skull elevator door knobs creating a serendipitous bloody skull! Amazing! You just never know what can happen during the haunting process!

Meanwhile I did manage to get all the vortex hoops assembled and ready to go just in time before the next low pressure system moved in with rain. We plan to connect the motor and set up the bridge on the weekend. So it took probably about 8 hours in 2 days to assemble and connect the hoops and put up the canopy. Not too bad!

Day 20- Vortex reassembly begins!

I forgot how big this thing was! We got the canopy up pretty fast. This time we duct taped all the roof connections. That helped tremendously raising it up. This year I am going to try using segments of 2x4's routed out in the centers for the canopy legs.If you look carefully you can see one of them on the right. Last year we struggled with the legs constantly slipping out of the oversized rubber 'feet'. The legs were extended with 1 1/4" PVC piping to get the canopy up high enough for the hoops. It's a 10 x 20 foot which isn't quite tall enough without the extension. Please refer to the 'spinning tunnel that you walk through' page for additional details if you need to. We got 2 of the hoops connected as you can see! We're going to see how reproducible this system is after a year of storage! The reassembly is not too bad. We were able to store larger portions of hoops so we didn't need to start with single pieces. That saved some time. The biggest hassle are those T-nuts that sit inside the 2x8 connectors. Several of them fell out and had to be put back in. It took some work to get the bolts to thread properly.

Day 22- Elevator facade

Things are moving along. We installed light and sound for the map room as well as the 2-way mirror. We'll have pics of that at some point but I wanted to post these elevator facade pics which are really great I think. We painted the front black for the doors and added some foam brick again on either side with a few skull props as well. The center prop was sawed in half and placed on each door as knobs! We are also going to put foam at the top of the elevator face with some uplighting. It's very hard to demonstrate the full effect with the actual light that will be seen but will try. Tomorrow is vortex day Ghouls, so stay tuned! We plan to get the canopy and hoops up and running. If we have time for the bridge we will do that to.

Day 29- Elevator door pulleys and peppers ghost glass

Elevator pulleys for door opening were installed as seen in the video. If you look carefully you can see the rope to the right and left of the respective doors. The pulleys are placed at the ends of the door suspension beam, then the rope is routed to 2 sets of pulleys in the ceiling frame and down to a single 2x2 bar where the ends of the 2 ropes are tied. The doors are able to open simultaneously by pulling down on the bar. I just have to practice applying the proper tension to each end so they open at the same rate! Now the actor who lets the guests into the elevator will have to close it. No easy way to do that one remotely!

And now for all you peppers ghost junkies! We're back and better than ever as you can see with the installation of a full length glass window as seen from the elevator. When the guests come out of the elevator onto the crypt level, they will be greeted by the moving peppers ghost. I have a panel directly behind the glass consisting of yet another vacuform segment and some foam below which will be painted black. The ghost actor will be in an enclosed hall to the right of the glass. This glass window I was able to obtain from "freecycle'. Glass is expensive and this size is definitely not in the budget. Freecycle is a local Yahoo group where items of all kinds are offered for free by people looking to get rid of stuff they can't use. Check for the one in your area next time you need materials for your haunt!

Day 30- Quick update

October 1st is here! We are working feverishly to get everything done in time. Of course, as always it looks like it will go down to the wire but we are still hoping to have at least a few days to tweak stuff. I have broken down the remaining task list so you can see what we have left. Yes it is scary. I get that, but it is what it is. I just remind myself to think of those reality shows where they have to rebuild an entire house in just 3 days !(OK fine they have a crew of about 50 people but the analogy is close enough) We just need to stay focused and get one task done at a time:

1.       Elevator camera

2.       Elevator ceiling

3.       Elevator sound and light

4.       Painting elevator interior

5.       Elevator door pulleys

6.       Elevator door façade and west wall paneling

7.       Elevator door light

8.       Elevator floor carpet

9.       Garage cleanup (for areas we need to build)

10.   Hallway foam doors ( one in front of map room and one at end of entrance hall)

11.   Hallway camera

12.   Detailing- hiding pulleys etc

13.   Pepper’s ghost window support frame

14.   Pepper’s ghost fx box frame

15.   Peppers ghost back wall detail and light

16.   Peppers ghost fx box light

17.   Peppers ghost dolley assembly

18.   Cannon

19.   Vortex hoops

20.   Vortex assembly ( includes putting up canopy and connecting hoops, etc)

21.   Light and sound for crypt

22.   2 way window for crypt

23.   Corpse chandelier

24.   Front hall-drop panel

25.   Front hall framing

26.   Front hall sheeting

27.   Front hall sound

28.   End hall framing

29.   End hall sheeting

30.   End hall sound

31.   Elevator pulleys

32.   Shutter for projector 

33.   Entrance door ( garage main entrance to the haunt)

34.   Signal options for helpers ( some kind of 2 way radio or other signaling device to cue events)

35.   Weight drop for elevator ( will drop onto the elevator roof just before operation)

36.   Inside elevator detail

37.   Elevator external handles (these are for operators to shake the elevator during operation)