This week’s adventure started out with a flight to my home town in the SF bay area.
While there I visited California’s Great America Halloween Haunt (recently purchased by Knott’s) on Friday night and it was awesome. The whole park was well themed and had with wicked entities roaming throughout. There were several rides open and plenty of haunt mazes to encounter. My fav were Black Widow’s Caverns and Cornstalkers.
Saturday the Bloody Mary Fan club President & I converged on the HMB Pumpkin Festival, along with 2.7 million others. Good thing I know how to get around town! It was worth it just to eat a LinguiçaSandwich like I had growing up.
Saturday night brought me Dead Time Dreams in Pleasanton & Pirates of Emerson at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
Dead Time Dreams is a new haunt to the area and promises fright galore. “kids have broken out of the cells in the basement, they dug tunnels out and sneak back in with things; they are not right at all in the head, I still think it’s the water…..” See if you can get through it untouched!
Pirates of Emerson (a personal favorite) did not disappoint me. The entire compound was well staged, with profusion of Pirates to chase & confront me. The mazes were varied in theme and mixed well, the additional games/attractions nice.
But in looking at these diverse haunts, it brings to mind each that each year there is a new trendy effect. Years past it was vortex tunnels, “dot” rooms or 3D paint. This year it is videos and lasers.
This opens up an interesting discussion: Which does the general public prefer; Heavy actor interaction or mostly FX? As I go through a haunt, I’m looking at the stuff. How the room/scene is set. The FX, lighting, smells & sounds. The actors are 2nd to the “feel” of the scene. My BFF says it’s the actors that get her. She (beings a haunting creature) loves the interaction with the public or actor while visiting.
What do you like?
Bugs n Hisses
Sandy “Furby” Kimball
While there I visited California’s Great America Halloween Haunt (recently purchased by Knott’s) on Friday night and it was awesome. The whole park was well themed and had with wicked entities roaming throughout. There were several rides open and plenty of haunt mazes to encounter. My fav were Black Widow’s Caverns and Cornstalkers.
Saturday the Bloody Mary Fan club President & I converged on the HMB Pumpkin Festival, along with 2.7 million others. Good thing I know how to get around town! It was worth it just to eat a LinguiçaSandwich like I had growing up.
Saturday night brought me Dead Time Dreams in Pleasanton & Pirates of Emerson at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
Dead Time Dreams is a new haunt to the area and promises fright galore. “kids have broken out of the cells in the basement, they dug tunnels out and sneak back in with things; they are not right at all in the head, I still think it’s the water…..” See if you can get through it untouched!
Pirates of Emerson (a personal favorite) did not disappoint me. The entire compound was well staged, with profusion of Pirates to chase & confront me. The mazes were varied in theme and mixed well, the additional games/attractions nice.
But in looking at these diverse haunts, it brings to mind each that each year there is a new trendy effect. Years past it was vortex tunnels, “dot” rooms or 3D paint. This year it is videos and lasers.
This opens up an interesting discussion: Which does the general public prefer; Heavy actor interaction or mostly FX? As I go through a haunt, I’m looking at the stuff. How the room/scene is set. The FX, lighting, smells & sounds. The actors are 2nd to the “feel” of the scene. My BFF says it’s the actors that get her. She (beings a haunting creature) loves the interaction with the public or actor while visiting.
What do you like?
Bugs n Hisses
Sandy “Furby” Kimball
