Schock Manor 1998 / 1999

  

   In this version of our haunt we used the front half of the garage with black sheeting and camo netting attached to the back of the door to give the scene a backdrop. The Grand Entrance was set up about 10' in front of the garage once again, but this year we didn't have the enclosure to the garage like last year. The idea here was to have a sort of interactive approach to the haunt. I didn't get a photo of the actual scene we did here during these two years, but it was effectively like the same as in 1997 with the Executioner at the left of the main haunt and standing to his left was the Death Lord. Both the static Executioner and the Death Lord have a very similar look about them and the Death Lord would stand perfectly still next to him to appear completely static as well. This was easier to pull off than you might think, as the next part of the scene to the TOTs far right on the left of the Executioner the Crypt Keeper sat chatting to all who stood out on the sidewalk looking in. He speaks with the actual voice of the CK from late night TV as his mouth is slowly moving open and closed. His face is continuously moving slowly from side to side and his left hand is actually moving the pointer on a Ouija board. So with this animated distraction, it was easy to get the TOTs to brave their way inside the entrance to get a closer look. It was then that the Death Lord would come to life holding up a bloody sword in one hand and a severed head in the other whose mouth was still moving as he would address the brave TOT with a guttural satanic voice booming from 100 watts of power through a 10" driver that stood immediately behind him and out of view. The startle was significant. Of course there were lots of sounds coming from the haunt, the continuous voice of the Crypt Keeper, Elvira, the spooky sounds playing in the haunt itself not to mention the hiss of pneumatic pistons and foggers going off. But the sound that came from the Death Lord could be heard from a block away even at the whisper that he used. Getting past his presence and down the cordoned off walk way to get to the rest of the haunt was a brave act even for the adults. Above you can see the "talking" head crying out to the onlookers. This head and the nearly 7' tall Death Lord would come about a foot away from you as you passed on to the next scene.

   Just around the corner awaits the trash can trauma to left. Once triggered, his leaping head rises from under the lid, his face blurred by a strobe light illuminating his body. His eyes are flashing bright red while an air horn lets out a 90 decibel scream. The monster not only travels up to nearly face high from the inside of the can, but one arm literally reaches out to grab at the TOT as they pass by. An amazing specter bathed in black light catches your attention just past the Trauma. Elvira hovers in mid air behind the window screen of the garage. She speaks to you with her eyes dancing red with her words.

   Elvira is followed by skulls and bones and skeletons laying on the ground and hanging from the wall. Right in the middle of all of it sits a guy with popcorn in front of a TV set on snow. He just didn't know when to quit. The cute fish in the water fountain with the baby riding on his back is pouring deep red blood from its mouth. Fog poured out from under the threshold of the front door the same as last year but different was when the door opened to the creepy monster handing out candy from behind it, not only was the monster bathed in strobe light making him look sketchy and surreal, but another strobe blazed into the TOTs eyes as well making it even more disorienting. 
 
This arrangement obviously took far less time than 1997, but there just wasn't the time while getting the new house built. You will be getting a little glimpse of the new place in the photos and tour of Schock Manor 2000.

Rest In Pieces

Death Lord