The architecture of a haunted house
Ghostly endeavors lead to frightening fun
Watching horror movies every night sounds like a frightening proposition. But that’s exactly what Chase Denamur does to relax after a hard day’s work at Spooky World. This steady diet of cinematic guts and gore serves as inspiration for Denamur, one of creative masterminds behind the 80-acre haunted destination. Maybe add a few mutilated bodies? Blood-curdling screams? Walking zombies? Whether it’s a mile-long haunted hayride or an eerily vacant condemned home, each attraction at Nightmare New England in Litchfield, N.H. is a carefully orchestrated set of animatronics, scene painting, sound effects, lighting, and even pyrotechnics. The goal is to “freak people out of their comfort zone,” said Denamur, 30. He spoke with Globe correspondent Cindy Atoji Keene about the anatomy of a haunted house:
“Believe it or not, I actually live here at Spooky World, in an apartment above the arcades. I walk out my door and I’m at work. It might sound exciting to live in a family fun park near mini golf, batting cages, and go-carts, but it quickly turns into every day life. We start planning for Halloween near the first of the year, brainstorming ideas and props. This year we added an exploding toilet; it looks like a normal commode but then detonates and shoots air. We also brought in a transforming chair that morphs into a monster. Most run off of air compressors and deliver sudden, fast effects. But props are just eye candy, a distraction tactic while live actors are coming up behind you to really deliver a fright. We’re getting more ‘in your face’ with our haunts; in one hallway inside Brigham Manor, we added ankle ticklers, blasts of air dusting the ankles. Everywhere I go, whenever I see anything gross, disgusting or scary, I think, ‘How can I use this in the haunted house?” It could be rust running down a train car or an old moldy tree. Some places just use red spray paint and call it blood, but I am very picky and use a forensic approach: How would this blood have actually splattered? What color would the blood be, based on how long the person has been dead? It freaks out friends when they seem me looking at gun-shot wound photos, but it’s all part of the job. I want to keep customers immersed in an alternate reality where everything has the potential of being real. As ‘haunters’ we take spooking very seriously; I’ve been involved in haunts since I was 13 and haven’t taken a year off since. The best ‘scare’ that I’ve done? We do a trick called ‘sliders,’ sliding on our knees and popping up unexpectedly in front of a victim. We wear knee pads, steel toe boots and work gloves covered with metal hardware so we can slide on concrete. I slid 20 feet, holding a menacing metal stake, and leapt up next to a guy. He was so scared, he bounded over a carnival game counter and refused to come out till I went away. He didn’t know where to go or what to do. Now that’s terror.”
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