Haunting Tales: Illusion? Real? Does it matter?

[elionwyr]

I am a PASSIONATE believer in the lack of necessity of using live animals in haunted attractions.

I've been preaching this opinion for years.

I've heard all kinds of reasons given as to why some haunt owners feel it's important to use living critters. Their customers expect it. They're more impressive than fake animals. It's a cheap way to get a scare.

Let me tell you about Grisly's "rat hall."

This was, hands-down, the scariest area of our haunt. People screamed. They froze in place. We frequently had to have people ready to get behind groups and push them through just to get them the heck out of there.

And what caused that terror in this more-or-less S-shaped length of maze?

1. A series of plastic tubings run through pieces of 2X4s and screwed to the walls at about ankle level.

2. Sporadically placed fake-fur-covered blocks of wood, screwed to the wall.

3. A recording of rats squeaking and scraping.

4. Absolutely no light.

That's it.

No actors. No animals. No special effects. No animations.

As silly as it sounds? It was, without fail, the best darn scare we did.

If you can get the mind to buy the fantasy of what you're creating? You don't need lots of money and you sure as heck don't need to torture animals to make a few bucks.


Click Here to Donate

Comments

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

Some people expect live animals in these things? Having live non-human animals would not have occurred to me. Having live animals indeed is cruel. "Yeah, put these creatures in where large humans are screaming and jumping and running. It'll be fun!"

I've seen too many pets scared by fireworks to look kindly on this idea. Thank you for standing up against it.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a lot of people out there who think that if an animal can't ask for equal rights, they aren't smart enough to deserve them.

And rats, for example, are disposable.

Insects and arachnids? Who cares?

Snakes? As long as they're kinda warm, they're fine, right?

*grrrr*

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

My consciousness about this got raised when during Fourth of July at my parents' home in Dundee, the next door neighbor's dog Sadie got so scared by nearby (not our or her family's fireworks; none of us had any) that she ran through three screened-in doors until she was in a screened-in porch at the back of my parents' house, where she cowered. I hadn't known until then that Sadie had been abused as a young dog.

I'm so glad I know people like my family and aoniedesade (she raises tarantulas) who are careful and gentle with their animals.

[contrary74.livejournal.com]

...and they would pee their pants. Dude, it felt *that* REAL.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY!

[http://www.google.com/profiles/ravensbarrow (from livejournal.com)]

Well, I am glad I never stumbled across a haunt that used live animals . . . and I assure you the haunters who use them should be glad I have never found them.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

Leonard hs covered my eyes and walked me past such usages. But I've seen them onmy own, sadly....