Creating the First Halloween Event – A Haunted House called “UNDERWORLD.”

The financial health of the park in 2000 was a serious concern.   It had a stagnant annual attendance for 4 consecutive years, which produced a declining revenue stream, and losses continued to mount rapidly.  In essence, it was “bleeding profusely.”  It was very clear that there was a need to,

a.     Stop the Bleeding immediately.

b.     Return the park to financial viability and stability

c.     Build confidence in the community and marketplace for the product

d.     Revitalize and redevelop the park to sustain a steady growth for the future

e.     Do all this quickly, very quickly

The new special event to celebrate Halloween was one idea to answer what the situation analysis revealed.  It was also the beginning of a strategy that could reverse the failing course.   Once we agreed to proceed, and having done homework studying the market, identifying suspects and prospects, various teams got together to create the product.   It had not been done before, so there was no history, benchmark, guideline, or model to follow.  That actually made creativity much easier, starting from scratch with a plain piece of paper.

In other theme parks, the basic scares of Halloween came from a  Haunted House.   One would walk through a haunted house, and with each turn of a corner, there would be a frightful experience.   It was a formula that worked.  Rather than change what works, the team set out to create the first haunted house for Ocean Park. 

Cost:  Minimize the cost of production

As cost was an issue in those trying times, minimizing the cost of production was essential while delivering a new and unique experience.   The advantage of a haunted house is that it could be a simple and relatively inexpensive development.   In searching for a location, the team found an old storeroom that was used to store items that would probably never be used again (ironically, this happens with many storerooms).  The size was appropriate, and once all the “stored items” were removed and disposed of, it left an empty room with 4 walls, an entrance, and several exits.   It was “ideal” for a haunted house.  The creativity of the entertainment team was tremendous, and using drywall/plywood painted black and minimal lighting, they created a “walk-through” maze with narrow paths and a number of twists and turns.   All of this provided opportunities to create some appropriate scenes and  “scares.”

Although the budget was small, the creative and innovative minds designed a remarkable first haunted house for the Park.   It included 15 different scares with live characters and substantially intricate set designs.   We were all extremely proud of the final product, the “UNDERWORLD,” and anxiously waited for opening night.

Stay tuned for the next chapter revealing the results of the Underworld……..