A long over due return

So it was back in october when I last posted anything on here, a long time ago it would seem.
Where has all the time gone..?? well to be honest i just do not know..!! however i can assure you FunFear have been very busy with so many different things and i will try to list a few of them for you as a quick catchup on here for you.

So October was an excellent month and halloween turned out to be hugely successful for us. With the ever growing popularity of the Tulleys Farm Shocktober Fest being the centre piece for us once again,

we also continued to expand our client base and took on a few smaller projects which also worked very well. We also had the opportunity to return to our roots and created a centre piece stage setup featuring 18 separate bands, this was a huge undertaking with the work load we already had but proved to be an amazing challenge and whole pile of fun to boot.

So with halloween over and the clear up started, i managed to escape and take a little time out at the legendary haunt tour in San Antonio, It was an excellent experience and phenomenal opportunity to catchup with some good friends as well as network with some new ones. The chance to visit 13th floor as well as house of torment were experiences that i also enjoyed hugely. I will certainly be making the journey this year to New England as well. for more information on last years tour and this years attractions take a look at http://www.legendaryhaunttour.com

November also saw our delivery of equipment from Light O Rama, a product very popular in the States but rarely seen in the UK, we had been approached by Rick Turner of  The Big Sheep in North Devon to build him a light show for their christmas season.

We obviously rose to the challenge and accepted a new project with open arms. What were the pitfalls with using an american system in the uk? Well the obvious one is the voltage difference, we carried out a bit of investigative work and soon found out that our site transformers would run the system with out any issues whatsoever. The software was going to be our next challenge, FunFear runs on fruit based computers....Light O Rama doesn't..!! so time to purchase parallels and load it on to two of the macs. This was to be an experience..! i had forgotten how to use windows.! however it was not long before that was dealt with and we were off and running. The shipment arrived on pallets and some time taken to ensure everything was ready to be installed we loaded it into the vans and headed to Devon, a really great experience and something we would happily take on again. The results from Light O Rama are amazing, an excellent system and realising the potential of the equipment really has opened my eyes.

December brought with it the horrendous storms across the UK and our other project running in the south certainly felt the impact, however we all battled on and felt some relief when christmas day finally came, although i do know this was not the case for thousands of families still without power across this country.

January brought some structural changes to the firm, one of our crew members made a choice to venture to pastures new, this was slightly unexpected but created a situation for us all to evaluate and take stock. The work that Brian had been doing was going to leave a large hole to fill. In the same month one of our other crew members left to pursue a completely new career in rugby coaching...! again a member of staff that would be missed, however we wish them both the best on their chosen paths.

We had projects on the table and suddenly a shortage of engineers. It was time to restructure, rethink and access the situation thoroughly, this i did and with some coming together of smart thinking minds we created a whole new way of working......structure and forward planing. One of the projects we were working on was still many months away but by working smarter we could make up time ahead of ourselves and be ready for the busier periods that were to come. So we built a new workshop space....who needs a desk anyway..they are over rated and a lap top can be used......well on your lap....or a pub table.!

The new workshop was a revelation, large bright work spaces, new equipment the returning of all the lost or mislaid tools to a brand new tool store and roll cabs. Soldering stations, panel building facilities and cable spoolers. Our other workshop was also gutted out and we created a workspace for repairing sound equipment and other sensitive electronics....this really was a revelation..a place for everything and everything in its place, amazing. With orders coming in for control systems it would not be too long before the new facilities would be tested and start to earn some of the investment back.

February was an exciting month with us working very closely with Godstone Farm to produce the sound effects and and control systems for their new Dino Trail, a new interactive zone for children of all ages, incorporating learning zones, history and of course special sound effects, a great project to be involved with and is already proving to be very popular indeed.

March brought an opportunity for me to shoot across the pond again to meet some clients and friends in St Louis. The Transworld Halloween & Attractions Show, what an event, the last time i was at the transworld show was when it was in Las Vegas, it had changed a huge amount and would recommend this show to everyone. For more information please visit  http://www.haashow.com

April & May brought continued interest in our evacuation panels and also the start of a full refurbishment of the Creepy Cottage at Tulleys Farm.

I was also asked to talk at the NFAN open day at Godstone Farm, an informative day for all attendees, covering changes at Godstone and subjects such as relevant insurances, special effects and some very interesting anecdotes from farm owner Jackie and manager Richard, a really great day..... even with the inclement weather.

The Picture shows Layona Bungay,the customer services manager in full swing during her presentation.



So nearly up to date, new websites are coming, one highlighting the benefits of our evacuation panels and another for our sound editing studio along with a small revamp on the existing site www.funfear.co.uk

June brought Scarecon to Tulleys Farm and the project of "The Creepy Cottage" suddenly became a bit more of a priority than we had originally thought, they wanted to see a working version as part of the daytime events..!! some long nights were going to be in store for us all to get this attraction ready and functioning before the 19th. With my now famous team motivating speech and follow up emails, the task was completed on time. A walk through and a lights on option as well as a demonstration of the emergency system was offered to all the delegates. This was a huge amount of fun and an excellent chance to use some of the LED spots we have been developing over the last few years, some nice effects were created and to be honest a real change and the wooden structure lends itself to the "grungy old feel" that we had created. A slightly brighter option has been designed for the daytime visitors..!!

This attraction also allowed for us to instal our latest evacuation panel. A multi switching system that provides day and night time audio tracks, day and night time lighting, as well as our standard evacuation notice by default. But the jewel in the crown was our battery back up system that provides 35 minutes of emergency lighting as well as audio in the event of a total mains failure, we tested, tested and tested some more and then we installed. Tested again and the results were excellent.

The day time event for Scarecon ended with a tour of "The Cellar" with an acting team recruited for the day, it was to become a "live experience" for the visitors. A lights on tour was on offer as well and a few members of the my crew were on hand to answer any questions and give advise to delegates as they needed.

This led into the evening side of the event, The Scareball, a popular ending to the proceedings, offering everyone the chance to dress in their freakiest costumes and enjoy the fun, food and awards as well as our resident DJ playing into the night as part of the entertainment.

An excellent turn out and some superb comments in praise of the event on the social media networks, for pictures and more information please check
https://www.facebook.com/ScareCON







So whats next...?? We are currently working on projects for this coming halloween and i will keep you more up to date with those as the information becomes available, suffice to say, there will be at least three new attractions to visit by October with the FunFear brand on it.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the team i have around me, they never fail to perform above and beyond the expectations that i have as well as the expectations of our customers. Many thanks.

Well that was the long winded short version, that brings us up to date.

Ian

www.funfear.co.uk
FunFear Facebook Page
FunFear Twitter

A Sad Day

Good morning,
this is a short post just to share some news that we heard early this morning. Sadly the long battle that Brian Wolfe has had with pancreatic cancer is over, It is a great loss and our thoughts are with his family. RIP

https://www.facebook.com/BrianWolfesFight

25 Days to Go..!

Afternoon,
The fact that there are only 25 days to go before our first live evening became very apparent today. With the clearing up from our weekend gigs and all hire equipment returned, today has been a planning day for some of the final scene layouts and the opportunity to put schedules together for the build at Tulleys Farm. A huge amount of work has already occurred, with marquees in place and containers into the corn field, it is now the job of the Twisted Technicians to make them come alive.
Twisted Maze is well underway and some fairly substantial changes have already happened to the Cellar, but a few more are also planned. This will be the fifth season for the Cellar, so it is due a small facelift and i am sure the changes will be appreciated.
The Hayride is also having a few new tricks put in this year, so watch out for those, i will not reveal the plans just yet. Hell-Ements is also having a small revamp and a new sound track is going to be put together in the coming weeks. So that leaves us with the Creepy Cottage staying as an old favourite with proposals for some new lighting and the Field of Screams....or newly named for 2013 as Woodshock. A twist on the field being the aftermath of a festival, there are some firm favourites being adapted and some new concepts for the field, this is going to be a lot of fun to build.
We are also having a new element this year, live entertainment in the form of a stage area, this will be a first for the site and a huge amount of planning has gone into make this work for this year, logistics, bands, location and access as well as all of the technical requirements.

So i will Leave you with the short trailer for this years event, and post the updates as they happen.

                        

The weather is turning, Autumn is coming and so is Halloween.

Ian

Media Pack

Good Morning,
The new website is live, there are a few teething problems with the media pack which is being dealt with right now, so i thought i would put in a preview of the new flip book on here, and if you would like to take a look at the new site please visit www.funfear.co.uk

brochure

Corn Maze

Good evening,
As some of you may well know, the corn crop in the UK was not great last year. Many of the farm parks who rely on this for both summer fun mazes and obviously the much more interesting corn mazes for halloween suffered very severely with the lack of growth.
So as we were collating pictures in the office earlier, a few appeared from last years crop. i have laid them side by side, and the difference is astonishing. The good news is clear....this year we have a canvas to work with.

Ian

Website Update

Good Morning,
this is a really quick post just to let everyone know that the final testing of the website is happening today, and hopefully a new faster streamlined website will be up and running in the next day or so. I will post a quick entry as soon as it has gone live.

Ian

Halloween Build in Full Swing.

August is drawing to a close at an alarming rate. The Halloween bug has bitten and all the crew are firmly into the swing of design, creating and installing for the fast approaching pinnacle of our year.

With plans being sent all over the country, the administration is certainly beginning to take its toll on my brain..! The designs we have been given to work on are amazing, and with potentially 8 new attractions to build before the first week of October, we really do have our work cut out for us.

New emergency control panels and lighting designs as well as custom sound tracks and effects will certainly fill up the next few weeks.

FunFear have been developing and fine tuning our new DMX programmer as well as some new LED fittings. Production is in full flow and we will be taking delivery in the coming days of the new units. We have utilized a reliable proven LED unit, that is robust and dimmable to create one of the most discreet fittings there is for haunted attractions. This is going to be added very shortly to our ever expanding product lines and in a choice of popular colours. Approximately 300 will be used this season in different attractions and we will put up some pictures to show the effects in the coming weeks.

Recent Projects
In the last few weeks we have been busy building a few of our Emergency Control Panels. Below is a small video that we put together showing a brief outline to the build process. The panel featured here is a custom build and design for a customer in Phoenix, AZ. it was a great challenge and obviously a little different in respect of wiring colours compared to the UK. It incorporates a brand new solid state sound store from the same people who supply our usual card readers, but this has a small built in amplifier and easily provides a simple show solution as well as evacuation track.


 

A New Paint Job
FunFear were asked to carry out a technical refit recently, obviously not a problem, new sound system and a complete overhaul of their lighting system as well. It was decided that the old lighting units were not really going to make the grade and so a decision was made to replace them with newer more efficient Led units. The unit was agreed on and we offered a custom programming service to boot. Only fly in the ointment was a small suggestion of colour matching the current decor. So it was a strip down and full spray job and refit, to be honest i had my doubts but the end result was excellent, a very discreet functional unit that looks like it belonged and had been in place for many years. Final testing and programming will be carried out on Thursday, i will post some pictures of the results, until then take a look at the paint work below.

Ian

2013 The second Quarter

June already !!!

This year is just flying by, it seems I have very little chance to sit and catchup on even the simplest of tasks. So what have FunFear been up to? Product testing, designing all sorts of crazy stuff, building amazing attractions..??

Well actually spring cleaning, not the most "Rock n Roll" or technical of terms but yet one of life's necessary evils. I have actually seen the colour of my desk for the first time in months and that is actually the truth! It has been long overdue. A complete restructure has been carried out and some major changes to our equipment storage and workshops. With new products coming in it has been a perfect time to actually throw out some of the crap that we just seem to hoard! Although it is believed that if something is broken we can still salvage parts from it and is often the case, we don't seem to discard the bits we don't need! Well that has been sorted and a very brutal approach and for now a system appears to be in place. With new flight cases, storage system and more racking I think we have it cracked.

So what else is new? The new website is in its final stages and being tested, there are a few nice touches and some additional information on there. Blog links to current stories will also be accessible direct from within the site. With a downloads page being added and a much more streamlined approach we are happy with the progress to date. We have also added a few tweaks to the current site and and testing the downloads page on there right now, so please feel free to have a look at the media pack that we have added as a PDF brochure. www.funfear.co.uk

Projects, well there are a few in the mix right now, our annual projects obviously taking up the usual time at this point in the year. Ensuring both staff and equipment are on site at the right time can be a logistical nightmare at times, but always interesting.

A complete re-design of one of the attractions for Tulleys Shocktober Fest and a revamp for several others is filling many hours currently. Sourcing props and designing both new lighting and sound systems as well as coming up with something new is always a great challenge. The new designs for Tulleys are already turning into lots of fun, I think it is a great concept and really looking forward to seeing this one come to fruition. Below is one of the teaser pictures for the new attraction.

Several other very interesting builds have come our way but at the moment I am afraid two of those attractions are under tight wraps and awaiting official launches and press release. So news will be released at the same time via this blog and Facebook pages.
However work is continuing to produce an amazing lighting system for a very unusual product called wovin wall. Although it is already possible to light this product, we have been approached to create a spectacular display and have risen to this and pictures will follow of that installation upon completion.



 

Hauntcon Continued

Good afternoon, I did promise some pictures of the trip to Dallas. However I found the videos from the trip a lot more informative than my pictures. So here is just one picture of the crazy FunFear Clown on the dance floor at the costume ball and below that are a few videos from the 2013 Hauntcon show. Check out more from this show and previous ones.

Hauntcon Channel

Quick Update

Morning, well I have arrived back safe and sound from Hauntcon, I have to say it was an excellent trip. I have some pictures to share with you however i will put that in another post.

So May is marching on, with seasonal events already being planned and kit being prepared we also have some panels to build in response to the Halloween Show we attended last month.

The emergency panel has taken off, with people realising that safety can be built into their events without compromising the integrity of the designs they have in mind. We have also been working on a unit for customers in the USA and have created the same high standard to suit the 115 VAC market. There is a small amount of clarification left for this but I believe it is just crossing the"T's" and dotting the"I's" now.

Also after many months of working with manufacturers directly to produce a safe LED fitting we have our pre production units for final testing. Yesterday saw a couple of us actually trying to destroy these fittings both mechanically and electrically.

The results are excellent as is the size, 12V DC units, that are capable of being dimmed, using our MOSFET control units or DMX decoders.

HAuNTcon 2013

Three days to go before I leave the shores of this island and head to some warmer climes. Dallas Fort Worth is the destination for the next FunFear road trip. I am heading to HAuNTcon 2013 to explore some amazing haunts and attractions in the pre show tours and then on to network with operators and suppliers thought the 3 day trade show. As well as the opportunity to brainstorm with product suppliers it is always a pleasure to enjoy the education sessions and seminars. This all builds to what is usually an excellent evening of outrageous drinking and partying at the costume ball, this years theme being a "Texas Chainsaw Masquerade". To say I was looking forward to this would be an understatement. I will take pictures and share those on my return.

On another slightly different note, after the months of development time spent on our polarity safe LED fittings, we have a new product coming from our manufacturer. Apparently they have further developed our initial design and have made some minor improvements, we will carry out some testing ourselves next week. I am also happy to announce that we will be offering a matt black version of the unit in the coming months. This has been an enormous challenge and athough the external colour is rarely of importance, (especially as you are supposed to be scaring the guests....not giving them time to be looking at the installations) we have achieved what at times appeared to be impossible.

I will keep everyone up to speed on that and a new updated website is being developed which will incorporate a product page with all of our LED products and control system options on as well as our recommended sound stores and MP3 player.

Further updates to come so watch this space.

Ian

2013 The First Quarter

Well it is fair to say that 2013 is proving to be a very productive and interesting year so far.
The twisted technicians have been working very hard in the R and D office refining a new control system for scare attractions. A modular fully controllable unit that can be integrated into just about any attraction to provide control via just about any switch, whether it be pressure mat, break beam or PIR. Output can then be provided to control either relays, servos or dimming circuits for LED units. We are working with an improvement to enable the controller to work over Ethernet and provide remote control and also ultimately a complete DMX over Ethernet system. That will be a few months away i think but at the moment we have working models and the MK3 unit is proving to be one of the most versatile control systems i have seen for mazes and walk through attractions.

We have also been playing with the now world famous Raspberry Pi, this has been a lot of fun and i think with some more time spent on the programming it will be possible to use this very unique unit to provide a black box system for show control and video output.

So February saw the opening of the London Dungeons new site. Sitting very comfortably on the south bank, it certainly feels like it has been there forever. FunFear were invited as guests to view the new location and attraction with a full technical tour. It was an excellent evening and was very interesting to see the techniques used within. Visitors will be pleased to know that although a new building and some new theming as well a new tag line, some firm favorites still remain, as well as some excellent use of new technologies, i would highly recommend a visit if you are visiting London




March saw the final planning and preparation for the fast approaching Halloween Show at Alton Towers.
A site visit was planned and Sally Duguid from the team behind the show, myself and another one our tech guys spent many hours in the capable hands of the Alton Towers event team, a plan was coming together.

The team behind the Halloween Show had a vision of what they wanted. It was very apparent that Alton Towers would provide a perfect location and back drop that would be very hard to match anywhere else. A trade show, speakers from throughout the scare industry, the presentation of Scare awards in one venue. This was going to be a lot of fun. Many hours of planning were still to come though.

April 10th brings the day of the show, all the hours of planning and organising had come to fruition.
Trade stands in place, AV in the right places as well as the other all important starting of the coffee machines, my guys had been up early rigging lighting and control systems and there had been no time for breakfast, so coffee was clearly required.

Delegates arriving, and they appeared to just keep coming, i am not sure of the final numbers on the day but it was an excellent turnout, with delegates from as far afield as Germany, The Netherlands and Jersey. Some familiar faces and a lot of new ones.

I was giving a talk on technical aspects of running a scare attraction, covering some very basic considerations for both lighting and sound installation, as well as demonstrating a new control panel to the industry which provides an option to change sound effects to suit the audience, so daytime events will probably require a very different feel to a night time or dark attraction. As well as the sound switching the panel also provides emergency switching allowing the show state to be dropped into flood lighting and emergency evacuation sound track. This was certainly received very well and a there was a lot of interest on the trade stand following the demonstration.

A great day all round, with workshops and technical talks running along side business seminars creating a huge variety of interest and catering for just about everybody's tastes.

The evening saw a rare opportunity to have a lights on tour of the sanctuary, as well as a full live run, a pleasure for all us techies, a chance to see what we are up against in the tech rooms of our attractions, very interesting opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed.
The night was not done, with the Scare Awards being presented and a chance to let our hair down, drinking, dining and dancing was also still to come.

Well done to all the people behind The Halloween Show, an excellent job well done, Check out their website via The Scare Network here

I would also like this chance to thank my excellent crew for the hard work and long hours they have put in this year already, it is very humbling to see the dedication and commitment they give to the FunFear brand. Thank you.

Ian

Happy Halloween

Scared senseless! Photos show terror on faces of Halloween revellers as they enjoy theme parks' most frightening attractions

By Bill Mouland
PUBLISHED: 21:50, 30 October 2012 | UPDATED: 12:45, 31 October 2012  

Faces contorted with terror, lungs bursting with screams of sudden fright, the Halloween party-goers hysterically embrace the theme park slogan 'Be prepared to be scared.'

As Allhallows Night – sometimes known as the Festival of the Dead – seizes Britain with its ever stronger grip, these are just some of the people who have paid to be afraid.
Over two nights in the ever longer run up to October 31 – now worth more than £300m a year and Britain's third most lucrative festival  after Christmas and Easter -  our photographer captured these images of customers who have paid up to £40 a head to have their hair stand on end, their hearts beat faster and their wits rendered witless.

Don't look now: A Halloween reveler gets what he has paid for as gruesome-looking character screams at him in the darkness on the Sanctuary attraction at Alton Towers

According to one consultant counselling psychologist yesterday, the desire to be frightened out of one's skin derives from our caveman ancestors who lived their lives entirely on the edge.
'They were not a confident bunch,' said Dr Michael Sinclair, clinical director of the City of Psychology Group in London. 'They were trying to survive in a new and threatening world. They needed to be on high alert all the time so they started to question their environment.

'If they saw a wild animal, for instance, they had no reference point for it, so they would tend to think the worst – their minds racing with the worst case scenario. They needed to fight or take flight.
'Anxiety has been developed as a protective mechanism ever since. It's like wearing a suit of armour – although it feels uncomfortable we are in a heightened state of protection. We know something is there, but we also know it's not real. We also get a feeling of togetherness and social acceptability.'

Surprise: A woman holds her hands up in fear as one of the actors at the Xtreme Fright Night at Twinlakes theme park in Molton Mowbray

No escape: This woman closes her eyes as a hire hand lets out a surprise high-pitched scream in the darkness

No turning back: Screaming, jumping and clinging onto each other in fear Halloween thrill seekers in The Sanctuary attraction in Alton Towers

Nerve-wracking: According to one consultant counselling psychologist yesterday, the desire to be frightened out of one's skin derives from our caveman ancestors who lived their lives entirely on the edge

So that, claims Dr Sinclair, explains why thousands of people line up at this time of year to experience the 'terrifying scare mazes' (part of the £39.50 entry ticket to Alton Towers in Staffordshire) or the 'Farmhouse of Fear' at the otherwise docile sounding Twinlakes Park in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
'We have a couple of attractions – Punishment and Pie Factory – where people cannot stand any more and we have escorted them out,' said Dave Rose, a marketing assistant at Twinlakes which is transformed at this time of year into the venue for Xtreme Fright Nights (£14.99 to £22 a ticket, depending on when you want to go.)
Punishment, according to the blurb, pushes punters into a dark simulation of a military boot camp where the screams of the participants are only matched by those of the actors bussed in to create the scary atmosphere.

Covering up: As Allhallows Night – sometimes known as the Festival of the Dead – seizes Britain with its ever stronger grip, these are just some of the people who have paid to be afraid

Lucrative: Now worth more than £300m a year, Halloween is now Britain's third most lucrative festival after Christmas and Easter

Anxiety has been developed as a protective mechanism since cavemen. Although it feels uncomfortable it puts humans in a heightened state of protection

According to promoters revelers at Punishment in Melton Mowbray are plunged into a dark simulation of a military boot camp where the screams of the participants are only matched by those of the actors

'Suddenly you are plunged into darkness,' promises the advertisement. 'The floor creaks with the sound of slow moving footsteps as the prisoners climb high into the castle. Climbing higher and higher you reach a stone step. Screams of pain can be heard ahead.'
The theme park has also forged a macabre link with the otherwise innocent Melton Mowbray pie in an attraction that somehow blends Sweeney Todd with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre under the title The Pie Factory.
'Make your way through the gory pie factory and witness horrific happenings,' urges the blurb. 'Watch your back and try to escape with your limbs intact.'

Twinlakes has forged a macabre link with the otherwise innocent Melton Mowbray pie in an attraction that somehow blends Sweeney Todd with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre under the title The Pie Factory

Entrants are advised to wear sensible footwear, beware of strobe lighting and leave mobile phones, cameras and loose change behind

'It's like watching a horror film through your fingers. However scary it is, you know you are not really out there in the wilderness'

'Going to these places is a kind of stimulation. It's why people bungee jump or jump out of planes. It's thrill seeking and some people have to have it in their lives'

The fact that it all comes with advice to wear sensible footwear, beware of strobe lighting and leave mobile phones, cameras and loose change behind is all part of the comfort blanket that no harm will really come of you.
'It's a safe risk taking because it's not actually a ghost that's going to get you or scare you to death,' says chartered psychologist Ros (correct) Taylor. 'Deep down you know you are play acting and that you can go home afterwards and everything will be OK.
'It's like watching a horror film through your fingers. However scary it is, you know you are not really out there in the wilderness.
'Going to these places is a kind of stimulation. It's why people bungee jump or jump out of planes. It's thrill seeking and some people have to have it in their lives.'

A participant at Extreme Fright Night is given a scare by a bloody-faced man

Faces of fear at Xtreme Fright Night, but just why do people pay so much money for the pain?

As one reveler appears to run for cover at Twinlakes another turns away in fear

A bit of Halloween fun from Ben & Jerry's

Halloween | Ben & Jerry's

Gangnam Style..

I featured a few of these videos on the blog last year, this one is well worth the watch, especially with the popularity that the track has achieved this year. As of October 23, 2012, the music video has been viewed over 530 million times on Youtube...!!

When Home Haunting Goes Wrong...!

Evening,
I just had to share these pictures that i found on the net. Now the home haunting market has not quite reached the shores of this island, however as i travel to the states on a very regular basis i am more than aware of the passion and huge amounts of time and money that goes into producing some amazing creations and attractions in their own right. I have spoken at length to some of the owners of phenomenal home haunts, and i kinda get it. Below are some pictures of what appears to of happened when it goes wrong, check out the site they came from here.

Scarecam 2012

Good evening,
Just a quick entry to inform you about this years scarecam. An updated version has been installed by our resident AV expert and is concentrated on the "Twisted Maize" here at Tulleys Shocktober Fest.

It is live every evening that the event is running and we have full screen option with four cameras.

To view this little bit of "fright entertainment" try www.scarecam.co.uk
 

Xtreme Fright Nights

Good Morning,
So the dust has settled and the comments are being read through on what was an amazing first night at Twinlakes Park in Melton.

The 13 nights of fright have begun, Xtreme fright nights at Twinlakes is officially under way.

Final checks and tests, briefing of the staff and actors, last minute tweaks and focusing, make up and costumes, radio checks, sound systems.....there was no more time, 7pm and the gates opened.

An amazing amount of people had somehow appeared whilst i was finishing off in "the pie factory", the que lines were already in place and the anticipation was very apparent.

My team could do no more, except listen to the reactions as the first guests came running from attraction exits, laughter, swearing, relief but most importantly screaming.....its what it is all about!!!

Both "punishment" and "the pie factory" appeared to be the hard hitters and the comments were just excellent, a moment to be proud of the work that has been done throughout the park and to really appreciate that this slightly crazy industry that we are in has such a demand from thrill seekers and people who just enjoy being scared out of their wits. 

Amazing, just amazing is the best thing i can say, the evening was a great success. Deemed as a preview night, we see this first night as the "dress rehearsal" it is the opportunity to finally test the product in anger and take the information that we glean to improve the rest of the event. This is an invaluable chance to witness crowd behavior, how staff act and work under pressure and also any tech issues that have chosen to raise their ugly heads.

I must say it has been a pleasure to put FunFear's name to this event, it has been challenging at times, frustrating maybe, having technical issues that i may of overlooked in the planning process but luckily always seem to find an answer for, but ultimately pride in our work.

The team at Twinlakes have been a pleasure to work along side and we have been welcomed and respected in all aspects of this build. Twinlakes have had no fear in asking questions, requesting guidance and advise at times to ultimately achieve the best event that they can, it is never a hardship to explain or advise in these situations and i feel that this constant thirst for knowledge will lead them to achieve one of the biggest Halloween events in the UK.

A huge thankyou to all of my crew who have worked on this project, and also a thankyou to the team at Twinlakes, with the welcoming attitude rarely found "down south", the hospitality and constant stream of tea has been exceptional. Many thanks and very good luck with the rest of the season.

For any information on this event please check xtreme fright nights

Ian 

What a Week..!!!

Good Evening,
well it has been a very interesting week so far, with Tulleys Farm Shoctober Fest having its preview night and the attempt at the zombie world record on the 6th of October, and Twinlakes Xtreme Fright nights preview on the 13th of October we have been very busy.

So preview night at Tulleys. An excellent night, to be fair we have probably never been so prepared and in good shape as we were on this occasion. The Twisted Technicians had worked in probably the worst conditions we have seen for five years to deliver another first class event.

With the new attractions requiring complete design rethinks in both electrical distribution and lighting not to mention the sound design..!! a plan was hatched and even with the adverse weather conditions providing interesting building conditions, a show was slowly coming together.

New sound designs and upgraded playback systems were installed in the hayride, a completely new sound edit for the trail of terror, which did take some time but after a few teething problems.....we were ready.

As with every year we welcome views and reviews, one of the first written this year is by Scaretours feel free to read here.....Scaretour Review

In between times another crowd were descending upon us........zombies....lots of them, the attempt at the zombie world record.

A great addition to a preview night, a little confusing at times though, having to distinguish between the guests in the park and the creatures that live in the park..in the dark corners of the cellar..!!

So was the record broken.......sadly no not on this occasion however i do believe that next year there is a chance, below is just one of the many press stories that covered the event.



So back on the road, i am getting very familiar with the journey up the A1 to Melton Mowbray.
with still many aspects of Twinlakes Xtreme Fright Nights to complete there was no day of rest for us.
Two of the Twisted Technicians had been up ahead of us for a few days and were installing sound systems and speakers into the new Punishment attraction and the Pie Factory.

Progress has been excellent and we are in very good shape throughout the attractions, the next two days are all about finishing touches and special little treats for the unsuspecting visitors to the 13 nights of fear at Twinlakes Xtreme Fright Nights.

Check out the preview video for them below.




More news to follow after Saturday.

October 1st...5 days to go...!!!

Good evening,
October is upon us and all the Twisted Technicians are slaving away to finish the installation at Tulleys Shocktober Fest. With only five full days left before we go live and the Zombie world record attempt occurring on the same night we still have a lot to do before completion.

As I have mentioned previously, our regular visitors will have something new to experience, with some serious modifications to several of the attractions. I can assure you that there will be something for everyone.

Twisted.....major changes, new theme, new clowns, new sound tracks and some new surprises...good luck...!!

The Trail of Terror.....brand new for this year, a dark psychological journey.....!!!

The Hayride....trust me this is going to be a vast difference from any other year with different twists and turns alongside some of the old favorites.

The Cellar....what more needs to be said. Be prepared for one of the most intense scare attractions currently operating in the UK.

Hellements.....following the first year success of this maze (Screamie winner best new attraction 2011) Hellements is back and ready to lead you through hell and back.

The Creepy Cottage.....even this is going to provide some new surprises..!!

On a passing note for now, have a look at the new video from the Experimentals....2012