Word: pickels
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...Long-timers like Dracula and Frankenstein are considered "old school" in the haunted house realm, along with Hollywood copycat characters like Freddy Kruger or Jason (of Friday the 13th), according to Leonard Pickel, editor of Haunted Attractions magazine. "New school" storylines and characters that pull the viewer into a scene that feels so real that they feel part of it - usually that of victim. "You are the person in the horror movie and you're getting the kind of adrenalin rush that comes from hitting a rollercoaster loop at 100 mph," says Larry Kirchner, president of the International Association...
...Many of these haunts are architecturally designed to tap into people's fears. Pickel, who designs haunts throughout the country, knows how to use architecture to creep out people, with features like wide rooms with low ceilings, elusive exits, crawl spaces, or uneven, shifting floors. Other eerie additions include lighting that comes from the ground, a high-tech sound system (allowing a variety of sounds to play at the same time), smells (like rotting earth) and the storyline. "A haunted house is like a horror movie and you are figuring out the story as you walk through it," says Pickel...
...draped archway off to the side. Though Hollywood-ish special affects and props can wow the crowd with goosebumps, it's the actors that turn the scream volume up. "People know the other stuff isn't real - the pop-up head or severed hand - but actors are real," explains Pickel. Plus, an actor can strike just at the right time to startle. "They know where the chickens hide," says Pickel, "always in the middle of the group." Haunted houses give people an opportunity to find out how they would react to a life-or-death situation in a safe environment...
...Pickel or a Ninny
...Boosel [May 6] has a great idea in a 21/2e coin-halfway between a penny and a nickel. We could call it a "pickel," which also describes our economic situation. Or a "ninny." which describes the people who are responsible...