Thursday, October 29, 2009

Making Your Halloween Creation Stand Out

By Chris Dotson

--Here are some of the best costume ideas from a veteran haunted house builder--

One problem a lot of people have when creating their scary costume is they try to hard and over do it. The best way to scare someone with a good costume is to get in there minds and make them realize how real it really is. "People aren't really scared at our haunted houses by our high-tech lighting and multi-thousand dollar sound systems," says veteran haunted house builder, Stephen Walker, "it's usually some teenage actor in a tattered robe and a little makeup that gets our biggest scares.

" Stephen Walker, the creator of Denver's 25th Hour haunted house continues, "It's about getting inside the imagination of the individual and making it personal that provides the big payoff scares."

Stephen also goes into further detail about the several things that you should be getting at your local costume shop or Halloween Store. He definitely is not a fan of those cheesy plastic or latex masks that you see hanging on the wall, and are usually fairly expensive. The best materials he personally thinks is the most effective when scaring someone is nothing more than a simple wig, some warn clothing and a little makeup.

It is also good to stay away from those pre-made costumes that are usually really expensive as is and try to get your hands on some good greasepaint. Steve says the main issue with the masks is that they will limit the range of sight and makes you unable to make any facial features.

He emphasizes that by simply accentuating the natural lines, wrinkles and imperfections that everyone has, a much more convincing and scary creature can be created.

A flesh and blood - living face not only delivers the scares, but is capable of a wide range of emotions and movement that no mask can hope to duplicate. "With just some cotton balls, a little black makeup, fake hair and spirit gum - one can create some really wicked whiskers and harry moles," Stephen chuckled. He reluctantly added that some cheap blood would help, but stressed that too much blood can ruin things and turn a good makeup job into a really big mess.

If you think you might be interested in being an actor at the 25th Hour Haunted House, you can fill out an application by stopping by the haunt ast C-470 and University Blvd. (next to the Players Bench). Applications are now being accepted weekdays from 10:00 to 6:00 at that location.

About The 25th Hour and Stephen Walker The 25th Hour haunted house is located in Highlands Ranch Colorado and is produced by Effectech. Effectech has been producing and building haunted houses in Denver for over 17 years. In 2009 the company is building four haunted houses in the Denver Metro Area: The 13th Door, The Curse of Slaughterhouse Gulch, The 25th Hour and The Butcher. Stephen Walker is the manager of The 25th Hour haunted house.

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