HAUNTED HOUSE
Black paint, fake cobwebs, and spooky foam signs. These are just a few of the items you’ll see when you enter the warehouse where The Villages Entertainment Special Events crew is hard at work prepping for this year’s Hometown Halloween. Featuring a newly designed haunted house, Brian Mullany, Special Events Assistant Manager, discussed the initial concept creation that inspired their set design.
“The haunted house contains the dreams and nightmares of a widow who just watched her son leave for a war he would never return from. Once you step inside, you will enter her memories and dreams and watch as they are turned to her nightmares.”
THE HEART OF DESIGN
The backdrop to every Special Event wouldn’t exist without a team of designers and builders. Special Events Designer, Melanie Davidson, said that discussions on this year’s Halloween design began as early as the day after Halloween last year!
This year, Special Events is excited to reveal new facades to their haunted house. Created with lightweight foam, the haunted house has been designed to emulate a creaky old house. “[It] gives you that spooky, eerie feeling you want to feel going into a haunted house.”
BRINGING LIFE TO OLD MEMORIES
Special Events Coordinator and Specialist, Stan and Cody, think people would be surprised to know how much of the material is recycled from previous events. “We repurpose everything we can.” While this requires taking the time (and having the patience) to deconstruct old sets, it’s a comfort to know that at the end of the day, those resources will be reborn as a new piece of art for Villagers to enjoy. “We’re bringing new life to old memories”.
A great example of this comes with the Halloween sets they are currently constructing. While there are spider webs and creepy crawlers to be imagined on one side of the facades, the flip side of each set is already getting primed for their Christmas events this winter!
Anyone wanting a sneak peak of what’s to come for Halloween will want to visit The Villages Entertainment tent during Heritage Festival at Brownwood Paddock Square on September 30 or Spanish Springs Town Square on October 7. Here, Special Events team members will be displaying some of the set along with sharing information on brand new carnival games, this year’s new maze, and the upcoming rock wall that will be brought in for Halloween.
With “scaracters” and haunting decorations, this year’s Hometown Halloween is sure to be a treat for those with a passion for anything spooky.
