Halloween New England Heads West for a Ghost Ride Lifecasting

Last year Halloween New England headed out west to connect with Ghost Ride Productions for a long-anticipated experience of being lifecasted (head and body) to make a lifecast which may be used for molding and creating this season's realistic special FX props (coming to a haunted house near you....ha!).

Ghost Ride Productions is a leading FX prop company who specializes in props reflecting realism. You won't find out of proportion heads on bodies, exaggerated mugging features, or slapdash paint detailing here. Ghost Ride is known for the kind of props which can be easily mistaken for a live person in a haunt scene.

Haunt designers love using their props because a Ghost Ride prop's realism lends an authenticity to any scene and can even function as a decoy to draw customers' attention to set up a haunt scare. One haunt designer described Ghost Ride's catalog as filled with "the most realistic props you can buy out there. Their props are very durable and hold up over a season and will stay in good shape for years to come which makes it a valuable investment to any haunt's inventory."

When I received the offer from Ghost Ride to participate in this process first-hand, I jumped at the chance without a moment's hesitation! It was a one-of-a-kind opportunity to go behind the scenes to learn about the intensive process behind the making of a brand new horror prop. It was incredible to see how much detailed preparation and skill goes into the task of lifecasting. As a total introvert, this was a unique chance to contribute and "participate" in a haunted attraction in my own small but unusual way. 

Leading up to casting day, the Ghost Ride staff had held meetings where they'd scheduled exactly how the process would go, walked through every step in advance, and created a plan for how to execute the casting. It would be all hands on deck--probably 6 or 7 people on the Ghost Ride staff--cooperating and communicating from start (application of the bald cap) to finish (cracking of the cast--ah freedom!).

This multi-hour process is extremely time-sensitive as the crew must work quickly and with great attention to the application of the thick, goopy mold solution--the consistency of marshmallow fluff-- before the silicone sets in place.

In fact, the entire process is so time-sensitive that one crew member was solely responsible for just tracking the minutes and seconds of time--alerting the crew when a certain amount of time has lapsed as a way of knowing how firm the material was getting. At certain points, the owner of the studio Michael Chaille, would notify a different crew member - this one solely responsible for just mixing new batches of fresh silicone--to whip up a new quart of the mixture as soon as possible. Because the silicone sets very, very quickly, preparation is everything in this process since the mixture cannot be blended in advance or else it would firm up before it was applied. A full table of unmixed solutions was lined up on a dedicated mixing table hours before even the bald cap was placed on my head. 

It takes several layers of silicone applications to complete the molding before the cast material is applied in the final step. The silicone mixture itself is the same solution for each layer but each new layer gets tinted a different color. The purpose of tinting each "round" of silicone is to be able to manage the thickness of the silicone as it is built up layer by layer. Each tinted layer is applied to ensure maximum coverage of every nook, angle, and crevice. For example, a pink layer on top of a green layer will allow the crew to quickly track the thickness of the fresh, liquid pink layer as it is spread over the (dry) green layer underneath. 

Working with large popsicle sticks and brushes in hand, 3 or 4 crew members at one would drag and spread the viscous silicone across the arms or around the neck, pushing the mix into the crevices near the armpits, hands, or knees. That initial layer of silicone is applied on bare skin and it is designed to be able to release any arm or body hair when the mold is cracked open at the end.

The first area that was molded was my head. With my hair covered in a bald cap to create a smooth surface for molding, I sat on a table and rested the side of my cheek on my knees which were tucked up to my body. My entire body was draped in plastic to protect it from the drops and drips of the molding process of the head and my head position needed to match where my body would be for the second molding of the body later on. Once in position, Michael gave me specific instructions about how I could communicate with him using my hands under the clear plastic so he could keep track of how I was doing during the head molding since my mouth would be covered completely and verbal communication wouldn't be possible once we'd begun. 

He asked if I was ready, I said yes. I closed my lips and eyes and I felt the first pour of silicone drip over the top of my head in a big, sticky, gooey mess. It felt like being covered with runny peanut butter. I felt the crew working swiftly to drag the thick liquid over my cheeks, eye, around the corners of my nose, into my ears and under my chin. Just like that, I couldn't see, couldn't talk, and my hearing became muffled by the layers seeping into every tiny nook of my ears. One crew member had the single job of vigilantly watching my nostril holes for safety during the molding process. He zeroed in on this area to ensure that I always had my nostrils completely open--free and clear of silicone-- to be able to breathe without any obstruction. This is an important point: the ability to trust the crew to be 100% safety-minded and ultra-responsible is perhaps the most essential factor in ever agreeing to be lifecasted. Once that first layer of silicone is applied, you basically surrender your safety and well-being over to the crew. When your head is being molded, this is significantly the case as you cannot speak or open your eyes throughout the experience--nothing but your hands to gesture through communicating with a thumbs up or thumbs down answer to yes or no questions they might ask.

For me, the molding of my head was the part I found most enjoyable. Thankfully I am not prone to claustrophobia, and I was actually looking forward to the sensory withdrawal, curious to experience it first-hand. I found the surrender of this part of the casting fairly relaxing--there is literally nothing to do, nothing to see or say, not much to hear. I just sat there with my head resting on my knees and relaxed. I focused exclusively on staying calm, regulating my breath, and focusing on the steady flow of breathing through my free nostril. I knew that it was critical that I be able to do this with great concentration--staying calm would allow my breath to stay measured. I knew that if I allowed myself to get nervous during the process my breathing would quicken and because there was such a limited space to access air (just the nostrils), it would be a slippery slope to remain calm in the mold for the duration. It was a mental exercise as much as it was a physical endurance one. I never felt panicky or uneasy during this molding which certainly contributed to it being a very positive experience! I also fully and completely trusted the professionalism and experience of the Ghost Ride crew with regards to my safety which ultimately, was at the heart of my ability to stay calm and relax.   

The application of the mold layers is an extremely rapid process of everyone working at once, with constant staff communication about what each person was seeing on their side of my body to ensure that every section was properly, evenly covered. As the mix is applied, the weight of the heavy, goopy silicone will weep downward from gravity and the crew feverishly drags the material up the arms and legs as they spread the layers across with care.

After several layers are applied and dried, the final step is to create a cast of the now hardened silicone mold. During this step, a plaster cast is created to encase the mold--dozens of drippy, plastery strips material are draped around every part of the mold. As the heat-activated plaster strips begin to firm, the heat from the outer casts starts to penetrate through the several layers of silicone which, for obvious reasons, made me feel quite warm, almost sauna-like inside the mold.

Because staying in a single position is required for the duration of the mold-making process, there is no opportunity to shift an arm or a leg to stretch or get comfy. It was during this step that was the most challenging for me during the entire process. By this time I'd been in a single position for well over an hour without moving (seated, arms crossed around my legs) and the stagnancy of the position had begun to take its toll with stiffness, a numbness from sitting so long on a hard surface, and general achiness.

Thankfully, the crew at Ghost Ride--as well as some other folks I'd met who'd shared their own lifecasting experience--had prepared me for this moment where it becomes a mental challenge as much as a physical one. Michael and his crew set up fans to blow on my head (the only part of me that was exposed to air) and they even had an ice pack to place on my forehead to keep me staying cool as the warmth and discomfort of that final cast stage progressed. By now it was simply a waiting game... waiting for that plaster cast to fully harden to the point they could crack it open.

When the moment came to release me from the cast the entire crew gingerly rolled me onto my side--pretty much like an Easter egg--since I did not have access to my arms or legs to move or catch myself. From this side angle, I couldn't see a thing that was happening but I could feel action all around me--my feet, back, legs--as they cut through the thick, multi-layered shell that encased my whole body.

When the mold finally cracked, a crew member wrapped me in a robe to wear and like a newborn, I slowly and gently began to stretch my limbs and move a bit as I worked out the stiffness in my hips, knees, and back. After luxuriating in the freedom from the cast for a minute or two, my curiosity got the better of me. I was excited to see what the mold looked like--the areas that stood out for me was the details of the area which had molded my feet (in the body mold) and the detail of the crevices within my ears (in the head mold). It was pretty wild to see the "negative" of my own body parts which of course, I know so well from the 3-dimensional version that I inhabit.

In the months that followed I was sent progress pictures from Ghost Ride. The first foam body "pulled" from the mold, unpainted, untrimmed was the sneak preview. Then I was sent a picture of just the head, decapitated, fully painted and laying on a stainless steel medical tray for the full effect. It is odd to look at your own face but painted with lifeless, dead pallor--none of the expression or color that I'm used to seeing with my reflection in a mirror.
However, nothing prepared me for the experience of receiving photos of the completed prop - full head and body - painted in detail, dressed into character complete with a wig. I think it was seeing my own feet in the prop that was truly freakish. Those feet were just so.... familiar!

The prop, now nicknamed "Alexa", debuted in the Ghost Ride booth and 2018 catalog this year at TransWorld's annual Halloween and Attraction Show (HAA Show) in St. Louis, MO! For haunt owners and designers, HAA is the largest trade show of its kind which showcases FX props, lighting, animatronic props, masks, haunt designers, Special FX, and other vendors directly to the people who create and produce professional haunted houses, escape rooms, and Halloween attractions.
Ghost Ride created several prop variations created out of the same mold - the asylum version, the burn victim, the frozen version, the realistic "alive" version they'd made for their new catalog.

The HAA Show was the first place the haunt industry was able to see in person and place their orders for Ghost Ride's "Alexa." I don't yet know which New England haunted attractions may have purchased the Alexa prop this year for their haunts but I look forward to "scaring myself" when I stumble across it in some creepy scene--I am sure it will be an experience I'll never forget!

My deepest gratitude goes out to Michael Chaille and his incredible crew at Ghost Ride Productions. They gave me a one of a kind experience and true insight into this fascinating field within the Halloween and FX Prop industry and their professionalism at every turn made it an unforgettable day.

Check out some of the Alexa variations below (L to R: "Burn", "Cozy", and "Asylum"). 

Visit the full Ghost Ride Productions catalog at www.GhostRide.com 

The Legendary Haunt Tour Delivers Unprecedented Access to Haunted Attractions in New England this November

In just a matter of weeks New Englanders will be treated to a visit by the venerable Legendary Haunt Tour which has chosen to come to our neck of the woods on November 7th and 8th, 2014. 

Halloween New England sat down with Jennifer Braverman of TransWorld to learn more about what you can expect from this year’s special tour.

The Legendary Haunt Tour is a co-production between TransWorld and Netherworld—the former being the producer of the monstrous Halloween and Attractions trade show that takes place each March in St. Louis, and the latter being one of the largest, long-running, and most respected haunted attractions in the country. 

Featuring three New England haunted attractions, a haunt education panel, catered dinners, a day in Salem, post-show parties, and more, the Legendary Haunt Tour is unique because of its timing. The tour schedule coincides with the end of the Halloween season to enable haunt professionals, soon-to-be haunters, and enthusiasts to experience featured haunts as authentically as a customer would—the way they were designed to be.  The 2014 tour will be featuring New England’s own Haunted Overload (Lee, NH), Nightmare New England (Litchfield, NH), and Fright Kingdom (Nashua, NH).

The foreboding entrance to Haunted Overload in Lee, NH

If you’re not a member of the haunt industry it may surprise you to learn that the very folks who create haunted attractions rarely have the opportunity to enjoy the fruit of their peers’ labor, especially in a “live” atmosphere with customers, actors, and energy. As haunters all work virtually the same nights each season, they relish the chance to visit and other haunts as the tour makes possible.

Haunters may be fans of one another’s work but often it is an appreciation gained through mutual respect, an understanding of one’s design, skills, or creative approach, and photos/videos that are generated through the season—hardly ever through the live experience which can’t fully be conveyed outside of the real deal.

The Legendary Haunt Tour is many things to many haunters, but it is arguably a highlight of every fall for being a favorite way to decompress after a grueling season. Remember, most of the attendees closed their show just days earlier and they’ll admit it’s the first chance to unwind after a demanding stretch of work leading to Halloween. 

Planning a year in advance, Braverman says that she and Netherworld keep their ears open to determine which attractions people are buzzing about. The St. Louis convention every spring is a particularly rich place for gathering feedback about which haunts are high on people’s wish list and this informs them to keep certain haunts on their radar for future tours. Netherworld’s Ben Armstrong and Billy Messina are the arbiters of the short list for potential tour stops and together with Braverman they begin to factor in logistics. 

Sinister clown at NH's Fright Kingdom

Braverman says the timing of the tour is essential—it simply wouldn’t be the same to offer a tour like this over the winter or spring. It was Netherworld’s Ben Armstrong’s idea to invite featured haunts to extend their season by an extra night or weekend to accommodate the tour’s visit. For the featured attractions, it’s a no-brainer to sign on at that time of year since the actors are still in a groove from the season, the major props aren’t already in storage, and the lighting and fog machines are still in place.

TransWorld and Netherworld are in an unusually well-suited to produce a tour like this because of the strong relationships they have formed through the years with hundreds of haunters and vendors nationally through the Halloween and Attraction Show. They are providing more than transportation and a ticket to see a haunt. The tour’s itinerary facilitates opportunities for the haunt community to deepen their connection to one another through social gatherings, free time in an interesting city, visits to haunts they are curious about, and the round table discussion.

When asked why she opted to bring the tour to New England this year, Braverman shares the tour “had never really been out east. When you think of Halloween, you think of Salem and it has such history. Besides seeing the haunts, Salem is really a highlight and we thought it would make for a very exciting tour for people. There’s a mystical element to this year’s tour that we just haven’t had before.”   

It’s also the first year the tour has featured outdoor attractions. Haunted Overload is an entirely outdoor trail and three of Nightmare New England’s five attractions are set under the stars and in the woods. Fright Kingdom is the only exclusively indoor attraction this year which balances out the tour itinerary well. Each attraction is distinctly different from the next and their proximity to one another makes offering three tour stops possible when most Legendary itineraries have featured just two.  

The enormous Brigham Manor at Nightmare New England 

With professionals like Armstrong, Messina, and Braverman at the helm organizing the tour, many prop and scenic design vendors are a regular sight too.  

“Some of the [TransWorld Halloween and Attraction Show] exhibitors (vendors) come because it gives them a chance to network with their buyers (haunt owners). At TransWorld, they don’t really get a chance to socialize—they’re on the show floor selling and then at night they’re exhausted. Here, they get to find out what people like in their haunted houses and what kind of products these buyers want so that they can develop and create for next year’s show.”  

The people who join the tour really understand the unique value of what is being provided—something they could never get if they attended the two or three attractions on their own, independently. 

“Beyond seeing the haunts, you are getting to meet and talk with other haunted attraction owners. A lot of these owners and haunters who attend are kind of like celebrities in their own right,“ says Braverman. “You’ll be able to talk to them, listen and ask about how their season went. You’ll get to sit through seminars with them and round table discussions summarizing how their season was. You’ll be able to network and learn. The tour adds a dynamic that most people wouldn’t ordinarily get.”

“After all,” she adds, “where else can you go and see two hundred other haunt owners in a room right after their season ended?”

A knife-wielding maniac awaits in Haunted Overload's vortex

For superfans and would-be professional haunters, the tour is a virtual who’s-who of the haunted attraction industry. As the largest industry-focused trade show, TransWorld isn’t open to the general public or haunt enthusiasts. By default, the Legendary Haunt Tour has become the premier place to meet and learn from a wide variety of pro haunters, prop and scenic designers, entrepreneurs, and innovators--the very people who are driving the industry forward and creating new avenues for haunters of every stripe, size, and budget. 

“The tour is a great environment for people who are thinking of starting a haunted attraction. They’ll get a chance to ask questions of all of these guys—and not necessarily in a seminar setting. It’s a great benefit. I think that is why a lot of enthusiasts do go. Where else can you go where you get to see all of these people together?”

Michael Chaille, owner of Ghost Ride Productions, is a designer and developer of mechanical and special effects, and custom props. He makes a point to attend every year because "Legendary is where Ghost Ride Productions refines our next year’s goals and product development based on what we learn from this gathering.  Without a tradeshow floor, the bus rides and breakneck schedule turn the tour into something more like continued education.  It's a requirement for all serious professionals, no matter the discipline or field."

Some of the most well-known owners and designers are regulars on the tour—as attendees and also as panel guests. Braverman characterizes the discussions as a fresh wrap-up of the season followed by a Q & A.  

The facade at Nashua's Fright Kingdom

“We try to have different kinds of people up there talking about their season--someone that runs a hayride, someone that runs a traditional haunt, someone who has a paintball field and runs a zombie shoot—so there are a variety opinions” that convey a diversity in the haunt experience.

Featured panelists in recent years have included John Laflamboy, owner of Zombie Army Productions (Chicago, IL), Allen Hopps, director of Dark Hour Haunted House (Plano, TX), Chris Stafford, owner of Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group (Austin, TX), Randy Bates, Owner of Bates Motel and Pennhurst Asylum (Glen Mills, PA and Spring City, PA), Ben Armstrong of Netherworld (Atlanta, GA), and Timothy Gavinski, owner of Wisconsin Feargrounds (Milwaukee, WI).

The Legendary Haunt Tour provides an extraordinary amount of access to the most creative minds and successful haunters in this country—it’s a one-of-a-kind chance to understand what makes these men and women tick.

Knowledgeable tour-goers (and TransWorld veterans) understand that the tour hotel is a vital and important social hub, yet its nightly gatherings are not listed on the itinerary per se. The hotel becomes the place where colleagues can recount their season, network, and bounce around new ideas for next year (yes, Halloween really never has an “off-season” for these folks). 

For New Englanders who plan to attend the Legendary Haunt Tour, it’s worth forgoing your own bed for a night or two as the tour hotel is a veritable magnet for informal social meet-ups. 

Raven's Claw Cemetery at Nightmare New England 

“Haunters love to all be together,” explains Braverman.  “The advantage to staying at the host hotel is that when you get back from the tour at night, everyone can go to the bar where most people continue to socialize or network.” 

For locals, the Legendary Haunt Tour provides an insider’s behind-the-scenes experience that simply couldn’t be accessed as an independent haunt fan. It’s an incredible way to meet such a wide variety of haunted house owners from across the country.

“They get to be with the group, hear about everyone’s season, see everyone, learn about different aspects of the haunted houses that they don’t normally see," says Braverman. "They’ll enjoy the Q & A and be able to ask questions of the haunt owners whose attractions are being featured on the tour that they normally might be able to.“

Ghost Ride's Chaille describes Legendary Haunt Tour attendees as "seeming to be more relaxed and less guarded, more like a fraternity.  Like troops comparing stories after the battle has ended, we love hearing all the 'battle stories' from across North America and around the world."

For Braverman, her favorite part of Legendary is getting to see everyone and hear about how everyone’s season went. She enjoys that, for many, the haunt season culminates with this tour. 

“I get to see the full cycle,” she says. “I see people come to [TransWorld] and buy the product. I know how hard all these haunters work throughout the year. You hear the woes, and it’s nice to hear about their successes. You get to hear a lot of what they did well and what they feel didn’t go well. I get to hear what they’d like to see more of on the TransWorld show floor. I gain an insight that I wouldn’t normally get when I see them at the trade show because they’re really only at the show to buy, or to take classes, or network. To be able to socialize with them is just something I just don’t often get to do and that is part of the reason I really love Legendary so much. People will come to Legendary from around the world and it’s so great to hear all the different perspectives.”

Legendary Haunt Tour 2014 from Artifact Images on Vimeo.

For us New Englanders, having the Legendary Haunt Tour visit our region is a feather in our cap. We here at Halloween New England can attest that our New England haunt community is thriving and we’re seeing more and more yard and home haunters taking the next step to move “pro”. 

Local haunters and superfans who may have seen one or two of the tour’s featured haunts in recent years should know the experience of Legendary will be unmatched in terms of access, networking, and the free flow of ideas and feedback that comes with being surrounded by dozens of the brightest and most innovative minds in the haunt community. It’s a truly rare gift to have the wider haunt community coming out to our own backyard. 

We are counting down the days for the Legendary Haunt Tour weekend and we look forward to welcoming so many industry pros to our region. We hope to see as many northeast haunters and superfans representing our historic area and distinct Halloween culture. We’ll be there, will you? 

Looking to find out more about the tour? Find tour itineraries, online ticketing, hotel booking info, transportation, and more at the Legendary Haunt Tour's website.

The photos in this article were published with the expressed permission of Artifact Images (Haunted Overload), SpookyWorld Presents Nightmare New England, and Fright Kingdom.