Haunting A House

In 2008, I was asked to come "help out" with a Halloween party at a private residence in Dallas.

They had decorated their living room to be spooky, and had a few actors milling around - creating... what they called a "Haunted House".

It was cute.

The next year, I was asked back - but this time, I took more creative control to devise a more immersive experience... and so on, for the next several years.

Each year, we dig deeper into the overall theme.  We do better lighting.  We do  more impressive makeup and creepier special effects.

It has grown into a fully-realized immersive "haunt" experience that leaves people screaming for more.

We’ve done themes inspired by:

  • Something Wicked This Way Comes - featuring a killer mirror maze

  • The Last House on the Left

  • The Twilight Zone

  • Pandemic (though the 2020 reality is MUCH scarier)

  • Stranger Things (with a stilt-walker in screen-authentic Demogorgon costume)

  • Halloween

  • and many more…

Lighting obviously plays a crucial role in the overall feel.   We created custom, micro-LED spot lights to pepper throughout the haunt.  They're small enough to be nearly invisible, but put out just enough colored light to (safely) navigate the maze and see what we want the guests to see.

We create audio-synchronized lighting effects to really intensify the scares.

Like any event lighting - no one is walking through the haunt thinking about the lighting, or even noticing it.   But without it, everything would be flat.

Next time you visit a haunted house (like Dark Hour Haunted House), take notice of how lighting is used to help sell the scares...  if you dare.

Muse Lighting