Nothing says Halloween like a super scary haunted house experience. Halloween is now the second most decorated holiday after Christmas here in Florida, and however, you are celebrating, creating a spooky atmosphere is essential for ensuring that your scare fest is the best ever.

The humble haunted house, for example, is one of the most popular Halloween attractions ever.  While haunted house attractions rely on props, sounds and actors, they would be nothing without the clever use of lighting. The use of shadows, bright flashes of light and craftily lit crevices create a feeling of drama and suspense as you travel along the attraction.

Here are some of the lighting techniques used to create some of the spookiest haunted house experiences even known:

Black Light

Black lighting goes hand on hand with fear when it comes to illuminating everything from stage shows to haunted houses.  The light throws a purple sheen over everything in the room, and also helps neon colors to really “pop”.  Blacklight is created via ultraviolet or infrared radiation, which is invisible to the human eye. Black lights can be as simple as single bulbs that can be plugged into an electrical socket or can be a huge back panel that illumines entire room at a time.

An interesting fact; lots of black light and neon paint can be found at the Black Sabbath “13” haunted maze at Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as in one of the haunts at Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare.

Red Light

Red is not only the color of passion, but it is also a color that creates fear.  Flooding a room with red light makes for a really tense and heavy atmosphere, perfect for Halloween attractions.  The use of colored lights can also conjure up images in the brain, and red helps to make the visitor think of the color of blood.

Spotlights

You usually think of a spotlight as a positive force for good, enlightening a single entertainer or piece of the action on the stage.  But, when you focus the same spotlight on something spooky, it takes the focus away from whatever is happening back there in the shadows, adding ambiance and increasing the fear factor.

Strobe Lights

Strobe lights are used to change the way the audience or visitor sees the action happening in front of them.  Fast, intense flashes of light create a jerky, blinking effect which disorientates the audience and transforms something innocent in something completely terrifying.

Candle Light

Candles are synonymous with everything spooky.  The flicker of candlelight creates an instant spooky feeling, and the can be used in a variety of ways to create atmosphere.  Hidden inside at light jack-o’-lanterns used to summon spirits, or dotted around an empty coffin, candles are an easy way to raise the fear factor.

Flashlights

Finally, flashlights can be used in a multitude of ways to make a haunted house feel super spooky.  They can be aimed through the middle of a fog machine to create a pathway of light or shone beneath a face or object to make it look really scary.

Call in The Experts

If you are looking to create the ultimate Halloween attraction, why not call in the experts here at Frank Gatto & Associates.  We produce first-class professional lighting design for events and live shows throughout Florida and beyond.

Frank Gatto & Associates, Inc. are specialists in lighting for television events of all kinds.  If you have an event that needs expert lighting, please call us today to see how we can help.

Phone: 561-368-0101

Email: frank@frankgattolighting.com 

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