FAQ
What exactly is Scarecrow Theater?
Scarecrow Theater is a family friendly, theater style, audience participation, haunted attraction. The audience will enter and will be seated on coffins and straw bails for the duration of the 12-15 minute show, and will then exit to allow the audience to enter for the next show. The show includes live actors, puppets, animatronics, and special effect to entertain the audience. The show itself is a mix of storytelling, humor, and scares.
How is this different than other haunted events?
The majority of haunted attractions are walk through events, where the audience gets put into small groups and then walks through a maze of some kind. With the exception of the queue line and the exit halls (which both include props and effects), the entire show will take place in a single room (under a tent). Because of this format, we have focused on some different things than many other haunted events as well. Although scares are included in the show, it focuses more on general entertainment and comedy. (We can usually scare 1 or two people at a time, but we can make a whole audience laugh at once.)
Why didn’t you just make a haunted house?
There are a number of more traditional haunted attractions in the Midsouth area, including two haunted trails (Shadowlands and Terror at 2596) on the same property as Scarecrow Theater. This event was an opportunity to build on the haunted attraction that was a bit different, so it would help compliment the current haunted events more than competing with them. Hopefully by having a variety of entertainment experiences, it will create more value for customers.
Is the event scary?
This is a haunted attraction, so there will be some scares. However, our goal is to entertain the audience more than to scare them. Scaring is just one vehicle to entertain. We’ll rely on story telling, humor, and effects in addition to scares. Since we have this philosophy going in, it also lets us vary the shows a bit depending on audience. For example, if we have a younger audience, we’d likely minimize the scares and rely more on humor for the entertainment. Even at it’s scariest however, the format prevents it from being as scary as a more traditional haunted house or haunted trail.
How much is the event?
A ticket to see Scarecrow Theater on it’s own is $10. However there are combo packages available to see events at a discount as well. Shadowlands (formerly the Trail of Terror) and Terror at 2596 are also each $10, with combos being offerered at $18 for any two events and $24 for all 3 events.
What are show times?
We are trying to do shows starting every 20 minutes starting at about 7:20pm (when it gets dark) on our normal show dates. This means there will be 3 shows per hour, with a show at the top of the hour, one at :20, and one at :40. There will be a 5-8 minute period between shows to allow a changeover of audience. This is subject to change if we find that this is not enough time between shows. We also may hold off on a show time if the line is short, since it’s an audience inteactive show, and more audience helps the quality of the show.
Why don’t you have matinees on the calendar right now?
Since this is a brand new event, and is pretty experiemental, we are trying to gauge the demand for matinees during the month of October. We will likely be scheduling some for Fridays and Saturdays during the month, but we could schedule on other days for special events such as group field trips. In 2011, we did matinees by appointment only, partially due to the effects of sunlight on the quality of the show. We will be working to darken the tent even in full daylight in 2012, which should give more opportunities to schedule matinees or to start earlier.
Is the show ADA compliant?
Although the event is in a field (which means mud and uneven terrain could be an issue), we have made all attempts to make this event handicap accessible. All queue lines and walkways meet ADA width restrictions and wheelchair parking is available within the theater for the show. Since the event takes place mostly in a single location, it should be much more handicap accessable than traditional haunted houses and trails.
I saw mention of a light show, what is this?
Outside of the tent, a graveyard section will be set up with lights and music by Midnight Syndicate, Destini Beard, and Virgil. This is meant to help entertain guests who are waiting for the next show. The light show will start at dark every Friday and Saturday night while we are running our main show.
I saw Scarecrow Theater T-shirts. Are you selling them?
T-Shirts are being sold through email Hauntedmidsouth@gmail.com. We may have some more sophisticated distribution in the future. There is a limited supply left of our shirts, so if you are interested, let us know before they run out. You can also “like” our facebook page where we will be running some contests and giving away shirts leading up to the haunt season.
Is flash photography allowed?
No. Much of the event will be in low lighting and darkness, and flashes and lights would not only ruin effects, but would also endanger both the actors and the audience. Please leave the cameras and video recorders at home, and your cell phones in your pockets. (Please turn the ringers off too while you are at it.) [Note: We had a lot of people pulling out cell phones for light during the shows in 2011. It really disrupts the show for others.]
