Haunted Hollywood Sports has always been an interesting haunted event for me personally. Its uniqueness among “haunts” in Southern California cannot be denied – as it combines the worlds of airsoft and haunted houses together. This year, the event has returned for ten nights throughout October and we got the chance to ask Candice Catron, director and designer of the event, some questions about its 3rd year.
Q) How did you get into designing haunted attractions? Do you have a background in the haunt industry?
A) Getting to actually be a part of the production/fabrication of a Haunt from start to finish has always been a dream for me. I was lucky enough to be thrown into it out of the blue. I have been a part of the Haunt industry for a while. This marks my 8th Halloween season. I started off as a talent for one season then continued with special FX/character makeup.
Q) What were some of the challenges that Haunted Hollywood Sports faced this year?
A) Every event always has some sort of hold ups but we do our best to alleviate the situation as soon as possible so we are able to move forward. Our biggest challenge has been correcting the mistakes we made in the past along with applying the parts that did work at the same time and ensuring everything flows together.
Q) With Haunted Hollywood Sports being such a young haunted attraction, what kind of things are you guys doing to separate yourselves from the rest of the pack?
A) Our Kill Houses definitely separate us from the rest of the haunted attractions out there. We have such great talent backing us up inside those kill houses to really make the experience something unlike you have ever been through. It’s so interactive that you feel like you’re really at risk!
Q) When looking at designing these interactive experiences, such as the “killhouses”, how is the process different when compared to designing a more traditional walk-through haunted house?
A) Constructing a scenario for the guests to interact with and play a role is key. Also, all the fabrication of wardrobe is SO important. Each “kill suit” is made so the talent is safe and protected the entire time so they can have a good time and the guests still have the feeling they are shooting a Zombie.
Q) What kind of airsoft gear and guns will attendees who pay for the “killhouses” use for the experience?
A) G36 Assault Airsoft Rifles and Safety Goggles for the Voodoo Kill House. The Zombie Kill House will have guests using an M4-based, Assault Infra-red Rifle, M4-based Omega Assault Paintball Rifles, and Safety Goggles.
Q) How many monsters does the park employ for the course of the run?
A) For 2013 we have 150 Monsters taking part in scaring the pants off of our guests 🙂
Q) Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about Haunted Hollywood Sports?
A) This year we learned from the past, improved our event and we are ready to welcome everyone into the park to come get scared and have a great time.
We would like to thank Candice for making this interview possible. Also, for ticket information and more, checkout Haunted Hollywood Sports official website.
