Absolutely nothing comes close to a cool, October evening in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Walking outside one can see flickering lights from jack-o'-lanterns causing eerie shadows to dance across neighborhood porches. It’s in that moment when things finally seem back in their right place. No wonder Virginia happens to be the birthplace of Halloween in America.
If you travel up the
twisted spine of Virginia, otherwise known as the Shenandoah
Valley, you’ll discover a haunted attraction that takes the
basic concept of evoking scares and nightmares, and approaches
it from a more artistic perspective. Tucked inside the rural
mountain town of Luray, home of the world famous Luray Caverns
& the Shenandoah National Park, there sits an ultimate fear
provoking haunted house attraction called DarkWood Manor. This
haunt has been making a name for itself as one of the top
haunted attractions in the state.
Since 2001, Louis and Wendy Brown, the creators of DarkWood
Manor, constantly seek new ways to transport their audiences
into another world. By applying artistic disciplines to the
design of DarkWood Manor, they’ve created an interactive and
theatrical show that absolutely captivates their haunted house
patrons. The attention to detail and artistic design principle
does not stop at DarkWood Manor's sets. It’s also carried over
into the make-up and costume elements of the attraction.
The journey began in
the late 1990’s, after Louis, an art school graduate, started
investigating what haunted attractions had become since his last
experience with them decades earlier. He realized modern haunted
attractions could be more than black plastic and strobe lights
with people jumping out to yell “BOO.” After Louis
realized what incredibly immersive, interactive, theatrical
experiences could be created within a haunt, he jumped into the
industry eager to bring his artistic perspective to the design
of his own attraction.
"I feel
the goal of most art work is to elicit an emotional response
from its audience and that’s exactly what haunted
attractions seek to do as well. That’s how I approach
the creation of DarkWood, as an installation art piece
designed to evoke a specific set of emotions. Coming up with
new and interesting ways to do this is at the heart of any
artistic endeavor."
The Browns along with the entire haunt crew behind DarkWood
Manor have grown the attraction over the last 13 years while
always maintaining their theatrical principles of great acting,
realistic make-up, amazing costumes, highly detailed sets, and a
strong backstory. I asked Louis how his artistic approach
influenced the average haunt customer's experience.
“I
definitely think it heightens the experience for the
audience. The artistic drive to pull the audience into the
work by creating an immersive environment makes a haunted
attraction entertaining on many levels. Screams are our
primary goal, but if we can get laughter and amazement, then
we are also doing our job at making the experience a great
one for our customers.”
As many haunts around the country fail to recognize their
patrons' desire for a more unique group experience, the artists
behind DarkWood Manor are continuously pushing the boundaries of
their vision to bring their customers a unique haunting
experience. This esoteric thought process is the reason why
they’ve been able to create a loyal fan base that visits every
October. Inside the walls of DarkWood Manor, you’ll find
inspirations ranging from HP Lovecraft and classic gothic horror
to Doctor Who and David Lynch. The DarkWood crew makes it a
point not to fill the hallways and rooms with run-of-the-mill
cliché horror monsters. All creatures roaming the
attraction are unique to the haunt, and many times only used for
one season. All masks, props, costumes, and sets are
custom made to fit that season’s storyline. Louis
describes DarkWood Manor as an “ever changing canvas,” with each
season’s design process starting with a new theme and then
evolving out of that initial idea.
“Our base
style is to tell stories and create dark vignettes that can
scare the crap out of people. However, we do change our
theme and sets every year. Being the scariest and most
unique has always gotten us lots of business, maybe not in
the first couple of years we were open, but over time our
following has skyrocketed in growth.”
Artists thrive by listening to their intuition. An overly
imaginative mind, especially one dedicated to the craft of
haunting, can think of some truly terrorizing ideas. For Louis,
the trick to growing a haunt is in experience and being
dedicated to always seeing how far one can push their artistic
abilities.
“The
hardest part is coming up with that initial idea that makes
me go ‘WOW!... I’ve got to create that!’ Once I have
the idea that really drives me to create, then the rest is
fun. There have been lots of trials and error over the
years. Now, I can run a scene in my head and pretty much
know if it will work or not. Sometimes I can still get it
wrong, but that’s one of the great things about the DarkWood
Manor actors. They have the talent, and I give them the
freedom, to change what happens in a scene if it isn't
playing well or getting the scare we want. I don't try to
hold every scene and character to a rigid concept. I
have seen actors take characters and scenes far beyond what
I had originally imagined. That’s a reason that drives me to
keep haunting. I can't wait to see what amazing things
evolve next!”
One of the greatest aspects of The Scare, whether it’s in a
horror movie or a haunted attraction, is the idea of suspense.
It’s the subtle build-up of dread that tugs at your emotions and
causes your pulse to race. DarkWood Manor thrives at subtleties
through their use of these old school principles. For DarkWood,
the devil is in the details.
“DarkWood
is full of intricate haunted details. Our scenes are
designed, built, and then layered with details. Some of
those are small and generally undetectable by the casual
observer. However, those details are the hidden blood and
guts of DarkWood. A customer may not pick up on all of them
consciously, but their sub-conscious does, and that really
pulls them into our haunted world.”
After 13 years, Louis doesn’t see DarkWood Manor slowing down,
not one bit. “There are always more stories to tell, and
always more monsters to create.” The big question is where
does DarkWood Manor go from here?
“We just
want to keep getting bigger and better and to continue to
out do ourselves on different levels every year. Each
season we always end up with a handful of ideas that we
can't do or pull off, but I have noticed that none of those
ideas ever die. They just come back in later years when we
can better conceptualize and pull them off. That is just
another aspect that fires me up to keep it going.”
Haunters are
definitely a special breed. To be part of a haunt like this is
like being thrown inside a meat grinder. It can spit you
out in pieces. After speaking with Louis, I’ve realized
haunting requires 2 important aspects… love and passion. This is
what haunted house customer’s find when they visit DarkWood
Manor…A haunt crew that puts everything they have into their
artistic vision and refuses to compromise, and all of it done
with the goal of sending customers screaming out into the night
on a few of those cool, October evenings in Virginia.
“To be
honest, I had no idea what to expect when I got into the
business of haunting. I just jumped into it because it
looked like fun, and I was right. It has been a lot of hard
work and sacrifice, but it has been worth it. I feel I have
met my basic goal by doing what I'm passionate about. No one
can ask for more than that, and I hope people continue to
SCREAM at the ongoing results of that passion.”
Before attending DarkWood Manor Haunted House please read our
*****Warning and Disclaimer statement*****
