Cliff Martin’s Hacker House
by Stu McIntire
Cliff Martin
knows it is not easy to make a living in the haunt industry.Ý Ask him what
obstacles he has faced.Ý He will start by telling you about the long hours.Ý
Then he will discuss the various building and fire codes.Ý He will talk about
no-show employees, poor weather conditions, and inebriated guests.Ý Just
ask and Cliff will tell you his secret to making a small fortune in the haunt
biz.Ý “Start with a large fortune…”
“When my brother (Hacker House horror host Mark “Spooky” Martin)
and I decided to start a haunted house for paying guests,” recalls Cliff
Martin, “We had no idea what we were getting into.Ý We thought we could build
a top-notch attraction with just enthusiasm and a hammer.Ý We found out different.Ý
There were thousands of things we did out of ignorance that cost us time
and money, and worst of all, hurt the quality of the show.Ý There’s nothing
like learning the hard way.”
Why would a sane individual subject
him or herself to a seemingly endless barrage of headaches?Ý Have you made
the mistake of believing that haunting is a quick and easy path to fame and
success?Ý That is not the case with Cliff Martin.
Martin, a
Web Systems Engineer by trade, has been haunting for 30 years.Ý Before the
Hacker Houses, he worked on shows with the Jaycees.Ý His love for haunting
shows in just about everything he does.Ý As a founding member and Treasurer
of the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA), he’s working
to share that enthusiasm and knowledge with other haunters in the industry .
Martin’s
goal is to entertain his customers (guests). And entertain he does: in spades.
Yet Hacker House contains no spinning tunnels, no dot room, no 3-D artistry,
and relies less on the latest animatronic technology (using such gadgetry
to enhance rather than deliver the scare). In fact, one guest marveled at
the total lack of black-lights, long a haunt staple. So how does Martin do
it?
“Actually, all the credit goes to my staff, the dark denizens
of Hacker House,” Martin begins. “I just provide the sandbox where they can
play. The actors are what make Hacker House successful and they are knocking
them dead this year. The show ROCKS!”
And the
show does indeed rock. Visitors were floored by the show, transformed for
the 2003 season in ways they could not imagine. Every scene was finely detailed
and foreboding, some creepy, others eerie, or downright scary, with touches
of the twisted and bizarre thrown in for good measure.
Hacker
House guests are virtually guaranteed a good time from the moment they climb
out of their cars to the time they leave - often still shaking; always chattering
about the experience they had just been through. “Word-of-mouth is the best
advertising money can’t buy!” Martin says.
As guests queue up
to purchase tickets for the show, they are entertained by roving actors who
stalk the line, carefully selecting their victims and tormenting them briefly
before moving on to the next. On special nights, the strains of music from
local bands (Social Outcast UB, Epsilon Zero, BlitzKid) performing live on stage) can be heard, energizing the crowd before they even enter the House.
As
the guests wait to enter the haunt, they are witness to a “pre-show” of sorts
that includes a fine mix of audio-animatronics and live actors. “Granny”
sits in her rocker in a rundown shack. Here the guests really do enter into
a different world. “Granny sets the mood before the guests set foot inside,”
Martin explains. “She is a storyteller, conveying key aspects of the Hacker
legend.” This has proven to be a perfect use of an animated figure in a haunt.
The content of Granny’s dialogue is impressive and serves as a valuable “bookend,”
if you will, to the full legend as delineated at the Hacker House website.
Further on, guests are amused at the sight of “Ralph,” who...err...regurgitates...at set intervals.
Once they reach the front door, the guests encounter the greeters, Vash, the Caretaker (Darryl Hobbs) and Birdie (Sandy Phillips).
Hobbs and Phillips, local haunt actors, have developed complete characters
in mannerisms, motion, dialogue, costuming and the all-important makeup.
Here,
Martin divulges his “secret weapon” in creating a killer show. “We really
concentrated more on the actors this year. We held seminars throughout the
spring and summer, beginning with what people find scary and working right
through to a fully-developed character persona. By the time the season began,
every one of my actors had created and practiced their own unique realization
of an effective scary being.” This approach is not lost on Hacker House guests,
many of whom in exit surveys and email messages named Vash and Birdie as
favorites among the entertainers.
The tour begins in the entrance hallway, manned by Stephano, the Butler (Robert Reid-Goodson).
Here, the guests are sent, in small groups, on the beginning of their journey
- but not before a piercing shriek startles the crowd as Stephano’s “pet,”
Bertha, lunges forward from beneath the stairway. “More fish!” Stephano demands
of Vash. “The water’s boiling! I’m ready to make stew!”
As the Hacker guests proceed through the hallways, they are stalked by Creese, an escaped mental patient, (played by Chris Frazier)
who has a sick penchant for human ears. Creese pursues his victims into a
Portrait Hall filled with mirrors, where the guests often frighten themselves,
or are terrified by monsters lurking in the dark. This is followed immediately
by the Den of the Tooth Fairy. The Tooth Fairy (Larry Johnson) has at least 23 ways to enjoy your teeth and is perfectly happy to perform extractions...free of charge.
Around the next corner we find The Clown’s storage room filled with bodies (trophies) hanging from the ceiling. The Clown (Chris Hicks)
appears, seemingly from nowhere, prepared to remove any concerns you might
have…with his bloody hatchet, of course. If your pants are still dry, a bathroom
might at this point be a welcome respite. Not this bathroom, though. This
rather grotesque scene; where fresh bodies are “processed” in the tub and
the toilet is overflowing with green, oozing slime just might get you wet
(few guests depart without having to wipe away the moisture).
The
following scene has all the earmarks of the gloomy Hacker family mortuary.Ý
Though the unfortunate Bess Hacker lies here for viewing, all is not still.
As if possessed, caskets jump and move on their own, and if you are unsettled
by a corpse being propelled from his casket, then certainly Lady Eyes (Kate Sykes)
must be. She has gouged out her own eyes, displaying them in her open palms
and seems to be offering hers in trade for your own.
The cold
storage area that follows is where the Hacker monsters store recent kills.
In body bags, on tables and in every nook and cranny, including the barrels
that line one side of the room, the dead are everywhere. Pushing your way
through the body bags, you enter a back porch, the domain of Hairy Monster,
(Josh Fussell). Don’t be fooled by his innocent look, Hairy Monster is no Sesame Street character.
Though carnivorous worms feast on human flesh here, you really need to be on the lookout for Growler (Eric LaFever) and Shaker (David Martin)
who have chosen you for tonight’s entrÈe. The only way out is through the
shed, a place where yet more bodies appear as if in some sort of macabre
art display.
The Hacker House was completely revamped for the
2003 season, with all new scenes. Of the new enhancements, the Caves are
probably one of the coolest (visually as well as tactilely) additions.
More danger lurks here to menace the unsuspecting, in the form of crazed (and persistent) cannibals; Cavegirl, played by Meghan Thompson and Robert Crotts,
as The Cook. Cavegirl is constantly “in your personal space,” and The Cook
is one of the most energetic haunt actors you could hope to find. He does
a superb job keeping the guests hopping and jumping!
Hacker House Interior “Desecrator” Craig Bond
is largely responsible for bringing the Caves and the rest of Martin’s vision
to life. Bond’s background in the theatrical stage served him well in bringing
definition and detailing to the Hacker experience. “I took what I’ve learned,”
Bond says, “and applied it in ways I’ve never had the chance to do.” When
asked about Bond, Martin added “Craig is a valuable addition to the staff.
Aside from the improved production values, he also served in actor roles,
including a gravedigger and “frustrated” vampire hunter.”
You are next on the menu in Dogman’s (Wayne Willard)
kitchen; you may try to escape, but the baddies know all the ins and outs
and do everything inhumanly possible to block your exit.
Having
made your exit from the caves through masses, of hanging vines, the Zombie
Forest is next on the agenda. As many seasoned haunt pros are aware, this
strobe-lit illusion of walking through a dense stand of birch trees is jarring.
The inclusion of a “zombie” (Dave Cockeram) who appears and disappears
before your very eyes makes this scare more than a little nerve-wracking
as well. Many a Hacker guest has been known to wander this set aimlessly,
with no clue how to escape until they finally beg to be shown the exit.
The Crypt area (manned by Chris Thompson
as the BagMan) is no place to stop and catch your breath. Here, villainous
creatures do what they can to separate you from the “herd,” with Doktor (Jeremy Adams) lying in wait. The not-so-good doctor is dying to put you to your eternal rest and has an empty crypt with your name on it.
Your
flight from the Crypt leads you into the Hacker family cemetery. Be careful
not to step across the fresh graves. That sinking feeling is not in the pit
of your stomach...the earth really is giving way and feels as if you are
about to be swallowed. The gravediggers (Robert Jones and the aforementioned
Craig Bond) employed here are looking for work and don’t much care what shape
the bodies are in. An interesting note about this scene is that it is filled
with dozens of real grave markers.
Some Hacker guests seeking the safety of their cars, still have to deal with the likes of Tater (David Jones), who only wants one of your fingers (surely you can spare just one) and has just the right cutlery to perform the bloody task.
Tater is truly a different concept and character brought to life by Hacker costume and makeup designer/artist Shannon Jones.
The seemingly tireless Jones, working with the actors, prepares over two
dozen characters every show night. She will often change an actor’s costume
and makeup on-the-fly in an effort to improve a creation, or simply to adapt
to the reality of short-notice staffing emergencies.
At last, we have reached the end of our nightmare. Or maybe we haven’t. Jake (Jake Adams) is the last threat you’ll face at Hacker House...quite possibly the last you’ll ever
face if he has his way. Jake wants a few heads to roll and is satisfied to
do it “the old fashioned way.” He has a very large chainsaw...and he knows
how to use it.
One might think that Hacker House’s emphasis
on actors has burdened the show with excessive labor costs. “Not so!” Martin
replies. “The reality is that I’ve cut the number of actors by half from
last year’s numbers. One actor can provide up to four scares now. We rely
less on mechanical effects, which are prone to malfunction during the season.
The show is better because our crew is motivated like never before. Our guests
are commenting on the improvement!”
An indispensable “ace” up Martin’s sleeve is Dale Bujan,
who fills the role of “Official Guy” and manages the show and staff. Bujan
does a thousand things to start and keep the show running smoothly every
night. “We can always tell when the show is doing great” Bujan says. “When
the guests are scared, I’m out here the next morning, fixing props, or even
putting walls back up that the guests have damaged in their attempt to escape.”
If
anything sets Hacker House apart from other Haunted Attractions, it has to
be the focus on storytelling. Everything about the attraction, whether it
is the set designs, the costuming and makeup, or actors is geared towards
telling the story. “Official Guy” Bujan takes it a step further, however.
“When it comes right down to it, we’re all storytellers. Everything we do
is done with a purpose. We’re not afraid to discard an idea that adds nothing
to the show. When we retool the haunt, we ask ourselves ‘Why are we doing
this?’ ‘Does it further the story and add value to our guests’ experience?’
It doesn’t matter if you’re the guy working the parking area. We emphasize
to the employees that they are storytellers.” Even Amy Phillips who works the concession booth explains “I’m a storyteller.”
I
like to call the Hacker cast and crew “Frighteneers.” These folks feel differently
about the role they serve working at Hacker House. They work as a team, invigorated
and excited. They seem more than emotionally vested, always thinking ahead
about how they can improve their performance. Just watching Shannon Jones
interact with the cast as she applies those magical finishing touches can
be an eye-opening experience. “Oh, there’s always a buzz in here,” she laughs.
“It gets so loud sometimes that I can’t hear myself think!”
The
crew has a wide range of experience and background. Yet there is no shortage
of opinions about what works, what doesn’t, or perhaps more importantly,
why something doesn’t work. That is a true distinction. It proves
that each person associated with the haunt is following a mission - a mission
to frighten and entertain. That is, after all, why haunt enthusiasts drop
their hard-earned dollars at our feet. They want us...they dare us to entertain them.
When
asked if, as a seasoned haunt pro, he is impressed or frightened much by
anything these days, Martin starts to list popular movies like Aliens, Hellraiser, or his more recent favorite, The Ring.
When the question is modified to specify the haunt industry, he answers;
“Well, we did have a case last year when a guest fainted halfway through
the show. I had a few anxious moments until the EMTs revived her. But the
latest was at the start of this year’s show. Just two hours before we were
due to open, a representative of the DOT (Department of Transportation) showed
up at our doorstep to say the bridge had been damaged and therefore the main
road leading to the haunt was closed and would remain closed for up to five
weeks.” “Not a problem,” says Martin, “We gassed up the hearse, drove around
and started putting out Hacker detour signs!”
One Hacker House
repeat visitor exclaimed,. “I'm still so impressed by the re-do of it all,
that it's hard to put in to words how dramatically improved Hacker House
was!... I was in for a treat…I have to say that I've visited a few other
haunts from time to time, and I start to wonder if it is even possible for
me to be surprised, or spooked. Not so at Hacker House. From the moment I
stepped into the first room until I got to the end, it was an incredible
experience. The details in each room or hall were impeccable. The effects
were right on cue and the timing was executed to near perfection. Each room
had sounds that related directly to the particular environment. The lighting
was fantastic. The best part of all is, it scared me!”
Every
haunter hopes for such a review. Obviously a labor of love, Hacker House
has gone through dramatic changes over time. Still, the goals remain unchanged:
entertain, tell a story, give the guests their money’s worth, but most of
all; scare. This is why the public attends such events and at Hacker
House, everyone’s goal is to give you living nightmares and to make you SCREAM!
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