Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream is now in full swing. To share in our excitement, we want to give our fans a behind-the-screams look into The Dark Side of the Gardens. From now through the last weekend of HOS (Oct. 27-29), we will share a Q&A each week offering the inside scoop on our six haunted houses. You may be curious as to who will be answering all of our scream-tastic questions? None other than the “creative mind” behind Howl-O-Scream, Scott Swenson.
First up… Zombie Mortuary – Scott digs up the dirt on this small-town-funeral-home-turned-zombie-infestation.
1. What is the storyline behind Zombie Mortuary?
Zombies have taken over the Russo Romero Mortuary by digging in through the walls from the nearby cemetery. I kind of think of a mortuary as “zombie fast food.”
2. What was your inspiration behind this house?
One of our most popular houses from years back was a haunted house called “The Mortuary.” We wanted to pay tribute to that while keeping with our “Zombies Live Here” tagline. By bringing the two together, we had a match made in heaven.
3. Some critics say this is the “best/scariest” house of Howl-O-Scream 2011. What are your thoughts on this?
“Scariest” and “best” are difficult for me. Different things scare different people. I’m just glad people like it!
4. What is your favorite room?
The room that makes me the most uncomfortable (and therefore my favorite…twisted, isn’t it?) is the coffin display room. I’m not really sure why. I think it’s because all of the coffins are taller than me, and being 6’4” tall, I’m not used to things towering over me. I also think it represents the inevitable; we all end up in one of those things eventually.
5. What is the passing rate for zombie-school? How do you train scare-actors to be “scary?”
We do our best to have a 100% pass rate in zombie training. We try to break it down to achievable basics. In haunted houses, for example, we are focused on “resetting.” This assures that the performer has scared one guest and is reset and ready to scare the next one coming around the corner. We also want our zombie to appear “broken” so we suggest that the performers pick three specific body parts and imagine that they are not working properly. This creates some very interesting zombie walks.
6. What does the “zombification” process consist of?
After training, the performers are given very specific costumes, based on the character they play in the house. Our Costume Shop works very hard to not only design and create the costumes, but to clean and maintain them throughout the run. Zombie makeup can be anything from standard theatrical makeup and blood to full face masks and prosthetics. It’s really what works best for the character.
7. Are there any other juicy details you would like to share with fans about this house?
There are several different elements that reference the 1968 horror film, Night of the Living Dead. It was the first film to suggest that zombies are flesh eating… and a really creepy movie. The most obvious is the name of the Mortuary; it is named after the writer and director of the film (John Russo and George Romero). If you are really paying attention, you might notice the name “Karen Cooper” in the viewing room. She was the little girl zombie who ate her parents in the film. The house is filled with silly stuff like that. ALSO, the hearse you see when you first enter the house is one of the 3 hearses used by the late local horror film host, Dr. Paul Bearer.
8. In 140 characters or less, why should someone attend Howl-O-Scream 2011?
2 B SCARED!
Photos by Matt Marriott
