Fifth Anniversary Celebration Promises New Level of Thrills

Monday, July 11, 2004

For being only five years old, this beast sure does pack a lot of screams into one evening. We're talking about Scream at the Beach, of course, the largest and highest rated Halloween event in the Pacific Northwest.

In honor of its fifth anniversary, Scream at the Beach is throwing the biggest Halloween Party this town has ever seen, and you're invited to be a part of it. Dubbed "The Scariest Halloween Party Ever!" the celebration will include some thrilling adventures and laugh-out-loud entertainment by hyper monsters.

Selected as one of six recommended "pics" by Family Circle Magazine in 2004 and winner of many accolades, this haunted house experience will not be soon forgotten by "survivors."

From the horrors of Wraith Manor, where a menacing "presence" and unseen ghosts seem intent on getting visitors to remain with them, to the heart-pounding, high-tech world of Biohazard, to the classic thrills of Lost Expedition, an Indiana Jones-style adventure into an ancient temple, to the brand new Nightmares, a dark world of disturbing, night terror-inducing perils, Scream at the Beach promises to raise the bar yet again for "scary entertainment" during this special Fifth Anniversary Celebration. Hey, there's even a Haunted Playhouse for the kids!

These amazing new attractions are joined by spellbinding shows and special events all month long, so the monsters have extended their invitation to "bring the whole family, come early and return often to take it all in." (They also wisely suggest a stop at the restrooms before you begin!)

It all started only a few years ago as one small haunt at a local shopping mall. Now in its fifth year, Scream at the Beach has grown into the largest event of its type in the region, and one of the top 10 haunts in the nation.

"We even have other local haunts trying to copy our brand of madness," relates Henry Miller, the producer of the event. "But we don't mind. We take it as a compliment when others consider our formula for causing so many wet pants to be worthy of stealing!"

So what is their secret? Henry lets us in: "It's a mix of our very talented cast of monsters, eager to make you scream, and our unique brand of remarkable, highly detailed environments that set us apart."

Set apart indeed! Industry peers, media reviewers and guests alike heap praises on the results of their year round preparations. "Our Production Team is made up of some very special people that bring a world of horror to life using technologies commonly found in major amusement parks," said Miller. "In fact, some of our monsters were created by the same individuals who produce similar creatures for amusement and theme parks all over the world."

But they also employ some pretty clever low-tech tricks using old fashioned smoke and mirrors, and some effects that they call "bottlenecks" — things so frightening that many people are too afraid to move ahead.

"We create almost everything you see ourselves, including all of our custom murals and sets, and many of our props, costumes and masks. This contributes to why we are so unique in the haunted house industry."

All of these screams come from more than just advanced technologies and custom settings. Its cast of monsters, ghosts, zombies and ghouls attend year-round educational workshops and a series of training sessions in the Monster College in September. By opening day they are well prepared to deliver a performance that's guaranteed to generate screams all month long.

"You can dream, design and create the most frightening place in the whole world, but it requires people to make the nightmare a reality." Miller included this quote on the event website and believes that "although the setting is scary (that goes without saying), it's our people that produce all the wet pants."

Wet pants you say? Scream at the Beach boasted 224 wet pants last season, and promise even more when its new collection of haunt offerings open on October 1st. It may be a strange goal for most businesses, but at Scream at the Beach it's just business as usual.

You might think that something so intense would have an inherent risk factor, but all this "danger" and "heart pounding fear" comes with its assurance that guest safety remains its highest priority. Each attraction fully complies with local fire and safety regulations and is inspected many times for any possible safety concerns before opening and in ongoing safety inspections throughout the season. Emergency exits and safety equipment are in use to make sure the "horrors" never cross over to reality. The event enjoys a perfect record and Miller intends to keep it that way. It's easy to maintain this confidence when even the Fire Marshal, during one of his inspections, shared that he uses Scream at the Beach as "an example to the other haunters in town."

All the hard work pays off gruesomely. Miller and his team have managed to bring to life a world of fear where attention to detail, realism and high quality production standards take this haunt to a new level of frightful entertainment. The Production team is proud of its accomplishments but doesn't do much resting. Miller related that "each year we push ourselves to reach new levels of fear and to grow the production. I once jokingly said to the General Manager of the shopping center that we were going to turn it back into an amusement park someday. We have a long way to go, but if we keep heading in the right direction, who knows what this event will become?"

"It takes a lot of effort to produce an event of this quality and magnitude," said Miller, "but we love what we do so much that it's not work to us. In fact, many of our spouses and friends say they are jealous and wish they could quit their jobs and join us full time."

Dates, times, location and attraction and entertainment details can be found on the Scream at the Beach website at http://www.screamatthebeach.com.

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