Shanghai During a trek through a newly opened attraction at
Madame Tussauds wax museum in Shanghai, almost all the women in one
group screamed, some even ran out with tears in their
eyes.?
"Ghosts in white suddenly appear and breathe into your ears,
shadows even follow you about!" said a girl surnamed Xie who broke
into frightened laughter after calming herself down with a bottle
of soft drink.
"I was too scared to open my eyes most of the time," said
Xie.
The 1,000-square-meter room, the biggest "Scream Hall" ever
opened by the wax museum chain is expected to become a hot
attraction in Shanghai.
The director behind this large-scale horror show is Lynton
Harris, founder of the Sudden Impact entertainment company.
"Scaring people around the world for over 10 years" is how
Harris describes his craft, a service he believes was lacking in
Shanghai before his arrival.
The hall is shaped like a prison-esque labyrinth, where people
walk in total darkness, broken up intermittently by sparkling laser
lights. "There is a strong contrast between the two areas: dark and
white," said Harris. "That will add more excitement."
Behind lifelike wax sculptures hide actors dressed as ghosts,
ready to jump out and give visitors a quick shock.
"You can never distinguish between real people and sculptures in
the hall," said Xie. "Sometimes, you are ready to be shocked by an
image in the darkness, but later you find it is just a motionless
sculpture. Suddenly a real actor just jumps out and makes you
scream."
Called a "scare master" by some Western media, Harris, who was
born in Australia and has worked in New York for the past decade,
does not look like someone who dwells in darkness. So why then,
does he relish scaring people?
"I just like people's reaction after being scared," he said,
smiling cheerfully. "They are scared and scream, then naturally,
they laugh a lot. It is a very interesting process."
Since his first show in New York in 1996, Harris has frightened
crowds all around the world. "Almost every minute, I am thinking
about how to scare people in a cool way." How to produce a bloody
face or slashed face? How to combine lights, scary music and
make-up together?
He said Westerners and Asian people react differently when
scared. "Asian people are easier to scare, just a small movement by
the actor and they will react fantastically."
In Shanghai's scream hall, actors are not allowed to touch
visitors, as that may "over scare" some visitors. The hall provides
16 emergency buttons on the wall, which can be activated by the
staff should anyone feel too scared. All the lights will then be
turned on and staff will lead the visitor quickly outside.
To guarantee people's safety in the darkness, visitors are
organized into groups of six, each holding a length of rope.
Harris says that he is very proud that his cast, 22 young local
people, are very well rehearsed.
"She is really a sweet girl who is not scary at all, but after a
week's training, she can scare a big man onto the floor," he said,
pointing to a girl who has white make-up on her face and a bloody
mouth. Actually, the "blood" is red sugar, which can be later
eaten.?
To cultivate more "professional scary people", Harris opened a
"scare school" several years ago which has already received
celebrities such as Goth rocker Alice Cooper, Hollywood actors Hugh
Jackman, Kevin Bacon and rock star Joey Ramone.
The school provides 50 hours of professional training during
which students learn quick physical movements, vocal moans, and how
to apply "terror make-up". But Harris warned that the professional
field of frightening does have its risks it's not all about scares
and giggles.
"They (students) should also learn to observe and keep a smart
distance from the visitors, otherwise, they may be kicked or pushed
by scared people."
(China Daily?May 12, 2007)
