Horror attractions have seen a huge growth in popularity over recent years, evolving beyond niche Halloween events to year-round, increasingly creative immersive experiences. From haunted houses and scream parks to escape rooms and immersive scare attractions, visitor spend has risen hugely.
As spend has risen, so has visitor expectation, meaning many operators are having to up their game. In Wisconsin, US, Dells Boat Tours – the operators of 20-year-old fright attraction Ghost Boat – decided it was time for a change.
While the attraction had the advantage of a dramatic setting in the form of narrow twisting pathways through an ancient canyon, its operators always felt that it held more potential. They called in immersive multimedia studio Moment Factory to bring the attraction up to date.
The team behind Moment Factory have been creating immersive experiences for more than two decades, with a particular expertise in creating spectacular outdoor multimedia environments that include the Lumina Night Walk Series. They had not, however, designed a scare attraction before.
“Multimedia and horror are a natural match — they heighten sensations, build tension, and turn spaces into living nightmares, “ says Virginie Valastro, producer, Moment Factory. “When the Dells team introduced us to the canyon and their original experience, we couldn’t wait to see how we could amplify it.”
Leveraging the dramatic natural setting, the revamped night-time attraction features immersive storytelling, live actors, dynamic lighting, video projections, spatialised audio and programmed scare moments. The experience takes visitors on a ‘terrifying journey’ that includes a spooky boat cruise and immersive walk along a 1.5 km path through a ‘haunted canyon filled with evil forces’, culminating at the canyon’s edge with a climactic show moment.
