Allen Hopps is the director of Dark Hour, a huge haunt attraction in Plano, Texas.
I wanted to take a tour and chat with Allen about what it takes to keep people scared and the business of running a haunt all year round.
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When people think about creating makeup effects, masks and prosthetics, its usually associated with film and TV shows. In the US, Halloween is pretty big and gets bigger every year.
I went for a tour of the huge show floor and got to see behind the scenes where all the in-house stuff gets made – from sets, costumes, masks, prosthetics and props. The level of thought and detail that goes into setting up a new show (there are several original new shows a year) is incredible. The team work year-round updating and thinking up new ways to keep the screams coming.
There are a few absolute wisdom bombs in this podcast episode which many makers would do well to listen to.
- If you’ve ever been guilty of having great ideas which seem to expand ever bigger, only to burst and fade away then this episode of the podcast is for you!
- If you’ve been trapped in a cycle of indecision, dithering and not wanting to grasp the nettle of your creative masterpieces then this episode is for you.
- If you think that movies are the ultimate end-game for creating creatures and masks and that if you can’t make that coveted position then what’s the point…? Then this episode is for you!
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- Check out http://darkhourhauntedhouse.com/ to see what’s on offer and I highly recommend Allen’s YouTube channel, StiltbeastStudios.
- On Insta, check him on @allen_hopps.
- Dark Hour are on YouTube too:Â https://www.youtube.com/user/DarkHourPlano
