Fright Farm Offers Behind-The-Scenes Look at Haunted Attractions
Take a creepy old farmhouse, toss in a few dozen ghouls and monsters, then mix with a healthy sprinkling of spooky music and lighting and you end up with a deliciously frightful night.
2012 marks the 23rd annual Fright Farm, a haunted attraction in Smithfield that has been named one of the best in the country. Founded in 1990 by the Rich family who owns the property, Fright Farm was born from a wild idea the family came up with one evening after surveying the stone farmhouse.
“Our architecture is amazing,” said Michael Rich, one of the founders and general managers of Fright Farm. “Our towers, our stone structures and the entire house look like a big old mansion… it just has this creep to it.”
The event consists of a haunted hayride, a maze and the mansion itself. Every year has a unique theme. This year’s theme, “Farmageddon,” is reminiscent of a cursed apocalypse.
Rich explained each theme relies on his and his brothers Tom and Mark’s combined creativity. Tom and Mark also serve as general managers for the event.
Construction of the event begins June when a crew starts the process by tearing down the haunts and themes from the previous year. The attraction’s farm location is an advantage as it allows for extensive landscaping for exterior scenes. An on-site nursery provides materials for elaborate cemetery and cornfield scenes.
More than 100 different scenes must be torn down and rebuilt each year in the three haunted areas. Rich explains they aim to create the most immersive scenarios by stimulating as many senses as possible.
“We always say ‘when the show starts, it’s just like you’re walking through a movie,'” Rich said.
Rich says that he takes a considerable amount of inspiration from famous movie figures, particularly the work of Alfred Hitchcock, who used three aspects of fear in his movies: Suspense, shock and horror.
“I always say that there’s a fourth [aspect]: Humor. When you walk through this you take an emotional trip. You want to feel happy. You want to feel scared. It’s like a good movie which takes you all over the place emotionally,” Rich said.
Staffing for the haunts begin nearly two months prior to opening.
“We interview probably about 500 to 600 people for about 100 acting spots,” Rich said. “We train them, we have acting coaches [and] our makeup [and costumes are all] professional because we want to deliver real live horror here.”
Casting for the event is done by Rich’s daughter, Allison, who analyzes all the talents of the actors and casts them in specific roles based on their skill sets and qualities.
Some roles require high amounts of energy or the ability to memorize lines while other roles call for someone who can be silent and mysterious.
Rich went on to describe the training that goes into each role. Acting coaches and choreographers are on-site to direct the actors.
“It’s a whole process of getting here, getting cast, getting trained, getting into costume and then when the curtain comes up we’re ready,” said Rich.
Fright Farm runs Wednesday through Sunday through the first week of November.
For prices or more information, go online to www.frightfarm.com.