It is the season for Haunted House attractions again and I am happy to say the genre is still going strong.

Last year, I did a post about my personal experience in creating Haunted Houses. I consider them a form of folk art which endures and mutates with the changing times. I also consider them construction sites and that is why I spotlight them here.

I am sure that somewhere I could find a list of haunted house types, but it might be fun to begin categorizing them on my own. With that in mind I thought I would continue a theme from last year and seek out a local theatre company who has adopted the tradition of presenting a haunted house.

Let’s call these Theatrical Haunted Houses.

Theatrical Haunted Houses are often story driven and accommodate one group of thrill seekers at a time. They have a beginning, middle and an end and then require a re-set before accommodating another group.

For this year’s haunt, I went to the Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to take in The Pirate Coast. Billed as “An Interactive Haunted House Experience”, The Pirate Coast would fall into a sub category of the Theatrical Haunted House – Local Legend.

Because of our proximity to the sea, a pirate themed haunted house fits right in here. Every kid in Delaware grew up hearing stories of tall ships and pirates so Clear Space decided to take us from the salt air, one block from the beach, into a world of buccaneers, shipwrecks and high adventure. The mixture works well and feels very authentic. The theatre by the sea has been transformed into a shanty town and beach where a 25 foot pirate ship has run aground. The bulk of the action takes place in front of the ship and transforms the audience into participants of the story by making their chanting’s integral in the opening of an enchanted treasure chest.

Behind the scenes is Technical Director Chris McLaughlin, I arrived before show time and had the opportunity to speak with him about the production. The interview is below.

As you read this, The Pirate Coast will have finished its run. Thanks to everyone at the theatre who were nice enough to let me in on the action. Special thanks to Chris McLaughlin, I enjoyed it and it will be fun to see what you guys come up with next year.

Happy Halloween everyone!