2001 Came with the addition of space and time, which also brought the ability for detail of the props and devices to be used.  The process of getting ready for Halloween in 2001 began August first.  This year it was decided that we were going to have Halloween party before Halloween so we needed to set the stage for two events without needing to rebuild. 

            This year we built the set in the back yard/patio which only has one entrance, So there was an arm added to move a curtain from the right (entrance) to the left (exit) causing there to be a true one way in one way out effect. This was made from the mechanism on a Jandy automatic pool pump valve and a switch mat.

            After building the walls of the maze out of  1.5” PVC pipe it rained for three days straight which caused me great concern for the haunt being built.  So I bolted a tarp, which covered the entire back yard from my house to my neighbor’s house to the rear fence of my property.  This was difficult due to I could not have any poles in the middle to form a circus tent effect because I could not have the water from rain run down the sides of the tarp into the haunt.  So the entire tarp was set on a steep incline so the water would gather at the back fence only.

            The walls were made from Pcv pipe and foam core (1/4 inch foam covered on both sides by paper) sheets and covered with black plastic. The graveyard set was also built on multiple layers of foam core to give the effect of a slight uphill incline.  Due to the walk through being so dark at places there was a need for some type of guide to be added. This was done with two runs of fiber optic tubes causing there to be a walkway on the ground. The walk through was made in three sections or areas; each area had its own lighting effect and music. While going through the haunt foot switches would activate the next area and deactivate the last as well as open the exit path up.

            The PARTY used the same sets as the haunt outside except the part was raised up in the back to allow there to be a place for tables and chairs.  The inside of the house, which I must give much needed credit to my wife, was turned into a fire lit dungeon. All the lights in the house were removed and replaced with hanging faux fire lanterns giving the house a torch lit orange effect. The music and sound tracks used are available for download on the 2001 page.