House on Haunted Hill: Museum of the Macabre
Logline:
When the opening of a macabre museum in the infamous house on Haunted Hill reveals to be a ploy to find live subjects to add to their collection, guests are tested to see if they can escape the torture of its secret beneficiary.
Concept Overview:
There’s a grand opening… and you are personally invited.
Years ago, after that most deadly night, Watson Pritchard closed the doors of the house on Haunted Hill determined to never let anyone set foot in its haunted halls again. But his unexpected death leads his family to place the house in the fate of a secret beneficiary, not even revealed to them.
Just months later, its doors are announced to be reopening: this time a Museum of the Macabre. Everyone in town is invited to the mansion to share in a celebration of death on opening night.
However, the party takes an unexpected turn when you’re locked inside and Mr. Frederick Loren reveals himself to be the man behind the mask. Oh, but don’t worry; he doesn’t want to kill you. He’s only looking for some “volunteers” to torture and put on display… Will you become a permanent installation, or can you use your wit to escape the deadly hands of a twisted millionaire?
Inspired by William Castle’s acclaimed horror classic: House on Haunted Hill.
(1) House on Haunted Hill Exterior
(2) Living Room Interior
(3) Basement Interior
Settings:
At a lavish party of the opening of the Museum of the Macabre, guests are entertained by gory delights and ghoulish characters outside the house on Haunted Hill. The party hosts lead them inside to the living room where they are greeted by Mr. Loren himself, with a twist for the evening: they’re all trapped inside. In hopes of breaking free, they scour the mansion for an escape that ultimately leads them to a secret tunnel in the mansion’s basement.
Puzzle Example in Setting 1:
1) Guests’ party invitations will be marked with a series of symbols and hold clues that will guide them to the party decoration that adorns each symbol. Below each symbol reveals a letter. When all letters are found they must be unscrambled to reveal the ghoulish party entertainer (i.e., Zombie) that will lead them to their next clue.
2) Once they have found the entertainer, they will be given a key to unlock the door of the mansion, granting access to the next room.
Character Outline:
Character Name: Mr. Frederick Loren
Description: Mr. Frederick Loren is an eccentric millionaire rumored to have killed his first three wives… and confirmed to have killed his fourth. Years ago, his wife’s plot to kill him ruined the haunted party that he planned to end with a deathly finale for his guests. Eager to find some new victims, he drew up a plan to lure a new group of unlucky victims back into clutches at an opening night party of his Museum of the Macabre.
Happy: Loren’s money and power make him happier than anything else. It’s the way he’s able to gain control over the people in his life, which almost always works out in his favor.
Sad: Loren lives a lonely life because everyone is turned-off by his arrogant demeanor. He often wishes he had a family and friends that were as twisted as he is.
Angry: Loren’s wives always snoop in his affairs, which makes him extremely angry. He wishes they’d spend their bored lives taking care of him, instead of creating a mess for him to clean when he ultimately has to kill them.
Bored: Silence and stagnancy bore Loren the most. He must always be filling his time with new wives or parties or expensive endeavors that occupy his mind from thinking about his lonely life.
Turn-Ons: An unworthy opponent. Nothing gets Loren more excited than knowing he’s on a path to winning in a match-up. It’s why he invites such naïve people to his parties.
Turn-Offs: A dull party. What would distract his guests from his horrifying plans for them if not for a little fun?