Initiatives | Spookers Haunted Attractions
Let the terror “Give them pleasure,” Alfred Hitchcock once said of his audiences. “… the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.” Modern life, he surmised, had debilitated our ability to get a good dose of goosebumps, so his aim became providing the public with “beneficial shocks”. It’s the same concept at Spookers Haunted Attractions, the only difference is Spookers is even more candid about their desire to scare the bejesus out of you. “We scare people silly,” Spookers managing director Julia Watson says. “We make people face their fears and enjoy doing it.” As a concept, it has taken the corporate world by storm. Offering attractions for different age groups, from the family friendly Amazing Maze to the R16 nights on Fridays and Saturdays through to senior citizen tours, Spookers has discovered a loyal corporate following, with spooky team
building and Murder Mystery nights popular for businesses big and small. “It’s so unique,” Watson says. “When people hear of a haunted house, they think of amateur carnival rides. Our attractions are R16 for a reason; they’re full on. But people are always pleasantly surprised and many say they can’t believe how professional it is.” Based in the former nurses’ hostel of the old Kinsgseat Psychiatric Hospital in Karaka, Spookers is said to be a hotbed of paranormal activity, specifically concerning a nurse who is believed to have committed suicide within its walls. Every week hundreds of people gather at the old hospital to get their spooks off in a place unique to New Zealand and, according to its website, Australia. As a strategy, it’s been one of pure brilliance. ‘Dark tourism’ has become a global bestseller. Now a multibillion dollar industry, terror sells. Opened late in 2005, Spookers Haunted Attractions has become one of the Auckland’s signature tourist attractions with some 250 staff, 80 percent of whom are actors. On key fright nights such as Black Friday or Halloween, as many as 1500 people pour through the gates, not including those who make it as far as the car park before one glance at the first roaming actor on the giant pneumatic monster that beckons you in from the roof has them running the opposite way. “Scaring has a lot to do with adrenalin, and it can be quite unexpected how people will react,” Watson says.
SCARED?
Of losing money for several days! NO EFTPOS = NO MONEY!! We offer guaranteed 24/7 on-site service and support. Who are you going to call? Spookers call us on...
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Proudly Supporting Spookers since 2009 For any enquiries on where to purchase Mr Chips products please call the following number 09 274 7598 , email sales@mrchips.co.nz , or visit our website www.mr-chips.co.nz , where you can view our entire Food Service range. 34 | August/September 2011 www.aucklandtoday.net.nz