you've become my ghost

October 27, 2012 | Tags haunted houses, media, second life

We went to Alicia Stella Designs' haunted house. They say it's the "greatest Halloween ride in the world ever". No, really:

[01:54] Welcome Mat: Welcome to the Greatest Halloween Ride in the World Ever! Set Your Sun to Midnight and turn your sound up!

So off we went.

(from the haunts album; touring the graveyard at Alicia Stella Designs)

The first thing to keep in mind is that this one's a haunted ride, so it's of value to limit the amount of prims and scripted objects you're wearing. It's also keyed to drop you instantly into mouselook when you start off, so you can likely turn off your AO while in the car. If you have problems, they suggest leaving the car, porting back to the main gathering area, and trying the ride again with only one person in the car (each car seats two).

A warning to arachnophobes: there are spiders, but there's not many of them, and they're very very large, so they're easy to spot.

(from the haunts album; spinning books in the library at Alicia Stella Designs)

While this isn't a blow-by-blow imitation of the Haunted Mansion, it does owe more than a few details to it, at least in the traditional 'haunted house' section. It's very well done: if you're a fan of the Haunted Mansion, you'll get the references, and if you're not, you won't enjoy it any less.

(from the haunts album; have haunts, will travel?)

And remember, don't pick up the hitchhikers in the haunted house; you never know where they've been...or where they want to take you on the way.

(from the haunts album; evil clowns!)

And then there were clowns. Big clowns. Big fanged evil clowns. (Some few of them Killer Klowns style.) It was creepy and surreal after the cobwebbed manor interiors, and played up on both fears of large objects and fear of clowns.

(from the haunts album; the tribute to Thirteen Ghosts)

It was about this point I realized this entire thing was developed as a tribute to classic horror. Have I said it was also very well done? It was very well done. It felt very much like an amusement park ride, along with the accepted starts and spots of the pulley and track system--that, of course, was never built and attached, because we were in SL.

(from the haunts album; the haunted deep)

This entire section was simply brilliant. I truly thought it was the pinnacle of this haunt, until...

(from the haunts album; welcome to Mars!)

...until Mars! Oh, dear gods, the entire Mars leg of this ride must be experienced. First, we wander through the reality of Mars; then we wander through the fantasy of Mars; and then...

(from the haunts album; the approach to Earth)

...the drones landed on Earth and set things on fire! They even include a sound clip from Orson Welles' radio reading of War of the Worlds. Beautifully, beautifully done.

(from the haunts album; a more volcanic Hell)

There's a brief, but entertaining jaunt through Hell that ties the ride up, but all in all, it comes highly recommended. It's well done, properly spooky, and really feels like a wonderful series of themed rooms. If you like old-style haunts, please do not miss this one.