On opening night, I was standing outside “The Underworld” Haunted House and watching a crowd line up for this new experience at the Park. As each group went in, you could see the anticipation and excitement build in their faces and in those still in the queue line. They talked and laughed amongst themselves, and it was clear that they were anxious for the experience. The line grew longer, to my distinct pleasure, as more and more arrived on the scene. Inside the house, the screams were loud and ominous. These were screams of horror mixed in with laughter. As the brave participants exited the house, they laughed, joked, and seemed totally immersed in the experience.
The reactions were great and exhilarating, exactly what we had hoped.
Later that evening, I came upon a young girl in her teens sitting on the curbside shaking and in tears. She and her group of friends had just experienced The Underworld. She seemed very frightened, even though her friends were all laughing. As I noticed she was indeed overwhelmed and distraught, I approached her to check on and console her. The intent was to have fun, not to truly upset anyone. I introduced myself, offered my business card and tried to calm her down. She scolded me with very distinct Cantonese, as she blamed me for frightening her in this manner. This went on for several minutes, until I realized that the best I could do was to help her get home. I offered to take them to a taxi and pay for the taxi fare home.
She continued to scold me and said that I could not and should not ask her to go home.
That was odd. So I asked her, "If you don’t want to go home, what do you want to do?" She stood up with a great big smile, wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “I am going back in line to go through the house again.” An absolutely FANTASTIC response.
I knew then and there that Halloween was a hit and would continue to be a hit for a long time. It was a special event that could grow from strength to strength. Halloween was going to be the beginning of the Park’s turn around.
Come and let us SCARE you!
The rest, as they say, is history.
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