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Clostermann & Alterface’s 3D/4D Theatre : theHouse, the 1st ever 5D interactive haunted house opens in Branson, Missouri

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Under the name ‘Castle of Chaos’, the attraction combines the know-how of Alterface and Clostermann Design within a set packed with screens, special effects and animatronics. It brings together a game, an impressive rotating platform and 3D images, and is much more than just a haunted house, more than an interactive theater, more than a 4D cinema, and more than a Dark Ride. This is theHouse and it’s unique!

RelatedAlterface company profile / Clostermann entertainment company profile /   Interactive Haunted HouseLandmark 25th Desperados InstallationA very positive EAS for Alterface

Situated in Branson, Missouri (the ‘Show-Me State’), the Castle of Chaos has opened its doors in a new building next to the Hollywood Wax Museum on the ‘Strip’. For 50 years, Branson has been a major tourist and cultural city in the center of the U.S. with more than 100 shows and attractions that pull in over six million visitors each year.

"The attraction developed by Alterface is notable for its novelty and for being so ambitious, " says Kuvera Attractions Partner Tej Sundher. "The merging of an interactive game in a haunted house, with genuine video film and 3D images, special effects, animatronics and the rotating platform is a unique achievement. All our visitors are highly impressed. The opinions we gathered from the first visitors in an exit satisfaction survey make it clear. They love it!”

An experience full of emotions

Immersed in the story of Carli Winepeg, who mysteriously disappeared with her whole team in a medieval castle during shooting of a horror movie in the 1920s in Belgium, the players face surprise after surprise. It all starts in the room’s entrance, which is completely decorated, dimly lit and misty. Once in their themed seats, the players are welcomed by the voice of Stan Kablowski – who shipped the castle to the U.S. The eccentric old billionaire, who is obsessed with Carli, has a mission for them. Discover the origin of the strange things happening there and make them stop! But the mistress of the house quickly takes control of the situation, throwing the intrepid players into a furious battle for control of the castle.

In total darkness, the impressive rotating platform leads visitors from one screen to another. The 3D images, all in high definition and back-projected, create the illusion that new rooms are opening in front of the players and that the zombies and other creatures are about to enter the room. Some actually do: flies buzz around the room, a dog leaps through a door, bats emerge from the ceiling, a body bound in chains writhes around on a wall, statues start to mutate, and so on.

The seats themselves are packed with effects. They vibrate, bend, and tickle people’s heels and necks. Out of the walls and ceiling come lightning, rain and wind from the storm that is rumbling outside. Foul smells are released when the frightful face of Carli appears in the dark, some three meters (nine feet) high. In the final scene, the cursed actress chases the intruders away by destroying the castle!

An interactive game

Armed with a revolver, visitors take part in the story and can see the impacts of their shots on screen. Insects crawling on the ground explode, candle flames flicker, parts of the decor wobble, and ghosts are freed from the urns that have held them prisoner. Each target hit scores points for the players. When the adventure is over, everyone can see their own score displayed next to their photo! The highest scorers are highlighted in 3D. But this is not the only time players can see themselves on screen. During the show, zombies take photos of the room and these appear enlarged on screen. At that very moment, a trail of blood covers the screen and water is squirted on the players… Emotions run high, for sure! And there are other emotions to be experienced, which are just as impressive.

A new kind of attraction

"The market for haunted houses is huge in the United States and not only over the Halloween period. Thousands of attractions are based on this theme, " says Benoît Cornet, CEO of Alterface. "With theHouse, Alterface sets a new standard in this sector by introducing its recognized and proven interactive technology. In a single room with just limited floor space, it’s now possible to create a whole world of games and thrills for theme parks and entertainment centers.”

Based on the same content, theHouse is also available as a Drak Ride, cart-based or even as a pedestrian walk through Dark Ride thanks to Alterface’s exclusive lightweight and compact Wireless technology.

Key features:

–    Surface area of less than 200 square meters (2, 150 sq.ft);
–    Up to 300 players/hour;
–    High-definition 3D images back-projected;
–    10 special effects in the room and on the seats;
–    11 loudspeakers and 9 amplifiers, to create a genuine three-dimensional soundtrack too;
–    Music composed by a pianist, to accompany the projection of silent films shown at the famous Cinematek in Brussels;
–    The very latest Projectiondesign projectors;
–    A platform with a circumference of 8 meters (26 ft), turned by 10 motors, weighing 8 tons (17, 637 lb) and able to move at up to 15 revolutions/minute.
–    An official site is now online: https://castleofchaosbranson.com
–    The video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhKTSgrwo-A
–    Film shoot that involved top professionals in the sector from Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, assembled in a real medieval castle in Thy-le-Château in Belgium (https://users.belgacom.net/thy/page3.html);

For further information or an interview with Benoît Cornet, CEO of Alterface, contact Olivier at +32/10.48.00.65 or email: olivier.vincent@alterface.com

Visit us at IAAPA 2009 in Las Vegas from 16th to 20th November – booth 5459 – and discover our Interactive Theaters, theHouse, the Interactive Dark Rides and many more…

About Alterface
Founded in 2001, Alterface develops, markets and implements interactive entertainment and/or education solutions. Initially a spin-off from the Louvain-La-Neuve University, Alterface today has 30 employees at its site in Belgium and a representative office in Los Angeles (USA). The company’s exclusive technology and expertise enable it to position itself as a key contact for its many clients, theme parks and museums, located all over the world.  Discover Alterface’s know-how by visiting its website: www.alterface.com
You can also find Alterface on Youtube, Dailymotion, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Wikipedia and LinkedIn.

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