By Brian Luallen, Edited by Staff
What follows is a summary of Brian Luallen’s keynote given at the 2017 Haunted Attraction Symposium, the theme for which was ‘Innovation in Interactivity.’ This symposium, sponsored by the Haunted Attraction Network and Gantom Lighting & Controls, featured six keynote talks, each themed on a different aspect of interactivity.
Allow this article and the other five in this issue of The Haunt Journal to inspire your team toward new levels of interactivity.
Creating haunted attractions in a protected historic space is a challenge. The crew of The Queen Mary uses unique storytelling, unique experiential elements, and cutting-edge technology to engage guests all year long. In his presentation, Luallen discussed how The Queen Mary works with space instead of against it to create deeper interactive experiences for guests.
At the outset of his keynote presentation, Luallen announced that he’d be talking about scaring in an authentically haunted space— “historic chills”—and how his team creates interactive, eerie environments in the ship. “I love seeing people’s reactions in a real environment. Guests interact with the environment and with the characters, and the characters react to them,” he explained.
“The Queen Mary is the last transatlantic liner from a golden age,” Luallen explained. “Among many things that she is to people, she’s also considered to be one of the most haunted places in the world. It’s this spooky activity that serves as the basis for Dark Harbor, our Halloween event, and other things we curate throughout the year.”
Luallen continued, “Storytelling is what I’m passionate about. At the end of the day, what I see us all, collectively doing is trying to tell a story that brings our guests in and allows them to connect in a way that they can’t in a passive fashion. Ultimately, even if you’re watching a great film, you’re still a passenger on that journey. However, in some of the attraction experiences around the country the guest drives the experience, and the experience is reacting back to you in a profound way,” he said.
Interactivity—What is It, and How Do We Create It?
“When we talk about interactivity, there are different ways to do it, right?” said Luallen. “My goal is to remove any specter of doubt guests have when going through our experience, so they truly become emotionally connected to the story we’re trying to tell. They’re in the environment; they’re seeing the sets you built, they’re smelling things. It’s a world they’ve stepped into where they’re either the victim or the hero.”
Luallen’s opinion is, when all’s said and done, people come to haunted attractions to get scared. But what’s driving them to our attractions? “I believe it’s about a communal experience. It’s about a shared experience with friends. It’s a rite of passage for teenagers. My very first kiss was in a haunted house,” he confessed.
“That’s another reason that I’m tied to this world. There’s a heightened sense of emotion that we experience when fright, entertainment, and the dynamic of our friends intersect with elements we can’t fully control and that react to us. I think that’s what’s truly special about our industry.”
Building Stories Based on the Ship’s Haunted History
At Dark Harbor, the stories Luallen is using to create an environment people can get lost in are all based on the ship’s history. “Because we’re believed to be haunted, we’ve been inspired by those stories in all of our icon characters and mazes. Guests hear them during the day if they’re staying in our hotel, or they’ve read about them online and in books.”
Room B340 is allegedly the most haunted room on the ship, and it inspired a maze based on Samuel the Savage, a character based on a gentleman who lost his mind on a long voyage and killed his family in that room. There’s no historical record of this, but the story is true, and many people know it. “So,” said Luallen, “guests respond to it deeply, and the fact that it may be based in reality is something that gets some strong reactions.”
“Because people are aware of these stories they are ready to absorb it. By keeping the actors on point, they’re able to take those guests deeper into the stories than would happen if the guests were on their own.”
“Interactivity and Accessibility Are the same”
The Queen Mary has a 4D theater, which is part of the attraction’s goal to have more areas that people with disabilities can experience. “Interactivity and accessibility, to me, are one and the same,” stated Luallen. “Guests want to be engaged in the story, and there’s a legal and moral obligation to take our guests with mobility issues and get them into a story so that they, too, can connect. Unfortunately, because of stairs, because of things we can’t change, some of those guests will never be able to experience certain parts of the ship. So, we created a brand-new experience with cutting-edge special effects where you truly go through the ship and into spaces you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. We created an environment to replace the one that guests aren’t able to see due to their disabilities and the historic nature of the property,” he said.
“You have to think outside the box. When I say think outside the box, I mean think outside of your box, outside your property. You have to think about extending the experience in meaningful ways beyond the mazes. We’ve focused on how to create amazing opportunities for the group of guests that are looking for that emotional connection with each other, a journey they’re looking to go through, and experiences not only in the mazes but outside the mazes. For us creating a party atmosphere allows us to create these opportunities for engagement where our guests can get together, talk about the stories they’ve experienced, and dig deeper into the story.”
Ghosts & Legends
Luallen wrapped up by talking a little about his next project. “’Ghosts and Legends’ is the most popular tour in the Queen Mary’s history,” he explained. “We’ve massively expanded it. As part of this expansion, we’re building a giant Tesla coil that fits into the deep story. Paranormal investigators believe spirits are drawn to energy, so here we’re feeding back on the same stories that have evolved and created the Dark Harbor stories while still addressing all of those other challenges of a preserved, historic venue with structural limitations.”
“Beyond that, we’ll be using an augmented reality app. WiFi is a little tricky on the ship. We found out that by using Bluetooth beacons, we’re going to be able to cheat that. We’re going to have to use thousands of Bluetooth beacons all around so there can be a ghost-hunting app used as part of this,” he explained. “Each guest will have an intimate, individualized experience as they take their mobile device and trigger something only they will see. That’s a level of detail and interactivity that the Queen Mary has never been able to achieve due to the historic nature of the property. We’re changing into an environment where guests will truly encounter the paranormal, truly go on this journey, and it’s going to be incredibly immersive. The guest will be an active agent in choosing his or her way through,” he said.
Key Takeaways:
- Attractions, being based on the physical, are already poised to immerse the audience. “At the end of the day, what I see us all, collectively, doing is trying to tell a story that brings our guests in and allows them to connect in a way that they can’t in a passive fashion. Ultimately, even if you’re watching a great film, you’re still a passenger on that journey.”
- Create authentic environments. “My goal is to remove any specter of doubt guests have when going through our experience, so they truly become emotionally connected to the story we’re trying to tell. It’s a world they’ve stepped into where they’re truly either the victim or the hero.”
- Build opportunities for guests to be social. “I believe it’s about a communal experience. It’s about a shared experience with friends. It’s a rite of passage for teenagers. My very first kiss was in a haunted house.” In Dark Harbor, the stories that create an environment people can get lost in are all based on the ship’s history. “Because we’re believed to be haunted, we’ve been inspired by those stories for all of our icon characters and mazes. Guests hear them during the day if they’re staying in our hotel, or they’ve read about them online and in books.” “With our 4D theater, we created a brand-new experience with cutting-edge special effects where you truly go through the ship and into spaces you wouldn’t otherwise be able to.”
- Extend the guest experience. “You have to think outside the box. When I say think outside the box, I mean think outside of your box, outside your property. You have to think about extending the experience in meaningful ways. We’ve focused on how to create amazing opportunities for the group of guests that are looking for that emotional connection with each other, a journey they’re looking to go through, and experiences not only in the mazes but outside the mazes.”
About the Speaker:
Brian Luallen
Brian Luallen is a veteran attractions, special event, and entertainment leader with over 22 years of experience ranging from front-line operation to senior management. He carries with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and a real passion for creating excellent and repeatable guest experiences.
