buttonman700

The 2012 West Coast Haunters Convention will be held June 1-3 in Portland Oregon at the DoubleTree Hotel at Lloyd Center. http://www.westcoasthauntersconvention.com The convention is in it's the 3rd year, but it is being held in Portland Oregon. Another first is the convention location, the DoubleTree Hotel and exhibition center. The show was started by Ed Roberts, of The Nightmare Factory, a charity haunt for the Oregon School for the Deaf. They were featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. The West Coast Haunters Convention was started because other conventions were too far away or too costly for Ed to bring his students. So Ed decided if he could not take his students to a convention he would bring the convention to his students with the intention of creating a haunters convention on the west coast for all haunters and Halloween fans. One of the unique things about this convention is that it is run as a nonprofit that contributes to a foundation that provides grants for special education. There will always be workshops and seminars about charity haunt, be because the convention got it's start at the Oregon School for the Deaf. seminars will be interpreted for any deaf or hard of hearing participants. This years keynote speaker will be Mike Krausert from Bad Boys Scenic Design and New England's Spooky World and more recently The Fear at Fenway park and formerly from Terror on the Fox. Convention highlights will include: an elaborate costume ball on Saturday night. Sponsored by Dark Light precision Lighting systems. A hearse car rally featuring cars from around the northwest and other events throughout the weekend. Education at the West Coast Haunters Convention is paramount and this year will be no exception. Classes and workshops will take place daily, with over 50 hours of topics related to all areas of haunting and haunted houses! This years tradeshow floor will be filled with some of the top vendors in the industry. The move to the DoubleTree allows the tradeshow to more than double the available space for vendors. All this and the opportunity to network with hundreds of haunted house owners and enthusiasts can be found at the 2012 WCHC.

How I miss going ti IAAPA. So you've been by my buddy Leonard's booth, haunterpenuers. If you get the chance stop in and say hello to the guys at Froggy's Fog, and Dark Lights , and any of my other haunted house pals. Love the up dates you guys, thank you! Ed Roberts, nightmarefactorysalem.cpm westcoasthauntersconvention.com

Really, it's playing on Dutch TV, very cool, is it dubbed over in dutch? WOuld be curious to see that. It's hard to believe it has been a year now since this happened to us. I'll try to post pictures from this years event. We have added another 8,000 square feet to the haunt and re-themed everything.

from this footage http://www.wesh.com/news/26340546/detail.html we can see that inspectors are on the ride itself. There are a few other news casts I have found, they are too lame to post.

I am wrong... The first picture below is taken from the hotel atlantis in Dubai on the Palm Island. facing the water park at the hotel. The following picture is from Ski Dubai http://www.skidubai.com/ How was the view from the top of the Burj Khalif... don't know if I could do that.

Well we have a monorail going over head. and looking at google earth, those tents in the background look simalar to those at the Palms sales office right accross the street from the Hotel Atlantis.

I'd like to venture a guess... is this startgate park?

I've been going through over 3,000 pictures from the build, here are a few more. BTW, if you live out this way, west coast that is, you might want to come out to the West Coast Haunters COnvention, being held at the Oregon School for the Deaf in May of next year. The Nighmare Factory will be on on Friday the 13th for a lights off and lights on tour. More can be found at http://www.westcoasthauntersconvention.com/ I will post more pictures and stories of the build over the holiday's.

Here are just a few more pictures of the hautned house. I'll post Dorm Pictures and othr stuff when I can. pre-show entry. looking back at the pre-show staging areas. There are three rows in the room all of them are facing this this guy... next picture. Talking bust... want to know more, and why this guy was the talk of the show. nightfrights.net Ghost bust live deluxe. Fro-zombie. Tis kids dad was one amazing artist that flew in from Spokane, and got to be around for the build. lunch room Zombie Prom

The ABC show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE) came to the Oregon School for the Deaf this past September and made over our haunted house, the Nightmare Factory. I started this haunted house funder raiser back in 1987, when I started to work at the school, never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that Ty and his crew would show up at our haunt and do all this for us. Over the years the Nightmare Factory has grown in popularity, but due to it's location in the basement of our boys dorm and the fact that portions of this dorm had been deemed unfit for students due to earthquake issues, that coupled with the dirt floor, we were under the constant threat of either having to close the haunt, rebuild portions of the dorm to code, and cover the dirt with cement for health reasons. ugh!! THe funds we have raised of the past 22 years have done a lot for the kids at our school, and the haunt has taught many of them how to operate a very successful business, to become successful in the world outside our school, and to give back to the community as well. (we do huge food drives each year). If we lost the haunt, the school would lose so much. About three years ago, our school director sent out a 250 word letter to EMHE, telling them about the haunt, the dorms and our needs at OSD in general. well... This past June we got a call from casting at ABC, and at that point we, myself and two others on campus, became the secret moles, we knew what was going on... Then, in May we were told, it was almost certain we were being picked... Then in June it was a done deal, I had, we had to sign some fairly scary paperwork... but it was all worth it, the summer of 2010 I gave almost all my time to getting paperwork filled out, helping producers get forms filled out by families, all under the guise that we were one of five groups being looked at for EMHE. No one could believe that we were in the running, I had to pinch myself daily. I started to meet with design producers almost daily come July and August, and had some amazing meetings with some of the top haunt people in the business. as the day ABC was going to ambush our school drew near, it became harder to keep the secret, not for me, but for others that at this time were being called on to help. My response to any of them was, HEY, I'M COMING OVER TO TELL YOUR KIDS SANTA IS A FAKE!... that shut up most of them. I have no idea how it happened, but for the most part noone at school knew they were coming and on Sept 6th, I got on the bus with Ty and the rest of the stars of the show and we rode around Salem for four hours being taped. The ambush took lace around 2:00 in the afternoon, and well seven days later we were given a gift like none other. A brand new super amazing haunted house and the first phase of an amazing new dorm for our boys. (if you've seen the show it makes it look like we are moved in and cosy in the new dorm, however we are not. I am on the fund raising team to help build the rest of this dorm. We are selling 20 more rooms and 10 bathrooms. rooms are 50k and bathrooms are 25k. If you know anyone or a business that would like to help pout... you know where to find me!) The Nightmare Factory had an amazing year this year, thanks to all those that gave us our new haunt. IF you are up in Oregon this May we are holding the second annual West Coast Haunters Convention and as part of the WCHC we will be opening the haunt for tours. I hope you enjoy the pictures - Ed Roberts http://www.haunteded.homestead.com http://www.nightmarefactorysalem.com David here is the CEO of Scare Factory, his compnay gave so much to us, I can never repay him! New entry to the haunted house queue line... a look at part of the new queue line, it rivals a disney queue... This years nightmare was ghoul school! Lunch anyone? part of the hallway, everything you see here, they did for us. Before this it was a long blank hallway. One of the areas Rob Zombie helped design... yes he was there and yep, he was way cool! more of the hallway to ghoul school! Rob Zombie and my pal Todd (zombie)

Here are a few more pictures. one of our queue line actors nightmare factory new sign at night!

The Nightmare factory at tha Oregon School for the Deaf received an Extreme Makeover Home Edition makeover this past September. I can only post a few pictures for you now (I am under a photo embargo), but once Halloween passes I can post a full report for you all. Our new sign yep, that's ROb Zombie. He was our guest star. Nice guy.

I'll post more pics and stuff soon as I can...

Yes it's true, the TV show Extreme Makeove Home Edition showed up at the Oregon School for the Deaf on September 6th to re build our school haunted house and build the boys a new dorm (phase one of four phases) What an amazing experinace, I am still pinching myself. See here's the thing though, I was contacted back in May by reps from ABC saying we had been selected and at that point I had to sign non-disclosure aggrements and then keep a secret from everyone on staff, my parents and even my wife for months. The only others on campus that knew were our school's director and our maintenace supervisor! My summer was spent working with producers from the show getting families to sign paperwork and fill out forms, we were one of five that had been nomintated in Oregon and needed to fill out the paperwork now just in case they picked us. What a crazy summer, no break for Ed! But in the end it was worth all the work... The new dorm is wonderful, and the new haunt, well it is out ragous and over the top amazing. the Celeb that showed up to 'help' with the build was none other than Rpb Zomibe himself! OMG! Rob Freakin' Zombie! What nice guy too. So on the day of what ABC calls ambush day, I was informed I woiuld be on the bus with Ty, Michael, Johnny and Page, that I would be the guest on the bus. We took off around 10 in the morning and drove all over Salem, arriving at OSD around 2:30, four plus hours that zoomed by for me. The ambush took place on the first day of school and the schools 140th anniversary party, here were over 500 people at the party! Imagine the looks on their faces when I came off the bus with the stars of the show... As you know ABC sends the famlies on a vacation, our group and mena group (they sent the school and teacher and families) to Minnasota to get new hearing aides and to have a good time at Valley Fair, mall of america and a zillion other things in the area... 140 plus went. (thank you starkey foundation) The build began on Tuesday the 7 and wrapped on the 13th, the day everyone got back, everyone that is but me. I was held back, I am the hUnts founder and they wanted me around to help with any questions or problem that might have. ( I actually was working with the design producers for two weeks prior to the ambush or getting decorations for the haunt, meeting with the company that lead the haunt build, and just plan old having a great tiome keeping the secret!!!) ANhow, after 7 amazing days, with over 5,000 volunteers helping and countless donations flowing in, the reveal day arrived, and it was a day I will never forget. See, I was not allowed into the haunt at all during the build, or the new dorm. I couldn't move with out a camera with me. I didnt get to see much... Sorry I am dragging this out... Here are some pics from the build.... If you are out our way in October or in May the Haunt will be open. http://www.nightmarefactorysalem.com and http://www.westcoasthauntersconvention.com I also want to thank the dozens of haunted house people from all over the country that came to help us, Andrew from Knott's, Tottoo from Nightmare New England, David from scare factory, Kip form pale night, Chris from froggys fog, Davis Graveyard, Fright town make up team, Toby wayne studios, my wife! ANd dozens more. the ground bearking for the new dorm Page and Michael new haunt sign so, yeah the guy in yellow, he's only Donny Osmond's nephew... Hanging with my guy Johnny Littlefield! This used to be our pre show for the haunt... wait till I can post the pics from in here... Flippin' zombies... Kasey's did the makeup on the pumpin guy! ( this is not kasey in this picture!) GOOD BYE OLD HAUNT! Rob Zombie and Toby Wayne!

If you are not impressed with the idea of this show, hen what might I ask would you like to see instead? Offer up some idea's, albeit too late, but I am curious. This park really did little for me on my first and only visit last April, I founds it to a real travesty. the idea of yet another water base show does seem a bit redundant, true, but seeing that there is this large body of water in the middle of the park...