Fog (smoke) is an effective way to create atmosphere and aide in the customer's disorientation. I used enhanced smoke, i.e.: fog that carries an aroma. My favorite aroma is cotton candy (vanilla). This aroma is most often used in the cemetery. Customers entering the cemetery comment on the smell, turn to talk to one another (they are thoroughly distracted) and loosen up or laugh about the smell. They are primed for the first scare in the cemetery. It could be anything: a swinging puppet, vibrating floor, actor startle or loud noise close to one of the customers.
Anise is another favorite aroma. Your local grocer has a variety of water based food flavors. These added to water based fog juice can create a grand variety of aromas. I have experimented and created the musty smell of a damp swamp as well as a close approximation of formaldehyde. I no longer have these formulas, but experimentation is half the fun of being a haunter. My raised deck allows me to back light small holes in the floor, through which I pump streams of fog. A fan near by pulls the air fog mixture along a predetermined path, this adds to the effect and keeps the path way clear enough to appreciate the floor effect. Walls can be forced filled with fog and holes or cracks will stream fog into the customer path. Fog filled coffins; cauldrons and other haunt items add depth and atmosphere to scenes. Regulate the flow so that only a small amount of fog escapes the container. Always have illumination from with in the container to color the fog. Fog distribution via forced air is accomplished with a four-inch pipe from the fog machine to a "Y" adapter. The bottom of the "Y" is the exit point for the fog. One of the "Y" tops is the fog machine input with the other "Y" top being the air input. I have used shop vacs, squirrel cage fans and leave blowers to provide constant airflow. For fine control of the amount of air to propel your fog, place another "Y" on the air supply side in front of the first "Y", add an adjustable damper and manually fine tune the flow of air to carry the fog. This same damper method can be used to control the exit of fog into the haunt from the system. The first damper would be opened a small amount, the next a little more and so on. The 60-degree system will sometimes create long hallways. A little fog and a laser light pointed at the on coming customers create a vortex type effect. Other patterns can be used. The key is to add another dimension/distraction and create another opportunity for a good scare. Low lying fog is neat to walk through. Cooling fog need not be complicated or expensive. Depending upon where your haunt is located and if you are an indoor or outdoors haunt, cooling fog is its relationship with the mean air temperature. In other words, the colder the air your customers travel through, the colder (more difficult) the fog must be to hug the ground. If it is cold outside your haunt, but warm inside, use air management to bring the cold air into a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is the key element of the system. I have used a large igloo cooler, a small window air conditioner unit, a leave blower and small fog machine to build my system. The AC unit is vented into the effect area (sometimes this air must be redirected); the chilled air travels through multiple flexible plastic pipes packed into the igloo. The fog travels through copper coils. The igloo is filled with water to improve heat transfer. The water inside gets very cold; the fog travels through the coils, looses its heat and exits as low-level fog. Instead of an AC unit, ice or dry ice can be used, however, they must be replenished. A unique way to create cold water for the heat exchanger would be to add a waterfall to your haunt. It could be indoors or outdoors. The water is cooled as it travels through the air. The greater the distance the water falls, the cooler the water. Now that I think about it, a small ice rink for ghouls would be nice, too. A popular outdoor fog system is the water misters. These are used by Zoos to create tropical conditions for the animals. I have seen these water systems used indoors, which is where they should never be used. They can create a grand fog effect around a haunt. They are expensive, but the fog juice (water) they use is cheap and this will pay for the system in one or two seasons.Mad Hatter
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