Edmund was part of the underlying ghost story. We used a combination of a leaf blower, a large amplifier, a bright worklight and some bricks and plasterboard to create effects for him. Manifestation Edmund Northmoor had been walled up, still alive, by his brother. When the players finally discovered this and found the portion of... Read more »
The Green Lady, Catherine Northmoor, was part of the underlying ghost story of the game. We used audio, smell, stick figures and a weird projection gag to create her. Manifestations The Green Lady mostly manifested as a smell of flowers and chiming bells. She was the only conscious ghost, the only one who could (sometimes)... Read more »
“Needless to say we didn’t go and check, nor return to the room, nor sleep a single minute more of the night.” James Osborn For Richard & Jennifer Claverhouse and their baby daughter Gwendolyn we used audio and a ridiculous stunt. Story The newly-wed Richard & Jennifer and their young daughter moved in with their... Read more »
For Theodore Northmoor, the Burned Man, we used real flame, smoke, sound effects, video projection, makeup, a pulley system and smells. Story In 1844, Northmoor House was burned to the ground in an act of arson. In the blaze, Theodore Northmoor abandoned his lover – Josephine, a maidservant – and fled. After he escaped he... Read more »
The children Robert & Eleanor Northmoor were audio-only ghosts. Story Robert & Eleanor Northmoor were twins who lived in the house in 1862. A tutor was hired for them, Mr Sanderson (they called him privately ‘Mister Sandy’) and he mistreated them, beating them, and eventually killed them with strychnine. (Mr Sanderson was actually Nicholas/Godfrey, the... Read more »
For Victor Northmoor, the Wraith, we used puppetry, smoke, video projection and audio. Story In 1860, the social climber Victor Northmoor was tricked by the villain of our story into spending more and more money on lavish parties in an attempt to impress society as a whole and, in particular, a wealthy heiress. Eventually he became... Read more »
“It’s very hard to ignore the smell of the trenches when you’re standing at the top of the stairs or in a corridor, it’s just incredibly jarring.” Simon English To create the soldier we used a puppet, smoke, smells, video and audio. Story The Soldier died in a gas attack in the trenches in 1916.... Read more »
“It’s very hard to ignore the smell of the trenches when you’re standing at the top of the stairs or in a corridor, it’s just incredibly jarring.” Simon English This was the first event at which we used smells, and it seemed to be very effective. We used Christmas candles to set the scene on... Read more »
Annette is probably our favourite of the ghosts, and one of the most effective in terms of special effects. To create her we used video projection, silent film and photographs. Story Annette Northmoor was a silent movie star who, when the talkies came in, found work drying up and became clinically depressed. She was convinced... Read more »
We created a Facebook group for the players of our game immediately after they booked, so that they could discuss things on the run-up to the game, including where to find appropriate costume and props, lift-sharing and so on. To do this, they all had to ‘friend’ me on Facebook. This allowed me to have... Read more »