Tearing It Up at Days of the Dead 2013

Scream Team Productions

Scream Team Productions

Scream Team Productions

Scream Team Productions

Scream Team Productions

The Kidd and Evil Ronald with Actor Keith Davidand Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper 

The weekend of April 5-7, 2013 the Los Angeles Convention Center played host to the horror convention, ‘Days of the Dead™’ (http://www.daysofthedead.net/). Fans of the genre go to ‘Days’ to see their favorite horror icons/celebrities and be able to personally interact with each one. On April 6^th Scream Team Productions™ sent five of their Elite Monsters to give attendees their version of a one-on-one experience.

Everyone walking around the Main Lobby was fair game. Crossing through the West Hall Lobby Evil Ronald lead his team to Petree Hall ready to freak out and impress the many make-up artists, producers, and other members of the gore society. Once there KIDD, Dr. Trauma, and Bogg broke off from the group in search of some screamers. Ronald and Izzabel dropped by the FEARnet™ table sending chills up some spines. Bogg snuck up behind a group of people near one of the stands. While a few of them noticed, they kept the female target unaware of his presence. When the timing was right Bogg let out a frightful high pitch scream that made her leap into the air, shaking and yelling out loud! Everyone around her laughed, reveling in her fear and agony.

Izzabel caught a glimpse of orange and yellow hair near the tables for Syfy’s FaceOff™. She slid into the center of a group chatting away and heard a squeal. Alana Schiro from Season 3 happily freaked out over Izzabel’s appearance and Baby Doll so much she hugged and kissed the ghoul!

Bogg, Izzabel, Dr. Trauma, and KIDD made one last stop by the FEARnet table to get a couple snapshots using the awesome camera they had setup.

The Elite Monsters made their way upstairs to the Days of the Dead 2013 Award Show. It was open early for drinks and general chatter. Through the rows of chairs they crept and climbed stopping by every patron for a spell. Dr. Trauma went in for a scare, but his female victim refused to show she was afraid. She focused so hard on showing up Dr. Trauma she failed to sense Bogg before he snarled in her ear. She shot into the air, “Oh my God you got me!

But the macabre guests were not the only ones in for a fright. In West Hall A the World of Dance Tour was in full swing, people walking in and out to grab food. None of them expected the ghoulish entertainers to turn their sights toward anyone not attending Days of the Dead. A couple guys present for the Dance competition called out to Izzabel from the sidelines. They sat on the floor smiling and laughing. Then she rushed over and bent in low above one of the jokers. He put his hands up as he yelled while flattening himself on the ground! His buddy laughed until Izzabel gave him a taste of fear. He was no braver than his friend and freaked out on the floor.

Some people enjoy a great fright. A cluster of teenagers dressed in cheer garb purposely walked over to interact with the Scream Team again and again when the creatures were not coming over to them. Their guys and girls laughed and screamed during photo opportunities.

Dr. Trauma and KIDD teamed up on a small crowd of teens and the chase began! Two of the girls kept hiding behind different friends and shrieking whenever either monster came near. They managed to trap one of them getting as close to her face as they could get.

The night slowly drew to a close. Before taking off KIDD and Evil Ronald stopped by the Awards show one last time. They could not leave without saying “Hello” to Keith David. After a few more scares going through the Main Lobby Evil Ronald gave the signal, calling it a successful night.

Two Pioneers in the Horror Industry Teams Up!

This just in! Two pioneers in the horror industry, Scream Team Productions™ and Blumhouse Productions™, are coming together to bring you the biggest scares of October 2012 with Blumhouse of Horrors™!

“Blumhouse is passionate about telling scary stories in entirely new ways and we are taking everything we have learned from our film production experience to create a one-of-a-kind Haunted House in downtown L.A. We are excited to kick-off October with The Blumhouse of Horrors,” stated Jason Blum, Blumhouse Founder and CEO. To ensure his haunt was headed in the right direction he called in Willie May, Scream Team Productions CEO, and his team for an initial consultation that has resulted in this a month long partnership and this horrifyingly immersive walkthrough.

Using their knowledge in storytelling, set design, and film production with the innovative mind set and years of haunt experience provided, they have changed the Variety Art Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles into the latest and creepiest hotspot for ghouls and ghosts alike. More than 40 actors will frighten and entertain patrons overwhelmed by ghastly smells and sounds. Scream Team’s Elite Monsters will be making nightly appearances on the street in front of the theatre.

“Visitors will tour the twisting corridors of an eerily haunted theater whose stage was home to one of the world’s most deranged, dark art magicians during the heyday of 1920s vaudeville. That is, until one tragic performance when his assistant climbed into a magical box and vanished forever. The theater was shut down instantly and permanently closed to the public … until now.

Filled with terrifying sights, sounds and smells, The Blumhouse of Horrors (www.BlumhouseofHorrors.com) will bring visitors face-to-face with the ghostly spirits of the magician and his disciples -all of whom continue to hone their craft, on the lookout for volunteers for tricks that could end in disappearance or death.”

Giveaways, special promotions, and contests will be held on the Official Blumhouse Facebook and Twitter pages: Facebook.com/blumhouse and Twitter.com/blumhouse.

The Blumhouse of Horrors will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from October 4th through October 28th; and then Monday, October 29th, through Saturday, November 3rd. Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at www.BlumhouseOfHorrors.com.
This event is recommended for children ages 12 and up. On certain weekends there will be daytime “lights on” experiences for younger children.
The Variety Arts Theatre is located at 940 South Figueroa Street, between 9th and 10th Streets in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, California.

ABOUT SCREAM TEAM PRODUCTIONS AND BLUMHOUSE PRODUCTIONS

Scream Team Productions™ has a firm grasp on the Haunted Attraction Industry in Southern California and continues to expand. Willie May, the CEO and Co-Founder, turned what started as a fundraiser to help those affected by September 11th into a small business in 2006 and made it into the trend setting company it is today. Their most recognized creations recently include Minds Terrors the Haunted Attraction in 2007 and Toxic Terrors at Storm Stadium in Lake Elsinore in 2008. Being a ground-breaking corporation Scream Team Productions has their hand in many other areas from giving consultations for other haunted attractions to graphic and web design. In 2010 clients were given access to a new shock service: The Scare Gram. People could now select one or more ghouls from the Elite Team to crash an event or terrify a specific person. The Elite Monsters have also loaned their scaring abilities to other haunts and events such as Coffin Creek in Corona, Balboa Haunted Trail in San Diego, currently Blumhouse of Horrors, and Halloween at the Hard Rock in San Diego with October 27th, 2012 going to be their third annual event.

Blumhouse Productions™ is the production firm best known for delivering blockbuster horror films such as the Paranormal Activity™ franchise and Insidious™. Founded by Jason Blum back in 2000, the multi-media company has at least 30 titles under its belt and in the works. Their most profitable film, Paranormal Activity™ (2007), made almost $200 million worldwide while being filmed for a mere $15,000. Paranormal Activity 2™ followed making $170 million. James Wan’s Insidious™ had a budget of $1.5 million and pulled in close to $100 million. Paranormal Activity 3™ was as popular as the first one making almost $200 million, but was made with $5 million. Later this year will be the premieres of Scott Derrickson’s Sinister™ and Paranormal Activity 4™.

EPIC SCARE GRAM

The Rob Dyrdek Scare Gram
By Elizabeth Garcia
January 31, 2013

On October 31st, 2012 the Elite Monsters of Scream Team Productions™ gathered at BlumHouse of Horrors™ to dress out for a secret Scare Gram. It was so secret all communication was banned with the outside world. The Scare Gram is a popular year-round service offered by Scream Team Productions™. Clients can select one or multiple monsters to appear at a specific location or event to surprise and terrify a specific person or group. The monsters given the honor to scare were Boinx with the Screaming Demon™, Whipstitch, Dr. Trauma, Butch, Izzabel, Sketch with the chainsaw, and Hubert along with their supervisor, Tim Deddeh. Once on the road they were informed of the mission before them: to scare Rob Dyrdek and the entire Dyrdek Enterprises™ crew. Only one person at the building knew of the excitement headed their way.

The Team’s insider at Dyrdek Enterprises Inc.™, Paul Vizcaino the company’s Urban Strategist, met them in the parking lot to finalize their entrance strategy. Paul wanted to be pursued by the monsters from the side hallway across the Fantasy Factory and into Rob’s office with the lead monster wielding the chainsaw. They followed him inside and stopped in the hallway. The chainsaw roared to life! Paul hightailed across the Factory floor with Sketch on his heels and the rest of Scream Team Elite not far behind. They burst into his office, but Rob wasn’t at his desk. They looked to their left and saw him sitting at a table completely shocked and trembling! They started having fun getting in his face and personal space making him squirm and squeal

The assorted freaks entered the indoor skate park. Noticing they were being watched by Rob’s team from the windows upstairs they started visibly taunting and scheming. Tim rallied their team together for a group shot in front of the World’s Longest Skateboard. Rob joined in, but not before getting a dose of the Screaming Demon™ courtesy of Boinx. On the second floor curiosity continued building for those witnessing the strange events below. The creatures were sprinting toward the stairway that leads to their offices!

As Jacob Kelley, one of Rob’s Website and Application Developers put it on YouTube™, “…all hell broke loose, literally.” Butch, Dr. Trauma, and Izzabel swarmed the receptionist, trapping her behind the desk with her hands over her ears and screaming. Boinx led the way up the stairs firing off the Screaming Demon™ . Sketch and Hubert trailed close behind with Whipstitch. They pressed themselves against the glass walls mocking the people who refused to leave their offices. As the rest of the team made it to the second floor they worked their way down the hall bouncing from person to person with Butch actually bouncing off a wall! Through a door at the end of the hall, one busy bee was trapped behind his desk with escape routes being cut off. Another guy crawled out from under his desk after they had left the room. During a short-lived reprieve Dyrdek’s Team tried to grasp what was happening.

Even Rob himself couldn’t believe it, “Yo, like I’m spooked and I know it’s like--it’s still spooky.”

The Elite Team rejoined their victims with the intention of giving each person their undivided attention. Sketch went after Jacob Kelley with his chainsaw cornering him against a glass wall behind a door. Hubert and Izzabel mocked him from the other side, but his focus was on the thunderous chainsaw. Sketch pulled back before getting in Jacob’s face again, then turned and left the room. Immediately, the frazzled target tried to close the doors to the office. “Come here!” Sketch called out, “who said I’m done? Huh?”

“Aw crap!” Jacob pulled the glass door open and the clown rushed forward just enough to make the poor guy flinch.

“I like this one!” Boinx walked in and blasted the Screaming Demon™ at Jacob before Whipstitch, Sketch, and Hubert pinned him against the wall. They took turns teasing and startling him. When the opportunity arose Jacob wasted no time and ran for the door.

Everyone moved back into the main hallway. Butch decided to change things up and began “literally climbing the walls” of the hallway with ease! Izzabel tried to get a kiss for her dolly, but her chosen Romeo couldn’t handle it. He pushed past her making the little girl pursue him into the next room. Meanwhile, Boinx and Whipstitch turned the focus to Talisha Romero, Director of Marketing and Events. Boinx snarled, she flinched. They lightly touched her hair, she started freaking out!

Then it hit her, “Wait, did Willie tell you guys to ge--”

“Who?” the monsters quizzically asked.

Talisha asked again, “Willie? Willie May?”

“Who?” “Who’s that?”

Meanwhile Dr. Trauma slammed his hand on the wall next to a young brunette making her jump. He then moved in closer, but pulled back when she started laughing nervously.

Boinx decided to get down to business and led some monsters into the Board Room. Sketch and Izzabel wanted to play with Jacob at his desk tapping his keyboard and running off with his hat to join the others. The Elite Team sat around the glass table posing for pictures. Hesitantly Rob joined them for a couple photos before moving back toward the door. ”Happy f***ing Halloween!” Whipstitch and Boinx closed in on Rob, who laughed uneasily in an unusually high pitch. Then he bolted for the door!

The Elite Team chased him down the back stairs, across the skate park, and into his office. Rob escaped and made it to the other side of the building, going up the stairs to the top of the skate ramp. With nowhere else to go he flipped into the foam pit. Whipstitch, Boinx, Hubert, Sketch, and Izzabel jumped in after him. Dyrdek and the Elite Monsters in the pit made their way out with little trouble, except Boinx whose foot was wedged between some tightly packed pieces of foam. With a little group effort he was freed in no time. Whipstitch, Butch, and Sketch ran back to the top of the ramp and slid down head first as Tim jumped over their heads.

When asked what he thought of the Scare Gram Rob answered, “I feel like I got the joy of my own haunted house without having to leave the house.”

In the span of thirty minutes The Elite Monsters of Scream Team Productions™ succeeded in making October 31st, 2012 a Halloween Dyrdek Enterprises Inc.™ will never forget.
That same day within an hour after the Scare Gram was over Rob and Jacob posted two teaser videos on YouTube™ and a photo of Rob Dyrdek with the Elite Monsters made rounds on the internet via Instagram™ and Twitter™. It became one of the most viewed photos on Instagram™ and still is to this day.

VIEW VIDEO HERE: http://youtu.be/6UlQPlDvkaQ

Sliding the Scare Factor

Sliding the Scare Factor by Andrew Lozano I have spent my life thus far exploring its many different avenues. I have been into the arts and music since an early age. As a result I’ve pursued the theatre Arts, and musical arts as an opportunity to discover who I am as a human being. This philosophy then caused me to realize to never be afraid of other possibilities and to step out of your comfort zone. It wasn’t long till I discovered the amazing world of the haunt industry and what it had to offer. My first experience ever with a haunt was with The Queen Mary‘s Shipwreck (now known as The Dark Harbor) in 2007. After my first year out in the field as a maze monster I became totally hooked and had so much fun creating scares and bringing what I had to the table. However it wouldn’t be until 2011 when I joined Scream Team Productions that I added another scaring tool to my world. That tool was the Art of Sliding which can be described as a quick smooth athletic maneuver on the ground to surprise the unaware stranger. Being observant and good timing are essential into pulling off a successful slide. If done right patrons are left with a memorable scare and will later talk about it to their friends. At first when I bought my sliding gear I was highly enthusiastic and couldn’t wait to start learning. I remembered working with the Queen Mary and how their sliders would have so much fun sliding. When I came to Scream Team Productions and found out they offer slider training to their elite monsters I knew I had to give it a go. It became clear to me shortly after how much training and dedication must be put into being an elite slider. For example, sliding takes a lot of lower body strength, physical endurance, and cardio endurance. This holds especially true during training sessions and more importantly during an actual event. Giving everything you have into a single slide and holding nothing back was a main thing to consider when going in for a scare. An out of shape person would not be able to handle a night of sliding and maneuvering as compared to a person who trains in the categories mentioned. My time during training sessions were at times stressful and at other times fun memorable moments. A typical sliding session would start off with a warm up run and then we would work on exercises that targeted the lower body muscles. This was necessary to build up the body’s strength to the hardships of sliding, as I found often working late nights performing on your feet takes its toll. While I had previous experience before Scream Team Productions knowing how to handle long hours. What I learned in my sliding sessions only brought me to next level. And it’s at moments like that I realize a person should never doubt themself greatness. They should always strive each day to get better than they were a day before. And I saw that philosophy engrained in the leaders of Scream Team Productions and I applaud them for that. The certain sliding exercises involved a run-down of a cone obstacle course. Requiring you to stop in an instant, and slide between cones without hitting them. We had other exercises involving committing to a slide while a partner walks ahead of you. This got us used to what it would be like in an actual haunt environment with patrons moving and blocking angles left and right. Those who look to first get into sliding won’t start out with exercises like these until a few weeks into the training season however. When it came to me first learning how to slide I actually found it a little easy. The hard though part was learning to control speed and momentum and quickly stopping. I wouldn’t let that dissuade anyone from trying this though as once you get comfortable it’s an awesome feeling. As I ended my 2011 season with lots of screams and frights I took with me another memory of my first active sliding scares as well. Getting such compliments as “You were the best monster out of the whole place” really brighten my night. I learned to slide and evolved my scaring game to another level. And Scream Team Production’s wonderful sliding classes helped me achieve that. But of course the next season awaits and I’ll be sure to be ready for it. So on that note, On to the next scare!