Dracs turns science into screaming hit
DRACULA’S Gold Coast creatives have another screaming hit on their hands – in Singapore.
Newman Entertainment International (NEI), the family company behind the Dracula’s Broadbeach and Melbourne cabarets and the Haunted House attraction in Surfers Paradise, is breaking new ground as world-leading exporter of “thrillertainment”.
The Newman family’s mad professors – siblings Paul, Haydie and Mark Newman and Paul’s son Luke – cut the ribbon on their giant “edutainment” project, Phobia Squared (P2), at the Science Centre Singapore (SCS) this week.
An immersive experience that encourages visitors to surrender their inhibitions and face their fears, the exhibit was commissioned by the Singaporean Government after NEI’s first export, The Human Body Experience (HBX) attraction, proved a runaway hit when it opened at the centre in 2015.
“P2 is going to scare the pants off a few people,” creative director Marc Newman said.
“We have even designed bypass doors so the visitor flow isn’t disrupted by people who chicken-out.”
Designed to connect with Gen Z and teenage audiences, P2 starts with a foyer AV introduction that directs people to an elevator to the SCS basement.
When the lift cable snaps, visitors find themselves plummeting down the lift shaft as the audio announces: “Welcome to your first fear experience – Basophobia, the fear of falling.”
NEI technical director Paul Newman said fear and entertainment were a perfect mix.
“Audiences are thrilled, stimulated and excited by fear, while enjoying the escapism, music and humour of our cabaret shows,” he said.
“This mix seems to work exceptionally well for our educational attractions as the number of visitors to HBX can attest.”
SCS commissioned NEI to bring P2 to life after pouring over 30 proposals from companies around the world.
The exhibit was designed and built by the small team of scenic artists, sculptors and techies at NEI’s workshop in West Burleigh, who also cook up the gadgets, props, sets and adornments used at the Haunted House and Dracula’s Broadbeach theatre.
The attraction has Dracula’s trademark art-house, spooky creative feel and includes a 3m tall shrieking animatronic gorilla, pitch tunnels and claustrophobic inflated passages.
Visitors also ride a simulated rollercoaster, get buried alive, interact with a horror
movie set and make a speech in front of a virtual audience.
“Even the walls have eyes,” technical designer Luke Newman said.
He said hidden surveillance video cameras and other monitoring equipment in the exhibit would be used to map the patterns of phobias the visitors experience.
“This data will form part of a wider study into What Freaks Us Out and will engage Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other interactive social media platforms,” he said.