Frights are fundraising for a good cause
North Islanders are pretty easy to scare according to a man used to terrifying people.
‘‘Just a mild snow or sleet and you guys would freak out.’’
In Wellington to raise money for Plunket with his Warehouse of Fear, Canterbury farmer Rory Foley said he was an expert in the art of terror and said that ’’code browns’’ were a good thing in his line of work.
‘‘I know it’s a strange thing to be happy about and that may go some way to explaining why I’m single.’’
The six nights of horror is being hosted at Petone’s old Unilever factory, but the scaremaster wouldn’t say what punters would find waiting for them within the walls.
‘‘At our last event 56 people said the safe word to stop the scares, 12 people wet themselves and there were two code browns.
‘‘Basically we’re going to scare the crap out of you. It’s a horrible version of an amusement park.’’
Foley said everybody had very different fears, but there was one horror that came up time and time again.
‘‘People are petrified of clowns. So many people are just terrified and it’s an actual phobia called coulrophobia.
‘‘People are even scared of Ronald McDonald.’’
A phobia of all things medical came a close second to clowns, he said.
‘‘We’ve been known to have a high pitched noise that sounds like a drill playing in one of the rooms.’’
With terrified people inside a dark warehouse, health and safety was a big deal in Foley’s work.
‘‘We’re very careful and everybody has to sign a waiver ... we have a proven track record for safety.’’
He said a big part of the event was judging how far people could be pushed and still have fun.
Those who planned to head along to the R16 event would be pleased to know the safe word was purple and, even in the pitch black, they were watched.
‘‘We have night vision cameras ... we’re watching you, for your safety of course.
Everybody has their limits ... we’ve had big burly guys totally freak out.’’
The details:
Warehouse of Fear - Plunket Fundraiser at the Old Unilever Factory, 486 Jackson St, Petone, Lower Hutt, on September 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 from 7pm. Tickets $25, available at iTicket or call 0508 484 253.