Dread Central Tours Ten Thirty One Productions’ Great Horror Campout with Photos!

Steve Barton   |  

Jun 4, 2013

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With the Great Horror Campout taking place this Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th in Los Angeles, we toured Ten Thirty One Productions last week to get a sneak peek.

We got an early glimpse of the two overnight, twelve-hour experiences that will place attendees into an immersive horror camping adventure. Read on for exclusive photos and for our chat with President Melissa Carbone.

Arriving last Thursday at dusk to the pick-up point located just below the abandoned zoo in Griffith Park, we were subsequently ferried to Ten Thirty One Productions (creators of the popular Los Angeles Haunted Hayride attraction) via a Haunted Hayride shuttle for the private media preview, although a trio of unexpected guests joined our ride mid-way. Slowing along Riverside Drive, the bus came to a halt, and emerging from the roadside brush three masked men stormed our vehicle. Little time was wasted by them (part pseudo Wrong Turn cannibals, part in spirit Hostel Elite Hunting Club members) in placing burlap sacks over the heads of the press in attendance, who then along with this writer were forcibly moved to the rear of the bus, where we were subsequently berated, taunted and simultaneously informed of the horrors which lay ahead at the Great Horror Campout.

“The reason we have brought you here,” Carbone told us upon our arrival minutes later to Ten Thirty One Productions’ front office (the sight-depriving sacks at that time having happily been removed from our heads), “is because we are really, really proud of the work we have done on the Great Horror Campout, and we are really excited about all of the content, of which there is a lot. If you are someone looking for a high-octane horror experience, you will be able to get that there (via our ‘Hell Hunt’). If you are somebody who just wants to camp in a spooky environment, you’ll be able to get that, too, and so much more. The layers are infinite. The experience can be very complex or very simple depending on what a camper wants. We have created an experience for everybody who loves horror.”

Adjourning to the warehouse, where the production had set up an impressive, extensive and detailed tent which contained a sample of the impending camp cuisine, unreleased camp site maps, bloody prop cadavers, prosthetic display busts of the ‘Beasts of the Camp’ (over one hundred of them will roam the Great Horror Campout, subjecting guests to all manner of terror, kidnappings, frights and more) and two of the rather impressive ‘Beasts’ themselves, Carbone gave us insight on what attendees of the Great Horror Campout may expect.

“The first thing will be arrival and check-in,” stated Carbone of what attendees, who will need to provide their own personal sleeping bags, pillows and flashlights, should prepare themselves for, “and they will receive their informational packets and a reusable Great Horror Campout canvas bag for the ‘Hell Hunt.’ From 8pm to 10pm a buffet style dinner will be served, and at 9:30pm the ‘Headmaster’ will be speaking. He is the boss, and he makes the rules, and also, he can change them at anytime. Directly after the orientation, people can go back to their tents, they can go watch the first film that will be projected on the outdoor big screen (writer’s note: the film marathon will kick off with Sleepaway Camp II, followed by Friday the 13th: Part III, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dark Skies and Mama, among others), they can go roast marshmallows, or they can get ready for the ‘Hell Hunt,’ which goes from 10pm to 2am.”

Regarding the ‘Hell Hunt,’ attendees partaking in it will be provided with a list of objects they must attain in order to become a ‘Hell Master’ (and to win a ‘Golden Ticket’ to the LA Haunted Hayride, good for unlimited rides during the 2013 Halloween season), and in doing so, direct interaction with the event’s creatures (a stunning array of urban legends come to life) will be needed, as well as with some of the macabre and gooey set dressings. These include, but are not limited to, securing ribs which must be ripped from the torsos of cadavers, fingers which must be broken and severed from bound, screaming and bleeding actors, severed heads obtained via partaking in voodoo rituals, a literal blood bath, and more. Adding to these challenges will be the ‘Creep Van’, which will be trolling the property for the length of the event.

“You may be caught, grabbed, thrown into the back of the van and kidnapped,” Carbone extrapolated with a sinister laugh, “and where the monsters will drop you off, only they will know. It could be a cage in the middle of camp, where you will be padlocked away and handcuffed to someone you just met, and you will then need to negotiate your release. This is where some of the items one has already obtained may come into play. A counselor and a camper will negotiate for the camper’s release, which means the camper may have to give some of their items up. The items are essentially commerce.”

Campers will find themselves in peril elsewhere as well, up to and including the theatre area, the restrooms, and even their own tents.

“The monsters won’t be falling asleep, ever, and may even drag sleeping campers from their tents,” smiled Carbone. (Writer’s note: attendees do have a ‘safe phrase’ however. Screaming, “I want my mommy!” will force the creatures to disengage. And do yourself a favor; wear clothes you hate, as blood, and copious amounts of it, should be expected).

“We have been going through intensive training with our cast,” Carbone concluded, allaying any concerns of actual violence, “in order to teach them how to grab people and how not to grab people. The rules of engagement are very specific. No one is ever going to be placed in real danger at any time. We are more focused on the context of the scare, although,” she smiled, “one could be padlocked away in the trunk of a car.”

For those who survive the night, a camp breakfast will be served as the sun arises, while the ‘Headmaster’ announces the names of the driven, the weary and the brave who have succeeded in attaining the status of ‘Hell Master.’

For more on the Great Horror Campout see the official press release below, and to purchase tickets (they are selling out fast, so don’t delay), visit the Great Horror Campout website!

Given the media walk-through, I couldn’t recommend this event more. It looks to be absolutely top-notch, and an experience unlike anything previously created.

I’ll see you there: perhaps in the trunk.

From the Press Release:
New in 2013, the Great Horror Campout will bring a unique kind of camping experience to Los Angeles. From Ten Thirty One Productions (creators of the popular Los Angeles Haunted Hayride), the Great Horror Campout will be an overnight, twelve-hour experience that puts campers into an immersive horror camping adventure jam packed with content.

Campers can choose the intensity of their adventure; however, whether they decide to stay in their tents with friends or venture into the darkness is all fair game. And unlike during the LA Haunted Hayride, the performers at Great Horror Campout may touch you.

The Great Horror Campout takes place June 7th and 8th at the Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St, LA, CA 90012.

With a slogan that promises, “Only the Dawning Sun Will Save You, tents, horror movies, bonfires and marshmallow roasting are only the beginning. Campers wanting an even more extreme horror experience can participate in the Hell Hunt, an interactive experience that will bring campers face to face with their worst nightmares in order to retrieve the items for which they are hunting. The Hell Hunt will send campers bathing in the blood of a “Pope Lick,” partaking in a sacrificial voodoo ritual, digging through road kill amongst “Beasts of Bray” and tons more. Campers will have to use creative thinking and problem solving to find the most coveted items and compete for the title of “Hell Master.” Campers who complete the Hell Hunt will receive a “Golden Ticket” to the LA Haunted Hayride good for unlimited rides during the 2013 Halloween season.

Great Horror Campout is a fur-free attraction and brought to you by “TEN. Great Taste. Only 10 Calories. Get BOTH” and the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Disclaimer: During the Great Horror Campout you may be forcibly handled, moved, bound, hooded, chained and subjected to simulated torture by our actors. You may witness strong verbal content, which may be considered offensive in nature. This content is part of the experience and is presented for entertainment purposes only.

“The first rule is that we can change the rules… when we want, for any reason we want, and without notice. Campers will need to be listening for the Camp Headmaster’s announcements for rule changes if they plan on escaping elimination from the Hell Hunt,” said Ten Thirty One Productions President Melissa Carbone.

Campers will report to the Great Horror Campout Base Camp at 8pm, where they will meet the Camp Headmaster for the first time, receive dinner, tent assignments, Hell Hunt Bags and more.

“Even the campers who want to stay in their tents with friends or hang at the bonfire for movies will get ruined…just not as ruined as those who think they’re tough enough for the Hell Hunt. We’re beyond excited,” Carbone added.

Space is limited and based on availability. Campers will select their tent space online during the purchase process. Persons under 18 years of age will not be admitted. The ticket price is $149 per person and includes: One-Night Tent Accommodations, Dinner, Continental Breakfast, Parking, Hell Hunt Experience, Canvas Hell Hunt Bag, Horror Movies, Marshmallows. Items not included: Sleeping Bags, Pillows, Flashlights, Drinks (other than at Dinner/Breakfast).

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