Here's what those who survived SCARE 2008 are saying.....

NORMALLY I GET A COUPLE OF MINUTES to chat with my fans, looking up at them from my seat behind a signing table. But here I was, storming through a haunted house with a pair of them!!! And I have to say it was a BRILLIANT haunted house!! It was all put together by volunteers, with profits made going to a cancer charity, but it was more fun than any of the haunted houses I went into when I was in Orlando last year! We had a great time pushing through it, fending off attacks from all manner of ghouls and macabre nasties, pausing only to grin widely at one another every now and then. When we finally sailed back to normality (yes—it ended with a boat ride!!), we got out, said our farewells, and trotted off happily into the night. (Darren Shan, author)

THE GUYS BEHIND this year's Scare for a Cure Haunted House, "World of Horrorcraft" have outdone themselves. The show is a bit silly, definitely creepy, scary... and one hell of a thrill ride. Seriously. The premise of World of Horrorcraft is that Dunstan Interactive Entertainment has invented a bleeding-edge technology that will temporarily upload your consciousness into the game environment. A player won't be sitting in front of the game with a joystick—they'll be in the game, interacting with the avatars face-to-face. Cool, huh? And you, as a inveterate game-player yourself, have been invited to participate in beta-testing the new technology/game. Alas, as so often happens, things go dreadfully awry. (Insert evil laugh here) ...Truly, you'll be amazed at what a group of obsessed volunteers, gamers, and game-builders can create with only a few months and a mostly bare-bones budget. The show runs through next week, with a special show on Halloween night, of course. (Barbara Strickland, Austinist.com)

THE WORLD OF HORRORCRAFT was vivid, coherent, sometimes scary, and fun. It was indeed theatre, with the interesting twist that only our escort and Dunstan provided the continuity. Other actors, all volunteers, met us only briefly to deliver their participation—imagine, then, how often they will play their short scenes between now and the Halloween finale. No wonder the organizers urged us to come back again to experience the further development of character and spectacle.

After emerging from that make-believe world, I was elated, and even a bit disappointed to be back in “normal” reality. (Austin Live Theatre)

How To Have Fun At SCARE

The cast and crew of SCARE 2008 are excited to be up and running! Last night we officially opened the event to steady crowds, and opening night attendees had the added bonus of a special guest appearance by author Darren Shan, who met with guests and signed books outside the entry gate.

If you're planning to attend SCARE 2008, here are a few insider tips to make your experience more enjoyable:

1. Dress appropriately. You're in the computer game world, not the clean room! You can expect to run, duck, crawl, and climb through all sorts of alarming places, so don't show up in your best duds. Wear comfortable clothes you don't mind getting dirty in, and sturdy shoes that won't slow you down if you need to make a quick escape. Fashion doesn't count - survival does!

2. Pay attention to your guide. Our guide staff is made up of haunted house veterans, and their role is to help you have a great time. Whether they're giving information you'll need later on or providing directions to help keep SCARE safe and fun for you, the other guests, and the cast and crew, when they speak it's in your interest to listen.

3. Play your role well. You didn't think you had a role? Well, think again! What you get out of your SCARE experience is influenced by what you put in. We do this because we love it, so if you take the fun out it for us by making a big deal of being unimpressed or hostile, you'll get a flat and uninteresting show. Not only that, we'll make fun of you in the crew room after the show. Bad groups of guests fade from the crew's memory almost immediately, but we remember the really good ones for years. If you are totally into it, the actors and techs will love you and will give it all they've got to give you the best show possible. Suspend your disbelief and throw yourself into the story line, no holds barred, and you'll come out feeling like you had a real adventure.

4. Don't be ashamed to be scared! SCARE aims to provide an immersive experience, but we want you to enjoy yourself. If it all gets to be too much, you're allowed to call it quits. Just tell your guide or another crew member and we'll tone things down or make sure you have safe passage to the exit gate.

We hope you'll follow these suggestions, have a memorable time at SCARE, and then tell all your friends to come experience SCARE 2008 for themselves!