CALIFORNIA FOCUS / RECAP Motel 6 Feet Under
THE HISTORY OF THE MOTEL 6 FEET UNDER:
The MOTEL 6 Feet Under is the brand new haunt with the more than sixty-year history. In the 1950s, a dreamer created carnival shows to amuse and amaze. The Disconnected Lady, Dr. Frankenstein’s Laboratory, Creature of the Black Lagoon, The Something Else were just some of the attractions that the young hauntrepeneur manufactured and took on the road. And he wasn’t alone. He hooked these haunts up an RV, grabbed the wife, the kids and the family dog and hit the road. After traveling the road into the 1970’s, the than 5000 people from all over Southern California. Lines around the block and a new fan base made the year a spectacular success.
Fans gave the haunt 4.5 haunts on Yelp, making it the top-rated haunt in Orange County. Critics called it the “gem of the season,” listed it as the top five best stand alone haunts in all of Southern California, and the best scene in all haunts, including established haunts from Universal and Knott’s. Crowds celebrate the haunt for it’s old school style that isn’t full of blood, guts and gore. Instead, it focuses on surprises and illusions to create an immersive experience.
The founders of the MOTEL 6 Feet Under are eager and ready to build on the success with new thrills and chills for 2016. family took a break to settle down. The kids grew up. One brother became a general contractor, building homes by day and a home haunt at Halloween. The sister became a fundraiser, producing events and soliciting donations for a variety of nonprofits. And now they’re together again. In 2009, Carolyn Carpenter served on the board of the Anaheim Fall Festival. After visiting her brother’s home haunt, Carolyn’s 10-year-old son became inspired by his uncle’s creativity and asked if he could create a haunted house for the Fall Festival. The first year, they assembled gymnastic mats on the street. The second year, the LAB came to town and allowed them to use a store front for free.
Over a thousand people came through. The next year, they moved to a warehouse and big brother joined in. They ran for one night and accommodated two thousand people. Experimenting with how to commercialize a home haunt, they parked at the Muzeo for the next two years. They added a few nights and in 2014, took 3000 people through and came up with the name, MOTEL 6 Feet Under. With the haunt growing, it became too big for the small board of the Anaheim Fall Festival to manage. In 2015, the MOTEL branched off and started Building Occupational Opportunities (BOO!). The gang decided it was time to go all in and become a commercial haunt. Recreating the old-school style they learned back on the carnivals, the family crafted a motel maze and the response was amazing, bringing more.
