DVD Review :: The Scare

The people that make Austin's haunted house attraction, the Mansion of Terror, the scariest romp this side of the grave are documented in Javier Rivera's The Scare: The Mansion of Terror Documentary

In twenty minutes, director Rivera focuses on the actors who work hard to frighten the living daylights out of the wary patrons looking for a good heart-thumping, can't-catch-my-breadth experience. Loosely breaking the interviews into segments like the Buildout, the Make-up Room, and the Mistakes, the actors talk about the rewards and tribulations of working non-stop in a high-energy-required milieu.

While more time could easily be spent on any one of these segments, Rivera neatly captures the feelings and observations of the actors while moving briskly along, inter-cutting exasperated patrons describing their ordeal in the Mansion of Terror in-between the sit-down interviews and hectic preparations for the night's events.

Interview comments of what it really takes to put on a successful haunted house attraction, and the nightly grind of acting in it, are the highlights here, and I hope Rivera eventually does a longer documentary, providing more time to explore the psychological and business aspects of producing scares, especially from the perspective of the actors involved. For instance, when the topic of the "worst patron" came up, my mouth watered for more personal horror stories from the haunted house trenches. My mouth watered again during the Mistakes segment; I'm a glutton for a good "oops! damn!" story anytime, and I'm sure there are lots of them just waiting to be shared.

The DVD itself is well-designed, and navigation is easy. Including a trailer and photos section, it provides a nifty snapshot of the Mansion of Terror experience from those that make it happen.

You can buy this DVD atThe Scare Web site

Gasoline Productions website

Mansion of Terror website