BURIED STARRING HORRO

  

  Who needs Ryan Reynolds when you could have had HorrO star in Buried? Yes, that’s right, I had my own little buried alive experience. Ok, it was only a simulation, but still. I purposely left this experience out of my post on Spooky Empire 2010 so I could give you an up close look at this unique simulation. Basically, people would lie down in a real casket while it simulated putting you into the back of a hearse, and soon enough buried alive.

  As I was walking around at Spooky Empire, I noticed there seemed to be a commotion coming from a certain area. I could see a lot of people gathered around, and kept hearing this banging sound. Curious as can be, I made my way over there only to find this casket shaking around, “what the hell did I stumble onto?” As I got closer, I could see a monitor on a table next to the casket apparently showing the recording of a person inside, “wow, there was really someone in that thing!” I watched as it finally stopped shaking, and a person stepped out of it. I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t believe people were actually brave enough to get in that thing. Then, came the all-important question: Was I brave enough to get in the casket?

  After spending most of the second day of the convention going to Q & A’s, I finally got the opportunity to make my way back over to THE CASKET! No one was in it at the time, but plenty of people were standing around looking at it. They wondered the same thing I did: Who had the guts to ride it next? One of the owners of this simulation tried to talk people into jumping in the casket. I walked away to think about it again, but soon enough made my way back. I had to do it. When would I get the chance to do something like this again? I mean, you are only supposed to be in a casket once, and that is when you die. Plus, it would be something fun to write about (having fun now).

  So there I went. I paid $5.00 to get in the casket, and another $5.00 for the DVD. I took off my shoes, and stepped into the casket. I stood there for a second, but there was no turning back.  I laid down, and tried to get comfortable. The owner had to adjust the camera a few times by opening, and closing the casket to make sure it captured an up close look at me. Really, he was teasing me before he gave me some last words, “Rest in Peace,” and closed the casket for real this time.

  So it was just the casket and I. That was until I heard two voices start talking. They were saying how the boss wanted them to take this casket to the graveyard, and bury it. I focused so much on the casket that I forgot about the experience as a whole. Then, the casket started to bounce around, as it was simulating them picking it up, and throwing it into the back of the hearse. I heard the hearse start, and could smell the fumes of the car. The casket tossed around, and I could hear the car racing down the streets before coming to an abrupt stop.

  The two guys started talking again as it simulated them pulling the casket from the back of the hearse. They carried it to the graveyard, and dropped me in. They were laughing, and it was all at my expense. The casket was really shaking when they were carrying it, but it wasn’t over yet. They threw some dirt on top of the casket, which I could smell, and I was buried alive.  There was a pause before the final part of the simulation. I really didn’t know what to expect at that point. I thought it was over, but then the casket went crazy one last time. Something touched my feet, which I didn’t know was going to happen, and kind of scared me. Then, there were some weird sounds, and an awful smell took over the casket. The smell was so bad I could still smell it 15-20 minutes afterwards. After the final shake, there was another pause before the owner opened the casket. I stood up, and climbed out of the casket hopefully for the last time until it is for real.

  Immediately, people wanted to know what it was like. Was it worth the ride? I would say it was well worth it. First, like I said before, how many times am I actually going to get in a casket, none the less, get out of one. It was also fun because it wasn’t just sitting inside, and shaking all around. There was actually a story going on, and I was part of it. Besides the story, it also made me use some of my senses. Obviously I could feel the casket as it bounced around. The casket’s movements were as bumpy as it looked, and gave me a very good shaking. It was pitch black in there. The only time I could see anything, not that there was anything to see, was once or twice when the casket popped open for a split second while bouncing around. There was the smell of the hearse, the dirt, and then something fowl at the end. The silence was deafening when there wasn’t any sound effects. As soon as he closed the lid, I couldn’t hear a thing that was happening on the outside. I’m glad there was nothing to taste in there.

  Was I scared? Not really, but I was a little intimidated while watching others get in it. It was just a simulation, and I wasn’t really going to the grave. I guess there is just something about a “casket.” It makes people think of death, and it’s your final resting place. Surprisingly, the owner said most people took the experience well. They only had to stop it once for a girl that totally freaked out. I stayed pretty silent in the casket because I didn’t want them to think I was freaking out and stop it. I really wanted to scream, “let me out” just for the effect. I kind of wanted to ride it again to add some drama to the video, but decided against it. Maybe next time! Next time? Yea, I would do it again!

I would like to thank the people at 13^th Hour Productions, Inc. for providing such an awesome, and unique experience. You can contact them at www.hour-13.com for more information on this ride.

  HorrO