Ruth Comley draws on decades of niche expertise to teach Carnegie Mellon students how to design and build haunted houses. 

Ruth Comley, an associate teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, has been involved in designing haunted houses since her early teens. According to Carnegie Mellon University News, her journey began when she took charge of creating a haunted house in her church basement, a task that sparked a lifelong interest.

Comley’s expertise extends beyond academia. She provides valuable and practical experience for her students in location-based entertainment design, enabling them to navigate challenges in transforming designs into tangible experiences.

Ruth Comley’s journey with haunted house creation

Comley’s experience in haunted house design commenced with the Khymira Experiment in the early 2000s, a project that converged students and faculty at Pittsburgh’s Art Institute. However, she discovered that designing such attractions could be complicated, and approximately half of her projects were canceled due to bureaucratic hurdles.

Her insights into local building codes and ensuring guest safety are key components of a successful haunted house creation. She shares these lessons with students, equipping them with knowledge that is beneficial for internships at major entertainment venues like Universal and Disney.

Despite the challenges, some of Comley’s projects, like Nightmare in North Versailles, achieved notable success by utilizing existing architectural features and minimalist design. This particular project cleverly transformed an old movie theater’s unique structure into an experiential rope maze, highlighting the effectiveness of resourceful design. Today, Comley channels her creativity into virtual haunted houses and immersive theater experiences with Stage and Steel Productions, aiming to broaden her focus beyond physical spaces.

Comley’s work with Stage and Steel Productions has shifted towards family-friendly Halloween festivals, where students can gain real-world experience by contributing their own work. These events serve as a testing ground for students, allowing them to showcase their creative efforts in projection mapping and other technologies.

Now, the transition to virtual haunted houses offers Comley an opportunity to explore new possibilities without the constraints of physical construction as she draws on her extensive background in traditional haunted house design.

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This article may have been created with the assistance of AI.