SIGHTS
Flashing lightbulbs around a multi-colored sign, a bored attendant taking tickets at the entrance, a floor heaving and moving in odd directions, stairs that shake or tilt, safety handrails with chipped paint, twisting disks that must be walked across, a huge barrel that rolls while one is inside, spray-painted cartoon pictures (clowns, balloons, kids listening to music and having fun), bright graffiti on the walls, twisting ladders with unbalanced rungs, safety netting, curly slides, swinging wooden step bridges, escalator stairs that go down while one climbs up, a floor that bucks when one stands on it, narrow hallways, balconies at intervals providing fresh air and giving a view of the rest of the carnival grounds, scratched or chipped mirrors on the walls which create misshapen reflections, flashing lightbulbs, optical illusions and spinning disks that can make a person dizzy, laughing teens and kids, trash on the floor, strobe lights, spills from drinks, steam or smoke spilling out of holes for effect
SOUNDS
Loud music, recorded clown laughter, the clanking of shoes on metal floors, machinery grinding and spinning, a chugging motor powering the ride, noise from the carnival, chains squeaking and swinging, friends yelling or screaming with one another, the shuffle and bumping of people caught in the barrel yet trying to get up, voices echoing in the tight hallways
SMELLS
Carnival food cooked in hot oil (corn dogs, mini doughnuts, deep fried Oreos, etc.), popcorn, fresh cotton candy, sweat, dirt, stale beer, sunbaked plastic, hot machinery, gasoline exhaust
TASTES
Food and drinks from the carnival (pop, cotton candy, fries, candy apples, funnel cakes, hot dogs, etc.), candy, gum, mints, a swig of water from a water bottle
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
A papery ticket held between the fingers, sliding one’s hand along the paint-chipped safety railing, trying to steady oneself as the floor shifts and heaves, the vibration of the funhouse’s running motor sliding up one’s legs and down one’s arms, touching the wall for balance and then wiping one’s hand on a pant leg, crawling on one’s knees through the rolling barrel, bumping into the people ahead and being bumped from behind when the ride is crowded, grabbing onto a friend’s warm arm to steady oneself, being poked by a friend for being too slow as one is trying to cross the shaking floor, sticky or dirty fingers
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
The ride breaking down
Meeting a rival or bully in the funhouse
Overhearing other people talking about oneself
Having one’s so-called friends take off while one is inside
Falling and being injured
Getting one’s clothing stuck between moving metal plates in the floor
Claustrophobia
Being shoved or pushed by an aggressor in the dark
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Carnival management, customers, maintenance people, safety inspectors
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
If the carnival is a traveling one, the funhouse will be crowded, since all rides have to be transported on truck beds from town to town, meaning it will be quite small overall. If the carnival is a year-round one in a fixed building, then the ride may be much more elaborate with several different levels. Either way, to maximize profit, carnies will try to cram as many bodies through as possible. Some funhouses follow a theme (popular video games to attract younger kids, zombies, aliens, creepy clowns, Arabian nights) but classic (stationary) ones may have the entrance depicted as the mouth of a giant clown or monster.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Megan darted down the dark hallway, leaving me by myself. Demented clown laughter roared out of the speakers and a blast of compressed air slapped my face, stealing several years off my life. I clutched the safety railing as the floor bucked and heaved. My sister knew I hated this ride, especially at night, and she’d ditched me on purpose. If her plan was to jump out and grab me like she did back in the Haunted House, I would murder her in her sleep.
Techniques and Devices Used: Hyperbole, multisensory descriptions
Resulting Effects: Establishing mood, foreshadowing, tension and conflict