(14 September 2011 – Hong Kong) Ocean Park Halloween Bash is screaming into its 11th year of fright and fun by transforming the Park into the Republic of Halloween. To create an even more immersive and creepy underworld experience, the Park collaborated with CityU’s School of Creative Media to introduce Nightmare in 3D, the world’s first 3D-haunted house with CAVE 0.5 technology. Through the first-ever integration of cutting-edge technology with Hong Kong-style computer graphic (CG) animation, Ocean Park Halloween Bash showcases local innovations and creativity to the world.
Eva Au Yeung, Senior Events and Entertainment Manager of Ocean Park said, “As Hong Kong’s People’s Park, we have always been supportive of local creativity. This year, we are featuring for the first time ever CAVE 0.5 (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) projection technology in our attraction, creating a never-before-seen 3D CG experience. To fully utilize the edge of CAVE 0.5, elevate local creativity to another level and create a comprehensive and interactive ghost culture, guests of Nightmare in 3D will encounter a number of locally themed stories and settings: having paper money fly at your face and go right through your body as a lonely old lady burns paper money at the end of your familiar housing estate corridor; seeing yourself falling from the patio of the housing estate; being chased by an angry lady dressed in red emerges from a haunted mirror no matter where you hide in the dark; being overwhelmed by fear and itchiness as you find yourself covered with maggots in the middle of a forest; a building was collapsing in front you and the grouund suddenly split open beneath you, and then feeling yourself fell into a bottomless pit. Guests will be immersed in ultimate frightful fun as they physically enter a CG ghost world with the specially-made glasses like those found in computer games or virtual reality. This is only the first application of CAVE 0.5 in Ocean Park Halloween Bash as we are looking to feature the technology more widely in the future to give our guests the ultimate in sensory experience.”
Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Dean of the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, who was involved in developing the 3D projection system said, “I am extremely pleased to be able to collaborate with Hong Kong’s People’s Park so that more people can have the chance to enjoy the ultimate in seamless and stunning 3D experience on an entertainment level. Our CAVE 0.5 projection system, together with tailor-made active shutter glasses worn by viewers, offers an overwhelming experience of being inside and interacting with a virtual world. 3D images projected on vertical surface in the front and on the floor create a dreamscape of horror. The system uses two 3D projectors and two gigantic projection screens, with one projecting from the top while the other from the back to extend the spatial effect . The sensational experience we offer is far superior to anything else on the market therefore can successfully deliver the eerie scenes of Ocean Park Halloween Bash to the guests.”
This year’s Ocean Park Halloween Bash features 25 haunted attractions and shows, plus 444 ghouls, including Lady Gwai Gwai, a superstar in the underworld – all in celebration of the inauguration of the Republic of Halloween, starting on 23 September. There are 8 haunted attractions in the new republic: Nightmare in 3D, which features a locally-developed 3D technology; Fear Factory, a first-ever solo haunted journey through heart-pounding slides, a dizzying maze and an ultimate leap into the beyond; other attractions include Macabre Studio, Torture Chamber of the Dragon Empress, Zombie Mayhem, The Bloody Workshop, Paper Doll Paradise, and The Last Bus. When night falls, the Lagoon in Aqua City will be turned into what looks like a pool of blood and the 360° water screen will play host to the first-ever Carnival for the Damned. Kids visiting Ocean Park in the daytime during this year’s Halloween Bash period can share in the Halloween spirit at Creepy Treats for Kids, a haunted house specially created inside Whisker’s Harbour for the young and the brave. Ocean Park Halloween Bash tickets are now on sale and Ocean Park is introducing for the very first time early-bird tickets, valid during 23-25 September, at 20% discount.
