Jim Shackelford

Legends - A Haunting at Old Town

Legend’s, A Haunting at Old Town (Legends Dark Amusements), a walk-through haunted attraction in Kissimmee, Florida, took guests deep into the heart of a generations-old mortuary to discover the crooked undertaking ways of the attraction’s icon character Archibald Ashdown.  To create a growing sense of foreboding, I designed the attraction’s sets to progressively show the mortuary’s neglect as guests progressed further into the dark amusement.  My approach to set dressing included furniture and accessories from various design periods to visually communicate the layers of ownership over generations of the Ashdown family, whom the backstory centered around.

My creative role in Legend’s A Haunting at Old Town included writing the attraction’s backstory, conceptual development of the show’s characters and details, generation of design drawings, oversight of code compliance, build-out and show installation, sourcing of props, budget adherence, set detailing and dressing, sound-scape design, as well as costuming and managing the various contractors needed to create the show and update the building to house and support the new attraction.

Video: Walk-through of Legends

Attraction Announcement Image

Preliminary show scene layout

Scenic Design: Viewing Room

Scenic Design: Foyer into Viewing Room

Scenic Design: Mr. Ashdown's Office

Scenic Design: Embalming Room

Scenic Design: Body Cooler

Scenic Design: Lath and Plaster Hallway

Scenic Design: Custom Portrait

Scenic Design: Funeral Chapel

Scenic Design: Custom Gift Shop Animatronic Display