The Haunted Prison

The property that Statesville is on is owned by farmer, Paul Siegel.  Siegel’s farm is adjacent to the maximum-security prison, Stateville prison, so he thought setting up a haunted theme around the prison would attract customers. Thus, the "haunted hayride" was born. The attraction was popular in the 1990’s but were discontinued for safety reasons (probably not a good idea to tour people any near a maximum-security prison). Shortly after, John LaFlamboy appeared on the scene. Fresh out of college and eager to exercise his knowledge in a field he was passionate about, LaFlamboy proceeded to transform Siegel’s hayrides into the infamously terrifying Statesville Haunted Prison known today.

LaFlamboy liked the theme of the haunted prison, but he wanted to create a haunted house like no other. Accordingly, he decided that the house should tell a story, it should be a narrative that the customer experiences as opposed to “collages” of different themes – the narrative of Statesville: escape. Participants enter the house with one goal in mind: get out. However, this proves difficult as the house is designed to make escape seem impossible, and each scare makes time pass much slower. Furthermore, Statesville is an extremely interactive haunted house. Again, the theme is escape, and the customers are the prisoners. Actors yell at and harass participants the whole way through, adding to the fright. 

LaFlamboy relies on his visualization ability to predict reactions to the spaces he designs. He guides participants through his path, making them duck, or look a certain direction, or take a blind step. All this to put them in a more vulnerable position so that they are more likely to be scared. 

LaFlamboy is an extremely intrinsically motivated individual regarding his work with haunted houses. In an interview with HauntTopic, LaFlamboy recalled his first experience with a haunted house. He remembered taking a step and dropping down lower than he expected, and upon recovering, a scary clown right in his face. He “remembered the shock and awe” he felt after being led into the scare – the build-up, organization, and execution.  From that point on he knew he wanted to work with haunted houses. Furthermore, he recalled a time when he was forced to take down his haunted house because the owners of the property no longer wanted him on their property. He lost his main source of income and had to work odd jobs whenever he could to make ends meet. Instead of letting this deter him, it spurred his efforts further. He worked double and triple shifts to save enough money to put another haunted house together. He did so because he enjoyed his work and believed in his ideas. 

Collaboration is a vital part of LaFlamboy’s work. He relies on a team of close friends and family to bounce ideas off. The prison is revised every year to throw something new at customers – the more brains at work, the better. He also seeks advice from other giants of the industry such as Ed Terebus. Furthermore, he relies on the coordination and talent of all the actors in his haunted houses - not to mention the costume designers. A successful haunted house depends on the preparation and execution of around 150 people. LaFlamboy deserves “pro C” status because he was able to reshape how haunted houses should be designed, and had significant success doing so.
References 
https://statesvillehauntedprison.com/contraband/
https://hauntopic.com/john-laflamboy-zombie-army-productions-the-price-is-fright-haunt-ownership/