When most investors hear the term "amusement park", one of two names comes to mind. The first one, of course, is DisneyWorld (or DisneyLand, depending on your locale), which of course is owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), and probably set the bar for all other theme parks to come after it. Thrill-seekers of a slightly different age - ones without kids anyway - may recall fond memories of trips to Kings Island, Kings Dominion, or perhaps a visit to what some consider the best amusement park in the world, Cedar Point. They're all owned by Cedar Fair, L.P. (NYSE:FUN). And by most accounts, those leading theme park companies have provided equally compelling gains over the year for shareholders of DIS and FUN. But, there's a shift in what amusement park visitors are now seeking, and while Walt Disney Company or Cedar Fair aren't apt to be put out of business anytime soon, there's no denying that newcomer Independent Film Development Corporation (OTCMKTS:IFLM) - aka IndyFilmCorp - is better positioned to satisfy consumers' new definition of a thrilling theme park. Likewise, shares of IFLM may be poised to offer equally thrilling returns.
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DisneyWorld's Haunted Mansion is one of the favorite attraction at any of the The Walt Disney Company theme parks. It is, however, a 40 year-old concept, and by modern standards (impacted by TV shows like The Walking Dead and movies like Underworld) sillier and less spooky than it was when the ride first opened. Granted, it was a Disney attraction, and therefore was never intended to bring a rider to the brink of a heart attack. But, even young children today who've seen and heard it all will occasionally laugh at the Haunted Mansion's hokiness. They're looking for more thrills and chills... real ones, like the ones Freddy Krueger used to offer in the 80's.
For proof of that new standard, one only has to take a close look at some of the amusement park world's top "haunted" attractions. Some of them are silly scares, of course, like the afore-mentioned Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion. Others, however, cross a line that wasn't to be crossed just a few years ago, entering the macabre and disturbing.
For proof of that premise, you don't have to look any farther this year's Halloween Horror Nights set up at Universal Studios Hollywood. The temporary attraction dropped guests in a maze filled with zombies that looked like they'd just walked off the set of the Walking Dead. And to be clear, these zombies weren't animatronic, and stuck in one place. They were real characters dressed up like the living dead (many covered in blood), improvising with and adapting to the crowd to scare the crap out of them. It, as usual, was a huge hit with park guests.
So what's that got to do with Independent Film Development Corporation? Imagine that kind of perhaps-a-little-too-real action, year-around, from the majority of a theme park's rides. That's what IndyFilmCorp is putting together right now in New York state at the first of what it expects to many such amusement parks.
It is a departure from the kinds of things guests may experience at a Walt Disney Company resort or a Cedar Fair park, which tend to fall into the "fun and games" and "exhilarating" categories of rides. But, it's exactly the kind of authenticity and realness people want.
And just to be clear, Independent Film Development Corporation is just assembling one giant zombie park or haunted house. It's aiming to put a feel of authenticity on a variety of genres, including visitors from outer space, including a trip through UFO crash site Area 51, and recreation of mythical adventures like a journey down the River Styx. This journey will end in a big splash, as is requisite for all water flume rides. The trip to the plunge won't be peppered with cute bunny rabbits, however. It will be a very real journey to - and an escape from - a Hades that looks like it came straight from a horror/thriller movie set.
That's because it will, for all intents and purposes, a movie set. The company has hired Hollywood's best set-designers and special-effects creators to piece together all of the park's thrills. One of those effects will be ghosts at a haunted house, but the scope of the special effects will be as large as a life-size Loch Ness monster popping its head at the park's lake. Don't look for any cartoon mouse walking around hugging kids either. Instead, look for Bigfoot lurking around the park's perimeter, hiding behind trees.
The best part about this story for investors is that (1) the story is compelling and will get traction as the vision becomes reality, and (2) most of the market has yet to hear of the company or the opportunity. That means the bulk of any gains from the stock are in front of it rather than behind it. It's still speculative, to be sure, but you have to admit it's a great concept.
For more on the company, visit the corporate website here.
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