Over three weekends next month Mr Foley and his team at horror company Fear NZ, will turn part of the historic waterfront area into a Victorian-themed horror experience, to raise funds for the Whitestone Civic Trust, which restores and maintains historic buildings in the area.
Mr Foley said his team had faced a few challenges so far, such as road closures, health and safety requirements and concerns from the public.
"We’re very confident. We have a lot of actors and a lot of support crew on board."
He said the company had gone to lengths to ensure the area was screened off so that people who did not want to be scared could not see in, but people inside were still getting the authentic Victorian experience.
Most of the community had got right behind the event, he believed.
The event would have an entry point on Tyne St and then run through a building block on to Harbour St and on to the third floor of Oamaru’s Loan and Merc building.
"I’ll go and get scared."
She said one of the trustees approached Mr Foley to see if he would be interested in creating an event. The trust was looking to expand its fundraising opportunities, she said.
Mrs Proctor was not expecting the event to impact negatively on the street’s businesses as it was an evening event.
The Penguin Entertainers Club is one of the businesses generally open late at night when the event could affect business.
Club president Collan Fraser said a lot of his organisation’s trustees were in a band that would play at the event.
"It won’t worry us. Officially, I believe [the event is] a good thing."
Harbour St’s Oasis Antiques owner Greg Waite called the event’s fundraising goal fantastic.
Mr Foley said there were various reasons people liked to be scared, including the adrenaline and a break from the mundanity of everyday life.
He thought the reason people enjoyed Victorian period of horror was the familiarity with characters such as Jack the Ripper and Dracula.
Ticket sales were already signalling the event could become an annual one, he said.
