Lateral Puzzles • View topic

by **Grip** » Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:47 pm

As the man watched the TV and saw and heard the banging door, he panicked and fainted. If only the sign had not been broken, the man would have avoided all of this.

by **GalFisk** » Thu Dec 22, 2016 7:13 am

Sign: road sign? Neon sign? Electronic display? Sign lanhuage? Broken: moved? Gone? Malfunctioning? Powered off? Twisted/turned? Broken apart? Did the broken sign show: no information? Incomplete information? Misleading information? Did he own the sign? Or have responsibility for it? Did he see it? Travel relevant? Relevant how the sign got broken? All the trouble: a chain of events? A multitude of events? Financial trouble? Legal? Logistical? Personal? Career-related? Family-related? Are other people involved? Animals? Death? Weapons? Albatrosses? Is the sign on a building? Is it meant to be seen by the public?

by **Grip** » Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:09 pm

Sign: road sign? Neon sign? this Electronic display? Sign language?

Broken: moved? Gone? Malfunctioning? Powered off? Twisted/turned? Broken apart? none of these Did the broken sign show: no information? Incomplete information? this Misleading information? and thus this Did he own the sign? no Or have responsibility for it? no Did he see it? yup Travel relevant? yup Relevant how the sign got broken? no All the trouble: a chain of events? yes A multitude of events? yes Financial trouble? Legal? Logistical? Personal? this Career-related? Family-related? Are other people involved? yes Animals? no Death? no Weapons? no Albatrosses? nope, nor is Coleridge Is the sign on a building? no Is it meant to be seen by the public? yes

by **Balin** » Thu Dec 22, 2016 9:55 pm

Does this take place in a hotel?
Is the sign a "VACANCY" sign? "NO VACANCY"? Is the "NO" broken?

by **Grip** » Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:01 pm

I added more to the puzzle statement as I felt the original was a bit too bland and vague.

Does this take place in a hotel? yes

Is the sign a "VACANCY" sign? "NO VACANCY"? Is the "NO" broken? no to all three

by **GalFisk** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:12 am

Is the sign meant to be seen by drivers? Does it advertise a business? Give directions? Show the status of something? Does it brokenness mean words are missing? Letters? Is a word relevantly split into two or more?

by **Grip** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:54 am

Is the sign meant to be seen by drivers? yes Does it advertise a business? no Give directions? no Show the status of something? no Does it brokenness mean words are missing? no Letters? yup, one to be exact Is a word relevantly split into two or more? no

by **GalFisk** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 1:22 pm

If the sign was not broken, would he not: watch TV? Hear and see the banging door? Panic? Faint? Is he watching TV at home? At someone else's home? At a hotel, motel or similar? Did he see the sign? If so, before he got into the room? Did he think he was in danger?

by **Grip** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 5:47 pm

If the sign was not broken, would he not: watch TV? Hear and see the banging door? Panic? Faint? he would not have done any of those things Is he watching TV at home? no At someone else's home? no At a hotel, motel or similar? yup Did he see the sign? yes If so, before he got into the room? yes Did he think he was in danger? yes

by **GalFisk** » Sun Dec 25, 2016 8:19 am

If the sign hadn't been broken, would he not be in this room at all? Did he think the danger was from: criminal(s)? Animal(s)? War? Law enforcement? The supernatural? Building collapse or fire? Was there actual danger? Did he fear danger before he saw and heard the door? Was he hiding from something? Or someone?

by **Grip** » Sun Dec 25, 2016 2:07 pm

If the sign hadn't been broken, would he not be in this room at all? correct Did he think the danger was from: criminal(s)? possibly this Animal(s)? War? Law enforcement? The supernatural? or even this Building collapse or fire? Was there actual danger? NO Did he fear danger before he saw and heard the door? noish Was he hiding from something? no Or someone? no

by **GalFisk** » Mon Dec 26, 2016 7:56 am

Did the sign make him want to stay in this room? Want to not stay where he originally planned? Was the sign supposed to give directions? Did he get lost? Was the sign more than a km away from the room?

by **Grip** » Mon Dec 26, 2016 11:35 am

Did the sign make him want to stay in this room? no Want to not stay where he originally planned? no Was the sign supposed to give directions? no Did he get lost? no Was the sign more than a km away from the room? yes

by **GalFisk** » Mon Dec 26, 2016 1:46 pm

If not for the broken sign, would he stay: at home? In a different room in the same building? In a different building in the same area? Is he in a city? Town? Countryside? Relevant? Does the sign contain one word? Two? More? The name of a place? A person? A business? A road?

by **Grip** » Mon Dec 26, 2016 6:04 pm

If not for the broken sign, would he stay: at home? In a different room in the same building? In a different building in the same area? this
Is he in a city? yes Town? Countryside? Relevant? not really, could have happened in those places too Does the sign contain one word?
Two? this More? The name of a place? this A person? A business? A road? Good progress here!

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 4:16 am

Was it the name of the city? Was it "New [something]"? Did he think he was lost? Is his profession relevant? Is he a neon sign repairman? Otherwise involved or interested in the maintenance of the sign? Did anyone else end up in different places than what they first intended because of the broken sign? Would the other building also be a hotel or similar? Relevant where his home is?

by **Grip** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:14 am

Was it the name of the city? Was it "New [something]"? Did he think he was lost? Is his profession relevant? Is he a neon sign repairman? Otherwise involved or interested in the maintenance of the sign? Did anyone else end up in different places than what they first intended because of the broken sign? Would the other building also be a hotel or similar? there is only the one building relevant which is the hotel Relevant where his home is? no to all, sorry

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:21 am

You said if the sign was not broken, he'd stay in another building in the same area. Would this other building also be a hotel?
Did a person bang the door? The wind? A machine? Are there other guests in the hotel? Is there something wrong with the hotel?

by **Grip** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:34 am

You said if the sign was not broken, he'd stay in another building in the same area. Would this other building also be a hotel? Sorry, I meant another building in a general sense, not a specific one. If the sign had not been broken, he would have looked for and found another place to stay, which indeed possibly might have been another hotel.

Did a person bang the door? yes The wind? A machine? Are there other guests in the hotel? nope Is there something wrong with the hotel? no with a small ish

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 2:52 pm

Does the sign make him: want to stay in this hotel? Not want to find another place to stay? Is the sign related to the hotel? Does he think it is? Is there any staff at the hotel? Does he think there is? Does the person who bangs the door intend to scare anyone? Does the man see this person?

by **Grip** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 3:18 pm

Does the sign make him: want to stay in this hotel? yesish Not want to find another place to stay? yesish Is the sign related to the hotel? YES Does he think it is? Is there any staff at the hotel? yes Does he think there is? Does the person who bangs the door intend to scare anyone? yes Does the man see this person? nope

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 4:10 pm

Does the door person want to scare away the man? Does the door person have dishonest intentions? Does the door person work for the hotel? Is it marketed as a haunted hotel?

by **Grip** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:21 pm

Does the door person want to scare away the man? no Does the door person have dishonest intentions? no Does the door person work for the hotel? yes Is it marketed as a haunted hotel? YES, a scary themed hotel.

by **GalFisk** » Wed Dec 28, 2016 9:52 am

Is the neon sign supposed to say that the hotel is haunted? Does the man mistakenly believe it is a normal hotel? Is one of the words on the sign "haunted"? "spooky"? "ghost"? "scary"? Is the first letter missing from a word? The last?

by **Grip** » Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:22 pm

Is the neon sign supposed to say that the hotel is haunted? noish Does the man mistakenly believe it is a normal hotel? YES Is one of the words on the sign "haunted"? "spooky"? "ghost"? "scary"? none of these Is the first letter missing from a word? YES The last? no

by **Zanreo** » Fri Dec 30, 2016 2:11 pm

Is the word "scare" (mistaken for "care"?)
Is the word (the original, intended one) a noun? Verb? Adjective?

by **Grip** » Fri Dec 30, 2016 3:54 pm

Is the word "scare" (mistaken for "care"?) no, nice idea though
Is the word (the original, intended one) a noun? this Verb? Adjective?

by **Zanreo** » Fri Dec 30, 2016 4:49 pm

A word associated with scary stuff? An item/object? A creature/living thing of some kind? Something intangible?
Just that word by itself relevant, or only when combined with other words?

by **Grip** » Fri Dec 30, 2016 5:52 pm

A word associated with scary stuff? yes An item/object? no A creature/living thing of some kind? no Something intangible? mainly yes, though it can have tangible aspects
Just that word by itself relevant, or only when combined with other words? the latter

by **GalFisk** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 2:01 pm

Physical reactions to getting scared relevant? Such as screaming? Jumping? Feeling a chill down the spine? Hair standing on end?

by **Grip** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:10 pm

Physical reactions to getting scared relevant? other than the fainting, no Such as screaming? Jumping? Feeling a chill down the spine? Hair standing on end? so no to these

by **GalFisk** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:02 pm

Fright->Right? Is the broken word a noun? Verb? Adjective? Preposition?

by **Grip** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 8:39 pm

Fright->Right? YES Is the broken word a noun? yes Verb? Adjective? Preposition?

by **GalFisk** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 8:59 am

Does he think the hotel is called "right hotel"? Does he think there is a hotel to the right? Which is where the fright hotel happens to be?

by **Grip** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:18 pm

Does he think the hotel is called "right hotel"? Does he think there is a hotel to the right? Which is where the fright hotel happens to be? no to all

by **Balin** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:25 pm

Did the man think it was a normal hotel and not a scary one? Was the banging door part of the hotel's regular shtick?

by **Grip** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:26 pm

Did the man think it was a normal hotel and not a scary one? Was the banging door part of the hotel's regular shtick? yes to both

by **Balin** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:28 pm

So did the man check into the hotel just because he thought it was normal? Or is there something about the word "right" that still needs to be discovered?

by **Grip** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:34 pm

So did the man check into the hotel just because he thought it was normal? yes, it was late and he needed a place to stay Or is there something about the word "right" that still needs to be discovered? yes, why did the broken sign make him think the hotel was a regular one? GalFisk was very close when she mentioned the name of the hotel possibly being "Fright Hotel"...

by **Zanreo** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:56 pm

Would the mistaken "right" be "right" as in opposite of wrong? The direction?
Did he know/notice it was broken? If so, did he think the missing letter was supposed to be something else?

by **Grip** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 10:43 pm

Would the mistaken "right" be "right" as in opposite of wrong? no The direction? no
Did he know/notice it was broken? no If so, did he think the missing letter was supposed to be something else?

by **Zanreo** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 10:57 pm

Right as in someone's rights to something?

by **Grip** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 12:43 am

Right as in someone's rights to something? no, but you're narrowing it down very well.

Small hint: another word for "hotel" was what was on the sign.

by **Balin** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:39 am

"Lodge"? "Inn"?

by **Grip** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:52 pm

"Lodge"? "Inn"? this!

by **GalFisk** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:27 pm

So it's called "fright inn", but the missing f makes it "right inn"? Does he go there because he likes puns?

by **Grip** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:47 pm

So it's called "fright inn", but the missing f makes it "right inn"? YES Does he go there because he likes puns? no, it's just simply because it sounded so welcoming and he was getting tired looking for a place.

by **GalFisk** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:47 pm

Do we need to know more about the sign? The inn? The man? Was he especially easily frightened? Was he on edge before seeing the door? Was anything else done by the inn staff to frighten him?

by **Grip** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:59 pm

Do we need to know more about the sign? nope The inn? no The man? no Was he especially easily frightened? no Was he on edge before seeing the door? yes Was anything else done by the inn staff to frighten him? yes

Basically all you need to figure out now is what was the man was watching on TV. It's linked to the banging door in his room. Once that's done, you'll have all the pieces to solve this.

by **GalFisk** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:04 pm

Was he watching news? A movie?A horror movie? Something he thought was live, but which was staged or a recording? A fake documentary? Was he made to believe the banging door was related to what he saw on tv?

by **Grip** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:07 pm

Was he watching news? no A movie? no A horror movie? no Something he thought was live, but which was staged or a recording? YES A fake documentary? no Was he made to believe the banging door was related to what he saw on tv? YES

by **GalFisk** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:17 pm

Is he watching: some news? Surveillance video from the inn? A show about the supernatural? Is he seeing a reporter? A ghost? A criminal?

by **Grip** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:29 pm

Is he watching: some news? no Surveillance video from the inn? YES, partly A show about the supernatural? Is he seeing a reporter? A ghost? A criminal? no to rest

by **GalFisk** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 10:33 am

Does the video show the banging door? Does it deliberately fail to show the person banging the door? Does he have a choice in what to Watch on TV? Or is this all that is on? Can he turn the TV off? Did he turn the TV on?

by **Grip** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 12:17 pm

Does the video show the banging door? YES Does it deliberately fail to show the person banging the door? NO Does he have a choice in what to watch on TV? yes Or is this all that is on? no, slight FA lurking in these TV q's Can he turn the TV off? yes Did he turn the TV on? yes

by **GalFisk** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:14 pm

Does the video show the person banging the door? Is the person disguised? Does it show someone else banging the door? A monster? Ghost? Does the video show him? Does the video mix live and recorded elements? Like this (http://www.hiddencamerapranks.com/grimreaperdeath.html)?

by **Grip** » Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:20 pm

Does the video show the person banging the door? YES Is the person disguised? YES Does it show someone else banging the door? no A monster? person disguised as a monster, YES Ghost? no Does the video show him? yes Does the video mix live and recorded elements? Like this (http://www.hiddencamerapranks.com/grimreaperdeath.html)? no, it's all pre-recorded by the time the traveler watches it and faints

by **emeraldink** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:01 pm

Was the frightened visitor watching a modified ( morphed ) recording of himself while a real person, hotel staffer, banged on the door?

He probably missed another sign, too: "Please check-in with your ghost first."

by **Grip** » Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:19 pm

Was the frightened visitor watching a modified ( morphed ) recording of himself while a real person, hotel staffer, banged on the door? no, but OTRT

He probably missed another sign, too: "Please check-in with your ghost first." But the g in ghost would have been missing or broke.

by **emeraldink** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 8:52 pm

Did his choosing a particular TV channel / show cause the staffer to show up at his door?

by **Grip** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 10:21 pm

Did his choosing a particular TV channel / show cause the staffer to show up at his door? no, FA

by **Balin** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:34 pm

Does the television always show the someone banging on the door?
Did a hotel employee bang the door while the TV showed the horror banging?

by **Grip** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:40 pm

Does the television always show the someone banging on the door? No, the guest has to initiate the action, the TV is not hooked up to cable or satellite, nor does it have an antenna...explore...
Did a hotel employee bang the door while the TV showed the horror banging? YES

by **Balin** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:44 pm

Is the action initiated when the guest turns on the TV? Presses the remote?

by **Grip** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:51 pm

Is the action initiated when the guest turns on the TV? that has to be done first, but it's not the actual action that starts everything... Presses the remote? no, there probably isn't even one in the room

by **Balin** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:48 pm

Does the action directly involve the TV? Does the guest call the front desk?

by **Grip** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:46 am

Does the action directly involve the TV? yup, in fairness I should point out that the method used to watch the footage would probably be something else today then when this story took place over 20 years ago Does the guest call the front desk? no

by **Balin** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 4:47 pm

This may have been asked already, but: is the footage pre-recorded? Is it being acted out somewhere else? Is a tape loop somehow relevant?

by **GalFisk** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 4:49 pm

Is a VCR tape being played?

by **Grip** » Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:18 pm

This may have been asked already, but: is the footage pre-recorded? some of it yes Is it being acted out somewhere else? some Is a tape loop somehow relevant? no, but tape is the right word

-

Is a VCR tape being played? yes! All the needed info has been found, anyone want to put it all together and spoil?

by **Balin** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 10:21 am

Does the guest insert the tape?

by **Grip** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 6:55 pm

Does the guest insert the tape? yup, that's more than enough for a spoiler...

Thanks to all, especially GalFisk and Balin!

by **Grip** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:18 pm

***** SPOILER *****

This is based on a short story, which I will very roughly paraphrase:

A man who is traveling on business finds himself in a unfamiliar area driving at night needing a place to stay and sleep. He sees a neon sign in front of a small building that reads "RIGHT INN." He decides to stay at this inn as it sounds welcoming.

While there, he notices a host of odd things about the place, including staff who act very stiff and grim and a supper consisting of strange, unappetizing foods.

Unsettled, he decides to turn in for the night and goes to his room. Just before he goes to bed, he notices a VHS tape on top of the TV. The tape is labeled "My Strange Adventure" and has his name on it.

Curious, he plays it and is startled to see footage of him in the hotel from hours before up until he entered his room. Suddenly, the perspective changes to a first person view, with a heavily breathing somebody approaching his very door. The person begins to bang on it and the man is stunned when his door actually bangs in unison with the footage. The camera angle changes and now he can see that who is banging on his door in the video has the face of a wolf. He screams and faints.

A man, who is not dressed as a werewolf, stops banging on the door, opens it, and rushes into the room. He sees the man passed out and calls for paramedics on the phone. As the paramedics take the businessman to the hospital, the other man, who is a hotel employee, follows them outside. He looks up at the sign and is dismayed and horrified to find that it is broken. The F on the sign is burnt out, and "FRIGHT INN" now reads "RIGHT INN." It is a themed hotel and none of what the man experienced was real, it was all staged.

(Grip) Not The Welcome That Was Expected

Search

Forums