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Hannah Dwan
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Hannah Dwan
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28-06-17

Dare you enter?

Take a terrifying tour of 10 Ridgewood Road

Some buildings you can take just one look at and instantly understand completely, where a story is told through architecture and symbolism. Or because they're just really, really creepy.

A popular theme builders go for to get that instant recognition is a spooky one. Graveyards populated with Endermen, abandoned mineshafts that warn of a horrible threat, or wastelands where only the most terrifying monsters have survived.

It doesn’t have to be something massive, though. One builder, Oxide, decided to focus in on a single sinister building.

10 Ridgewood Road is the home to a warlock called Dexter Ridgewood, who would lure victims into his house. Of course, the people being lured into 10 Ridgewood Road should probably have realised it was dangerous from just how terrifying the house looks. Plants that surround the house have died, and the building itself seems unnatural with its awkward, slanted architecture.

“The build is actually inspired by the Netflix show ‘A Series Of Unfortunate Events,” Oxide told us. “The house itself is Count Olaf's house from the TV show. I was actually looking for some cool concept art and I saw an interesting fan art someone made of the house, so I decided to build it.”

But the build isn't just a straight copy from the TV show - more a mish-mash of inspirations. Another bit of concept art Oxide saw for something else put forward the idea of a house almost being like a plant: one of the inspirations for the towers ‘sprouting’ out of the roof.

But he needed his own spin on it, and looked to his friend Geminata to come up with a story for this build.

“Dexter Ridgewood was a mix of myself and a dream I had,” Geminata explained. "When Oxide asked me to write this for him, a character started forming into my mind. A character that, despite the great evil in his mind, was rather innocent and relatable at the heart.” Hopefully not too relateable though, eh?

10 Ridgewood Road has some secrets, too. In the story, one of Dexter Ridgewood’s victims was a general named Samuel Elderberry, and he suffered a terrible fate. Rather than being killed, his soul was trapped in a crystal ball. In one of 10 Ridgewood Road’s towers, that crystal ball sits with Elderberry’s soul, trapped for all eternity.

Details like this are what really make the build come alive and evoke those horror vibes. The warped trees may not be the main focus to the build, but they frame it in death and decay. Looking back on the build, Oxide says that “the trees and dead grass really helped nail that scary atmospheric feel. When I finished, and I looked back at it, I could feel that scary atmosphere in the build, I was very happy I was able to capture that.”

10 Ridgewood Road was made on Builder’s Refuge, a server and network for builders to create art together. It always has builders working together, giving each other advice and tips on their creations. A handy process for any creative project!

The process for Oxide, though, is about constant iteration, always building on top of what he’s already got. That starts with his inspiration, then evolves. “When I build I constantly take a step back, and look at it for a minute, imagining what parts I could add where and what would look good.”

It’s all a part of Oxide’s design process, to go through stages of working on concept sketches, to building pieces, fitting it all together, and working out what details will bring it all together. All finally resutling in 10 Ridgewood Road, a house that will scare the pants off you!

If you want to follow Oxide’s exploits in the future you can follow him on Twitter. Currently he’s teasing something rusty - what could it be?

Renders by Necrosys, Trentu and Mydelko

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