Haunt Weekly

You guys should go pro! Why don't you?It's a question we get asked dozens of times per year, usually starting right now as the work ramps up. Usually the question is high praise and comes from happy visitors to our overgrown home haunt. They see the work and money we put into it and want us to be successful. But while it's flattering, it's alst not something we are pursuing at this time.However, we have had many conversations about it and have even started the ball rolling once or twice. However, each time we've stopped before things got far along and we've come back to these five reasons why we don't make the leap from home to pro haunter.This Week's Episode Includes:Conference RemindersReason One: MoneyReason Two: Creative ControlReason Three: HeadacheReason Four: Love of Haunt SeasonReason Five: Difficulty Making it a JobIf you've ever wondered why we never made the jump, despite 12 years of haunting, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and

This week on Haunt Weekly, it's another episode divisible by four and that means it's time to do the news!And a busy time for haunt news it is. As haunts gear up for the start of season, press releases are flying everywhere and everyone is talking about actor auditions and openingn nights.But that's not why we're here. Though it tickles us pink to see the great coverage the industry has been getting, we're all about the big news and celebrating milestones. So, on that note, here's a look at what's going on this week!This Week's Episode Includes: Conference RemindersFree "IT" Popup Haunt Appears in HollywoodDenver's 13th Floor Moving to a New LocationHalloween Horror Nights Finalizes LineupDisney's "Guardians of the Galaxy" Ride to Become Part-Time HauntKnott's Scary Farm Celebrates 45 Years with New AttractionsCedar Point Closing 3 Attractions, Opening 3 New OnesField of Screams (PA) Celebrates 25th YearLas Vegas' Fright Dome Cele

Halloween & Hauntfest 2017 is in the books and what a show it was. Some great classes, an exciting trade show floor and some after hours events that will make a lifetime of memories.Over the course of the 48 hours there, I have two talks, attended half a dozen more, Crystal acted in a small haunted house, we both were chased around a room by a zombie, bought a prop for our haunt back home and got to meet a couple fans of the show.However, all of that barely scratches the surface of what Halloween and Hauntfest is all about so sit back as we go back through the weekend that was in our recap of the conference and our experience.This week's episode includes:Conference REmindersIntro to Halloween & HauntfestSaturday Classes/ActivitiesSaturday Night's AdventureSunday Classes/ActivitiesWrap Up and Final ThoughtsAll in all, it was a busy weekend and hopefully makes for an episode that you do not want to miss!PS: Sorry about the late episode this week, illness and schedules made it impossible to rec

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're not just staring at the eclipse, we're gearing up to go to Halloween & HauntFest next weekend in Dallas!Now, before we begin, we had some technical issues with last week's episode. If you didn't ge the full 50 minutes of the podcast, simply refresh the feed and you should download a new episode that fixes it. Sorry for those problems!But, out with the old and in with the new as we spend the hour taking a look at what is coming up at Halloween and HauntFest, what we will be doing, the talks I'll be giving and, most importantly, what we're excited about.So, without any further ado, here's what's new this week!This Week's Episode Includes:Conference RemindersCorrections/Fixes for Last Week's EpisodeHHF Education PreviewSaturday Night PlansExhibitionsNetworkingInvitation to Come Find Us!All in all, if you're going to Halloween & HauntFest this is definitely an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us

To those who are not and never have been fans of pro wrestling, it can seem silly. That's partly because it is, but, then again, so is haunting a lot of time. Just because something is silly doesn't mean it isn't also very serious.But, most importantly, professional wrestling is both a form of storytelling and a form of acting that is easy to overlook. As an industry built on non-traditional storytelling and acting, it's worth taking a moment to see what lessons we can learn.So, with that in mind, we take a deep dive into the world of professional lesson and what haunters can/should learn from it.This Week's Episode Includes:Important Announcement About Halloween and HauntfestConference RemindersUpdate on the Den of Fear Haunted House Video RequestUpdate on the Don't Be a Monster AuctionWhy We're Looing at Professional WrestlingStorytelling Through ActionSelling a Move (or Injury)Bumping (Taking Hits)Use of Hope Spots and False FinishesPromosHyping Up EventsThe Dangers of Ta

This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing the news and we have a lot to go through this episode!We have tales of two break ins at haunted attractions, an update on McKamey Manor, a new and unique haunt opening up in Orlando and another merger in Pennsylvania.Combine that with the next announcement from Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and news about a Nightmare Before Christmas sequel and you have an episode that you do not want to miss!This week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference RemindersWelcome to New ListenersShould Out to Don't Be a MonsterHundred Acres Manor BurglarizedCinema of Horrors VandalizedMcKamey Manor Attracts Opposition in New LocationsBeast of Blackwood Opening Near OrlandoRavenhurst Manor Expanding/Joining Forces with Hariss Haven Funeral HomeUniversal Announces Ash vs. Evil Dead Haunted AttractionNightmare Before Christmas to Get Sequel (Sort of)Ocean City Dark Ride a Family AffairThe Worst Dark Ride EverDen of Fear Haunted House Video RequestOn that note, if you&a

Most haunters are already very familiar with Raven's Grin Inn, a year-round haunted attraction in Mt. Carroll, IL. The brain child and labor of Jim Warfield, it is an attraction that is both unique and revered.Last week, we got the chance to see the iconic haunt and it was indeed every bit as unusual an amazing that we thought it would be. But, equally awesome, Jim agreed to sit down with us and talk for an hour about his attraction, how he got started and the challenges of running a year-round haunt in a small midwest town.Jim is definitely one of the most interesting characters we've met and this interview is easily one of the biggest honors we've had with this podcast.So, without any further ado, here's Jim Warfield of Raven's Grin Inn talking about his 30+ years at Raven's Grin Inn. PS: Be sure to follow Raven's Grin Inn on Facebook and check out their store on Etsy. Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@ha

After a heavy podcast last week, we're lightening things up this week with a podcast all about web services that can you run, promote and monetize your haunt more effectively.Best of all, these are all web services that, while very useful, aren't targeted at the haunt industry. Even better still, most are free or at least offer a free tier.So, whether you're looking to get some graphic design help, schedule your actors, setup an online store or just organize your reciepts for taxes, we have a service that has you covered.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersCanva - Fast, easy graphic designPixabay - Large library of public domain imagesShopify - Set up an online storeSquarespace - Build a website quicklyBuffer - Reign in your social mediaMailChimp - Professional email newsletters cheap and easyTinkerCAD - Free online CAD by AutoCADSling - Completely free employee (actor) schedulingSlack - Free and effective group messagingShoeboxed - Reciept/expense trackingResponster - Fr

Haunting is hard. Threading the needle between scaring someone and actively traumatizing hem is a difficult task.However, sometimes haunts can cross the line and include scares, props and scenes that do more to offend than scare. While haunting is an art and no haunter should feel like they're being censored, it's also important to understand that haunt is a commercial art that must be palatable to a broad audience.With that in mind, we're starting a conversation about certain scenes and scares that may not be appropriate in a haunt or, at the very least, can have a very different meaning to some members of your audience.It might not be a reason to change your haunt, but it is something to think about.This Week's Episode Includes:Conference RemindersWhy This TopicA Word About Haunting as ArtHanging Scenes/NoosesVoodoo ScenesAnimal AbusePoverty PornWoman Victimization/SexualizationGeneral SuggestionsConclusionsIf you're intersted in making haunting a welcoming place for everyone, this

This week on Haunt Weekly, it's another "4" episode meaning that it's time to do the news!This is admittedly a slow week for haunted attraction news but there are still a few stories of serious import including the purchase of a major haunt conference and the merger of two major costume companies.Beyond that, we have a bill that was tanked by the inclusion of haunted attractions and an exciting new attraction in Tokyo that combines elements from both escape rooms and haunted houses.This Week's Episode Includes:Conference RemindersUrban Expositions Purchases HAuNTconRubie's Purchases BuySeasonsDisneyland Changes Pirates of the Carribean RideCarnival Cruise Line Offering Halloween EventsHaunted Attraction Amendment Sinks Agritourism BillNew Haunted Hayride to Open in OhioTokyo Attraction Combines Escape Games and Haunted HousesDonate to the Don't Be a Monster AuctionShout Out to Local Haunter in a New MovieAll of that makes this one episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touc

Previously, on Haunt Weekly, we looked at haunt marketing and the questions that you need to answer with every single piece of marketing you put out. This week, we're getting a bit more holistic and looking at haunt branding. This week's episode is a whirlwind tour through the basics of haunt branding including what a brand is, how you develop a brand and how you expand it so that you can use it on other projects. As with the marketing talk, a lot of this can apply to any business, but we're focusing on haunts and how these principles apply to our industry.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersWhat is BrandingThe 10 Parts of a brand (Link)Branding Through the Entire Customer ExperienceThe Questions To Answer About Your BrandBringing it TogetherAll in all, if you have a haunt, work for one or just case about branding, this is an episode you do not want to miss. Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.

We've been spending a lot of time on haunted attraction websites and haunted attraction conference websites lately. What have we learned? That there is a lot of basic information missing from them.To that end, we've decided to do a little bit of marketing 101 and discuss the six questions that every piece of marketing you put out must answer in order to be successful.The questions themselves aren't that difficult but they ARE crucial and failure to answer them will hurt you with wasted marketing dollars or even turned away customers.So let's take just a moment, study what your marketing must include and how you can answer those questions well for your haunted attration.This Week's Episode Includes:Conference RemindersThe Six Questions Your Haunt Marketing Must AnswerHow to Answer Each of Those QuestionsBonus Suggestions on How to Trigger an Immediate SaleTying it All TogetherIf you are in any way responsible for your haunted attraction marketing, this is one episoder you do NOT want t

Making a good escape room is tough. It requires days of planning, countless hours of beta testing and an endless string of adjustments and tweaks.And we don't have that kind of time, knowledge or expertise.However, we are avid players of escape games and, if you want to know how to make your escape game really crappy, we can tell you that real easy. We didn't even have to research how to do that.So, on that note, here's our basic tips for making your escape room as terrible as possible including how to frustrate your customers before they even arrive and how to make sure the game itself is nothing but a ball of frustration. Obviously... don't do this...This Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference Reminders7 Ways to Make a Terrible Escape Game (Plus One Bonus)A Few Things Don't Matter (As Much)ConclusionsAll in all, if you're looking to create an escape room, this is customer perspective you probably don't want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntW

This week on Haunt Weekly it's another episode divisible by four so that means we are doing the news!And it's a surprisingly busy week for news as theme parks seem to be picking up the slack from the dead part of the year. We have news of several parks either opening or renovating haunted attractions bringing more spooks into the summer months.We've also got updates on Netherworld, Midwest Haunters Convention and much, much more so strap in and let's discuss what's going on in the industry.This Week's Episode Includes:Conference Reminders Medwest Haunters Convention Held This WeekNetherwold Officials Confirms Its MoveUniversal Studios Announces Haunt Based on The ShiningLagoon Theme Park Renovates Is Dark RideHaunted Mine Drop Ride Being Installed at Glenwood CavernsNew Haunted Attraction to Open at Cavendish Beach Adventure ZoneWWE Rumored to Be Working On Theme Park with Haunted AttractionTexas Chainsaw Escape Room Heads to Clear Lake (Correction: We said Clear Lake was the set

Not many podcast episodes start with a bit of house cleaning but this one certainly does.While doing some sprucing up ahead of a family visit, Crystal found a time capsule in an old box, a 2010 edition of Haunted Attraction Magazine, issue #53 to be exact.So we decided to take a look at the magazine and do something we probably didn't do when we got it: Read it cover to cover.What we found was an interesting look back at the industry but one that was surprisingly relevant and topical today So take a trip down memory lane with us as we go through an industry magazine that's a bit over seven years old!This week's episode includes:Conference RemindersThe Great Haunt Tour 2009Profile Piece on the ScareHouseOther ArticlesAdvertisement RundownFinal ThoughtsAll in all, this magazine is an interesting take on the industry as it was and an episode that you dont want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly we have a real treast for you as we sit down with Brooke Englehart of Svenpuss Productions. Based in Chicago, Svenpuss Productions is a traveling haunter troupe that also specializes in character designs, costumes and accessories. Whether you need line actors, costumes for said actors or a bulk costume order for your haunt, they have your back.Brooke herself is one of the best-known haunt character designers, having won multiple awards with her conjoined twin costume and other character designs.So we are truly honored to have her sit down with us for the hour go through her history in haunting, how her business works and some great tips for creacting characters in your own attraction. All in all, this is an episode you do NOT want to miss. But, when you're done here, be sure to follow Svenpuss on Facebook and Twitter. Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

The number one reason that haunts don't make it past the concept stage is funding. However, as haunts get more expensive to open and remain high-risk traditiional sources to raise capital are being closed off. Banks, investors and self-funding are getting harder and harder to do.In response to that, some haunts are turning into a more tech-savvy means of getting off of the ground: Crowdfunding.So, in this episode, we take a look at crowdfunding, what it means, whether its right for haunts and offer some advice on making it work.This week's episode includes:Conference RemindersWhat is Crowdfunding?Why Choose Crowdfunding?The Risks of CrowdfundingWhere to Crodwfund? (Kickstarter and IndieGoGo)Suggestions and Tips for CrowdfundingThings to Consider if The Campaign FailsFinal ThoughtsAll in all, if you're looking to launch a haunt or to expand a current one, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail:

This week on Haunt Weekly we are doing the news!As we are wont to do on episodes diisible by four, we're bringing yout the latest and greatest of haunted attraction news and, despite being literally as far away from Halloween as you can get, we have a LOT of news to go through.So strap yourself in and prepare to get updated on all the goings on in the haunted attraction industry!This Week's Episode Includes:Conference RemindersHalfway to Halloween Celebrations (and Openings)Man Convicted of Rap at Delaware Haunted AttractionErebus Opens Up Escape Room ComplexNew Deal May Bring Haunted Attraction to Historic Forest Hills StadiumGorillaz' Spirit House Not Really a Haunted AttractionAnother Australian Celebrity Visits Kyle and Jackie O's HauntHaunted House-Based Game Perception Gets a Release DateDoctor Who Episode Features a Haunted HouseFilm Based on the Winchester House Gets a Release DateWWE Holds Match in "Haunted House", Everyone Calls it StupidDisney Rumored to Open Up Haunte

You might remember we sat down with Japes a few times in the past. For example Episode 59, Episode 46 and Episode 43 if you're curious. You migh also remember that, on Episode 65, we discussed toxic actors and repeatedly said we wishes we could have Japes on this subject. Well, our Japes prayers have been answered as the actor guru sat down with us to discuss toxic actors and everything we said wrong.To that end, he started with correcting the term "toxic actors" saying he prefers "cancerous actors" for reasons he explains very convincingly. We also went through several stories where he was forced to deal with toxic actors including the infamous "Star Trek Nerd!!!!" incident.Really, this is just one episode you have to listen to to believe and it's definitely one that you do not want to miss!For more on Japes, check out his Facebook page here and definitely see about recruting him for your haunt! Special Guest: Japes Palles.Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWee

This week on Haunt Weekly we are continuing our women in haunting series (it's been far, far too long) and sitting down with Sylvia Vicchiullo, the cast managager for A Petrified Forest in central Florida. In this interview we learn a great deal about Sylvia and her history with haunting. We discuss how she go into the industry and what were some of the lessons she had to learn coming into the industry.To that end, Sylvia's story is a very interesting one. Her first role in haunting was, effectively, a management role. The haunt needed a cast manager and, due to her theater background, she was picked for the job.Though she quickly fell in love with the industry, there were a few speedbumps along the way.Definitely, this is one episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com