Haunt Weekly

For us, the 2018 season is in the books. We are brain dead, dead tired and damn near just dead. However, it was a great season in every way, record numbers, amazing reviews and a perfect safety record.So, since we are tired beyond belief, we are going to spend this week's episode talking about the only thing we can talk about, how it went.So, sit back, relax and go on a trip with us through the season that was!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersA Description of Our HauntThe Challenges We FacedThe AftermathClosingAll in all, this is, hopefully a fun and relaxing recap that you don't want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're winding down the season by doing the news.And what a month for news it has been, with more than a few stories that will make you scream expletives at the top of your lungs. Stories of racism, antisemitism and a mock rape.Though it's been a very good season for us personally, it's clear several other haunts have had much more rough seasons. So, without any further ado, here's the news.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersHaunted Hoochie's "Swastika Saturday" Sets off ControversyAkron Fright Fest Closes After Actors Commit "Mock Rape"Scream Town Reopens After Racist Facebook PostHaunt Employee Groped on the JobHome Haunt Display Shuttered Over Lack of PermitsChicago-Area Haunt Raises Money for School SuppliesSC Teens Take Private Haunt PublicNew Orleans Family Runs Haunted House in Their Garage (wink)ConclusionsAll in all, it's been a crazy month for industry news and this is one episode you do not want to m

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about something that has been at the core of our lives this season, queue lines.Whether it's the one we're building for our haunt or all of the queue lines we've stood in at the 15 we've been to so far, we've had a lot of time to think about queue lines from the perspective of both a haunter and a customer.So what have we learned? Well, a lot. And that's exactly what we're sharing today...This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersOur Queue Line "Tradition"The Thread That Started ItComparing/Contrasting Different HauntsFundamentals for a Good Queue LineWhy Queue Lines Are ImportantQueue Line AlternativesConclusionsAll in all, if anyone ever has to wait at your haunt, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about kayfabe in haunting. What is kayfabe? It's a wrestling term that's used to indicate the presentation of fictional events and information as real.However, kayfabe isn't limited to wrestling. We see it everywhere. Whether it's the craze over the Blair Witch Project, the "Is this place really haunted?" questions or just simply the feeling of being transported to a different place.So how can you use kayfabe in your haunt? That's exactly what we're here to explore!This Week's Episode Includes: IntroConference RemindersWhat is KayfabeHow to Build KayfabeGood Examples of Kayfabe in HauntingOne Not-So-Good ExampleWhen to Break KayfabeConclusionWhether you're trying to improve an existing haunt or plan out a new one, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're recapping what has beeen one of the best weekends of our lives for visiting haunts: The Lost Souls Chicago Haunted Bus Tour. To say it was an amazing weekend is an understatement. Not only were there six great haunted houses, but an amazing bus trip plus some great time with a good friend and friend of the show.In this episode, we're recapping the weekend that was and, along the way, discussing why these kinds of tours are so great for customers and can also help out the haunts themselves...This Week's Episode Includes:Intro Conference RemindersOur Experience Planning our Atlanta TripWhy The Lost Souls Haunted Bus Tour and Ones Like It Are So GreatFriday's TourSaturday's TourA Big Thanks to Japes and TerryConclusionsAll in all, if you're a fan of haunts, especially in the Chicago area, this is one episode that you do NOT want to miss!  Special Guest: Japes Palles.Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @Haunt

This week on Haunt Weekly, it's another episode divisible by four so that means it's time to do the news!But wait! Haunts all over the country are opening, what news can we possibly cover? Turns out a lot actually.We have several stories of haunts being used for promotion, some tales of haunt promotion and at least a couple of stories about some really, really long-running haunts.All in alll, there's a LOT going on right now and we're doing our best to keep you all up to date!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersJoin Us on the Lost Souls Bus TourSlipknot-Themed Haunt to Open in Des Moines2 Chainz Bringing Back Pink Trap HouseFreeform Creating Hocus Pocus and Nightmare Before Christmas Haunt6 Flags Offers $300 to Spend 30 Hours in a CoffinStranger Things Cast Visits Stranger Things HauntToronto Italian Restaurant Opens Haunt in the BackChicago Popup Corn Maze to Feature Full BarElysburg Charity Haunt Returns for 42nd YearReinke Brothers Haunted House Celebrates 50th An

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing something a bit different: Answering a question that wasn't even asked of us.The question was asked on the Haunter's Toolbox Facebook Group, which you should join and also join their main site, about how far people are willing to travel for a haunt. The asker was looking at land 45-minutes outside of the city and was curious if peoeple would make the trip.There were a lot of great answers in the thread but, considering how many people have asked similar queries, we wanted to tackle it ourselves. So, that's what we're doing in this episode!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference RemindersCome Join Us on the Lost Souls Bus Tour!The Question and the Responses So FarWhy It's a Complicated QuestionHow to Extend Your RangeHow to Discover What Your Range IsHow Far is Too Far?ConclusionsAll in all, if you have a location away from a population center or are looking at getting one, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in T

Back in episode 95, we took a look at all of the major retailers in our area and their Halloween sections. Well, it's 51 episodes later and we're doing it again, throwing in a few new stores to boot.So, with that in mind, here's a look at what our local stores have for Halloween, who disappointed us, who enthralled us and where did we spend our money? Stay tuned and all will be revealed!This Week's Episode Inlucdes:IntroConference RemindersWe Are Going to the Lost Souls Bus Tour! (Buy Tickets here)Retail IntroductionRules for The EpisodeSpiritParty/Halloween CityHome DepotLowe'sWalmartTargetAtHomeBig LotsWalgreensAll in all, it's a good wrap up of some of the nation's largest retailers and what they're doing for Halloween this year. Whether you're just a fan of Halloween or a hardcore haunter, this is an episode you do not want to miss!  Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on #HauntWeekly, we're talking about a group we've neglected for far too long: Yard HauntersIt's a strange omission for us. Every year we put a lot of labor into our yard display and far more people see it. However, when it comes to talking about haunting, we're all about what's inside the haunt itself, at least on the podcast.So, we're fixing that, with a full hour discussion of yard haunts including how we build ours, some tips and tricks for others getting into it and maybe a few suggestions to improve the one you already have.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersCatching up With Yard HauntsWhat We DoHow We Do ItCommon Concerns We Deal WithThings to ConsiderConclusionsAll in all, whether you're a yard display veteran or just getting started, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing the news and what a news week it is!As we inch closer to haunts opening their doors we're getting a slew of announcements and other news from haunts. Sadly, a lot of those announcements are of haunts not opening this year but many others are big stories about new and creative haunts that are opening up.So kick back and relax as we spin you through a selection of the biggest news in the haunt industry.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersUpdate on Last Week's EpisodeFright Dome Not Opening for 2018 SeasonOld Joliet Prison Haunt Misses Opening DeadlineForst of Fear in Tuxedo Park, NY To Close Due to Weather IssuesSix Flags Teams Up with CBS Films to Promote Hell Fest with New HauntsKnotts Scary Farm Announces Full LineupGoogle Opens Free Haunt in TokyoTerror Vault to Open in San Francisco MintPlanet Doom to Take Over Old Dr. Slaughter LocationHaunted Castle Dark Ride Finally OpensDisneyland Auction Raises $8.3 Million for CharityHaunted

The New Orleans 2018 haunt season may well be the most chaotic of all time. The oldest and most famous haunt has closed, another is taking over the location and we have a brand-new scream park opening up.Needless to say, Crystal and I are equal parts excited and nervous about the new season. We've had a relatively stable haunt scene for the past decade so this shakeup is very new to the area.Still, we have a lot of details about this upcoming season and it's been the topic on our mind this week so we're making it the topic of this week's episode as we look ahead to the 2018 New Orleans haunt season.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersRules of the ConversationNew Orleans Nightmare HouseScout Island Scream ParkThe Mortuary13th GateRise Haunted HouseImpacts for UsConclusionsAll in all, this is one crazy episode that you definitely do not want to miss, even if you're not in the New Orleans area! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyY

This weekend, we took a trip to the Alario Center here in New Orleans to visit the Oddities & Curiosities Expo as it toured through the city. With over 120 vendors we went in hopes of finding some new things for both our house and our haunt. Along the way, we ran into a bunch of our old haunt friends and more than a few of our other strange/unusual buddies.All in all, it was a trip well worth taking though we did have a few suggestions on how the organizers and the vendors could improve it for next year. This Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference RemindersDetails About the ExpoOur Experience ThereWhat We GotWhere the Expo is Coming NextWrap UpAll in all, if you're a fan of the odd and strange, this is one episode you do not want to miss!  Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly is a bit different. Caught up in the midst of a major project that's giving us little room to breathe, so we decided to take some of the points and ideas we like to beat on and organize them into a bizarre parody of a book we've never read.With that in mind, we present to you: The Ten Habits of Really Great Haunts.All of this is based on things we've talked about in greater detail before but, as we're gearing up for haunt season, now is a great time to make sure that your haunt has all of these bases covered.Best of all, all of these habits work for haunts of any size, regardless of budget. Meaning you can improve everything from your home haunt to your eventual megahaunt.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersHabit 1: Be SafeHabit 2: Have a Great Pre-Visit ExperienceHabit 3: Have a Great Queue ExperienceHabit 4: Be Actor DrivenHabit 5: Have Well-Trained ActorsHabit 6: Offer a Variety of ScaresHabit 7: Focus on Lighting and SoundHabit 8: Don&ap

This week on Haunt Weekly, it's an episode divisible by four and that means it's time to do the news.And what a roller coaster do we have this week. Everything from a change of direction at a major haunt to a pair of cautionary tales about taking over historic buildings.So take a break from your haunt work and actor recruitment and find out what else is going on in the haunt industry this time of year!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersErebus Haunted House Changes Strategy, Focuses on ActorsUniversal Studios Announces "Carnival Graveyard: Rust in Pieces" HauntDracula's Haunted House in Surfers Paradise ClosesLocal Fire Department Uses Haunt for TrainingDecatur Scream Opens Up Mini-Haunt at Area FestivalNew Dark Ride Being Made for Minnesota State FairHaunted Attraction in Meriden, Connecticut Put on HoldHistoric Site and Former Haunt to Be Preserved in Kansas CityVeterans Memorial Group Gets $7,500 from Area HauntYou'll Be Seeing Even More Pennywise This Y

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about our process for creating a scare, everything from where we get the idea to questions we ask about it all the way through build and testing. While this might seem like a basic topic, a lot of people in the industry, especially actors who are used to working in finished rooms, may never have gone through it. As we work to bring more people into the design process, we felt it was important to spell out our process to help us communicate both with each other and the people we work with.On that note, let's' dive right in and talk about how we design and build our scares.This Week's Episode Includes: IntroConference RemindersThe Reason for the EpisodeStep 1: The IdeaThe Questions We AskStep 2: StrategyStep 3: DesignStep 4: BuildStep 5: Placing the ScareStep 6: TestingAll in all, if you have anything to do with building a scare or are just curious how it happens, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntW

Do you like making more money? Sure, we all do. But instead of getting a new degree from a 90s correspondence school, may we suggest something a little more practical? Making more money per customer.Video games may have brought us the microtransaction to the forefront but they also showed us how not to do them, now the time has come for us to learn the lessons from gaming in both how to and not to upcharge customers.So sit back as we walk you through a world of suggestions about how you can get more per customer with microtransactions.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersWe Will Miss Steve Colberg (Support a Fundraiser in His Honor)A Quick Follow Up on Last Week's PodcastWhat is a MicrotransactionDefining Microtransactions for HauntsThe Last Ride5-Minute Escape RoomsDare to ScarePhoto OpsBounce Back TicketsSmall Merch & FoodIdeas We Haven't Seen ConclusionsAll in all, if you're looking to make more money per customer, this is one episode you do not want to miss! Get in

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're taking a look at one of the less pleasant sides of the industry: Haunt Directories.Directories have the potential to be a very powerful tool for the industry, a way to help people find new haunts in their area or when they travel. However, our current options are, to put it simply, less than perfect.So we're going to take a deep dive, look at some of the current haunt directories and, most importantly, what can be done to improve the situation...This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersWhy This is a Tough EpisodeGeneral Complaints Haunt Owners and Users HaveHauntWorldFindAHauntHauntFindHauntedHouse.comHauntedHouses.comThe Scare FactorHaunted House RatingsWhy There is No Perfect AnswerHow Do We Fix it?ConclusionsAll in all, whether you're an owner hoping to be listed or a user trying to find a haunt, this is one episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info

This week on Haunt Weekly, it's another week divisible by four and that means it's time mto do the news.And what a load of news we have this week! Not only do we have two stories of local importance here in New Orleans, but we have stories of haunt mergers, new attractions opening and some major stories from big industry players.All in all, this is one jam-packed episode with all of the latest goings on in the industry. This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersMany Haunts Opening for Friday the 13thHouse of Shock Becomes New Orleans Nightmare Haunteed HouseThe Mortuary Announces Zones for Scout Island Scream ParkHaunted Mines Merges with Hellscream Entertainment, ReopensDisney Announces New Halloween CruiseUniversal Studios Announces Slaughter Sinema Haunted HouseBusch Gardens Announces Demented Dimensions Haunted HouseMcHenry Country, Illinois Jaycees Seek to Raise Funds for HauntAdventureland Theme Park Opens New Dark RideAll Digital Museum Opens Its Doors in TokyoSt. Rita's

A wise person once said, what goes up, must come down. So is also true for haunts.But why are you talking about tearing down haunts in Summer? People are building their haunts now, not tearing them down! Glad you asked. That's because the success of a haunt teardown sttarts during haunt construction. Decicions made during the build impact how smoothly the haunt comes down.While most haunts use panel-based construction for easy knock down or renovation, there's a lot more that goes into tearing down a haunt than just building it in pieces.With that in mind, we're taking a look this week on how to tear down a haunt safely, quickly and with minimal swearing.The Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference RemindersSafety During Tear DownBuilding Tips to Help with Later Tear DownsTear Down PracticesConclusionsWhether your haunt is permanent or a knockdown, if you plan on taking some or all of it down, this is an episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeek

This week on Haunt Weekly we're going back to school!Yes, we know it's the middle of summer but that makes it the perfect time to pick up some non-credit or continuing education courses. Need some suggestions on what to take? We look at our local schools and see the types of courses you might be able to pick up closer to your home.Best of all, many of the courses can be taken online so, even if you aren't near a school, you may be able to attend.So strap in as we talk about some options for continuing education and suggest some courses that can benefit you as a haunter.The Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersWhy Continuing Education?Graphic Design ClassesCAD ClassesPhotography ClassesSocial Media and Marketing ClassesQuickBooks/Accounting ClassesTechnology ClassesProject Management ClassesVocal LessonsOther OptionsAll in all, if you're looking to improve yourself or what you can do for your haunt, this is one episode you do not want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Fac