Haunt Weekly

Preservation is not a topic that haunters talk about a great deal. We talk about building, tearing down, scaring everything that goes into them, but rarely do we think about how future generations will share in this experience.The truth is, haunts are temporary things, and much of what makes them special is impossible to preserve. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. To that end, here's our thoughts on what we, as an industry, could and should do to preserve our history.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Last Week's Question of the Week3. This Week's Question of the Week4. Update on Our Haunt5. Intro to the Topic6. Haunts Are Temporary Things7. Shout Out to the Dark Ride Project8. VR and Video9. Behind the Scenes Video Blogs10. Props and Items11. Some General Thoughts and Tips12. ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

Note: Though we waxed poetic about our love for the Lost Souls Haunted Bus tour, we have to caution that they SOLD OUT of tickets before we published. So please follow them and stay tuned for next year!This week on Haunt Weekly, it is time to do the news! And we are inching ever closer to haunt season that means we have a LOT of great news stories for you including some innovate haunts opening this year.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Last Week's Question of the Week3. This Week's Question of the Week4. Conference Reminders Return!5. The Headless Horseman in Ulster Park, NY is Celebrating 30 Years - https://hudsonvalleycountry.com/headless-horseman-in-ulster-park-ny-celebrates-30-years-in-scares/6. New haunted attraction coming to Anderson Jockey Lot - https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/08/08/new-haunted-attraction-coming-anderson-jockey-lot/ 7.  Aspiring Scare Artist Haunts Macon Walmart Parking Lot - https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/aspiring-scare-artist-haunts-macon-walmart-pa

It's ticket buying season for us haunt lovers, and that means a myriad of things. It means spending hundreds of dollars, it means scoping out the best deals possible, and it means realizing the ways haunts put the screws to their customers.However, much of this is, most likely, unintentional. It stems less from a desire to put one over the customers and more of a desire of not thinking through all the potential consequences of a policy or action.So, that's what we're going to focus on today, some key ways haunted attractions can and do unintentionally screw their customers.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Last Week's Question of the Week3. This Week's Question of the Week4. 5 Ways Haunts Unintentionally Screw Their Customers5. Online Ticket Sales in General6. Selling Tickets Before Announcing Dates/Times7. Requiring Customers to Choose Dates/Times Way in Advance8. Unfair Cancellation Policies9. Not Being Upfront About Content10. ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode y

The 2022 haunt season is coming on strong. Haunts are already announcing their dates, builds are wrapping up, and it's getting very close to spooky time.For us, this will be our first normal haunt season since 2018. Cancelled in 2019 due to road work and then again in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, it'll be our first open season in four years. However, it will also be our first normal season visiting haunts since 2019, so our first haunt visit run in three years.So we're looking ahead and discussing some of our big wishes for the 2022 haunt season, both at home and elsewhere.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Last Week's Question of the Week3. This Week's Question of the Week4. Update on Conference Reminds5. Intro to the Topic6. 5 Hopes We Have for Our Haunt7. 5 Hopes We Have for Haunts We Visit8. ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.c

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're pulling out our magic lamp, blowing on a dandelion and tossing a coin into a fountain as we're going on a wishing spree.We love the haunted attraction industry, but we think it is capable of so much more. However, to get to that point, some major things are going to have to change and that is where our wishes come in.So, this episode we are going over six of our biggest wishes for the haunt industry and why they could change the craft forever.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Question of the Week3. We Love the Haunt Industry4. Our Six Wishes5. ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want miss!Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly it is time to do the news and boy do we have a lot of news to cover!We have an urgent plea from one of the nation's oldest Jaycee organizations, another major charity haunt closes, Fear Farm moving and Spookers having new owners.In short, it's a month of big changes in the haunt industry, and we are here to cover all the shifts and alterations taking place.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Question of the Week3. Update on Wicked World Scarygrounds4. Portsmouth Jaycees Face Possible Closure - https://news.yahoo.com/saving-easter-hunt-santa-011900339.html5. Fear Farm Moves to New Location - https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/fear-farm-haunted-attraction-has-moved-to-glendale-heres-why-117335306. New Escape Room Experience Opens Up in Central New York - https://wibx950.com/are-you-brave-enough-to-enter-the-newest-escape-room-in-central-new-york/7. North Charleston Brewery to Open Haunted House - https://www.counton2.com/news/local-news/haunted-house-attraction-com

Haunts put a lot of thought and effort into marketing and trying to build a brand, but far too often sabotage it with unforced errors and simple mistakes. You work hard to make sure your customers think highly of you and want to come back year after year. However, one small misstep can damage or even wreck all of that goodwill. So, it's not enough to have a good brand strategy in place, you need to watch out for pitfalls that you, your actors or your marketing can fall into to damage it. To that end, here are some of the more common ways we've seen haunted attractions sabotage their own brand unintentionally.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Conference Reminders3. A Quick Update About Us4. Intro Into Branding5. Inconsistent Design6. Irrelevant Merchandise7. Lack of Social Media Rules8. Inappropriate Content for the Brand9. Advertising Things Not in the Haunt10. Rogue Actors11. Character Control12. ConclusionsAll in all, whether you're the brand manager or just an actor in the haunt,

Due to COVID, this week's episode is a redux episode, but it's an important one as we revisit when we sat down with Paul Lanner in January 2021 to discuss Haunters Against Hate. -----This week on Haunt Weekly, we sit down with Paul Lanner, the founder and operator of Haunters Against Hate.Haunters Against Hate is a charity that promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion and acceptance within the haunt community. As events over recent years have illustrated, the haunt community has work and effort to put into this space.To that end, Haunters Against Hate has been raising money for LGBTQ+ causes all over the country since 2016 and has provided a great outlet for LGBTQ+ haunters are well as for haunts to show their support for the community.So sit back and relax as Paul explains not just what he does, but how haunts can help make their homes more welcoming.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Interview with Paul Lanner3. ConclusionsAll, in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!Get in Touch and Follow

This past weekend was Haunters Against Hate: The Event in Lexington, KY. This is the second year for this particular conference that focuses on eliminating hatred in the haunt community and supporting members of the community that are often targeted by prejudice. The conference itself was three days of vendors, talks, drag shows, goatmosas, and much, much more.We break it all down for you in this week's episode.This Week's Episode Includes: 1. Intro2. Blow by Blow of HAH The Event3. General Wrap Up4. ConclusionsAll in all, 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 doing the news!It is a very busy news month as we have the latest on the ongoing Field of Screams scandal, a copyright case filed against Spirit Halloween (that we get to break) and the latest on Halloween Horror Nights.We also have a big announcement about where you can meet us this coming weekend and much, much more!This week's episode includes:1. Intro2. Update on Bloodshed Brothers Episode3. Come See Us at Haunters Against Hate: The Event4. Conference Reminders5. Sex Ring Investigation Reveals Field of Screams Haunted House Ties (https://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar/sex-ring-investigation-reveals-field-screams-haunted-house-ties)6. Mask Maker Sues Spirit Halloween in Copyright Small Claims Court7. A Visit to the Midwest Haunters Convention (https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-midwest-haunters-convention-rosemont-20220615-p6dwuajgn5d7jhso3jv5cdtpte-story.html)8. Filmmaker Envisions Town of Horror at Irish Hills' Stagecoach Stop (

This week on Haunt Weekly, it is admittedly a difficult subject. With news about the sex ring at the Bloodshed Brothers' operated haunted house. We've invited Maddie Rachael, better known as Maddi Monster, to talk about her experience at the haunt, and what other haunt owners can and should do to prevent something similar from happening.It's a difficult but important episode that, we hope, will spark a much bigger conversation across the haunted attraction industry.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Conversation with Maddie Rachel3. Potential Ideas for Preventing Future Issues4. ConclusionsAll in all, this is a very important episode that 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 spending more time looking at our week away and discussing some other lessons that we learned from our time in Myrtle Beach.While we visited a lot of haunted houses, we also checked out some of the other tourist trap locales and came with it a new appreciation for how these kinds of businesses operate.So sit back and relax as we take a look at what we learned while on our summer vacation.This Week's Episode Includes: 1. Intro2. Housekeeping Note3. Question of the Week4. Conference Reminders5. Looking Back at the Last Episode6. Ideas for Upsells/Merch7. Physical Giveaways8. Curb Appeal9. Catering to YOUR Audience10. Lessons from Yarn Stores11. ConclusionsAll in all, 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 enjoying a bit of vacation. However, what vacation is complete without visiting a haunt or three?That's precisely what we've been doing, and we've got a lot to discuss as we talk about the various places we've been to as we explore the year-round haunted attractions that make up the Myrtle Beach area. So join us as we discuss some very unique haunted attractions!This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Housekeeping Notes (https://patch.com/california/lakeelsinore-wildomar/sex-ring-investigation-reveals-field-screams-haunted-house-ties)3. Discussion of Outbreak at the Hollywood Wax Museum4. Discussion of Ripley's Haunted Adventure5. Discussion of Zombie Zone6. ConclusionsAll in all, 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 are doing the news! Even though it may not be the busy season for haunted attraction news, there is still a lot going on, including an arson at a trail haunt, an update on HHN and a haunt coming to the Gathering of the Juggalos. We have all that and much, much more on this episode of the Haunt Weekly News!This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Housekeeping Notes3. Question of the Week4. Conference Reminders5. Woman Sets Fire to Haunted Attraction (https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2022/05/woman-set-haunted-attraction-on-fire-to-attract-attention-police-say.html)6. Halloween Horror Nights Announces First House (https://www.clickorlando.com/theme-parks/2022/05/17/universals-legendary-monsters-collide-in-hhn-haunted-house/)7. Five Night at Freddy's Haunt Coming to Ohio (https://www.wkyc.com/article/life/holidays/halloween/five-nights-at-freddys-haunted-house-medina-halloween-2022-jurassic-mountain-family-entertainment-center/95-29120d45-6d58-4452-8eba-45fb0f72c8

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about comedy.Humor may seem to be the antithesis of what haunting is all about. However, it's a potentially powerful tool that can make your scares hit harder and give customers new reasons to love your haunt.So, this episode we are looking into humor in haunting, including how, when and why you might want to incorporate a little comedy between your scares. This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Question of the Week3. Housekeeping Note4. Why You May Want to Incorporate Humor5. How to Incorporate Comedy6. When to Use It7. ConclusionsAll in all, 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 are returning to our live format to bring on two amazing haunt actors, Japes Palles and Katie Lane, to talk about the ins and outs of being a traveling actor.So sit down as two expert actors, discuss the topic ahead of their face off at the Midwest Haunters Convention Next month.This Week's Episode Includes:1. Intro2. Interview with Japes Palles and Katie Lane3. ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss:Note: We had an issue with the recorder. As a result, our timing was off and the podcast is a bit short, it's also why the audio may not be fully up to code...Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

THIS IS NOT A HAUNT WEEKLY EPISODE!Haunt Weekly is moving web hosts. It's not our choice, especially right now, but we have to do it urgently. We need YOU to check your feed Monday/Tuesday and make sure that the move worked swimmingly.However, for those that are either podcasters or curious, I will spend a little bit of time talking about exactly what happened and why we're leaving so abruptly. Basically, we want to make sure you don't fall into the same trap (both money and time wise) that we did.So thank you in advance for your help and we shall return Monday to our regularly scheduled programming. Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @HauntWeeklyEmail: info@hauntweekly.com

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're having a bit of a fantasy. We are exploring the various things we would change about the haunted attraction industry if we could wave a magic wand and do it.Some of these items are big, some of them are fairly small, but they are all things we feel that the haunted attraction industry could be improved by implementing.So kick back and relax while we enjoy an hour's worth of wish fulfillment. This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the Week11 Things We'd Change About Haunting if We CouldConclusionsAll in all, 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 are doing the news. It may be mid-Spring, but there's a great deal of haunted attraction news to go through, including the latest on the Myrtle Beach shooting. We also have a series of wild Disney stories, an update on the 13th Gate and a look at the Spooky Swap Meet.So sit back, relax and learn about what is going on in the haunted attraction industry. This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekConference RemindersMan Shoots Performer at Myrtle Beach Haunted House (https://www.wkbn.com/news/national-world/man-accused-of-shooting-haunted-house-performer-thought-gun-was-prop-police-say/ )Elgin City Council Voted to Cancel Halloween Event... (https://www.edu2all.net/no-zombies-on-chicago-street-this-year-as-elgin-council-votes-to-cancel-halloween-event-for-2022.html)...And Then Reverses That Decision (https://headtopics.com/us/elgin-council-reverses-decision-on-nightmare-votes-to-return-the-halloween-apocaly

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about the middle of haunting. THe middle class of haunts, the middle tier of vendors and so forth.Though the haunt industry is doing well, much of those gains are at the extremes. Large haunts getting bigger, small haunts that are hanging on. The middle tier of haunts, however, have had a rough time of it lately.The reasons are many, but rising costs, COVID and more have been slowly whittling away at the all-important middle tier of the industry for a long time. In this episode we're going to examine why it's happening and why it is important.This week's Episode Includes:1: Intro2: Last Week's Question of the Week3: This Week's Question of the Week4: Shoutout to the Rise Crew!5: Credit for This Week's Episode6: What We Mean About the Disappearing Middle7: Why It's Happening8: Why The Middle Tier is Important9: Looking to Vendors10: ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Face