Haunt Weekly

Age restrictions in haunted attractions are something of a touchy subject. Some don't want the kids around, others don't want to turn away a major part of their audience.But we're going to talk about it, looking at the reasons you might have to set up an age gate, the reasons you might want to, and some alternatives.So take a seat and relax as we talk about the younger haunt lovers and whether they should be allowed in.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekConference RemindersA Quick Word on the Myrtle Beach ShootingIntro to the TopicWhen You NEED Age RestrictionsOur RulesWhat Should You Do?Additional Things to ConsiderOur ProposalConclusionsAll 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 asking some tough questions. Or rather, we're telling you questions that you should ask yourself before starting any haunted attraction.Whether you want to start a pro haunt, a home haunt or something in between. So, if you're looking to make 2022 or 2023 your first haunting year, these are the questions you should be asking yourself before spending any time, energy or money on the project.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the Week9 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a HauntConclusionsAll 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! And we have a lot of big news stories for you this month.Whether it's a tragic death at a Florida theme park, Disney suffering supply shortage issues, a haunted house restaurant teaming up with the movie Ambulance and much, much more. So sit back and relax as we take you through all the haunted attraction news that's fit to print (or talk about)!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekConference RemindersTeen Falls from Drop Tower (https://www.newsweek.com/teen-falls-400ft-drop-tower-ride-their-death-orlandos-icon-park-1691718)Paul Walker's Sunglasses to Be Returned by Haunted Museum (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/paul-walker-s-sunglasses-from-crash-site-to-be-returned-to-family-by-haunted-museum/ar-AAVJlnc)Disney Suffers MagicBand Supply Shortages (https://insidethemagic.net/2022/04/disney-announces-supply-chain-shortage-affecting-magicbands-ab1/)North York Haun

This week on Haunt Weekly we are revisiting episode 86 (https://www.hauntweekly.com/86) where we featured 13 online services every haunter should know. It was a great episode that's held up well, but we have 13 MORE services we want to share with you.So whether you're looking to build a haunt, improve your marketing, edit together your promo video or a myriad of other things, we have you covered this week!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuestion of the WeekIntro to the TopicPexels (https://www.pexels.com/)LightStream (https://golightstream.com/studio/)ClipChamp (https://clipchamp.com/en/video-editor/)Monday.com (https://www.monday.com)Survey Legend (https://www.surveylegend.com/)ConCalculator (https://concalculator.com/)TeeSpring (https://www.teespring.com)MileIQ (https://mileiq.com/)GovDeals (https://www.govdeals.com)Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com)Mailer Lite (https://www.mailerlite.com/)Google Workspace (https://workspace.google.com)Capterra (https://www.capterra.com)ConclusionsAll

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're not getting political, we're getting realistic.The truth is that the labor market in the United States has changed a great deal over the past few years, and it isn't going back to the way it was. In many states, the minimum wage was lifted, everywhere, the practical minimum wage is going up. Likewise, it's getting harder to recruit, train and retain actors and employees.So what's a haunt to do? That's what this episode is about, finding ways for haunts to survive and thrive amidst a changing labor market.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuestion of the WeekConference RemindersA Few Words About PoliticsHaunt Actors Don't Take the Job Due to MoneyWho To Recruit/Issues You'll HaveSome Needed ChangesHow to Recruit More ActorsKey TakeawaysConclusionsAll 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 looking back to some of our most WTF haunt moments, both in our haunt and while visiting others.To most people, haunting is something of a head scratcher already. We're a bunch of weird people that enjoy scaring others and go to great lengths to make it happen.So, what does it take to make a pair of haunters with decades of experience go WTF? Well, here are ten moments that did just that for us.IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekUpdate on TransworldUpdate on HauntconTop WTF Moments While Visiting Other HauntsTop WTF Moments in Our HauntConclusionsAll 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's been a surprisingly busy week for haunted attraction news as police seek your help in finding a haunt arsonist, a huge new haunt is announced in North Carolina and Disney suffers from issues with two of its most popular attractions.Add to that some lighthearted fun, including a look at some of video games' scariest haunted houses and some new business ideas for haunts year-round.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuestion of the WeekConference RemindersPolice Seek Public Help to Find Haunt Arsonists (https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/crime/authorities-need-help-identifying-suspects-in-haunted-house-attraction-fire)Scream Dreams Plans Huge North Carolina Haunt (https://greensboro.com/business/local/scream-dreams-plans-haunted-attraction-in-thomasville/article_d682dba4-910b-11ec-b6c7-a3e7020a8940.html)Haunt Hosts Zombie-Themed Prom (https://wchstv.com/news/local/zombie-themed-prom-night-held-in-putnam-county)Disneyland's Haunted Ma

For many haunt fans, the peak of haunted attraction love is the haunt road trip. This is when you take off and try to squeeze a bunch of haunts into just a handful of nights. However, they can be something of a nightmare too. You're trying to plan a large number of haunted attractions into very little time, all the while visiting a strange city. There are so many things that can go wrong and blow the whole trip up.Fortunately, there are several tools and techniques that can minimize the risk and help you get the most out of your time away (not to mention your dollar). That, in turn, is what this episode is about.So sit back and relax as we teach you how we plan our haunt field trips!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuestion of the WeekA Look Back on Previous TripsInitial TipsStep One: Starting a Google Doc/RepositoryStep Two: Determine Must-See HauntsStep Three: Research Area Haunts Step Four: The Power of Google MapsStep Five: Start Planning Days (Nights)Step Six: Repeat for Other DaysStep Seven:

If you're a haunt owner, it will happen at some point. An actor will approach you with a character of their design that they want to bring in to your haunt. To that end, there are a lot of reasons to consider bringing in actor-created characters, but also a lot of pitfalls that can make it go badly awry. Weighing those pros and cons is not easy.That's why we're here to help. With information to help both haunt owners and haunt actors get the most out of their actor-created characters as well as a slew of pitfalls to watch out for when bringing such characters onboard.So whether you are an actor or an owner, this is an episode for you! This Week's Episode Includes:IntroHousekeeping NotesQuestion of the WeekConference RemindersIntro to the TopicFor Haunt OwnersAside About IP IssuesFor ActorsConclusionsAll 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

Group size is one of the most important, if one of the most mundane questions, every haunt owner has to answer. It's a question that impacts every area of your haunt from how much money a haunt makes, to the experience of both customers and actors. It can literally make or break your haunt.So sit back and relax as we discuss some group dynamics and ask: How many people should go through your haunt at one time.This Week's Episode Includes: IntroRevisit Last Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekWhy Talk About Group Size?SafetyThroughputCustomer ExperienceWear and Tear on People and ThingsThe Dreaded Conga LineFinding the BalanceConclusionsAll 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. However, we are deep into the off-season and, for the first time in a while, we don't have a lot of news to go through. But, that doesn't mean that there is nothing. We have an interesting study that looks at fear reactions in haunted attractions, a major international haunt up for sale (again) and other great haunted attraction news.To buffer it, we also a few haunt-adjascent stories and a bit of levity to round out the show.This Week's Episode Inlucdes:1: Intro2: Housekeeping Notes3: Question of the Week4: Conference Reminders5: Spookers Haunted House Up for Sale (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/auckland-haunted-house-attraction-spookers-on-sale-for-third-time/GP2NGNMD3CHPOCPWD2LSUA4V6I/)6: Study Looks at Fear in Haunted Houses (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220119194254.htm)7: Spooky Swap Meet Returns (https://www.allhallowsgeek.com/spooky-swap-meet-returning-to-heritage-square-marking-the-six-month-mark-to-halloween/)8: Haun

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're rolling back the clock and looking at a topic we first covered more than six years ago: Touch vs. No Touch Haunts.Simply put, a lot has changed in the past six years. We've learned a lot, visited a ton more touch haunts, and gotten some feedback. So, we wanted to revisit this point.So what is the difference between touch and no touch haunts? What are the benefits and perils of each? How can you incorporate touch safely? We answer this and much more in this episode.This week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekA Recap of Episode 11Benefits and Drawbacks of Touch HauntsPitfalls of Touch HauntsHow to Mitigate RisksOther Ways to Incorporate TouchShould You Go Touch or Not?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 discussing HYPE!!!That's right we're talking about what it takes to adequately hype up a haunt and how anyone, with a few marketing tweaks, can increase the excitement others feel as they show up at your door.The message is actually very simple: Give people a reason to be excited, then give them a mystery to have fun with.However, there's much more to this episode so dive in and get hyped for the hype!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekConference RemindersWhat is Hype?First Step: Build and Operate a Good HauntFiguring Out Your Unique Selling PointCreating Mystery Around That PointBuilding Hype Year Over YearThis Week's Question of the WeekConclusionsAll 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 revisiting one of our older topics: Online TicketingCovered all the way back in September 2016, we're taking a fresh look at the subject including explaining why haunts should offer online ticketing, the companies that specialize in doing it and some pitfalls that you should avoid.Ultimately, this is a topic that impacts everyone in the haunt, not just the higher ups, so it's important for all haunters to be at least aware of the issue. That said, it's the real hope that maybe, just maybe, we can convince a few haunts to make the move and maybe help a few others do it better.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroFollow Up on Last Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekA Bit of History on the TopicWhy Haunts Should Accept Online TicketsHow Online Ticketing WorksMajor Players in the SpaceHazards to Think AboutAnnoyances to AvoidConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @H

This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing the news. However, since it is something of a slow news cycle, we are spending some extra time discussing your answers to last week's Question of the Week: When was a time a haunt actually surprised you?But don't think that's all we have this week, we have conference reminders, an update on our COVID scare and tons of the usual pointless banter you've come to expect.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroHousekeeping NotesLast Week's Question of the Week DiscussionThis Wee's Question of the WeekConference RemindersFear Expo Live is Coming This Week (https://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/fear-expo-live-coming-to-convention-center-next-week/article_0ad761d4-e6cc-5d4a-af4a-b96e858ab890.html)Kiwanis Noon Club Raises $43K with Haunt and Festival (https://mohavedailynews.com/news/136959/kiwanis-noon-club-raises-over-43k-for-local-groups/)23 Franchises That Need an Immersive Experience (https://www.buzzfeed.com/kenwhanley/tv-and-movie-franchi

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're discussing something so many haunts forget to bake into their haunt layout and design... ... ... ... ... TIMING!That's right, we've discussed what scares you should place and where you should place them, but now we are discussing WHEN you should be placing them.Simply put, haunt pacing is an underappreciated art when it comes to haunted house design, and we're giving you the rundown on how to avoid turning your haunt into a static mess that doesn't scare anyone. This Week's Episode Includes:1: Intro.2: Last Week's Question of the Week3: This Week's Question of the Week4: Intro into the Topic5: Why Timing is Crucial6: First Rule of Haunt Timing7: The Queue Line8: The Beginning of the Haunt9: The Middle of the Haunt10: The End of the Haunt11: 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 ringing in 2022 with a to-do list.As most haunters already know, haunting is a 365 day per year affair. Though there may be busier times than others, there's always something going on. Surprisingly, that includes right now. Though we are nine months removed from haunt season and entering the coldest part of the year, there are things you can and should be doing for your haunt right now, today even, to make sure your 2022 season is a success.There's a lot to get through so let's dive right in.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuestion of the WeekConference RemindersCreate a Milestone CalendarPrepare Your AdvertisingCreate an Online StoreCreate Two BudgetsDo Your Pre-Morten (and Post-Mortem)Plan Your ChangesGet Together with Your CrewConclusionsAll 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 wrapping up 2021 by taking a look ahead to 2022. Though no one can predict the future, the last two years have set the stage for a very interesting year in 2022. As we watch the latest COVID news and try to figure out the ways it will impact our 2022 season. But what about the ways COVID has already changed haunting? How many of those impacts will be permanent? Also, what will the demand be like in 2022? We take a look at all those questions and much more in our look ahead.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroAnswers to Last Week's Question of the Week.This Week's Question of the WeekWe're Not Looking BackHow Will Covid Impact 2022?What Elements of the COVID Era Will Become Permanent?What New Technologies Will We See?How Can We Improve the Customer Experience?What Will the 2022 Season Be Like Financially?ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss! Get in Touch and Follow Us!Facebook: @HauntWeeklyTwitter: @HauntWeeklyYouTube: @Haunt

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing the news and, let's be honest, there's not a lot of news to go around. However, we do have one important story as one tragic haunt legend comes to life and a lot of great news about the charity work that haunted attractions are doing.So kick back, relax and let's go through all of the news, conference reminders and weekly questions that are fit to podcast!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's QuestionConference RemindersTeenager Dies of Heart Attack While Visiting Haunted House (https://nypost.com/2021/12/06/boy-dies-after-haunted-house-induces-cardiac-arrest/)Niles Scream Park Raises $124,000 for Local Charities (https://www.moodyonthemarket.com/niles-scream-park-raises-more-than-124000-for-local-groups/)Kentucky Haunt Holds Holiday Event for Charity (https://www.wymt.com/2021/12/10/holiday-themed-event-raises-money-cancer-patients/)Dread Hollow to Open for New Years Show (http://www.chattanoogap

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking holiday shows or, perhaps more accurately, how similar so many of them are.With more haunts expanding into the holiday season, it makes sense to talk about how you can make your show truly unique, including steps you can take right now and today to start improving your show for next year.So sit back and relax as we tackle some tough questions including "Why do all holiday shows feel the same?" and "Really, Krampus is here too?"This Week's Episode Includes:IntroLast Week's Question of the WeekThis Week's Question of the WeekPrevious Episodes to Check OutWhy Does Every Holiday Haunt Use Krampus?Crafting a Unique Holiday CharacterKeys to a Good Character or StoryConclusionsAll 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