Send a text Previously on Haunt Weekly, we asked you all for your favorite lighting tricks. Many of you, somewhat to our surprise, said Pepper's Ghost. However, through sheer good fortune, Mental Floss Magazine published an article about the history of the illusion (https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/631857/peppers-ghost-optical-illusion-the-toast-of-victorian-london) and it turns out to be way more interesting than either of us could have imagined. Pepper's Ghost started life as an attempt to ...
Oct 12, 2020•53 min
Send a text To put it mildly, 2020 has been a rough year and the haunt industry is no different. We're all struggling mentally, physically and financially. However, as haunt season 2020 kicks off, the signs have not been good. Despite well-written COVID plans and what appears to be good intentions, the haunt industry is beset by crushing queue lines, multiple shootings and haunts being forced to close after opening. This has had an impact around here. We canceled this season and are dealing with...
Oct 05, 2020•59 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we are doing the news and wow do we have a doozy for you this week. COVID news, three shootings at haunts and we aren't even into October! This will clearly be a season like no other and the only episode likely to beat it will be the next news episode in four weeks. So, with that in mind, buckle up and get ready as this is one long and, at times, difficult episode to listen to. This Week's Episode Includes: IntroQuestion of the Week Housekeeping What We're D...
Sep 28, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we are expanding on a previous question of the week to look at things that haunters wish customers knew. Though the haunt industry has opened up a lot in recent decades, there's still a lot of things that we keep close to the vest. Unfortunately, keeping some of that from customers may actually be hurting us by making the experience worse for them and us. To that end, we're going to expand on those things and look at the various items of information we all w...
Sep 21, 2020•56 min
Send a text Last month, the TV sitcom Tacoma FD featured an episode where the firefighters respond to a fire alarm at a haunted attraction. That makes it one of the few times pop culture has looked at the relationship between haunts and fire safety. As such, we decided it was worth taking a look to see how well the show represented the industry and how accurate its portrayal is. Needless to say, as a sitcom, it isn't too interested grounding itself in reality but it still seems like a fun exerci...
Sep 14, 2020•55 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're continuing our women in haunting series as we sit down with Amanda Reevenge, a 12-year veteran of the industry that has worked at a variety of haunts as a roaming actor.This interview covers a wide variety of topics including her experiences as a woman in the industry, bullying in haunted houses and ways to make the industry more professional.So sit down, strap in and spend an hour with an amazing haunter.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroAnnounce Las...
Sep 07, 2020•57 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing the news and, unfortunately, that means covering a lot of COVID-19 related things including limited haunt openings, closings and more things in between.But that's not all we have this week, we also have a spate of new drive-thru haunts, haunts that are taking a different approach and a lot of other news from the haunt industry.So buckle up as this is going to be one long ride!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroCOVID-19 ResourcesVendor Spotlight - ...
Aug 31, 2020•1 hr
Send a text As bad as COVID-19 has been for haunts, it's been similarly bad for our sister industry: Escape rooms. However, many escape games have taken a different tact, launching virtual experiences that come in a wide variety of flavors.These include everything from simply playing existing escape rooms with a totem to new experiences that were built from the ground up to be virtual.So that's what we're looking at this week, the different approaches to virtual escape rooms and finding which, i...
Aug 24, 2020•58 min
Send a text If you're a haunt in need of a good backstory, we have just the episode for you!Fairy tales have a reputation of being kid-friendly and sanitized but, if you go back to their roots, they are nothing of the like. Filled with gore and violence, fairy tales were scary stories before we had scary stories.So this week we're taking a look at some of the most popular fairy tales and looking at ways you can use them in your haunted attraction!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroCOVID-19 Resour...
Aug 17, 2020•58 min
Send a text Last year was a very rough year for us. Due to some serious road work taking place, we were forced to cancel our 2019 season.Now, due to COVID-19, many haunts are finding that their 2020 season is hanging into balance. However, if you do have to cancel your season, it's important to cancel it right.A bad cancellation can make it impossible to recover. A good one can let you keep your audience, your cast and your crew together through the storm.With that in mind, here are seven lesson...
Aug 10, 2020•54 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly it's time to do the news and what a rough week of news it is. We have cancellations both left and right, but we also have some happier stories as more haunts try to find a path through the pandemic.However, it's not all COVID news as we hear about a copyright story with potential haunt impacts and one queue line actor that was recently cleared by the police.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroCOVID-19 ResourcesQuestion of the WeekHousekeeping NotesHalloween Ho...
Aug 03, 2020•58 min
Send a text Pretty much every haunted attraction has a Facebook page. However, is there more that you could be doing with your social media presence?The answer is yes. Social media is a powerful tool for haunt promotion and, thanks to COVID-19, it's about to get even MORE important in 2020. Even if you can't open, social media can help you stay connected with your customers and make the 2021 seas that much better. So, this week we take a deep dive into social media, how haunts should be using it...
Jul 27, 2020•57 min
Send a text The haunts that are planning on opening up for 2020 are most likely starting to really think about their promotion and part of that is getting good images of your scenes and actors. Whether you need them for your fliers, social media, commercials or all three, you need high-quality photos.Getting them, however, can be difficult. How do you find a photographer that can take good photos of a haunted house? How do you hire them and work with them? What kind of contracts do you need? Luc...
Jul 20, 2020•56 min
Send a text It's becoming more and more clear that, if haunts are able to open at all this year, it's going to be with a good deal of restrictions and limitations. Those limitations will likely include masks for actors and customers alike.While getting customers to mask up will be challenging enough, there's also the issue of masking up actors. How do you create masks that work well for a haunt? What types of mask work at stopping COVID-19? How can we ensure that masks are worn and used properly...
Jul 13, 2020•59 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing the news and what a rough news episodes it is. We slog our way through the first round of haunt closures due to COVID-19. However, we work hard to bring you a great deal of good news too, including at least one story that may bring a tear to your eye.So definitely buckle up with this one. It's going to be a rough ride but, if you stick with it, we hope to send you home happy.This Week's Epsiode Includes:IntroConference RemindersQuestion for the A...
Jul 06, 2020•57 min
Send a text No matter what happens between now and haunt season, the haunted attraction industry is facing an extremely challenging year. Even the best predictions call for smaller crowds, shortened seasons and limited capacity.In 2005, the city of New Orleans and the surrounding area was facing a challenge of its own: Hurricane Katrina.The disaster impacted the city in countless ways, including closing the area's haunts. However, the haunts were able to reopen and were able to enjoy at least a ...
Jun 29, 2020•51 min
Send a text The haunted attraction industry prides itself on being a welcoming space for anyone who loves scaring. However, as some recent events have shown, that's not always an ideal we live up to.The truth is that we have many of the same issues as any other industry but we often lack the tools and processes to address them adequately. So, that's where this week's conversation sits in as we sit down with the amazing Brooke Englehart from SvenPuss Productions (https://www.svenpuss.com) to disc...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr
Send a text No business is an island unto itself. You need connections and allies to survive and a haunt is no different.Luckily, a haunt has a lot of good opportunities to partner with other businesses and ways that they can add value to their attraction, improve their customers' experience and reduce their own costs.So, today, we're exploring exactly that and looking at 10 types of businesses that your haunt should look at partnering with today.This Week's Episode Includes: IntroCOVID-19 Resou...
Jun 15, 2020•55 min
Send a text It's another episode divisible by four and that means we're doing the news and what a news week we have. Has the nation and world begin the process of reopening, haunted attractions and similar locations are starting to open back up as well. As such, we have a lot of news about various attractions opening their doors for the first time in many months.But it's not just about that. We have some news about less-than-desirable members of our community getting the heave-ho as well as some...
Jun 08, 2020•48 min
Send a text Like it or not, the haunt industry is almost certainly heading into a period of great turmoil that is likely to be followed by a recession or even a depression. While that means some rough times are ahead, they are also an opportunity to change the way we work and prepare ourselves to grow.But what changes should we be eying? What adjustments can we make to elevate this whole industry? There are a lot of potential things we should look at, so we chose ten that seemed like ones we cou...
Jun 01, 2020•56 min
Send a text Right now is the time of year many haunts are starting to think about actor recruitment, retention and training. It's the time we touch base with our crews, start recruiting replacements and training everyone up.However, this year presents a special set of challenges. The days of 100+ person cattle calls are gone for right now and there are LOT of new things you need to think about training. So how do you fix this? Well, we know the man who can help the most: Actor manager/trainer ex...
May 25, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Send a text This week's Haunt Weekly begins with something of a programming note. Originally, we had planned to have Japes Palles on to talk about actor recruitment and training while working remotely. However, some severe weather struck his area and he was not able to come on. So, we will have that conversation next week, same time, same channel. In the meantime, we wish Japes the best of luck with the cleanout of his basement. Good luck and please be safe!So, this week's episode was a bit hurr...
May 18, 2020•52 min
Send a text As sick as we all are of the phrase "In these uncertain times" there's not much doubt that these are, indeed, uncertain times and that means a lot to keep up on.That includes for the haunted attraction industry. Even though our season may not begin in earnest for many months, there's a lot of news that directly impacts us and may alter if we have that season at all.So, with that in mind, I promise that, if you get through the bad news this week, we will leave you on a happy note. So ...
May 11, 2020•51 min
Send a text When you go to more than a dozen haunts in a year, you start to see a lot of the same things come up over and over again. Some of those things are fine, especially when they are used well, but many of them don't add much to the haunt and are just kind of... odd.So this week we're taking a look at those things, examining some of the more commonly used tropes in the haunt industry and picking on seven that we see as not just being overused but outright abused.So sit back, relax and enj...
May 04, 2020•50 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're taking a look at an issue most haunts will face: How to best help and support actors with chronic conditions.To helps with this, we have brought on two amazing haunters, Derek and Shalisa Muehlberger from Scary Train (https://www.kirbyfarm.com/the-lost-railroad), which is one of the many events held at Kirby Family Farm. Not only do they both have chronic conditions themselves, but their positions mean that they recruit, train and work with other acto...
Apr 27, 2020•52 min
Send a text Haunters, just like any profession, have a language and jargon all of our own. But for 228 episodes we've been using a lot of the lingo without making any attempt to actually define what any of it means.This week we are fixing that by going through some of the more common terms and expressions used in the haunt industry and among its membersSo, get your jargon hat on as we're opening the book on just some of the key terms haunters (and their customers) use.This Week's Episode Include...
Apr 20, 2020•54 min
Send a text It's another episode divisible by four and that means it's time to do the news but man what a strange time to do haunt news. Usually, in April we're scraping by on a drip-feed of HHN news and haunt awards. However, thanks to COVID-19, there's actually a lot of interesting stuff going on.So, with that in mind, we are just going to jump right in with a look at all of the haunt news that's fit to not print from the past four weeks.This Week's Episode Includes: IntroCOVID-19 ResourcesHal...
Apr 13, 2020•46 min
Send a text Even as the quarantine drags on and haunters find themselves either worrying about the upcoming season or occupying their time with whatever projects they can do, Haunt Weekly marches on.To that end, we started thinking about what haunts might be doing if things weren't sideways and quickly realized that it's Easter and, for many haunts, that means special holiday openings. While they may not be happening this Easter, such holiday openings are becoming more and more common for haunts...
Apr 06, 2020•51 min
Send a text We hear you. ANOTHER Coronavirus episode. We hear the groans and we sympathize. We promise to be back to (more) normal next week but, for right now, we have some resources and suggestions we want to get into your hands.You see, as more and more of us are going into various forms of lockdown, we're finding ourselves with a lot of extra time on our hands. Some of us are actively building our haunts but, for many, that's not possible. For those, there are some virtual ways to get your h...
Mar 30, 2020•56 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're continuing the proud tradition of finding people smarter than ourselves to discuss the topics at hand. Today, that means sitting down with Chris Gay, an EMT and rescue chief that is also the brains behind Haunt Tech Tips and a regular speaker to the haunt community about how to prepare for medical emergencies.With everything going on with COVID-19 and the concerns about how it could impact the haunt industry, now is the time to start thinking about po...
Mar 23, 2020•50 min
