Send a text 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 hauntin...
May 01, 2017•49 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're kicking off interview month as we sit down with Matt Scott of Von Grimm Productions . Matt is a virtual wizard when it comes to masks and makeup effects for the haunt industry. He places an emphasis on creating high-quality looks that are both fast and affordable, meeting both of the needs that the industry has. In this interview, we talke a great deal about not only Scott's business but also his philosophy when it comes to creating makeup and mask de...
Apr 24, 2017•52 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly it's another episode divisible by four and that means it is time to do the news! And it's a busy month for haunted attraction news as we have the first haunt announced for Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, an upcoming documentary about haunt life and several stories about haunts needing help to open their doors. So while it may be the deepest part of the off season, there is no off season for haunt news and this episode proves that point nicely! This Week...
Apr 17, 2017•48 min
Send a text The idea for this week's episode comes from one of our listeners and man is it a great one (Thank you Maximus Christian Bryant!). So good, it may well become a miniseries. Basically, as New Orleans residents, we've been to nearly every haunt along the gulf coast. However, due to time and geograpny, there are many, many haunts across the country we've not been able to go to even though we've heard a great deal about. So, we're making a list and checking it, well, just once once. But i...
Apr 10, 2017•50 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we are back with Dwayne Sanburn of the 13th Gate Haunted House in Baton Rogue, Louisiana but this time we're not talking haunts, we're talking room escapes, specifically the 13th Gate Escape . That's right, this week is all about Dwayne's push into room escapes and both the lessons he learned in the process. The 13th Gate was one of the first haunted attractions to open a room escape agame and one of the first in the entire gulf coast region. Known for their...
Apr 03, 2017•53 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we sit down with a legend in the industry, Dwayne Sanburn of the 13th Gate Haunted House, Necropolis 13, 13th Gate Room Escapes and Midnight Productions . In this episode we sit down with Dwayne and discuss his haunt history including how he got started in the business, how he opened his first haunt and the path to having one fo the haunts that is consistently listed on top ten haunted attraction lists across the country. What we learn is that Dwayne's path...
Mar 27, 2017•52 min
Send a text Haunt Weekly is back with another news episode and boy do we have a doozy for you! Most of the news this week is actually really good with some excellent ideas on how to get some year-round business/attention for your attraction and some positive outcomes for really frustrating stories for haunted houses. Plus we get to profile two charities we missed last week (thank you all for the suggestions) and we have much, much more going on. So, sit a spell and join us as we cover the last f...
Mar 20, 2017•51 min
Send a text Charity has always been at the core of haunting. From the first haunted attractions that supported the Jaycees to modern megahaunts, the haunt community has always made giving back a priority. But while there are many great charities that you can support with an attraction, what about charities and charitable events that also support Halloween and haunting? We decided to do a roundup of charities that are Halloween-themed and offer ways that you and your haunt can support them. This ...
Mar 13, 2017•51 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're taking a trip down embarassing memory lane. We've never claimed to be perfect here, heck, we never claim to be experts. Just passionate people who have been doing this for a lot longer than sanity should allow. And since we are mere mortals we've made a LOT of mistakes. We could probably fill half a dozen episodes like this one but we wanted to sit down and discuss some of our biggest screw ups, blunders and mistakes. So put on your headset and walk w...
Mar 06, 2017•52 min
Send a text Haunts are like families but, sometimes, families have toxic memebrs and you have to deal with them. While this is an unfortuante part of the haunt business, it's a necessary part. Toxic actors can tear apart a haunt and sink even the best haunt seemingly overnight. So what are some of the ways an actor can be Toxic and what ways can you spot them and deal with them? That's exactly the topic of this week's episode. This week's episode includes: Conference RemindersQuick Shout Out to ...
Feb 27, 2017•55 min
Send a text It's episode 64 and, since it's another episode divisble by four, it's time to do THE NEWS! It's admittedly knid of a slow month this go around. While we have a slew of haunts who have opened up for for Valentine's Day, the real news this month appears to come from the U.K., where a local haunted attraction really put its foot in its mouth on social media. But it doesn't just end there. We also have one haunt winning a marketing package from their local chamber of commerce and anothe...
Feb 20, 2017•52 min
Send a text The haunt industry, unfortunately, doesn't always have the best reputation witht he public at large. Though millions of consumers flock to haunts every year, many wonder if the danger is more than fantasy. While the truth is that we are one of the most regulated industries in terms of safety, many haunts have needled at that notion of the danger being more real, adding legends and myths to draw headlines and crowds. But what happens when a film tries it with the haunt industry at lar...
Feb 13, 2017•53 min
Send a text This is officially the cursed episode. We missed our recording date because we were both sick and coughing doesn't sound good on camera. Then, when we went to record on Monday an SD card error ate most of our first take. Then, when we went to edit and salvage the episode, tornadoes happened. Seriously. Tornadoes. New Orleans got hit by tornadoes. We are ok and none of us nor anyone we know directly was hurt, but one friend did have significant damage to their home and was forced to t...
Feb 08, 2017•51 min
Send a text Every week on this show we open up with a quick rundown of upcoming conferences and conventions. While we, unfortunately, aren't planning to go to any in the near future due to job considerations, we believe that strong conferences help make our industry better. And conferences are something we have a LOT of experiences. Dozens of conferences in several different countries have given us way more experience than any sane person should have at working the conference circuit. So, as con...
Jan 30, 2017•56 min
Send a text Well, it's episode 60 and you know what that means, it's time to do the news! It's January so we are pretty much out of the post-season news and getting news that is looking forward to this year's season. What that means for us is a lot of stories about haunts that are planning on opening or planning on closing if certain things do not change. Beyond that, we also have a lot of news about escape rooms as well as special haunted attraction event to promote Resident Evil 7. And that is...
Jan 23, 2017•53 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, it's a bit of a different episode. We're catching up with our old friend and actor expert Japes Palles to learn how his season went and get his opinoin on some of the latest big stories in haunting. So, if you've missed Japes (we have) and want to hear what he's thinking about when it comes to haunting, this is your chance as the three of us get caught up on the season that was. In short, it's a great conersation with one of the great experts in the field. ...
Jan 16, 2017•1 hr
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we are all about the shhhhhhhh. Secrecy is a big part of haunting as this is an industry that depends upon the element of surprise. However, how do you maintain that secrecy in our current sharing culture, especially when everyone has high quality cameras and cell phones in their pocket? We take a look at those questions including what you should have on your signs to truly discourage videotaping, why enforcement is important and what the rules are when you ...
Jan 09, 2017•53 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we are going internationa! Well, the conversation is at least. There's a tendency in the U.S. to thnk that haunted attractions are a decidedly American anomaly. However, a quick bit of research or a few trips abroad shows otherwise. Haunting isn't just prominent elsewhere, it's a big and growing business. So in this episode we take a look at international haunted attractions, talking about haunts we've been to in other countries as well as research about wha...
Jan 02, 2017•53 min
Send a text MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's that joyous time of year where people are spending time with their families, consuming way too much food and, generally not working. But that doesn't mean we get to take the week off. Not a chance. We're back again with the news as we cover what's happened in haunting over the past four weeks. Some of these stories we've talked about previously but are covering fully and with updates and we also have a slew of other news. And, in honor of the ...
Dec 26, 2016•47 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing things a bit different. Rather than just talking about the haunted attraction industry, we wanted to do something special in honor of the holiday season. So we (and by we I mean Crystal) did a lot of research into various Christmas demons and other horror fables. So whether you're looking for a way to horror-ify your holiday festivities or seeking a great way to bring some Christmas into your haunt, we have some great horror demons, both well-kn...
Dec 19, 2016•51 min
Send a text Handicap accessibility is one of the hot-button issues on pretty much every haunted attraction forum or group. Wheelchair access, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, the list of concerns and even complaints goes on. However, the ADA is the law and most haunts have to comply. Fortunately though, compliance isn't as big of an issue as many make it out to be, even if it may limit some of the scares and elements you can easily put into your haunt. But what about other types...
Dec 12, 2016•1 hr
Send a text With the one year anniversary out of the way, we can return to the business of putting out a weekly podcast and we have a doozy of an episode this week as we jump into the wild, exciting world of PARKING! Ok, maybe it's not the most exciting topic but it's one that came up after an event we attended was ruined (in part) by crappy parking ( and one terrible bathroom experience ). We've watched as nearly every haunt we've been to struggled with this issue. Parking is our first impressi...
Dec 05, 2016•54 min
Send a text HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! That's right, we've now been doing this crazy podcast for a full year and what better way to celebrate it than by doing what we do best: The News. Unfortunately, it's kind of a sad news episode as we wrap up the haunt season news and cover some of the happenings from November. There are injuries and alleged assaults, but we also have some happy news as we discuss some proposals (including one that went comically awry) and a haunt-themed wedding. So pull up...
Nov 28, 2016•51 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we are reflecting a bit. The season is over, the haunts are closed, cleanup has started and we're taking a bit of a breather to look back on the season that was. For us, that means remembering the haunts we went to and thinking about the trends and changes that we noticed this year. Bear in mind, we can only speak to our region (about 100 miles around New Orleans) but we have a lot of thoughts about marketing and haunt trends in our area. Some of these tren...
Nov 21, 2016•54 min
Send a text As the season winds down we turn our attention to one of the more bizarre but yet common traditions in our industry: Blackout or flashlight nights. The idea is fairly straightforward, take a haunt that has had countless hours of time and attention to detail put into it and then turn off the lights (within reason) and have the customers experience it anew. The business sense of this tradition is easy to see. It's a great way to extend the season, encourage repeat customers and it all ...
Nov 14, 2016•52 min
Send a text As we wrap up the 2016 haunt season, we're taking a moment to reflect on one of our favorite trends that we saw in our area: Interactive haunts.While there's a lot of overlap between interactive and artisanal haunts, mainstream haunts are also getting in on the interactive trend, with Rise opening up one locally this season.Part haunted attraction and part escape room, interactive haunts may be just what some haunters are looking for, especially if they want to maximize their space a...
Nov 07, 2016•1 hr
Send a text HAPPY HALLOWEEN!Hope that your season has been going well and that both the screams and the dollars are flowing well this year. It's certainly been a busy one for us and we've been very fortunate to not only have a great run so far with our small haunt, but to also have been able to visit 10 other haunts in the region.Still, we have a podcast to do and, as luck would have it, we're doing the news this week! However, I have to admit that this one is a bit of a downer as news media ten...
Oct 31, 2016•46 min
Send a text There's been a growing trend across the country, one that's only recently reached our neck of the woods, of small "artisanal" haunts popping up every Halloween season. Whether they're run by artist spaces, theater groups or circus performers, these haunts are built by non-haunters, are smaller, cheaper and have shorter runs than larger, mainstream attractions.However, these spaces can be very important for the industry. The lower risk environment allows them to experiment and try thi...
Oct 24, 2016•56 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're bringing back Japes Palles on the show to finish up his conversation about actors with a discussion about actor management. It's a crucial topic for a haunt of any size but doubly so for larger haunts.So how do you herd the cats on a haunted attraction? How do you make sure that the actors are doing their job? Most importantly, how does a small management team run dozens or hundreds of actors? Japes has the answers to those questions and many, many mo...
Oct 17, 2016•1 hr 4 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're taking a look back at our season so far. With our Halloween season about halfway over, we decided to take a look back at the season so far and reminisce about the 8 haunts we've visited and what haunters can learn from them.To be clear, these aren't full reviews as we post those on Garbage Horror . Instead, we intended these to be summaries and some possible takeaways for haunters.So far it's been an excellent season and, though it's still got halfway...
Oct 10, 2016•56 min
