Send a text What a week to have a news podcast. Though we were hoping we would be able to completely avoid talking about the coronavirus and leave that to the experts, the impacts on the haunt industry are officially far too great to ignore.So, for better or worse, that is the bulk of this week's news episode. I'm sorry it's a bit of a downer and just one more piece of COVID-19 news to throw on the pile, but it's the nature of the world right now and not something that can be ignored. This inclu...
Mar 16, 2020•48 min
Send a text We haunters tend to be a strange bunch. We work insanely long hours under grueling conditions. We do it for little (if any) pay and, in return, we get to hang out in a macabre world our creation and, if we're lucky, scare some people.Why would people choose this? Why did we choose it? What possible force in the universe could make an otherwise reasonably sane peprson put themselves through all of this for a scare? It's easy to step back and say, "We do it because we're haunters," but...
Mar 09, 2020•55 min
Send a text 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 ...
Mar 02, 2020•58 min
Send a text Two weeks ago we discussed the things we hate about being haunters. This week we're flipping the script and spreading the love. The truth is that we love being haunters and wouldn't trade it for the world. Sure, as we said last time, there are things we could do without, but there's a lot to love about haunting and that's what this episode is all about.So let's find our inner hippie and spread some peace and love as we go over just some of the reasons we love the things that we do!Th...
Feb 24, 2020•57 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly it's time to do the news! Since we had to skip the news last month we actually have two months of content to go through so this is going to be one packed episode to say the last.We have some difficult news from Field of Screams, an update on the Joilet Prison and an interesting Valentine's Day promotion for one haunted attraction. Couple that with some other big haunt stories and you have a very full 50 minutes of haunt news and content.So sit down and take ...
Feb 17, 2020•53 min
Send a text Being a haunter is great. We get to build neat stuff, scare a lot of people and do things that would never be allowed in polite society otherwise. That said, there are a few things about haunting we could definitely do without. The abject poverty, the stress, the fighting and the jerk customers all hash the buzz pretty nicely.So, with that in mind, we're going to look at some of the things we actually do hate about being haunters, in particular home haunts. This Week's Episode Includ...
Feb 10, 2020•1 hr
Send a text When it comes to questions we got at HAuNTcon, this was one of the more surprising. Several people asked how we got started haunting.The answer is: Terribly. We got started terribly. But we have managed to keep it going for 15 years and, with luck, you can too. To make that happen we had to make a lot of adjustments along the way. Though we made some good decisions in the beginning, we had a lot to learn. Now, we're offering you the chance to learn from our wise decisions and our mis...
Feb 04, 2020•54 min
Send a text We had such a fun time at HAuNTcon but one of the questions we got repeatedly surprised us. So many people wanted to know how we queue or time our actors. We never really put too much thought into how we do it but, as we talked about it, we realized that we had been through hell and back on the issue and now, 15 years later, it was coming pretty easy to us. So, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and discuss the good, the bad and the ugly ways we tried to time our actors.Get r...
Jan 28, 2020•53 min
Send a text HAuNTcon 2020 is in the books and what a weekend it has been. There was much education to be had, parties to attend, drinking to be done and, most importantly, haunt fellowship to be had. As amazing and chaotic as it was, we're going to try and recap it all in under an hour. Impossible you say? That's because you're right. But it won't stop us from trying. We're sorry to anyone we forgot but our brains are mush and our bodies are exhausted. Thank you for your patience with us!This We...
Jan 21, 2020•53 min
Send a text When you build and run a haunt, you buy a lot of things. Some of those purchases work out and become worth their weight in gold, others... not so much.Even though we're overgrown home haunters, we've made a LOT of purchases in the past 15 years and, as we reflect on our buying choices, we see some savvy moves and some major mistakes. Today, we're going to tell you both kinds of stories.So, on that note, get ready for some cringe and some good love stories!This Week's Episode Includes...
Jan 13, 2020•59 min
Send a text HAuNTcon is just around the corner and, as we've done in years gone by, we're looking ahead to see what we are most excited about. This includes looking at the events taking place, the education to be had and the tradeshow to be seen.Truth is, there's so much to see and do at HAuNTcon that we can't possibly cover it in one hour. Hell, I don't think we can cover in the actual three days of HAuNTcon. That said, we're going to try and here is where we're beginning.This Week's Episode In...
Jan 06, 2020•58 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we're winding down the holiday season, the year and the decade by looking back at some of the greatest hoaxes and urban legends throughout history,The reason for this is pretty simple, A good haunt deserves a good legend but not every haunt comes with a pre-made one. So, sometimes you have to make your own.In this episode, we're going to look at some of the most famous hoaxes, pranks and urban legends, how they get started and how you can apply those techniq...
Dec 30, 2019•58 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing the news! But before you worry that we're going to bring down your holiday season, this is actually a pretty happy episode. We have some positive arrests, we have lots of cheery charity news and even a bit of comedy from a police department haunt.So, if you're wanting an episode that will keep your spirits up during this holiday season, this may actually be it. We're not exactly brimming with cheer, but we won't cost you your faith in humanity e...
Dec 23, 2019•55 min
Send a text It's the holiday season and that means presents, cold weather and trips to visit family and friends. But just because this is the season where no work gets done doesn't mean that you can't do things to improve your haunt. Even better, there are things you can do no matter where you are. If you've got a laptop, or even a cell phone in some cases, there is much that you can to improve your haunt and make your 2020 season go easier.To that end, here's our suggestions for ways you can wo...
Dec 17, 2019•47 min
Send a text A day at the renaissance festival can be a lot of fun. However, if you're a haunt owner or builder, it's also a chance to do some really good research and pick up a few pointers.The reason is that haunted attractions are increasingly moving to a more festival atmosphere, trying to capture as much customer time and money as they can. To this end, ren fests have been doing it amazingly successful for decades, all the while operating a seasonal attraction and deailng with many of the sa...
Dec 09, 2019•54 min
Send a text We've had a pretty serious few episodes so let's take a break shall we? We haunters are a strange, weird and borderline insane bunch. Best of all, we're proud of it.Still, it's sometimes fun to take a step back and look at all of the ways we are decidedly not normal. I mean, working year-round to scare people a few nights of the year is crazy enough. But to throw in all of the things we do to get there and it becomes a cry for help.So, with that in mind, here's a look at just 13 ways...
Dec 02, 2019•53 min
Send a text It's another episode that's divisble by four and that means its time to do the news! And what a week do we have for you guys. We have attempted arson, a haunted house run by a retirement community and one of the craziest haunt moves I've ever heard of.Since this episode covers a bit of the end of season and most of November, we get a good mix of in-season news and stories about upcoming holiday shows and haunt moves. It's a jam-packed episode but we make at least a little bit of time...
Nov 25, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Send a text Last week, we discussed how to find what your pricing should be for your haunt. This week, we're looking at how to increase your prices if you decide you need more pert ticket and how you can make it more palatable to the customer.The simple truth is this: Price increases suck. Nobody likes them. That said, there are ways that you can raise your prices and not lose your customers. In fact, you can help your customers feel like they got a better deal.How do you do it? That's what this...
Nov 18, 2019•59 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about pricing your haunt.Choosing the price fior your haunt is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make with it and it's one of the easiest to get wrong. Price too high, no one comes. Too low and you can never turn a profit.So how do you do it? That's the topic of this week's episode as we look into some approaches for finding your haunt's ticket price.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersQuick Update on Our HauntS...
Nov 12, 2019•53 min
Send a text Everyone, the 2019 season is in the bag and that means all eyes should be on 2020. But, before we get back to slinging panels and building props, it's worthwhile to take a moment and examine the lessons that we learned.However, this year is a little bit different as we were actually closed due to road construction. So, we have to look outisde our haunt to find things we can learn and, fortunatley, we have a lot of lessons in that regard.So, without any further ado, here's a look at o...
Nov 04, 2019•58 min
Send a text Happy near end of haunt season everyone! By the time we meet again haunt season 2019 will be in the books and we'll all be celebrating with whatever beverage we deem appropriate.As usual, the news is very busy this time of the year so we have a lot to go over including two allegations of sexual assault at a haunted attraction, several haunts getting burglarized and some really good news including how one woman's life was saved by an infrared camera.It's a jam-packed hour of haunt new...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Send a text Last weekend we had to record early because we were making the long trip to Houston. Well, we're back and, after having hit nine haunts in just three nights, we have a LOT to talk about. We visited two trail haunts, three scream parks, one tourist attraction and three traditional haunts. It was a wild trip with hours and hours punctuated with trips to some of the best-known haunts in the region.So how did it all go? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out.This Week's Episode...
Oct 21, 2019•1 hr 18 min
Send a text We're more than just haunt builders, we're major haunt customers. It's one of our favorite things to do and we spend north of $1,000 per year just going to haunts. But, as much as we love it, there are times that haunts kind of tick us off. Usually not intentionally, but they're things where, if the haunt had just done nothing, we would have been much happiier.So, with that in mind, here are seven things you can avoid doing and keep us, as well as your other customers, very happy. Th...
Oct 14, 2019•57 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're playing catch up as we cover all of the news we didn't get to cover in Episode 200 due to our anniversary celebrations.And news we do have as it's the busy season for haunted attraction news. We start off with a two-fer about a haunt in Missouri that was so bad it hurt other haunts in the area, We discuss the second coming of both the Slipknot haunt and the Six Flags coffin challenge and tell the sad story of a popular home haunt facing closure.All in...
Oct 08, 2019•50 min
Send a text It is our 200th episode and, to celebrate, we're going through our entire library and highlighting the best of the best. That's right, we both blindly picked 12 episodes we thought worthy of mentioning. Of the 12 we each picked, we had four we agreed on leaving us with 16 episodes we each wanted to highlight and 4 that we both agreed on. This gives us our top 20 episodes (with some extreme caveats).So sit back and relax but pay attention. There is a quiz at the end and, if you're one...
Sep 30, 2019•58 min
Send a text It's been a rough few days around here. Earlier this week we learned that we have no choice but to cancel our 2019 season due to road construction and safety concerns.This, obviously, has us gut wrenched and we were forced to throw away our planned episode this week and, instead, talk about this. So, if you don't want a bummer of an episode, skip this one or revisit any of the other 198 that we have. But, if you want an autopsy on the season that won't be, this is your chance to sit ...
Sep 23, 2019•57 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing something a bit different. Since we're home haunters, we get to spend much of our season not just building and running a haunt, but going to others. The problem is, that can get very expensive very quickly.Over the years, we've found a lot of ways to ethically lower our costs quite significantly including finding great deals on haunted attractions and and other tools for lowering our costs. Best of all, we are going to take this and flip the scri...
Sep 16, 2019•58 min
Send a text It's easy to think about nothing but the ways that we make our customers happy. We love building great scenes, amazing scares and giving customers the screams they paid us for. But here's the thing: A lot about going to a haunt kind of sucks... and not just the ticket price.Every haunt has pain points. These are things that the customer has to do to go to a haunt, but that diminish the customer experience. Minimizing these pain points keep customers happy and can help improve your ca...
Sep 09, 2019•59 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing the news and, as we approach the beginning of season, we have a LOT of news to go over including some of the last HHN news, some major haunt openings and a big anniversary for one of the most important haunted attractions of all time.So, without any further ado, here's a look at what is going on in the haunt industry this past month!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersA Quick Update on Our HauntNew Haunted Theme Park to Bring H...
Sep 03, 2019•58 min
Send a text This week on Haunt Weekly illness is in the air as a severe case of stomach flu has crippled 1/2 of the team but we are determined to persevere. Unfortunately, we had to scrap our planned episode and, instead, we're pulling together a quick one as we talk about a topic we're hoping to turn into a conference talk down the road: Scare Tactics 101.This is going to be a pretty basic overview of how to place and use scares to maximize their impact. So, if you're a vet at this, it might be...
Aug 27, 2019•1 hr
