Ask the Haunt Expert: Bart Butler from Terror in the Corn Hosted by HauntersToolbox.com Bart Butler is the show director for Terror in the Corn in Eerie, Colorado. Bart answers all of your haunted attraction-related questions. We'll discuss: -Scare Acting management -Scenic design & construction -Character Development -Getting more people to your Haunt -and ALL of your questions! Stalk Bart Butler at Terrorinthecorn.com Don't forget your ScareItBadges.com...
Jun 28, 2025•1 hr 49 min
Vendor Spotlight: Haunt Dolls/Conjured Media Hosted by HauntersToolbox.com Before Haunt Dolls was even a thought, Alex Berland, who also runs Conjured Media, a marketing agency that specializes in haunted attractions, would get crochet dolls as holiday gifts for his clients of the characters his team would create with them. The dolls were so well received and cherished that in 2024 it became obvious that the next step would be to launch a project dedicated to making pieces that the public could ...
Jun 07, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Matthew Murphey is a Haunter and a trial attorney. Matt has worked in courtrooms since starting his legal career as a court-martial clerk in the United States Army in 1985. He also knows Haunted Attraction's legal roadblocks. We'll discuss: -Protecting yourself from legal battles -How to start a non-profit attraction -Employee contracts & applications -Waivers: Good or bad? -How to deal with local codes & laws -Insurance & Liability -Legal guidelines around your brand -Do you own you...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 31 min
Philip Hernandez, the founder of the Haunted Attraction Network and CEO of Gantom, answers all of your marketing questions. He has experience in social media, marketing, video & audio, theme parks, haunted attractions, public relations, press releases, and much more. Find Philip at HauntedAttractionNetwork.com Start and grow your haunted attraction at HauntersToolbox.com Reward, Retain, and Recognize your haunt staff with ScareItBadges.com...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 44 min
Scott and Jewel Simonson answer all of your questions about creating killer videos and photos at your haunt, marketing on a budget, retaining your actors, haunt technology, and other questions you have about Haunted Attractions. "Haunting Media was founded by experienced haunted attraction owners, who, much like you, understand the intricacies and importance of delivering a truly detailed and immersive experience. As we carefully crafted our own haunted attraction, it became apparent that our ph...
Mar 23, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Start, grow, and scale your Haunted Attraction at HauntersToolbox.com In this episode, we discuss many things like Scare Actors, Safety, Timed Ticketing, Wall panels, Haunt Construction, Tent Haunts, Outdoor Trails, International Haunts, and more! Leonard Pickel has over 50 years of themed attraction design and operations experience in year-round and seasonal installations, museums, and dark rides. Creating more than 300 original and innovative dark-themed attractions for major venues worldwide....
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 39 min
Start and grow your Haunted Attraction at HauntersToolbox.com Get Merit Badges and Name badges for your crew at ScareItBadges.com 2024 is over! What's in store for 2025?? We discuss many subjects in this episode. Topics like: Should you sell alcohol at your haunt? How to get free marketing Campfire rentals and selling S'Mores Concessions and merchandise sales Corn Maze Haunts Transworld Show preparations and a crap ton more Haunt Talk! Don't be a scrooge...turn up that volume and share us with y...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 19 min
It stinks that we don't get to travel during October to visit haunted attractions because most of us are busy with our haunt businesses and projects. Nick and Beverly Pappas have traveled thousands of miles yearly as Haunt customers and have seen things we haven't. Listen to their stories and get a peek at how Haunts are changing. What are the trends coming for the industry? How do Haunts compare between now and then? Are you doing everything at your attraction to maximize your guest experience?...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr 46 min
HauntPay created the annual Haunt Industry Survey because they needed reliable, recent data about the haunt industry. This is the fourth annual report and haunters revealed some surprising insights for the coming season! Marketing efforts got more sophisticated and more robust this year, with haunters using digital and offline platforms to promote their attractions. Crowd sizes are growing modestly, but haunts remain an affordable activity compared with rising costs for other entertainment. And ...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 16 min
A complete walkthrough of the Sithon management platform for haunted attraction staff/actors, why communication with your team is important, and things you can do this season to keep your staff coming back every year! Things Sithon can do (all from your phone): -Custom Actor Recruitment -Scheduling -Actor/Staff Management -Costume Management -Time Tracking -Email & Text Notifications -Dedicated Personnel Line -Background Checks -Attraction Studio -Staffing Metrics -Awards Tracking -On-Demand...
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 3 min
It's 30 minutes before the haunt doors open. You need a quick way to make some realistic wounds, cuts, and bruises that will stay on all night. We have those answers inside this podcast! You can also watch the full video here: https://haunterstoolbox.com/sfx Applying special effects makeup inside a haunted attraction is a unique skill. You have to be fast & efficient while creating a monster that the customers want to see. The best way to get started with special effects makeup is buy a few ...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 6 min
There are a few ways to make more revenue with your attraction: 1) Raise your prices 2) Get more customers 3) Sell more to your current customers We will focus this master class on selling more to your current customers by using the space you already have. Things like themed dinners, private tours, and ticket upgrades allow you to charge more for unique experiences without needing extra space. Shawn Lippert, the co-owner of Scarehouse Windsor, joins us to show how he increased the revenue at his...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 28 min
How do I get more people to attend my Haunt? What does it take to stand out in today's market? Are there creative ways to grab attention without spending too much? We answer these questions and more in this Master Class with Laura Kilpatrick from FearWorm Hauntvertising. Become a member at HauntersToolbox.com to join our next Master Class. Start & grow your Haunt today! Visit FearWorm.com for your Haunt Advertising needs.
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Creating realistic scenes requires detailed wall panels. But where do you start? Should you use a light base paint or black? What are simple ways to distress your sets? How do you make charred walls, peeling paint, bubbled paint? What materials do you need to create amazing sets? We answer these questions and more during this Master Class with Scenic Artist Rich Cimino from BentCirkus.com Start and grow your Haunted Attraction at HauntersToolbox.com Reward, Retain, & Recognize your employees...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 55 min
Let's talk about things that move in your haunted attraction. Yes, animatronics can be complex and scary to attempt by yourself. But what if animatronics weren't as scary as you thought? Join co-host & haunt veteran Ed Gannon as he breaks down some simple takeaways that just might change the way you look at animations. You can also find Ed Gannon at Something Wicked Productions, Haunt Dawgs, and Haunt Fix. Sign up to be a Haunter's Toolbox member (any tier) before May 7, 2024 to receive a vi...
Apr 28, 2024•1 hr 44 min
Inside a Haunted Attraction, it's all about the SCARE! But how do you pull it off when your audience gets braver every year? Learn the proper techniques to create that perfect scare that can be effective over and over again. We'll talk about Actor Tools, Set Design, & Scare Techniques. To join us next time LIVE and get this video master class, become a member at HauntersToolbox.com
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Sean Herman takes us through the Wicker Manor and tells us how he will transition from a haunt in his two-car garage into a permanent location. Wicker Manor was featured on ABC’s Great Halloween Fright Fight and also won Best International Haunt in an award show. To start your own haunted attraction business, visit our homebase at HauntersToolbox.com
Feb 24, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Join the haunt community at HauntersToolbox.com and start your own haunted attraction or grow your current haunt business. Get instant access to haunt master classes, the haunt library, haunt vendor discounts, and haunt coaching. Bart Butler from Terror in the Corn located in Erie, Colorado, shares his knowledge about building corn mazes, designing haunted houses, scare actor management, and how he changed his marketing strategy to drastically increase his attendance numbers. Find Bart at Terror...
Jan 28, 2024•1 hr 51 min
What can you do before next season to improve your brand, your marketing, and your attraction? Are you focused on the right things? Philip Hernandez, from the Haunted Attraction Network, lets us in on a few things he noticed in 2023 that will be game-changers for the future of your haunt. Find Philip here: Haunted Attraction Network Start and grow a Haunted Attraction business here: Haunters Toolbox Buy ScareIt Badges for your haunt crew and yourself here: ScareIt Badges Music by The Crypt Keepe...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 36 min
What makes a Haunt a GREAT one? The Scare Factor reveals their secret list of what they look for as they review haunted attractions. What to do and what not to do. We all can improve our attractions, here's your list. Become a member of The Haunter's Toolbox and make your attraction great.
Nov 13, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Come with us as we tour a couple of haunted attractions in and around Hannibal, Missouri. Haunted Hollows Haunted Trail Warehouse of Nightmares Don't forget your ScareIt Badges for your Haunt parties and to reward your haunt staff this season. Buy them here.
Oct 10, 2023•45 min
Hannibal's inaugural Halloween & Horror Con! October 7th 2023 ~ 1:00PM until 9:00PM Celebrity Guests, Vendors and Costume Contest. Kids 10 and under are free. Price of admission: $20.00 Guaranteed to be frighteningly fun Admiral Coontz Recreation Center ~ 301 Warren Barrett Dr.~ Hannibal, MO. 63401 More info: https://www.facebook.com/wickedfest Don't forget the ScareIt Badges for your Scare Actors and Staff. NEW badges this season! See our entire collection at ScareItBadges.com...
Sep 21, 2023•24 min
Get your Haunt started at HauntersToolbox.com Japes Palles, a scare actor manager and scare actor, shares many tips and tactics to build a strong team and how to make your haunted attraction one to remember. We cover things like queue line acting, creating zones, actor safety, handling rude customers, how to scare someone using the word BOO! (yes, it's true), and lots more...because Japes loves to talk about acting! Find Japes at https://www.lostsoulschicago.info/...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 42 min
Check out the Haunt Hour every Tuesday and their LIVE program for Haunters at https://www.facebook.com/haunthour The tables have turned! We get drilled by the team at Haunt Hour. Everything from how we got started in Halloween, who we would choose "Dan or Troy"??, and what is going on with ScareIt Badges... PLUS a ton more questions and BS from the Haunt Hour crew. These people are funny and informative. We love the energy over there. You might too! Let us know what you think. To get some ScareI...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr 36 min
Join our membership community at HauntersToolbox.com and talk with the Haunt professionals each month. Leonard Pickel shows you how to design your haunted attraction for people with disabilities so that they can enjoy your show as well. Not only wheelchair accessibility but other disabilities as well. Contact Leonard Pickel at Hauntrepreneurs.com
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Would you like to have more control over your queue line? Would you like to know how many people are going to be there for the entire night before you even open? Implementing a virtual queue line can let your customers be entertained the whole evening while they spend more money at your event. Timed ticketing can let you streamline your ticket sales and fine-tune your throughput. Alex Linebrink from HauntPay.com explains how you can add these solutions to your attraction. Justin Hill ( Haunted H...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 5 min
The Haunted Attraction Network interviewed 5 new board members from the Haunted Attraction Association about their experience in the haunt industry and picked their brains. You get to enjoy their tips & strategies! To check out the Haunted Attraction Network, go here: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/ To learn more about the Haunted Attraction Association, go here: https://hauntedattractionassociation.com/ To learn HOW to start or grow your haunted attraction, go here: https://www.haunte...
Apr 24, 2023•38 min
To join us once a month in these LIVE Master Classes, be a Haunt Master Member at HauntersToolbox.com A business plan for your haunted attraction is necessary for keeping you on track with your goals and it helps when you need to get your permits or funding. Think of it like a "road map" or an "outline". It shows you how to get there and keeps you on the right road to success. Find Allie Stones at Heart of Horror Productions or on Facebook....
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 44 min
The word "Consultant" can leave a bad taste in your mouth if you've ever been burnt by someone who promised to make your attraction better but didn't. Or if you think that you can do everything on your own, without professional feedback. It doesn't have to be that way. Choosing the right Haunt Consultant doesn't have to be scary. Scott Swenson explains what makes a great consultant, things to avoid when it comes to hiring the right one, and why you might not even need one. Plus, we always sprink...
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 11 min
We'll be at the Transworld Halloween & Attractions show in St.Louis, MO between Feb.2-5th, 2023 at booth 1443 at the ScareIt Badges booth. Stop by and say hello. Mention that you're a podcast listener and receive a special gift. We'll also be holding a contest if you're at the show. Take a photo of ScareIt Badges in the wild and be entered to win (2) $50 Gift Cards. Make sure to play! More info on the show: https://www.haashow.com/...
Jan 31, 2023•1 min
