Haunt Weekly

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're talking about the week that was, including our experience with the hurricane and our recent haunt build.

However, for those who want something to do when they aren't working or acting, we have a suggestion: Happy Escape Tycoon.

The game's name is a misnomer. It is actually about running your haunted attractions and goes into surprising depth about doing so, especially for an idle/tower defense game.

So sit back, relax, and let us break it down.

This Week's Episode Includes:

1. Intro.
2. Update on the Hurricane
3. Work We Did for Our Haunt
4. Question of the Week
5. What is Happy Escape Tycoon
6. Why You Should Try It
7. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

By its very nature, haunting is an up-and-down business. Sometimes, the queue lines are packed, and other times, it's impossible to get a crowd.

After a few gangbuster years, things started to look scruffy, and there were a lot of indicators that should have given the haunters pause. No matter what the economy is actually doing, perception is 9/10s of reality.

So, let's examine the challenges the haunt industry will face this year and what, if anything, we can do about them.

This Week's Episode Includes:

1. Intro
2. Our Disastrous Weekend
3. Last Week's Question of the Week
4. This Week's Question of the Week
5, 5 Warning Signs for This Haunt Season
6. What We Can Do About It
7. 5 Positive Signs
8. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

 This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing the news! We have news about a haunt destroyed by arson, updates from Knotts Scary Farm and a series of celebrities getting involved in the haunt business.

All of that and much, much more!

This Week's Episode Includes: 

1. Intro
2. Question of the Week
3. Conference Reminders
4. NC Haunt Destroyed By Arson - 
- GoFundMe Link - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-john-jarmans-wicked-haunted-attraction
5. Old Courthouse Catacombs Moving Due to Radon - https://www.14news.com/2024/08/21/old-courthouse-catacombs-moving-new-location-due-radon-levels-building/
6. More Than 20 Injured in Ferris Wheel Fire - https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ferris-wheel-fire-highfield-festival-germany
7. Knott's Scary Farm Announces Return of Elvira - https://www.fangoria.com/knotts-scary-farm-2024-new-mazes-elvira-returns/
8. Knott's Scary Farm Waxworks Back for One More Year - https://www.presstelegram.com/2024/08/09/knotts-scary-farm-brings-back-wax-works-maze-for-one-final-year/
9. Darryn Lynn Bousman Teams Up With Kansas Haunt - https://horrorfuel.com/2024/08/25/saw-director-darren-lynn-bousman-teams-up-with-haunted-attraction/
10. Jimmy Fallon to Open Haunt in NY - https://hudsonvalleycountry.com/jimmy-fallon-creates-new-spine-chilling-haunted-attraction-in-nyc/
11. Cave Haunt Gets New World Record - https://www.wlwt.com/article/lewisburg-ohio-haunted-cave-longest-haunt-in-world-2024/61886367
12. Netherworld Announces Two New Haunts - https://www.wsbtv.com/entertainment/things-2-do/netherworld-unveils-2-new-haunts-2024-season-screams/WUFHUIA77VCJBBJNQDW3IMBYOE/
13. Why Japan's Haunted Houses Are Busy in Summer - https://www.sunnysidesun.com/news/national/chill-seeking-japans-haunted-house-summer-tradition/article_1eaade5d-98f9-5121-8a0b-b4cf7388c759.html
14. Disney Introduces New Mickey Haunted House Game - https://list23.com/3831907-disney-has-introduced-a-new-trailer-for-the-gamer-mickey-rebrushed/
15. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're discussing the game Crime Scene Cleaner, recently released on Steam.

The game isn't your standard cleaning simulation game. Instead, it's a masterclass of storytelling through one's environment. A great deal of thought went into the placement and setup of the game, making it one haunters need to pay attention to.

So strap in and hang on as we discuss this game and why haunters should be paying attention:

Crime Scene Cleaner: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1040200/Crime_Scene_Cleaner/

1. Intro
2. Spirit Halloween Talk
3. Question of the Week
4. Intro to Crime Scene Cleaner
5. Why We Like it So Much
6. Why Haunters Should Play It
7. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing a topic that, for us, has been a LOOOOOONG time coming: Aphantasia in haunting.

What is aphantasia? It's the inability to form pictures in your mind.

Where most of the population can picture a beautiful beach or a country cottage, people with aphantasia see only words, letters or numbers.

Though this was originally discovered in the 1880s, it's been getting a great deal of attention irecent years as more people have woken up to the idea that not everyone sees things the same way in their mind.

So what does aphantasia mean for our industry? How can we better serve customers with it and, perhaps most importantly, work with oher creatives who have it? We brought in our girlfriend and and partner Elli, who is one of the few with aphantasia, to answer these questions and more.

This Week's Episode Includes:

Intro
Conference Reminders
Background Info on Aphantasia
Aphantasia in Haunt Customers
Working with People with Aphantasia
Conclusions
All in all, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

In the meantime, feel free to check out this article on the BBC, which features a test you can take to see where you see on the aphantasia spectrum and this post on Facebook about what it's like to live with aphantasia.

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're discussing building or improving your haunt character.

It's the perfect time of year for this conversation, too. With just over a month before haunt season, many actors are trying to nail their characters down. This includes veterans looking to up their game and newcomers looking to hit the ground running.

So, we'll discuss how to build your haunt character and what you should think about before you start scaring.

Article: https://www.dabblewriter.com/articles/how-to-write-compelling-characters-from-the-inside-out

This Week's Episode Includes;

1. Intro 
2. Work We Did for the Haunt
3. Question of the Week
4. Everyone Has a Character
5. What Makes a Good Character
6. Creating a Backstory
7. Planning Your Appearance
8. Creating a Hook
8. Coming Up with Catchphrases
9. Movement
10. Tying it All Together
11. Going Deeper
12. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing the news! 

Sadly, this week's lead story involves you-know-who being arrested on some serious charges. However, we also have some haunt openings, announcements from Six Flags and much more.

This Week's Episode Includes: 

1. Intro
2. Housekeeping Note
3. Question of the Week
4. Conference Reminders
5. RM Arrested on Attempted Murder and Rape Charges - https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2024/07/22/mckamey-manor-owner-charged-with-rape-attempted-murder/74501898007/
6. Texas Haunters Convention Apologies for Parking Issues - https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1083725766604059&id=100048999381128&mibextid=WC7FNe&rdid=aBCm8pwJ4wIhiw6o
7. Haunt Investors Team Up with Bailey Entertainment Group - https://www.pr.com/press-release/915477
8. Film Shot at Columbus Haunt to Open - https://www.nrcolumbus.com/news/dystopian-thriller-filmed-in-columbus-county-to-open-tuesday/article_55bde59e-3d30-11ef-9c4f-3b6ed1d3a9be.html
9. Netherlands Theme Park to Open New Dark Ride - https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/efteling-danse-macabre-opening-date/
10. Eloise Asylum Hosts Country Music Festival - https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/michael-ray-love-theft-other-country-singers-coming-eloise-asylum-next-month
11. Six Flags Over TX Announce Themes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyeSAF6c000
12. Disnely Celebrates Halloween with Charity - https://abc13.com/post/disney-gets-ready-halloween-good-cause/15117747/
13. Evansville, Indiana to Get New Haunt - https://wkdq.com/evansvilles-massive-new-haunted-house-announces-opening-weekend/
14. Birmingham, AL to Get Year-Round Haunt to Support LGBTQIA+ Charity - https://wkdq.com/evansvilles-massive-new-haunted-house-announces-opening-weekend/
15. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're discussing the TV series The Walking Dead and examining the lessons that haunters can and should learn from it.

From scare tactics to sound design, the show offers much to learn about scaring people. So, we will break down all the things you can learn from the show.

This Week's Episode Includes:

1. Intro
2. Work We Did for Our Haunt
3. Question of the Week
4. Intro to the Topic
5. Lessons from The Walking Dead
6. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

AI is still the big marketing buzzword for the 2020s. However, as the hype and fear begin to fade, it's time to look at what AI can actually do and how it might be able to help.

To that end, most of AI's improvements are more iterative than revolutionary. However, that doesn't mean that AI is useless, just that one needs to be smart about how they  use it.

This Week's Episode Includes:

1. Intro
2. Work We Did for Our Haunt
3. Question of the Week
4. Conference Reminders
5. Intro to the Topic
6. 8 Potential Uses for AI in Haunting
9. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]

Every haunt has a theme, even if they don't realize it. Sometimes, the theme is no theme; sometimes, it's a generic "Haunted Hosue" theme. Other times, it's something even worse.

As haunts begin working on their themes and promotions, we'll discuss themes and the mistakes we see haunts, including some good ones, make when picking a theme.

While a haunt may not need a theme to excel, no haunt has been worse for having a good one.

This Week's Episode Includes:

1. Intro
2. Question of the Week
3. Weird Mail We Got
4. Lumber Prices Are Crashing
5. What is a Theme
6. 6 Common Mistakes with Themes
7. Conclusions

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

Facebook: @HauntWeekly
Twitter: @HauntWeekly
YouTube: @HauntWeekly
Email: [email protected]