Haunt Weekly

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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 could all do right now.So what are they? Listen (or read the notes below) and find out!This Week's Episode Includes: IntroHousekeeping Items2 Quick News ItemsIntro to the TopicStop Consolidation/Save Middle-Class HauntsExpand to Other SeasonsExpand to Other MarketsContinue International ExpansionStop Stealing IPBecome Innovation LedInnovate New ExperiencesMake More Money DigitallyLobbyingUnderstand What Customers WantConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

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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 extroidonaire Japes Palles. So, this week we sit down with Japes to talk about the challenges of actor management during these unusual times and hopefully get some things to think about as well as some tips and tricks to make your actors more effective.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroCheck Out Our New COVID-19 Page (https://www.hauntweekly.com/covid19)Remembering Mike Krohn "Car Mike" (https://www.facebook.com/japes.palles/posts/10158296551033158)Understandings and CaveatsActor Recruiting & RetentionPreparations for Your ActorsActor TrainingConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!Note: This episode as beset by some technical issues caused by low bandwidth. As such, there's some breaking, especialy on our audio. Please be patient with us! Special Guest: Japes Palles.

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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 hurriedly put together but we are talking about an equally important item, namely 10 COVID-19-related things that your haunt should be doing right now.Yes, it's only May but no matter when your haunt opens, it will be while COVID-19 is still a thing. So, it's best to start preparing right now and here are just a few places you can start.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuarantine ResourcesQuestion for the AudienceIntro to the TopicSetting Up Virtual Queueing/Timed TicketingInvesting in Hand Sanitizer Stations/PPE For CustomersEliminating Haunt Contact PointsDisinfection Plan for Remaining Contact PointsRearranging/Reconfiguring Backstage AreasPlanning on Reducing Actor CountMarketing and MerchandisingNew Business PlanWriting New Rules for Customers & ActorsChecking in with ActorsConclusionsAll in all, no matter how hastily this episode came together, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

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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 get ready as we go through all of the haunt news that's fit to print.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroQuarantine ResourcesQuestion for the AudienceMidsummer Scream Cancelled (https://www.dailynews.com/2020/05/01/long-beach-halloween-convention-midsummer-scream-canceled-due-to-pandemic/)Fear Factory in Salt Lake City to Open This Month (https://horrorbuzz.com/2020/05/05/fear-factory-in-salt-lake-city-to-open-for-halfway-to-halloween-event/)Orlando Leaders Highlight New Potential Rules for Theme Parks (https://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/202004/7419/)Knott's Berry Farm Owner Rolls Out Post-COVID Opening Plan (https://www.ocregister.com/2020/05/07/knotts-berry-farm-owner-rolls-out-post-covid-19-plan-for-reopening-theme-parks/)Rubie's Costume Company Files for Bankruptcy (https://toybook.com/rubies-costume-co-chapter-11-bankruptcy/)Teenagers Caught Breaking Into Haunted House (https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/teenagers-caught-breaking-into-former-prison-building-confess-to-crime)Patrick Spikes, Famous Disney Thief, Speaks Out (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-bz-disney-patrick-spikes-robin-lopez-20200423-cav5cgp7hfatbgvdnrszjlkmvu-story.html)Disney Fan Creates Entire Haunted Mansion in Animal Crossing (https://insidethemagic.net/2020/05/haunted-mansion-animal-crossing-ne1/)Discussing the Audience QuestionConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

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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 enjoy as we tackle some of the tropes, including some that we admittedly love.This Week's Episode Includes: IntroQuestion of the WeekThe Reason for the TopicClownsStereotypical CharactersBlackout Portions (Especially Mazes)Heavy Metal MusicTwo Kinds of Women RolesClaustrophobia and Vertigo TunnelsHidden FeesAnswering the Weekly QuestionConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!PS: Apologies to Ryan Gregor, whom I repeatedly made Irish by calling him Ryan MacGregor for reasons that defy explanation.

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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 actors that do as well.So sit back, relax and enjoy as we spend the hour talking about ways to recruit and keep some great actors...This Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionDiscussion with Derek and Shalisa About Supporting Actors with Chronic ConditionsWhat Actors with Chronic Conditions Can Do To Help Their HauntsConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss! Special Guests: Derek Muehlberger and Shalisa Muehlberger.

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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 Includes: IntroQuarantine Resources for HauntersUpdates From Our HauntAbout the TopicHaunt Building/Construction TermsHaunt Acting & Operation TermsMiscellaneous TermsConclusionsAll in all, this is one packed episode that you do NOT want to miss!

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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 ResourcesHalloween Horror Nights 30 Details (https://attractionsmagazine.com/rumor-queue-halloween-horror-nights-30-universal-orlando-houses/)Museum of Death Cuts Ties with AntiChrist KramerPennsylvania Haunt Offers 30-Day Mobile Haunt Experience (https://www.pr.com/press-release/809820)Froggy's Fog Switches to Selling Sanitizer (https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/news/20200330/froggys-fog-from-smoke-to-sanitizer)Under the Grave Event Takes Place at Mississippi Haunt (https://www.wxxv25.com/2020/03/23/grave-paranormal-event-goes-gulfport/)Colorado Haunter Turns Haunt into Zombie Gym (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwRrrkWX3UY&feature=youtu.be)Houston Couple Spreads Halloween Cheer (https://abc13.com/society/houston-area-couple-celebrates-halloween-early-amid-coronavirus/6042740/)Terror in the Corn Pulls April Fools Prank (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1700334570281842/permalink/2525440744437883/)The Future of Amusement Parks and Haunts After COVID-19 Pandemic (https://coasternation.com/amusement-parks-and-haunted-attractions-after-covid-19-pandemic/)ConclusionsAll in all, it's one busy week of news and definitely an episode you do NOT want to miss!

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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 as they seek to expand their season. However, oftentimes, they wind up being just weak versions of the haunt's usual show.So this week we're talking about holiday haunts and how you, with little time and money, can make a holiday haunt that feels both special and different.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroAnnouncement About Don't Be a Monster AuctionAnnouncement About Weekly LIVE RecordingsQuarantine Resources for HauntersHistory on the TopicCreating Unique CharactersRedecorating Your HauntCostumingUse of HumorWhat to ChargeHow Long to RunHow to PromoteConclusionsAll in all, if you're a haunt looking to expand your season, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss.

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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 haunt fix.To that end, here is a list of some great virtual resources for haunters as well as answers to some of the most common questions we're seeing haunters ask.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroHousekeepingWe Are Doing a Virtual Haunt Tour!Haunt Connec by HAuNTconHaunter's Hangout and Haunter's ToolboxQuarantine-O-WeenDon't Be a Monster Virtual AuctionTransworld 2020 Vendor CatalogsFree ShudderCommon COVID-19 Questions AnsweredConclusionsAll in all, whether you're on lockdown or not, this is an episode you do NOT want to miss!

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