Haunt Weekly

Send us Fan Mail

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 our lessons from the 2019 haunt season.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersA Quick Update on Our HauntOur Lessons for 2019The Power of MarketingThe Power of Add OnsThe Failure of Small but ManyThe Need to Focus on FundamentalsThe Power of ActorsThe Importance of TightnessThe Importance of Credit CardsThe Power of Customer ServiceConclusionsAll in all, if you're planning on haunting in 2020, this is an episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 news to get you through the rest of your haunt season!This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersQuick Update on Our HauntWoman Claims She was Groped at Haunt, Offered Beer After Complaining (https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pasco/woman-claims-she-was-repeatedly-groped-inside-scream-a-geddons-interactive-haunted-house)Same Haunt Had Alleged Rape Happen Two Years Earlier (https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pasco/former-scream-a-geddon-worker-says-she-was-sexually-assaulted-in-2017-according-to-pasco-deputies)Woman Claims She Was Touched by Actor in Queue Line (https://news.yahoo.com/haunted-house-visitor-says-handson-interaction-with-employee-was-concerning-191322071.html)Oklahoma Haunt Burglarized (https://www.news9.com/story/41186192/haunted-attraction-burglarized-in-bethany)Florida Man Steals Halloween Decorations (https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/10/22/surveillance-footage-shows-man-stealing-halloween-decorations)Haunted Attraction Association Says McKamey Manor is NOT a Haunt (https://coasternation.com/industry-experts-say-mckamey-manor-is-not-a-haunted-house/)Phoenix Lost Half Its Haunts in Three Years (https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/holidays/2019/10/19/where-did-haunted-houses-go-phoenix-only-scariest-remain/3980864002/)Bed, Bath & Beyond Pulls "Blackface" Pumpkins (https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/bed-bath-and-beyond-pulls-blackface-pumpkins-from-the-shelves/ar-AAJfT2v)"Stranger Things" Display Goes Viral (https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida-mans-stranger-things-display-steals-halloween-1?sfns=mo)Neighbor Complained About Halloween Display, Owner Expands It (https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/10/09/its-too-loud-elaborate-halloween-display-haunts-neighbors/?sfns=mo)Woman Learns She Has Cancer from Infrared Camera (https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-learns-she-cancer-photo-190416187.html)ConclusionsAll in all, this is one jam-packed episode that definitely do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 Includes:IntroConference RemindersThe Basics of the TripFright TrailLost HollowsRedrumCreepy HollowScare Fest HoustonDungeon of DoomTerror DomeThe Haunted HotelTexas Maze of TerrorThe Price DifferenceWhat Others Can Learn from HoustonConclusionsAll in all, this is a REALLY long one and we're sorry for that. But we had a lot to say and this is an episode that you do not want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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. This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersQuick Update on Our HauntWe're Going to Houston!Intro to the TopicLie About Number of AttractionsMislead About Size/ScopeHave Copyright Infringing Characters (or Knockoffs)Give Us FOMO AgainOffer Clearly Subpar Shows for Same PriceHidden FeesTalk Bad About Other HauntsConclusionsAll in all, if you want to keep your customers happy, 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]

Send us Fan Mail

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 all, this is a busy episode so, without any further ado, here's a look at what's in store.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersHousekeeping/Update on Our HauntMissouri Haunt Draws Backlash from Guests (https://www.ky3.com/content/news/ON-YOUR-SIDE-Customers-raise-concerns-over-Christian-County-haunted-attraction-560372911.html)And Hurts Other Haunts (https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Haunted-attractions-speak-out-after-being-confused-with-Christian-County-haunt-561086591.html)Slaughterhouse Reopens Slipknot Themed Haunt (https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/2019/09/25/slaughterhouses-haunted-attraction-featuring-slipknot-returning-iowa-des-moines-heavy-metal-band/2439404001/)Soccer Team Launches Giant Attraction in Stadium (https://ilovetheburg.com/giant-haunted-attraction-taking-over-al-lang-stadium-this-october/)Calgary Home Haunt May Be Forced to Close (https://www.660citynews.com/2019/09/27/popular-haunted-house-could-be-a-ghost-town-this-halloween/)Halloween Horror Nights Announces Throwback Thursdays (https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3584540/halloween-horror-nights-hollywood-announces-throwback-thursdays-featuring-chucky-beetlejuice/)Six Flags Brings Back the Coffin Challenge (https://www.wfsb.com/news/six-flags-offering-for-hour-coffin-challenge/article_5e823f0e-de12-11e9-aa3b-670fd521b57e.html)Ghost Ship Projected on the Deleware River (https://www.fox29.com/news/holographic-ghost-ship-appears-under-ben-franklin-bridge-for-halloween-season)12.Some Great PR for Haunt Safety (https://fox43.com/2019/10/02/haunted-attractions-preparing-safety-features-amongst-the-frights/)13.ConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode that you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 of the first to answer the questions correctly, you could win some neat (but admittedly small) prizes.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference RemindersA Quick Update on Our HauntThe Rules of the Selection16 Episodes One of Us Nominated4 We Agreed OnContest DetailsConclusionsAll in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss, especially if you like prizes!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 down and muddle through it with us.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersUpdate on Episode 299A Long, Sad Discussion About This SeasonA Funny Urban Legend About Our NeighborhoodConclusionsUsually this is where I tell you why this is an episode you don't want to miss but, this time, you may want to miss it. Sorry to be a bummer this week but stay tuned for Episode 200 next week!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 script, telling haunt owners which of these deals are worth it for you and which are just your customers getting in for less money.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroConference RemindersQuick Update on Our HauntUpdate from CrystalFollow Up on Last Week's PostThe Basics of Getting Good Haunt DealsNewsletters and Social MediaDon't Buy Tickets OnlineGroup RatesHaunt ToursGoing on Off NightsBundling Haunt TripsGroupon and Other CouponsPrice Segmentation for Haunt OwnersConclusionsWhether you're a haunt owner or an avid haunt customer, this is a talk all about saving you money so this is an episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 cash flow.So take a ride with us as we look at the parts of haunting that suck for your customers and how you can make them suck a little less.This Week's Episode Includes:IntroductionConference RemindersA Quick Update on Our HauntA Primer on Pain PointsFinding/Getting to the HauntParkingBuying a TicketQueue LineThe AftermathConclusionsNo matter what kind of haunt you run, these are challenges you need to work on making this an episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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

Send us Fan Mail

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 Hollywood-styled Chills to Western Pennsylvania (https://www.openpr.com/news/1823625/new-haunted-theme-park-to-bring-hollywood-styled-chills)Scarehouse Announces New Attraction in Strip District (https://www.wtae.com/article/scarehouse-announces-new-attraction-in-strip-district/28689727)Haunted Attraction Company Takes Over Old West Festival (https://www.clermontsun.com/2019/08/09/haunted-attraction-company-takes-over-old-west-festival/)The New "House of 1000 Corpses" Horror Maze Will Be The Scariest Thing Coming To Orlando (https://www.narcity.com/news/us/fl/orlando/universal-orlandos-halloween-horror-nights-has-a-new-maze-titled-house-of-1000-corpses)“Creepshow” Comes To Life At Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Halloween Horror Nights” (http://promotehorror.com/2019/08/03/creepshow-comes-to-life-at-universal-studios-hollywoods-halloween-horror-nights/?sfns=mo')An 'Us' Haunted House Is Coming To Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights In 2019 (https://www.bustle.com/p/us-haunted-house-is-coming-to-universal-studios-halloween-horror-nights-in-2019-18559675)New Poster for the Horror-Thriller ‘Haunt’ (https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/cvg1r6/new_poster_for_horrorthriller_haunt_on_halloween/)HAuNTCon Announced Haunters to Watch Award (https://www.hauntcon.com/haunterstowatch)Haunted Attraction Takes Sweat, Tears and a Lot of Blood (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/os-et-s4-orlando-haunted-maze-20181003-story.html)Haunted Hills Hospital: Where Scaring Makes a Family (https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/haunted-hills-hospital-where-scaring-makes-a-family/article_1dbe7166-c764-5cd2-bead-5f3dcf09cd96.html)Disney’s Haunted Mansion at 50: The Ghosts Are Still Grinning (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/arts/haunted-mansion-disney-anniversary.html)Zombie Skittles Will Finally Arrive This Halloween (https://www.foodandwine.com/news/zombie-skittles-halloween-2019)ConclusionsAll in all, whether you're a haunt owner or just a haunt lover, this is an episode you do NOT want to miss!

Get in Touch and Follow Us!

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