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Haunting isn't just for Halloween anymore. 

More and more haunts are opening their doors for other holidays in a bid to make some more cash in the off-season.

But, if you want to open up out of season, what holidays should you target? There are a LOT of great holidays between New Year's and Christmas but not all of them are suited for haunting. So which one(s) do you do?

In this episode we take a look at some of the more common holidays haunts open on, look at the strengths and weaknesses of each and help you decide when you might want to open your doors.

This Week's Episode Includes: 

IntroConference RemindersWhy Holidays Are ImportantMardi GrasValentine's DaySt. Patrick's DayFriday the 13thThanksgiving/Black FridayChristmasHolidays to Avoid (For Now)

All in all, if you're considering opening up out of season, this is an episode you do not want to miss!

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This week on Haunt Weekly, we have a very special guest as we sit down with Dr. Margee Kerr: The Sociologist Who Studies Fear. 

Dr. Kerr has been everywhere. Perhaps best known for her segment on Full Frontal with Samantatha Bee, she's also been in Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post and SyFyWire and so much more. She has so many credentials that it makes you wonder what she's doing here with us.

But, spend an hour with us she did and we talked about about her, what she does, who she works with and, most importantly, the basics of fear and what haunted attractions can do to make the most of it.

Oh, and of course to plug her excellent book, Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear. 

To call this a wonderful interview is an understatement. So while I say this every week: This is definitely an episode you do NOT want to miss!

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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:

IntroConference RemindersBackground Info on AphantasiaAphantasia in Haunt CustomersWorking with People with AphantasiaConclusions

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. 

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This week on Haunt Weekly, it's another episode divisible by four so that means it's time to do THE NEWS!

However, we're in the slow season for haunted attraction news. This past month covers all of the holidays and, to be frank, not a lot has been going on. Still, there are a lot of updates worth reporting including a new licensed escape game, one haunt closing its doors and lots of conference news.

All in all, it may be a quiet time, but this is still an episode you do not want to miss!

This Week's Episode includes:

IntroConference RemindersOfficial Saw Escape Room OpensBlake's Orchard and Cider Mill to Open Year-RoundJohnston Barn in Half Moon Bay ClosesHAuNTcon Plans to Double in Size Next YearChattacon Moves to a More Intimate LocationBBC Examines Why Horror is So ProfitableTrick or Treat Studios Releases 2018 CatalogLots of Halloween (The Movie) News

Slow season or not, this is still one jam packed episode!

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HAuNTcon 2018 is in the books and we were there for the entire event and then some.

So, what happened then? That's what this episode is about, it's our full recap of HAuNTcon 2018 as we look at everything from the classes we attended to the show room floor (both of them).

HAuNTcon was a beast of a show there's a lot to say so, be warned that this episode does go a bit long but believe me when I say it's an episode you do not want to miss!

This Week's Episode Includes:

IntroConference RemindersHAuNTcon BasicsThursday's Get TogetherFriday's EventsSatturday's EventsSunday's EventsAftermath

All in all, this episode is a long one, but it's also a packed one!

Reminder: Help us Support Ween Dream!

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Boy howdy has this movie caused some controversy in the haunt community. Just hours after it hit Netflix people were talking about it left and right in various haunter groups on Facebook and we found ourselves getting multiple requests to cover it.

So, cover it we will.

But while we share many of the same concerns other haunters have about the film, we also wanted to try and hone in on some of the things the film got right and some of the good it has done the industry

With that in mind, there's a lot of ground to cover with this film and we also have a lot of groundwork to lay before HAuNTcon. So this is one jam-packed episode that you do not want to miss!

This Week's Episode Includes: 

IntroUpdates on Us at HAuNTconPre-HAuNTcon Meetup at Bar Mon CherHaunt Widows Facebook Group Created by ElliWeen Dream Donations for Crystal's BirthdayConference RemindersEdit Explanation and Background InfoWhat We Didn't Like About ItWhat We Did Like About ItFinal Thoughts on the Movie and McKamey Manor

All in all, this is one packed episode with a lot going on so take a deep breath and dive on in!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We are back once again, Crystal is adequately recovered from her surgery and we are back to talk about a... video game? 

That's right we spent a good part of our time off catching up on some video games and one of the ones we played is Layers of Fear, a horror-themed walking simulator with some intersting ideas with regards to storytelling and layout/design.

Is it worth checking out if you're a haunt? Absolutely, especially since it's just $5 on Steam through the fourth! But, even if you aren't interested in video games, this episode has a lot of great conversation about haunt design and story telling, making this an episode you do not want to miss!

This Week's Episode Includes:

IntroUpdate on CrystalHAuNTcon ReminderConference RemindersWhy We Are Talking About This GameWhat We LikedWhat We Didn't LikeWhat Can Haunters LearnWhy Every Haunter Should Play This Game (Despite Its Flaws)

Hope you enjoy this week's episode and we will see you guys next Monday!

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First thing is first everyone, Merry Christmas!

While we here at Haunt Weekly certainly haven't been nice enough to justify a visit from Santa (Krampus maybe) we're still giving out gifts this year and that includes an all-new episode of Haunt Weekly.

Best of all, since it's another episode divisible by four, that means it's time to do the news. 

And a lof of news there is. Some of it's good, some of it's bad, some of it's sad and some of it is just plain weird. Any way the news blows,we have you covered.

To that end, this week's episode includes:

IntroReminder to Come See Us at HAuNTCon!Conference RemindersChainsaw-Weilding Clown Injures Teen in Mexican HauntAnother Clown Faces Sexual Assault ChargesIn Germany, Real Tombstones Used in HauntAnime Creates Haunted Attraction for Theme ParkTexas Haunt Expands into Hosting ConcertsMusem Creates Inverse Escape Room ConceptHigh Schoolers Help Wildfire Victims with Haunt"Zombie Nativity Scene" Heads Into Final Year

All of that and much, much more makes this an episode you do not want to miss!

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Every year around this time, we take a break from the haunted attraction stuff and, instead, discuss some of our favorite Christmas horror themes. Turns out, when you get down to it, Christmas (and the other winter holidays) is a pretty messed up holiday in a lot of places.

So we're continuing that tradition again this year with another slate of Christmas traditions that seem more like they belong on Halloween. Want to keep witches at bay? Burn evil spirits alive? We've got you covered.

So kick back and learn more about the horror-themed Christmas traditions the world over!

This Week's Episode Includes:

IntroConference RemindersMistletoeChandles in the WindowDoor FlingingHiding Your BroomsCarolingMari LwydBurning DevilsDon't Eat Santa's CookiesElf on the Shelf

All in all, this is an episode you do not want to miss and, most likely, one best enjoyed with some eggnog!

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This week on Haunt Weekly, we're celebrating the release of The Disaster Artist by asking a question that we haven't actually asked before: "Can a haunt be so bad it's good?"

We talk about films this way all of the time with The Room, the film The Disaster Artist is based on, being an oft-cited example. But, if it can happen in films, can it happen in haunts? 

The answer, as far as we can determine, is no. However, that's because the way we judge haunts is different than fims and that makes it almost impossibe for a haunt to be both bad and entertaining.

Still, we take a deep dive into the subject here. 

This week's episode includes:

IntroConference RemindersHow the Conversation BeginsOur History with bad FilmsCan a Haunt Be So Bad It's Good?The Argument for NoThe Argument for YesConclusions

All in all, if you're a fan of bad movies (or bad haunts) this is definitely an episode you do not want to miss!

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