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This week on Haunt Weekly, we are putting my degree to some use and talking about guerrilla marketing. Guerrilla marketing is one of the most popular topics not just at haunted attraction conventions, but all small business conventions. However, most businesses that attempt it fail miserably because, while they love the "low cost" part of it, they are a bit short on the creative aspect.So we decided to spend the hour talking about not just what guerrilla marketing is but giving some of our favorite examples as they relate to haunted houses. This week's episode includes:

Conference RemindersDefining Guerrilla MarketingWhat Guerrilla Marketing is NotGuerrilla Marketing IdeasSome General Marketing Tips

All of that and much more in this episode of Haunt Weekly!

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This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing something a little bit different. As we've discussed in some of the recent episodes, we're wanting to start a series on women in haunting where we discuss the experiences and challenges women face in the haunt industry while keeping an eye on how to make our industry more inclusive to all.This week, we're sitting down with Holly Crisler of Literally, a Haunted House at the Culbertson Mansion, a haunted attraction in Albany, Indiana. Holly's story starts out with her joining a "boy's club" of a haunt and watching as her haunt, as well as those around her, became more diverse. It's also a story of talent being recognized and starting out as an actor before moving into larger roles before taking over an entire attraction.Holly's story is definitely an inspiration and one that more people need to hear. So thank you Holly for being on (and putting up with us mangling your last name twice). Your story is a great one!On that note, if you're a woman in haunting and have a story that you think would be good for others to hear, let us know! Reach out to us either via Twitter or Facebook and we'll be back in touch ASAP!

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With the recent news in our industry, we've been thinking more about haunt reviews in general and the tense relationship between haunters and reviewers.The truth is we have a very unique culture when it comes to reviews. Many haunters seem to dislike haunt reviewers and even have open mistrust to them. The biggest complaints include reviewers wanting free admission, that reviews are easily influenced and that they don't drive any business.However, if we're going to evolve as an industry we need to have good reviews. That's going to mean not just changing the relationship between haunter and reviewer, but also improving the effectiveness of haunt reviews.So, in this episode we take a look at haunt reviews and try to understand why our industry is struggling in this area and what can be done to change it.This Episode Includes:

Thank You For Your Help w/ Women in Haunting!Conference RemindersWhy Haunters Distrust Haunt ReviewsWhat We Dislike About Haunt ReviewsWhy Haunt Reviews Are ImportantEven if They Are One Person's OpinionHow We Try to Be DifferentHow We Can Fix the Issues

All in all, this is one jam-packed episode that you guys do not want to miss!

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Yes everyone it's another multiple of four and that means it's time to do the news!This time, however, things are a little bit different. We start off this week talking about the recent controversy involving Ohio Valley Haunts. While it's rough that we have some very hateful people in our community, it's been truly amazing to watch how Haunters Against Hate have risen up to shout down the bigotry. We also have news of a major expansion of our industry as Dubai gets its first haunted attraction and Universal Studios Hollywood gets a new year-round attraction.We also have news of two haunted houses overcoming neighborhood objections to secure their 2016 season, a vandalsm at another attraction putting its opening in jeopardy and how one town is planning on moving trick-or-treating to the 29th so not to have it on a Monday.All of that and much, much more on this episode of Haunt Weekly!

Conference RemindersWe Support Haunters Against HateExtreme Fear Builds Dubai's First Haunted Attraction"Walking Dead" Attraction Opens at Universal OrlandoUniversal Orlando Announced Halloween II Themed AttractionWestland Haunted Attraction Approved for Two YearsAlbany, CA Home Haunt Approved for 2016Vandals Severely Damage Lockport Haunted AttractionColumbus, WI Moves Trick Or Treating to SaturdayAddams Family Mansion Lego Set a Step Closer to Reality

Finally, just to repeat our plea from the episode, if you know any women who either own or manage a haunted attraction and would like to be on an episode about women in haunting, let us know. We'd love to talk with them!You can send us a message on Facebook or Twitter.

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Every haunt that has a backstory has a process for coming up with it. This week, we wanted to share ours and take a long look at how we come up with the story and how it ties into the construction of our haunt.So how do we come up with a new back story every year and weave it into the fabric of our haunt? Should the backstory follow the haunt or the haunt follow the story? We don't claim to have all of the answers but we know what's worked for us over the past decade.So take a seat, grab your brainstorming notebook and let the ideas flow. We're talking about our process this week and maybe, just maybe, passing a few ideas along the way.Here's a look at what's on tap this week:

Conference RemindersHaunters Against Hate (Further Update Next Week)Our StyleHow We Choose Our StoriesFleshing Out the DetailsWriting the Actual StoryWhat We Do When Things Go WrongConclusions

Note: We made repeated references to an old story of ours, Cain's Collection, which you can read in its entirety here. 

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This week on Haunt Weekly, we're doing things a little bit differently. Normally we find a topic and take a deep 50-minute dive into it but we've had a lot of things we've wanted to discuss but haven't really been able to figure out a way to talk about it for nearly an hour.So, we're taking a bunch of those topics and putting them into one episode for your listening pleasure. We're calling it Rapid Fire Questions and we're going to make this a semi-regular feature if it goes over well. If not, then we'll just casually drop the #1 and pretend like this never happened.On that note though, here's a look at what's in this week's episode!

Conference RemindersShould Cities/Counties Move Halloween for Bad Weather?How Old Should Kids Be for Haunted Attractions?How Large Should a Group Be in a Haunted Attraction?Is There a Time/Cost Rule for Haunts?How Long Should a Haunt Be?Where Should Haunts Stick Their Worst Actors?

All in all, this is one jam-packed episode that you do not want to miss!

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Following up on our previous conversation about the need for kid-friendly horror, we take a look at look at one medium that's been giving the younger generation a good fright for decades: Music videosBut these videos aren't just a way to introduce kids and teens to horror (perhaps helping spread the haunting bug), they're important lessons for haunters about storytelling, scene setting and more.The restrictions of a music video are legion. They have to tell a story in 3-5 minutes using primarily just imagery. While sounds can be included, they can't detract from the music, meaning you aren't going to have much dialog.  That's a tough challenge and the videos that do it well can teach us a lot about storytelling in haunting.So sit back and relax as we go through some of our favorite horror music videos and what lessons we, as haunters, can glean from them.This week's episode includes:

Conference RemindersThe Importance of Horror in Music VideosLessons Haunters Can LearnAtmosphere in Music VideosPractical Makeup and EffectsCommon Horror ThemesHomages Done WellSet DesignSound Design

All in all, this is one episode you don't want to miss. Also, if you haven't seen some of the videos we discuss, here's a list of the ones we mention below:

Panic! At The Disco: Emperor's New Clothes (Beyond the Video)Panic! At The Disco: Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time (Beyond the Video)Skrillex: First of The Year (Equnox)Metallica: Until It SleepsMetallica: OneAphex Twin: Come to DaddyRockwell: Somebody's Watching MeRihanna: DisturbiaMarcy Playground: Sex and CandyThe Cure: LullabyThirty Seconds to Mars: The Kill (Bury Me)

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It's a number four episode and that means it's time to do the news!And to think, we were worried we wouldn't have enough to do a monthly news show. This week we have a lot of news about haunts, opening/closing/moving etc. as we enter permit season, including one haunt that's making a small move into a much bigger location.However, we also have a lot of other key industry news as one of the most famous "haunted" attractions, the Amityville Horror House, goes back on the market and a new trailer looks at The Blackout, now one of the most infamous haunts in the country.To wrap it up, we take a look at a topic dear to our hears, kid-friendly horror, and see if there's anything the haunted attraction industry can do to ensure that the next generation loves being scared as much as we do.All of that and much, much more in this episode of Haunt Weekly!

Conference RemindersAmityville Horror House Back on the MarketDementedFX Move to a Bigger LocationDisturbia in the Park to Return This YearDarkwing Manor Auctions its Props After ClosingAustralian Man Denied Permits to Open Haunted AttractionNew Service Wants to Be Airbnb of Location ScoutingThe Blackout Experiments Trailer ReleasedWe Need More Kid Horror

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This week on Haunt Weekly, we have something very special for you. We brought in a good friend of ours, Dawn, to talk about her experiences with Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando.Dawn is a 10 year veteran of Universal Studios and has helped not only with a decade's worth of Halloween Horror Nights but also providing technical assistance to various stage shows throughout the year. Whether it's Bettlejuice or Barney, she's worked with them all.Crystal and I have never been to Halloween Horror Nights so, through Dawn, we're going to get a lot of great insights into how the event it run, some of the challenges they face and some of her favorite moments. We're also going to learn about the history of it and what some of the best themes Universal has put on.Also note, we aren't doing conference reminders this week (we had a lot to get through with Dawn), but we will post those shortly to our Facebook Page so feel free to like us there and, while you're liking us, Follow us on Twitter too!Hope you enjoy this very special episode of Haunt Weekly!

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When people start thinking about opening a haunt, there's one decision that they usually make almost subconsciously: Whether the haunt will be indoor or outdoor.Very few haunts, it seem, seriously consider changing their path in this regard. Most people start out knowing if they want to have a haunted trail, a hay ride or an indoor haunted attraction and don't look back.However, it's a decision that more may want to consider. The reason is that there are significant advantages and disadvantages to both types of haunts and, while you can make a great haunt either way, you need to take steps to accent your strengths and reinforce your weaknesses. And then there are hybrid haunts, haunts with either significant indoor and outdoor portions or haunts that have indoor and outdoor attractions. What can they do to maximize their benefit?All of that and much more on this week's episode of Haunt Weekly!This week's episode includes:

Conference RemindersA Quick Correction/ClarificationIndoor vs. Outdoor Haunting ExamplesThe Advantages of Indoor HauntsThe Disadvantages of Indoor HauntsThe Advantages of Outdoor HauntsThe Disadvantages of Outdoor HauntsHybrid HauntsWhat's Right for You?

So, whether you like listening indoors or outdoors, this is a ppc

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