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Backstory. Not every haunt has one, not every haunt needs one, but if you're looking for a great, free way to improve your customer's experience and your marketing, it's a great place to start.However, not all backstories are created equal and even great backstories can be implemented poorly. So this raises the question: What makes a great backstory for a haunted attraction?We attempt to answer that question and many more in this episode as we take a look at the writing behind the haunted attraction and how you can write a backstory that drastically improves your haunt and gives your fans something new to talk about. This week's episode includes:

A Quick Reminder About TransworldWhy a Backstory is ImportantWhat are the Components of a Good BackstoryThe Two Kinds of BackstoryThe Three Versions You Need to PrepareHow to Work a Backstory into Your HauntAll in all, this is one episode that you don't want to miss! 

Editor's Note: Crystal has asked me to apologize for the quality of several puns in this episode. Though I stand behind my chicken joke...

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Though tech has become an important part of almost every industry, it's been playing a unique role in the haunt industry for nearly 50 years. What started off as parlor tricks meant to impress and woo crowds has slowly turned into an integral part of haunting. Whether tech is aiding or replacing actors, whether it's a central scare or taking a background role, tech in haunting is here to stay.And tech's importance in haunting is only growing. As haunts scramble to both comply with a laundry list of safety requirements and to streamline their operations, more and more haunts are turning to computer brains to run much of the operation.But to understand the future of tech in haunting, we first have to understand this past, thus prompting this whirlwind tour through the history of tech in the haunt industry and what some of the staples of the craft are today.

The Origins of Tech in Haunting (Hint: Disney)2x4 Tech and the Early YearsThe Rise of Professional Haunts and AnimatronicsThe Computer RevolutionOther Technologies to Ponder

We have all of this plus we discuss the Transworld Halloween & Attractions Show, which is March 17-20 in St. Louis. Sadly, we can't go due to a conflict but we're hoping that you guys can help keep us posted on what goes down!

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It's a simple fact of haunting, while everyone loves scaring the ever-loving hell out of the customers, there's a lot more that goes into a haunt than just putting on a costume and scaring people.So this begs a simple question: How many hats do you have to fill when building a haunt?We actually started thinking about this weeks ago during HAuNTcon as we talked about all of the roles that a head haunter has to fill. Whether it's architect, engineer, marketing expert or human resources.We're not saying that each job has to be done by a different person or that they all have to be the same person, but each task needs someone dedicated to. For example, if you don't have a costume designer, who do actors go to when they they need to know what to wear?So, in this episode we run down those crucial roles and, hopefully, get you to think about who is going to fill each set of shoes as we go along.This Episode Includes:

A rundown of all of the "decision makers" you need in your hauntWhy each role is crucial to your hauntA discussion about which are best to combineAnd which are the best to delegate to others

All in all, while this episode may not solve your human resources crisis, this still an episode that you do not want to miss!

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12 is divisible by 4 so that means it's time for us to do the news!While February might not seem like a time bustling with news for the haunted attraction industry we have a couple of major stories this week as we learn of one year-around haunt closing and another lynchpin haunt that is staying put despite rumors it was leaving.The industry has also been getting some interesting attention from the mainstream media as we have a pair of articles one focusing on the plight of year-round haunts and other focusing on one of the best-known haunting urban legends.All in all, this is an epode you do not want to miss!This week's episode includes:

Legends - A Haunting in Old Town closes its doorsSo why aren't there more year-round haunts in the U.S.?The Darkness to stay put in St. Louis... for now...Was the "No End" house ever real?New documentary takes a look inside The BlackoutEngland's most haunted house is up for saleSam Raimi does effects for a car commercial?

All in all, it's been a busy month so let's jump right into it and start covering the news!

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When opening up a haunt, one of the first questions that has to be answered is whether the haunt will be a touch or a no touch haunt.This decision is crucial because it affects nearly every decision that will come later including the design of the haunt, the marketing of the haunt and the actors you get for it. It can even impact your insurance and even your zoning.So with this episode Haunt Weekly, we sit down with Kyle, our resident expert on touch haunts, and discuss the differences between the two, the benefits and drawbacks of each and how to operate a touch haunt safely.This week's episode includes:

The Benefits and Drawbacks to Touch HauntsWhat Can Go Wrong at Touch HauntsHow to Mitigate the Risks at Touch HauntsVarious Ways to Incorporate Touch into a HauntRules Touch Haunts Should Incorporate

All in all, whether you want to open a touch haunt or not, this is an episode you do not want to miss!

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This week on Haunt weekly, we make our triumphant return from HAuNTcon and present our thorough recap including a breakdown of the classes we attended and some of the highlights of what we learned.As a result, this episode has a little bit of everything going on. Expect to learn a bit about haunt marketing, makeup tips, fireproofing, fire code compliance, haunt design and much, much more. It's a jam-packed episode that even ran a few minutes long (sorry about that) but it's hard to condense three days of learning into just one hour.If you're interested in the talk I gave, Copyright and Tradmark for Haunters, I have the slides, video and handout on my site here. If there's interest, we'll make our notes available as a Google Doc though neither of us have notes from talks that had robust handouts.This week's episode includes:

Overview of What HAuNTcon IsDiscussion of Pre-HAuNTcon Visit to the InsanitariumBlow-by-Blow of the Classes We AttendedWrap-up and Final Thoughts

All in all it was a great conference and it made for one of the more exciting podcasts we've done!

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This week on Haunt Weekly, we are at HAuNTcon. However, since the conference is ongoing you'll have to wait until next week for our wrap up and other wonderful content.However, we aren't ones to disappoint, we have a great show this week as we bring on what we hope will be our semi-regular guest, Kyle. Kyle is, without a doubt, one of the most experienced and talented haunt actors we've met. With seven years of experience he's done everything from our home haunt, to charity haunts, to mega haunts. He's worked nearly every kind of scare and played nearly every kind of character and he's done it all over the country.So when we have some actor-heavy topics, he's the guy we're calling in for back up and this week it's about the basics of distract and startle, how to get customers to let down their guard so you can share the !@#$ out of them.This week's episode includes:

The Basics of Distract and StartleHow to Use Lighting and LayoutSeveral Example ScaresLots of Great War Stories

All in all, this is a fun and informative episode that you do not want to miss!

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It's that time again! Another month has passed and it's time for us to cover the news. This week's episode is mostly about the biggest story in the haunted attraction industry this month: HAuNTcon. We will be in attendance at HAuNTcon (one of us will be speaking) and in this episode we have a full rundown of not just what we'll be doing there, but all of the things going on at the convention and some suggestions for classes to attend and tours to go on!In addition to that we also have some of the latest news in the industry including another legal victory for a haunted attraction, Silicon Valley getting involved the haunt industry and much, much more.In this episode we cover:

HAuNTconA High School Escapes Liability for Haunt-Related InjuryScareBNB Becomes a ThingSyrian Refugees Claim New Home is HauntedSeveral Haunts Opening for Valentine's DayEx-Bioshock Developers Working on Horror Game w/ Blind Protagonist

All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss. The next episode will be a regular one as we'll be actually at HAuNTcon on Sunday but expect us to have a full wrap-up from the conference the week after.

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The most common question actors have when they start a new role is "What do you want me to do?" Sadly, the answer isn't always straightforward. Sometimes, what the haunt owner or supervisor wants is not necessarily what is best for that actor or the room. That's because there is a wide variety of scares actors can do and not every actor is right for every scare.So whether you're a big guy looking to intimidate, a theater major looking to get all Shakespeare or a sneaky one who likes to tip toe around customers, we have you covered in this episode.In this episode we cover:

Hidden Actor ScaresDrop Panels"Dot" RoomsSudden RelocationsActor LungesCreepy ActorsBackground ActorsScares We Don't Recommend

All in all, if you either are a haunt actor or direct them, this is an episode you do not want to miss!

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Websites. Your haunt has to have one. So how do you make sure your website doesn't suck? Here at Haunt Weekly the only thing we've done more than build haunts is develop websites and it's time for us to have a serious sit down about this issue because, let's face it, our industry stinks in this area. So, from two web workers to the industry, here's how we can make our web experience better for everyone.In this episode we cover:

Why You Need A WebsiteThe Elements Your Site Should HaveWhere Most Haunt Websites Go WrongHow to Build Your WebsiteMaintaining a Social Media Presence

All in all, this episode is a brief overview of everything that you need to set up a professional haunted attraction website that will drive ticket sales and real excitement about your haunt.

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