Haunted Attraction Network

Last year was a very rough year for us. Due to some serious road work taking place, we were forced to cancel our 2019 season.

Now, due to COVID-19, many haunts are finding that their 2020 season is hanging into balance. However, if you do have to cancel your season, it's important to cancel it right.

A bad cancellation can make it impossible to recover. A good one can let you keep your audience, your cast and your crew together through the storm.

With that in mind, here are seven lessons we learned from our cancelled season.

This Week's Episode Includes:

Intro
COVID-19 Resources
Question of the Week
Vendor Spotlight (LED Haunt Lights)
Housekeeping Notes
Recap of our 2019 Cancellation
Lesson 1: The Runup
Lesson 2: When to Pull the Trigger
Lesson 3: How to Cancel
Lesson 4: After the Cancellation
Lesson 5: Keep Working on Your Haunt
Lesson 6: Do Something for Your Cast & Crew
Lesson 7: Keep Halloween Alive However You Can
Revisit Question of the Week
Conclusions
All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

This is the year of COVID cancellations and many Haunted Attractions are closed for 2020. Those that will be opened are doing things a little differently.

The Haunt Master members of the Haunter's Toolbox share their thoughts on this year's operational plans and how you can safely open your attraction or home haunt.

Join us next time by becoming a Haunt Master Member at HauntersToolbox.com

Pretty much every haunted attraction has a Facebook page. However, is there more that you could be doing with your social media presence?

The answer is yes. Social media is a powerful tool for haunt promotion and, thanks to COVID-19, it's about to get even MORE important in 2020.

Even if you can't open, social media can help you stay connected with your customers and make the 2021 seas that much better.

So, this week we take a deep dive into social media, how haunts should be using it and what you should be doing to get the most out of it.

This Week's Episode Includes:

Intro
COVID-19 Resource Page
Question of the Week
House Keeping Note
Quick News Update
Update on the Mask Episode
Intro to Social Media
What Platforms You Should Be On
Keys to Social Media
How to Create Effective Posts
Advertising on Social Media
Revisit Question of the Week
Conclusions
All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Based on the recent announcements that several large haunted attractions have decided not to open for the 2020 season, Scott discusses the options for both haunters and haunt fans to keep the spirit of Halloween alive.

It's becoming more and more clear that, if haunts are able to open at all this year, it's going to be with a good deal of restrictions and limitations. Those limitations will likely include masks for actors and customers alike.

While getting customers to mask up will be challenging enough, there's also the issue of masking up actors. How do you create masks that work well for a haunt? What types of mask work at stopping COVID-19? How can we ensure that masks are worn and used properly?

That's exactly what we're taking a look at this week as we pour through CDC/WHO guidelines and find ways to apply them in a haunted attraction setting. It's a simple idea but one that took a surprising amount of time to pour through.

This Week's Episode Includes:

Intro
COVID-19 Resources
Last Week's Winner
Question of the Week
Haunt Season 2020 is Going to Be a Mess
Quick Disclaimer
How Masks Work
What Kinds of Masks Work
What About Latex/Silicone Masks?
How to Incorporate PPE Masks Into the Haunt
Suggestions for Affixing Masks to Makeup or Other Masks
Clean Your Masks
Fake ADA Cards
Return to the Weekly Question
Conclusions
All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Scott discusses the three basic phases of post-crisis recovery and how they apply to the Haunt Industry...its more fun than it sounds. PLUS He announces his new email newsletter, "A Shout in the Dark". To join visit ScottSwenson.com and click on the "Click Here to Subscribe to Scott's Newsletter" link. New subscribers get a free gift!

This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing the news and what a rough news episodes it is. We slog our way through the first round of haunt closures due to COVID-19. However, we work hard to bring you a great deal of good news too, including at least one story that may bring a tear to your eye.

So definitely buckle up with this one. It's going to be a rough ride but, if you stick with it, we hope to send you home happy.

This Week's Epsiode Includes:

Intro
Conference Reminders
Question for the Audience
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2020 Canceled
Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and Dark Horizon Point of No Return Cancel 2020 Season
Kennywood Park Cancels Fall Events
Terror Behind the Walls Canceled for 2020
Asylum Haunted Scream Park Closed for Good
Scout Island Scream Park Also Cancelled for 2020
Midwest Haunters Convention Cancelled
Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park Opens for Summer Monster Bash
Spirit Halloween is Hiring
Drive-In Style Haunted Houses Are a Huge Hit in Japan
Erebus to Open Oddities and Curiosities Museum
Hollywood Set Designer Helps Elevate Clear Lake Haunt
Creepy Clowns Help 4-Year-Old Fan Celebrate End of His Cancer Treatment
Return to the Weekly Question
Conclusions
All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

Steve Koci, many of you know him as Halstaff on the webs, is the author of The Ultimate Guide to DIY Animatronics.

In this podcast, learn the best way to get started in moving props and how to animate many different types of props...Halloween Style.

No matter what happens between now and haunt season, the haunted attraction industry is facing an extremely challenging year. Even the best predictions call for smaller crowds, shortened seasons and limited capacity.

In 2005, the city of New Orleans and the surrounding area was facing a challenge of its own: Hurricane Katrina.

The disaster impacted the city in countless ways, including closing the area's haunts. However, the haunts were able to reopen and were able to enjoy at least a few more seasons of success.

In this episode, we look at the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans haunt community and what lessons may apply to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Week's Episode Includes:

Intro
COVID-19 Resources
Question for the Audience
Info About Hurricane Katrina
Differences Between the Disasters
The NOLA Haunt Industry Pre-Katrina
What Happened After the Storm
Lessons That Were Learned
Answering the Question of the Week
Conclusions
All in all, this is one episode you do NOT want to miss!

The haunted attraction industry prides itself on being a welcoming space for anyone who loves scaring. However, as some recent events have shown, that's not always an ideal we live up to.

The truth is that we have many of the same issues as any other industry but we often lack the tools and processes to address them adequately.

So, that's where this week's conversation sits in as we sit down with the amazing Brooke Englehart from SvenPuss Productions to discuss ways that the haunted attraction industry can become a safer and more welcoming place for everyone.

This Week's Episode Includes:

Intro
Introducing Brooke
The Genesis of the Conversation
Ideas for Making the Industry Safer
What Options Are There Now?
What Can Owners Do to Improve
What Are Ways to Improve Inclusion?
What About Conventions?
Do Actors Need to Unionize?
Conclusions
All in all, this is one packed episode that you do NOT want to miss!