Haunting The Globe

We recently sat down and talked to Julie Lamb, who owns The Cromwell Estate along with her partner, Evan Greggory. The Cromwell Estate is a new escape room located in a nondescript warehouse in the Anaheim, California area. They’re planning some special treats for guests visiting during the Halloween Season.

Stowed down a dark Frontage Road between Tampa and Lakeland lies the estate of Sir Henry; guests visiting can choose from two haunted trails and even meet the specter himself. Recently our team made the trip down to Plant City and sat down with Zach Glaros, the owner of Sir Henry's Haunted Trail to get the who, what, when, where, why, and other details of his 2016 event. Photography by Amy Jo.

Haunts are an asset to their communities. We've come across so many haunted attractions that make incredible differences in the world throughout the years- and we're adding another to the pile. Daryl might be a little new to the game, but he's making an enormous impact.
Daryl Kirby is the president of Kirby Family Farm, which is an outreach center for at-risk youth and special-needs children located in Lewiston, Florida, not far from Ocala and Gainesville. “We like to say Kirby farm is in the middle of nowhere but close to everywhere,” said Daryl. “We’re less than two hours from all the major cities including Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, and we’re a 20-minute drive from three different I-75 interstate exits.”
We talked to Daryl about the Farm’s Lost Railroad event and about running a non-profit organization to benefit kids.

While Haunted Attractions can give folks a little fright, the idea of being completely vulnerable terrifies most people. From public speaking to even sharing an idea with colleagues, vulnerability shapes our lives for better or worse. Nestled in the resort district of Anaheim, California lies Motel 6 Feet Under – the product of a family who dared to be vulnerable.

Carolyn Carpenter, with the support of her family, quit her full-time job to bring Motel 6 Feet Under and her nonprofit ‘BOO’ to life 2 years ago. In a world of chainsaws and extremists, Carolyn’s family sought not only to bring retro back but to have the haunt aid in providing business services and occupational opportunities to underserved adults. Carolyn’s dare to be vulnerable has brought something great into the world and we stopped by this ‘Chainsaw-Free’ haunt to get the updates on year two.

Haunts come in all shapes and sizes, from intimate home experiences to grand historical prisons. Among the myriad of haunts out there, one has stuck in my mind as particularly unique- The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. The Queen Mary herself is a splendid experience. She thrusts solemnly out from the water, a hulking monument to a bustling era; the past clings to the corridors like dew on grass, and weighs down one’s imagination. Playing off the ship’s inherent ambiance, the Dark Harbor Event pits you against the ‘Evil 8’ in mazes both on and off of the ship. Entering the Queen Mary at night, among the lights and frights, for a maze is just something that all these years later, has not yet dropped out of my mind. This past month I returned to meet with Charity Hill regarding this year’s event. Charity Hill is the executive producer of Dark Harbor 2016 and the Assistant Director of Entertainment at the Queen Mary.

In the very first edition of The Haunt Journal we interviewed Scott Swenson, Creative Director of the Vault of Souls in Tampa, on the inroads he was making in audience interactivity with his event. As millennials begin to compose more of the overall attendance, we in the themed entertainment and attraction industry must adapt to new expectations. Millennials expect unique experiences, and this can prove challenging when throughput is an attraction’s bread and butter. Finding a way to manufacture individualized guest experiences is paramount to the sustainability of attractions. Scott is a thought leader in the themed entertainment and attraction space this is his second year of bringing “elegant fear” to life in a highly interactive way. We got Scott on the line to delve into the advances The Vault Of Souls has made for the 2016 season.

Jon Cooke is an attraction designer for Knott’s Scary Farm. He began at the theme park 11 years ago as a scare actor in the mazes. He became part of the production side doing carpentry, set dressing, and prop fabrication, and he’s now a full-time attraction designer focusing on the mazes. He’s also involved in other park elements such as stage shows, stunt shows, and dark rides. As an attraction designer, Jon’s responsible for imagining an attraction and then seeing it through to its full realization. In this episode, we discuss Knott’s Scary Farm 2016, Jon’s Journey into attraction design, and the haunted attraction industry as whole. Thanks to our sponsor Gantom Live and their Real Life Zombie Infection Game- ZTag.

We're exploring Lora's journey of founding and producing Scare Los Angeles. ScareLA™ is the first convention dedicated to Halloween. Situated in the entertainment capital of the world, they celebrate the scare season traditions by giving Halloween an early start every summer. ScareLA is a convention that is breaking conventions. In fact, beyond the presentations, classes, experiences, screenings, and other activities planned -ScareLA will be producing an original haunted attraction just for the convention. Lora's story is a trough of information and inspiration. ScareLA is offering 20% OFF General Admission, Fear Freak, Scare Student, and Party Tickets to our listeners. Use the code "HANSCARE" at checkout to use your code. To receive show notes for this episode and to be notified when future episodes are available text the code "HAUNTING" to the number 33444.

We explore the story of video game developer Drake Kazmierczak about "Horror Legends," an indie game that aims to turn the haunted house experience into a game. Drake is nearly finished developing "Horror Legends" a multiplayer survival horror game; the premise- Three players fight to survive an encounter with a player-controlled monster. Drake has done some out of the box things to promote the game, including setting up a mini-haunt at several conventions and even illustrating a comic book.

Darryl interviews Thérèse Hansell and Hugh Flesher from Rutherford Manor Haunt in Edmonton, recent winners of the "Best Canadian Indoor/Walkthrough Haunt For 2015" from the Canadian Haunters Association. For more information on this haunt visit: www.rutherfordmanorhaunt.com
This interview corresponds to Darryl's article in the May Edition of The Haunt Journal. To get your free digital copy of the journal, check out our new app for tablets, or order a physical copy of the haunt journal go to: http://hauntjournal.com/