HaunTopic Radio: Haunted Attractions | Haunted Houses | Halloween | Haunters

HAuNTcon (co-located with the Halloween and Party Expo) is one of the nations's fastest growing conventions for Haunters, Halloween buyers, and Haunted Attraction Owners. HAuNTcon stands for Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Convention. IN 2019, it was hosted in New Orleans and will return in 2020. It is scheduled to be held in Dallas, Texas in 2021.

Haunters inside this podcast episode from HAuNTcon 2019:

• Haunter's Tale
• Scared of My Shadow
• Haunt Pay
• Midsummer Scream
• When Hinges Creak
• Scares That Care
• Mindtrap Creations
• Ticketleap
• Fright Find
• Black Moth

In this podcast episode, we discuss our time during the haunt convention, being a vendor and partner, and what we did when we weren't at the show.

Listen in to also find out about how ScareIt Badges was received at the booth.

We'll see you at our booth next year!! Come say HI.

The Epic Home Haunts Documentary

The Epic Home Haunts Documentary is a movie that shares the lives of four Home Haunter families and how they get ready for Halloween each year. Setting up realistic Haunted Attraction events in their yards, garages, & properties..all for free for their communities.

We get the Haunters on this podcast and talk about:

• How to start a Home Haunted Attraction at your house
• The real meaning of being a Home Haunter
• Behind-the-Scenes of the movie and stories never told before!

The Haunters we interviewed on this podcast.

These are the Home Haunts that were in the documentary Epic Home Haunts. Listen to the Haunters tell their stories of preparing for Halloween each year. Here's a brief description of where to find them and more about them.

Josh Quillin

Producer, writer, editor, and director of Epic Home Haunts. Co-founder of Saga Studios, LLC. Watch Epic Home Haunts here.

"...the dedication that Haunters have for the ART is mind-blowing to me."

Rotten Apple 907 (Diane & Preston Meyer, Melissa Thompson)

Home Haunt started in 1990 and is a complete walk-through Haunted House located at 907 N California St-Burbank, California. They change up the theme of the attraction each year.

Beware the Dark Realm (Christian Sivley)

Home Haunt that is nestled behind a two-story castle facade. Located at 28621 Sugar Pine Way-Santa Clarita, California.

Legend of Boot Hill (not interviewed) Over-sized yard haunt started in 1996. A western style theme based around an old mine town. Located at 16 Goldenrod-Irvine, California.

Restless Souls Manor (Greg Packard)

A Haunted Mansion style theme that evolves the story each year. Time Travel was the theme for 2018. Located at 38143 52nd St E-Palmdale, California.

Music in this episode by Sam Haynes.

What's inside this podcast episode?

Liz Irving joins us from HAuNTcon: Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention to let us in on what's going on this January 25-27th in New Orleans.

Brian and Darryl discuss their Haunt Season..some highlights and some lessons learned at The Dead Factory in Missouri and Deadmonton House in Canada.

HAuNTcon 2019 Updates: Interview with Liz Irving

• NEW vendors, sellers, and buyers! The size of both the HAuNTcon show floor and the Halloween & Party Expo floor have both increased to hold more awesome Haunt products for you to buy...right from the booth. Yes! MORE cash & carry items.
• Training & workshops have been moved closer to the show floor so you don't have to walk very far to attend a class. Less time walking...more time browsing.
• Different Haunted Tours around New Orleans and a trip to Terror on the Coast to go behind-the-scenes. Get new ideas straight from the experts.
• Nightlife and Networking. More opportunities to talk to your friends...or meet new ones.
• SAVE 10% Off your weekend pass! (CODE: HAUNTOPIC) Order here: https://hauntopic.com/10

What happened at The Dead factory & Deadmonton Haunted house in 2018? (part 1)

• Lessons learned with Scare Actors, Design, and Safety. We share some personal stories from our Haunt Season as Owners and Operators. What we're doing different next year.
• NEW attractions and ideas for 2019. The Dead Factory plans on added more for 2019...hmm...maybe you'll get an inside look. Deadmonton House has some new ideas too.
• Deadmonton on Facebook
• The Dead Factory on Facebook

Music in this podcast by Kyle cheuvront

Haunt Marketing: How to get more customers to find your attraction

If you have a difficult time getting customers through your Haunted Attraction, you're not alone. All of us struggle with it. Slowly trying to up the attendance, trying to retain your current customers, & finding your exact type of customer.

In this audio podcast you will learn some of techniques that I have personally experimented with and have researched from other haunt owners that work for them.

A few things you'll learn in this podcast:

• Low cost effective marketing ideas
• Time saving social media tricks
• Start up checklist you should be doing
• Rules for legal contests on social media
• Local advertising techniques to try
• Where you should spend your money
• and MUCH MORE!

In this informative session, I will present some of the marketing and advertising methods we have used in the past that have gotten customers through our doors and continue to get attendee engagement. Most of my methods are budget friendly and can be scaled to meet your budget funds. Just plug and play.

We also play tunes from Verse 13, Sam Haynes, and Gore-Galore!

What was included in this LIVE Master Class:

• Live video with presentation and Questions asked throughout
• Video and Audio replay included after master class
• Get ideas with other Haunters in the exclusive Chat Room
• Answers to every question you have. It's a Seminar!
• If you can't make, you still get to watch it.
• All resources and powerpoints included.

Watch our FREE "Start Your Haunt Without Spending Lots of Money" Video Master Class Replay!

A little about me. Brian Foreman.

4th year Co-owner of the Dead factory Haunted House in Mexico, Missouri and lover of all things SCARY. Small town haunt with big soul..and a tiny budget.

I've been a Home Haunter, Scare Actor, Manager, Designer...and most things in between, but I'm always learning. Maybe I can share a thing or two with you!

One of the most difficult things for a Haunted Attraction Owner is to find quality Scare Actors and Staff to help make the attraction come to life.

Having your Scare Actors not show up is one of the biggest complaints we hear as haunt consultants...from the bad reviews from your customers to the other actors who have to cover those spots and pull double duty on a busy Saturday night.

These are some of the things we have tried in the past. We now have over 40 scare actors inside our haunt The Dead Factory.

Join us in this LIVE ONLINE MASTER CLASS on Hiring Employees and Recruiting Volunteers

Here are five things you can start doing now to recruit and hire new scare actors for your haunted attraction.

1. Reach out to family and friends. Use social media to let others know you're searching for help. People aren't mind readers so you gotta put it out there. I know it's tough to ask for help, but it determines the success of your show.
2. Create an Ad on Facebook. Create a business page on Facebook..yes, they still work. Boost a post or create an ad directly focused on your local area (maybe a 15 mile radius around your location) and interests like Horror Movie Fans, Theater/Plays, Haunted Houses.
3. Team up with your local theater or high school drama club. Many of my scare actors have come from the local theater. My son was also in the drama department at his high school. You might be able to cross-promote with them by sharing staff members or even hanging banners in each others queue lines.
4. Ask strangers. Allen Hopps, from The Darkhour Haunted House, carries pre-made business cards specifically for Scare Actor auditions. He carries them everywhere! I usually get a feel for a person and then ask them if they'd be interested in helping work behind-the-scenes of a Haunted House.
5. Ask your current Actors/Staff for referrals. Sometimes your current helpers don't know you need more help. Ask if they have a friend that may want to try it out as a test run. Once they get that first scare..it usually lights that fire inside. It's either for a person or not...don't try to force it. You'll get a better quality of actor by letting the good ones come back for more.

Treat your scare actors and your haunt staff like family. Have food and drinks if it's in your budget. Make them comfortable as possible. Make their time with you fun and enjoyable so they'll want to come back and bring a friend.

Happy Haunting!

One of the most difficult things for a Haunted Attraction Owner is to find quality Scare Actors and Staff to help make the attraction come to life. Having your Scare Actors not show up is one of the biggest complaints we hear as haunt consultants…from the bad reviews from your customers to the other actors … Continue reading "5 Ways to Find Scare Actors for Your Haunted Attraction"

In this PODCAST EPISODE, we chat with the organizers of SEHEC (Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention) and the Haunted Attraction Leadership Symposium.

Philip Hernandez: Business Director for Gantom Lighting and Controls, a reputable company in the attraction space known for their quality lighting and controls.

William Ramsay: Also known as Dr. Terror Eyes, has taught his Haunting skills in various conventions all over the United States.

Haunted Attraction Leadership Symposium

The Seasonal Attraction Leadership Symposium is the one event for industry professionals in Southern California where you can learn and network with the best and the brightest in the themed entertainment industry.

Philip Hernandez

The 2nd Annual Leadership Symposium is July 30th, 2018, aboard the historic and haunted Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The theme of this year's event is "First Impressions."

Besides presentations by leading industry professionals on this theme, the day's activities will include a tour of the Queen Mary and a preview of the upcoming "Dark Harbor" Halloween event.

Dive Deep into the Theme with Industry Experts & Moderators

Crafting Memorable First Impressions using the key elements of Elevation, Insight, Pride, and Connection is the touchstone for presentations at this year's event.

Added to this year's symposium will be discussions following each speaker's presentation. During these discussions, attendees will meet and share their thoughts about what they just learned and use workbooks to integrate this into their experience and vision for their own attractions.

Deepening the learning using the discussion and workbook format assures the information goes home with the participant and becomes part of their reservoir of knowledge.

Experience The Queen Mary

Enjoy an exclusive preview of "Dark Harbor" and Q&A with the team.

Plus, tour the ship with The Queen Mary attractions team and enjoy the opportunity to discover more about the ship's operations directly from the team.

Not Convinced? Watch the Talks from for Last Year

Last year's Symposium, titled, "Innovation in Interactivity," was held at Knott's Berry Farm on August 1.

Watch the trailer here.

This symposium featured keynote talks by:

Ricky Brigante of Pseudonym Productions

Jon Cooke and Ken Parks of Knott's Berry Farm

Quan Gan of Gantom

Sociologist/Author Dr. Margie Kerr

The Queen Mary's Brian Luallen

Industry Veteran Scott Swenson

Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention (SEHEC)

The Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention (SEHEC) is both a Halloween fandom-based educational event and a charitable fundraiser dedicated to the largest portion of Halloween-lovers: the Halloween Enthusiast. It's for folks who share their love of Halloween (and the Paranormal) with others and just wait until October!

CHARITABLE CAUSE: A portion of the event's proceeds go to the Tampa Shriners Hospital for Children to help pay for necessary medical care for afflicted young patients.

HISTORY: Born out of eight years of make-n-take (instructive prop building) gatherings so popular, they outgrew the venue! SEHEC is the next masterful step to bring Halloween enthusiasts together to learn, share and grow their love for all things Halloween. This event features a variety of educational seminars (Halloween-related and Paranormal), instructional demonstrations, Make-n-Take courses (learn-how-to courses where you bring home the creation you made with guided assistance), guest speakers, product vendors, master artists – even from hit television shows, and provides a welcoming atmosphere for Halloween socializing.

SEHEC's producer and Halloween zealot, Dr. TerrorEyes, has been involved with Halloween and prop creation for 44 years. He has been a presenter at all major Halloween industry conventions since 2010. This includes popular conventions such as: HAuNTcon, TransWorld, Midwest Haunters Convention, HauntX, Halloween Extreme, ScareLA, National Haunters Convention, West Coast Haunters Convention, Halloween & HauntFest, Canadian Haunted Attractions Conference, Midsummer Scream, Chicago Frights, Lakeland ZombieFest, and Florida Haunters Annual Ocala Make-n-Take/Social.

LOCATION: The SEHEC show is in Central Florida and is conveniently located about 75 miles from Universal Studios, Disney World and Sea World.

THE EVENT: -Friday night: Ocala Ghost Walk Tour: 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM and away from the event venue. - Saturday day is the Convention Show and Courses: 8 AM to 6 PM -Saturday night is the "Haunted Eye Ball" adult costume party with food, freshly-brewed beer and local vineyard-produced wine, 8 PM to Midnight. - Sunday in the Convention Show and Courses: 9 AM - 2 PM.

REGISTRATION: - Registration will only be available ONLINE at www.SEHEC.com - AFTER JUNE 30th, ALL prices are at-the-door purchases and are higher at the venue. - No 2018 T-shirts will be available for ordering after June 30, 2018 as they are a Limited Edition run. - You will receive one T-shirt (valued at $20) with your paid admission ticket purchase online. You'll receive it upon check-in at the show on July 14th/15th.

Coming Jan.25-27, 2019 in New Orleans. HAuNTcon!

In this PODCAST EPISODE, we chat with the organizers of SEHEC (Southeast Halloween Enthusiast Convention) and the Haunted Attraction Leadership Symposium. Philip Hernandez: Business Director for Gantom Lighting and Controls, a reputable company in the attraction space known for their quality lighting and controls. William Ramsay: Also known as Dr. Terror Eyes, has taught his Haunting … Continue reading "SouthEast Halloween Enthusiast Convention & Seasonal Attraction Leadership Symposium (Interviews with the Creators)"

Black Market Escape Rooms presents "Murder Co": a R-rated escape experience

BLACK MARKET ESCAPE ROOMS, a new immersive-based attraction company, announces the opening of MURDER CO, a permanent escape experience aimed at turning the attraction industry on its head.

Location: 1220 W 9th St. | Upland, CA 91786 | 909-920-9902

Moonlighting from their day gigs, a handful of theme park professionals have thrown the proverbial gloves off by thrusting guests into an adventure far too severe for the family-friendly confines of an amusement park.

The experience was created by theme park designer, Jon Cooke, who was looking to push the parameters set by the day-to-day requirements in his industry. In response to founding his new side project, Black Market Escape Rooms, Cooke says, "I saw so much potential story and show elements in escape rooms. I wanted to do something more so I went out and surrounded myself with some of the best experts in the theme park industry and we created this unforgettable encounter."

Regarding Murder Co's intensity is attraction writer and director Ted Dougherty, who confesses, "We had to go to some extremely dark places that definitely left a few emotional marks." Although the attraction may not fall into the category of an "extreme haunt," it does contain content best reserved for those not easily offended or disgusted.

Expect serious thrills as Cooke is no stranger to terrifying people based on his innovative haunted attraction designs for Knott's Scary Farm. When conceiving Murder Co, he admits, "It's what I have always wanted to see and do in an immersive attraction." A living nightmare is one step away for those bold enough to cross into Murder Co.

JON COOKE has designed, art directed and produced some of the most successful haunted attractions for the world famous Knott's Scary Farm, including "Special Ops: Infected," "Paranormal, Inc," "Shadowlands," "Trick Or Treat: Lights Out" and "Dark Ride." As vocalist for the deathcore metal band, Winds of Plague, Cooke has released numerous albums and toured extensively throughout the globe. Taking the two worlds of themed entertainment and live performance, Cooke has melded his experience into creating visionary ways to horrify the masses. www.plagueproductions.com

TED DOUGHERTY is a writer, producer and director having worked with Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, Knott's Scary Farm, Cedar Fair and Hollow Studios, including directing and co-writing Fear VR, the first 4-D virtual reality horror experience at a major theme park. www.lunarvisions.com

Special Guests

Andy Russ and Susan Russ: Dark Forest Creations/ Burn Brae Mansion

National Haunter's Convention: HalloweenShow.com

Haunter's Toolbox: Our other website for starting and growing your own Haunted Attraction

In this podcast episode, we talk to Robert Nulton from The Haunt Rater about the elements that he feels makes up a great Haunted Attraction experience and how you can improve your show for next season.

The Haunt Rater has been reviewing and walking through Haunted Houses since 2008. They've seen the small town haunts and the nationally recognized ones. They also offer haunt consulting and try to make the haunted attraction industry better through all of their services.

If you want to get these guys to help you improve your Haunt or just reach out and say hi, visit The Haunt Rater website here.

Robert has also starting working on the Haunter's Association which is still in it's infancy, but he is searching for like-minded individuals who want to build a community around doing haunted attractions the right way. You can contact Robert at the Haunter's Association here.

Keeping your Haunted Attraction fresh, safe, and entertaining are just a few things you need each year to provide your customers with a great experience. Getting another experienced Haunter's point-of-view can help bring a new perspective to your venue, sometimes it takes someone from the outside looking in. Thanks Robert for taking your time chatting with HaunTopic Radio!

And don't forget we have our own Membership Community at the Haunter's Toolbox where we host monthly live online workshops to help you continue to improve your Haunted Attraction. The Haunter's Toolbox: You can become a member for FREE here.