I ran a very successful Haunted House for many years. Each year it got better and better. Why do you think that is? Did it simply get bigger and more elaborate? Actually just the opposite of that. I learned that stripping it down and going back to the basics works better than anything. There was a time when I was obsessed with building Animatronic Props. Elaborate machines that were activated with floor switches or motion sensors seemed like the way to go. There are companies that sell professional quality Animatronic Props like you see in large scale Haunted Houses, but these normally cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. You can actually build these props for a fraction of the cost if you have some basic building skills. The problem with these props are there is too much room for error. The switch can malfunction or the motion sensor doesn't pick up well in the darkness. I ended up spending more time trying to keep these contraptions working than I did Scaring folks. I still from time to time use some of these props but they are normally man powered. You still get the scare factor but it's more reliable with a real person operating it. I decided the last three years I did my Haunted House that I was going to go back to simple designs with live actors. I used just enough atmosphere to set the mood and then the punchline. These were the best years ever and each one got better and drew bigger crowds. I will assume that most of you are like me and on a budget so this helps since you can build a pretty awesome haunt for very little money. When you keep things simple your haunted house will run smoother and you will have more fun. A sure fire plan is dark dreary settings with good music to set people on edge. I like to build sets that let people walk into what seems like an empty room. They know that it's not really empty but they don't know whats going to happen. Now that is fear at it's best. Once you build that anticipation up in people that makes the scare ten times better.
7/16/12
TIME TO HAUNT!!!
I have been asked to help put on a Haunted House for Relay for Life to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I have never charged admission to my haunted houses in the past. Normally I ask for Canned Food donations for the Homeless Shelters or Pet Food for the Animal Shelters. I am very honored to be able to help raise money for an awesome cause. I lost my Dad and many other close friends and relatives to Cancer so I can't think of a better cause. Plus I get to do something I love in the process. Now that I have a location it's time to get down and dirty. As I am planning out all of the details and specifics it's time for my favorite part. Prop Building is my favorite part of the process. Yeah you can go out and buy these fantastic props that move and talk and vomit but a person can quickly spend a small fortune on very little. The idea of taking everyday items and creating some great props for a fraction of the cost and making them yourself is what I preach. I had big plans for this site in the beginning but many things happened that caused me be occupied on other grown up stuff. Once my haunted house outgrew it's location I pretty much had to give it up. But now that I have got my mojo back it's time to go to work. Since most of my original props were either trashed or loaned out and never returned I am going to start from scratch. That is fine with me since now I can post my progress and tutorials on here as I have promised for a long time. In the next few weeks I will be showing how I make Body Parts from spray foam insulation as well as building a new casket and many other things. I only have 7 years of ideas that have been waiting to be used. So if you are reading this and you have any questions or something you would like to see me build just leave a comment or drop me an email. Until next time!!!!
