IF YOU WANT A BETTER HAUNTED HOUSE - KEEP IT SIMPLE!

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.