Suggestions For Haunteurs

[robokatt12]

This is a forum for venting your groans and moans about what makes for a less-than-happy haunt experience. Maybe some of the folks running our favorite scare venues would find this helpful.
My biggest beef is with overcrowding, letting too many patrons in at once or allowing the groups to pile up on one another. It's not only very dangerous, it absolutely ruins any chance for a suspenseful experience. Unless, of course, being mown down by a crowd is your idea of a good time.
Some places seem to be doing an exemplary job at crowd control while others (the majority, 'sorry to say) just cram us all in like sardines.

[JBOND007]

Don't run the guy with a chainsaw character in the ground. Nothing more depressing than seeing 5 of those characters in a row while at a haunt.

[hauntfreak156]

i hate it when the houses have a shortage of actors and the few actors in the house only sc ream or grunt...

[TiffanyAndLex]

Yea i agree about the over crowding. It really runis it.... I would rather wait an extra hour in line to be more scared than be rushed in and totally disappointed...

[Blueeyes1785]

I am quite tired of going to a haunt, and getting stuck in a room (because they are bottle necking, and need to hold back a few groups.) and having the actor/actors give up trying to entertain us. If for some reason people get stuck in your room IMPROVISE, you dont have to continue scaring but at least come up with some dialogue. instead of just standing there and taking a drink.

I am also tired of chainsaw guys coming at me, and continuing to come at me, getting in my face, even though chainsaws don't scare me. Chainsaw guys go after people who seem scared, and stop running after the ones who aren't.

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JBOND007 @ Sep 18 2007, 12:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1910)</div>
Don&#39;t run the guy with a chainsaw character in the ground. Nothing more depressing than seeing 5 of those characters in a row while at a haunt.[/b]


That&#39;s what we need, a more subtle approach to the role of chainsaw-wielding maniac.

[Luv2BScared]

Too many chainsaw actors in one haunt is a bummer. The bigger bummer is when a haunt has it&#39;s enter/exit doors in the same place, and while you are in line you see the chainsaw actor chasing people out. Well, now I know how it ends...no suspense there.

[NoahK]

I&#39;ve actually seen some pretty inventive "chainsaw guys" before. Usually it just consists of changing the power-tool (weed wacker, leaf blower, drill) but it can still be pretty effective. Also, anyone seen any haunts that don&#39;t end with the "chainsaw guy?" If so, what did they do instead?

[scarecrow]

It seems we are all together,I did the chainsaw act in the 80&#39;s at my own haunt,did it 2 years,I was done,everyone does it now,it is getting old.I also hate to go to a haunt that doesnt have enough actors to fill it,I asked about it last year at one,the response I got was it was a weeknight and they did not expect as many customers,well then dont charge the same admission during the week was my answer,or open only on the weekends

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (scarecrow @ Sep 19 2007, 03:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1941)</div>
It seems we are all together,I did the chainsaw act in the 80&#39;s at my own haunt,did it 2 years,I was done,everyone does it now,it is getting old.I also hate to go to a haunt that doesnt have enough actors to fill it,I asked about it last year at one,the response I got was it was a weeknight and they did not expect as many customers,well then dont charge the same admission during the week was my answer,or open only on the weekends[/b]


From my experience working at a local haunt, a lot of the workers are schoolkids and simply can&#39;t keep those hours during the weekdays. Yeah, a cut in price would really be cool since you&#39;re not getting the whole show. It&#39;s not gonna happen, but still, a nice thought.

[jmt231]

other then the haunts being over crowded i hate it when actors/actress come out of character, and or laugh and site of frightened customers. the follow through is pretty important, you cant scare someone and then come out of character.. ruins the haunt.

LivingDeadGirl Posted Sep 18 2007, 09:28 PM
"I am quite tired of going to a haunt, and getting stuck in a room (because they are bottle necking, and need to hold back a few groups.) and having the actor/actors give up trying to entertain us. If for some reason people get stuck in your room IMPROVISE, you dont have to continue scaring but at least come up with some dialogue. instead of just standing there and taking a drink."


Couldnt agree more, that happened to me at spider mansion last year.
Still was a great haunted house though!

[Blueeyes1785]

Yeah the chainsaw thing is quite over done. Sadly. It used to get me when it was new and interesting, but alas, those days have gone.

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (NoahK @ Sep 18 2007, 10:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1937)</div>
I&#39;ve actually seen some pretty inventive "chainsaw guys" before. Usually it just consists of changing the power-tool (weed wacker, leaf blower, drill) but it can still be pretty effective. Also, anyone seen any haunts that don&#39;t end with the "chainsaw guy?" If so, what did they do instead?[/b]

It ended with the mindless slaughter of a baby Unicorn.

[scarycoward13]

I agree with the chainsaw thing. It is way too over used now. The thing with haunted houses that i love seeing is something new and different. Try to change it up if you can. Get something new out there, a scarier.

The thing that really freaks me out other than actors that stay in character is their make up. If i have an actor starring at me and getting in my face with really scary make up on, i garantee you will get me backing up away from that actor.

Another idea for the haunt owners is, design a room where the customers are surrounded by doors where the only way to get out is to find the right door. This would really be something scary because the customer is in control of their scary in a way. You can&#39;t figure out what is behind the doors unless they open them right? I remember Brutal Planet a million years ago had this exact thing and even though i was young, i couldn&#39;t get over how good of a idea this was. I would love to see this again.

As for the end of the haunt and trying to give people one last scare, try getting a actor to creep up on them and do something loud. The loud noise of a chainsaw usually gets people moving and really freaked out so, from my opinion, all you need is a loud noise with something scary to follow it to give that lasting impression you want your customers to walk away with.

One last thing, something I have been noticing lately is that haunts are just starting to get, well, disturbing. I may just be being a true girl here but, seeing someone getting chopped up into little pieces with a knife as a prop doesn&#39;t scare me, It just grosses me out. I want to be scared at a haunted house not looking for the nearest trash can. Someone chained to a wall screaming for help or seeing a car accident with the survivor bleeding and beating a chain against there recked car, now that, in my opinion, really scares me. Though, if the reaction that you are looking for is the grossed out reaction, then that is cool just please put a warning outside the haunt or on your website saying does have some gruesome scenes. Putting not intended for children doesn&#39;t really say that your haunt is gruesome that just says it may be too scary for younger audiences. I know some haunts warn you but i have had a couple of cases where they don&#39;t.

I hope something here can be of help to someone. Happy haunting season everyone!

Oh and i apologize ahead of time for all spelling errors that could and will occur.

...this year

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (wichwitch2308 @ Sep 21 2007, 11:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=2012)</div>
I agree with the chainsaw thing. It is way too over used now. The thing with haunted houses that i love seeing is something new and different. Try to change it up if you can. Get something new out there, a scarier.

The thing that really freaks me out other than actors that stay in character is their make up. If i have an actor starring at me and getting in my face with really scary make up on, i garantee you will get me backing up away from that actor.

Another idea for the haunt owners is, design a room where the customers are surrounded by doors where the only way to get out is to find the right door. This would really be something scary because the customer is in control of their scary in a way. You can&#39;t figure out what is behind the doors unless they open them right? I remember Brutal Planet a million years ago had this exact thing and even though i was young, i couldn&#39;t get over how good of a idea this was. I would love to see this again.

As for the end of the haunt and trying to give people one last scare, try getting a actor to creep up on them and do something loud. The loud noise of a chainsaw usually gets people moving and really freaked out so, from my opinion, all you need is a loud noise with something scary to follow it to give that lasting impression you want your customers to walk away with.

One last thing, something I have been noticing lately is that haunts are just starting to get, well, disturbing. I may just be being a true girl here but, seeing someone getting chopped up into little pieces with a knife as a prop doesn&#39;t scare me, It just grosses me out. I want to be scared at a haunted house not looking for the nearest trash can. Someone chained to a wall screaming for help or seeing a car accident with the survivor bleeding and beating a chain against there recked car, now that, in my opinion, really scares me. Though, if the reaction that you are looking for is the grossed out reaction, then that is cool just please put a warning outside the haunt or on your website saying does have some gruesome scenes. Putting not intended for children doesn&#39;t really say that your haunt is gruesome that just says it may be too scary for younger audiences. I know some haunts warn you but i have had a couple of cases where they don&#39;t.

I hope something here can be of help to someone. Happy haunting season everyone!

Oh and i apologize ahead of time for all spelling errors that could and will occur.

...this year[/b]

I&#39;d, quite frankly, relish the gift of a basketful of freshly-weaned kittens.

[SChaser783]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TiffanyAndLex @ Sep 18 2007, 08:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=1927)</div>
Yea i agree about the over crowding. It really runis it.... I would rather wait an extra hour in line to be more scared than be rushed in and totally disappointed...[/b]

Unfortunately, more people complain about the wait than being crammed through...

[Blueeyes1785]

Quite true about the waiting issue.

I for one hate the cramping, but I don&#39;t know if I&#39;d want to wait and extra hour either. I mean some of those chilly October nights, waiting in line just isn&#39;t the thing you want to do.

There is always a middle line for fixing both of these things, it&#39;s just a really hard line to figure out.

I&#39;m not sure I know any better answer than every actor doing their part to help break up the bottle necks.... And even then, it&#39;s a hard thing to do.

[floydfan]

What I would like to see is some new innovation. About 10 years ago it seemed like every haunt was in a race to out do the other guy with innovating new ideas. But for the last 3 years or so, most of the big haunts have been growing stale and unchanged. The best haunt I went to last year was at Boulder Highschool, it had some of the most unique scares id seen all season. They kind of put the pros to shame.

[redskittle007]

I agree with the cramming thing. I HATE when the group behind us catches up. Ruins it completly for me