Industry

Marketing Strategies for Haunts in 2000
Sharon Marzano

The strange truth of any entertainment experience is that much of its success is built by the expectations created through advertising, promotion and word of mouth. This frightening reality means that even the best show in the land will not survive if no one sees it. The question is how do you motivate your audience? 

Over the 20 years I spent working with Joe Jensen on Hades Haunted House, I learned that you need to 'frame' the experience awaiting your visitors. The words "Kewl" only go so far. It is up to you as an event creator to give the audience the shorthand for what the experience is and does. Doing this creates a feeling of anticipation and expectation before your doors even open. 

Until the Internet came along, the only way of prepping your audience was by expensive ads, promotional arrangements or what little you could say in any interviews your were lucky enough to attract. This limited the pitching and packaging of your experience to sound bites. How can you begin to convey the specifics or the theme of your house in 10-30 seconds, not to mention also convey the time, date, place, and price to your potential customers? 

All this has changed with the Internet. By using the latest in multimedia tools and combining forces with America Online, the Internet's largest service provider, Haunted America has created a 'Halloween Portal' into every home and every business now online. This portal serves as online entrance to your haunt. It allows your audience to begin their adventure at home, and motivates them to attend your event by providing a printable location map, discount coupon, and an animated preview of the event. 

In 1995, we entered the Internet to showcase our own Haunted Attraction and to create anticipation and expectation in our audience. We made games that would preview the characters and situations that the audience would encounter and have to overcome. We gave names to things that the audience would not know if they went through the house without visiting the web site first, and we created a story line that enhanced the experience. 

The results were immediate, people in lines anticipating the creatures in the attraction before they have even seen them. Exiting audiences putting interpretations to the experience and the storyline they had gathered on-line. The Internet had deepened and extended the Haunted House experience for the audience thus giving them more value for the price paid. 

This experience prompted us to launch Haunted America the following year, as a way to surround other featured haunts with on-line entertainment. Ghost stories, radio dramas and a virtual haunted house were all created to enhance and extend the Halloween season on-line and to encourage its celebration offline through attending our featured Haunted Attractions. 

In 1999, Haunted America delivered more Public Relations (PR) mentions, more promotional partners, more exposure and more online visitors than ever before. We motivated 1 million unique viewers to visit the 150 Haunted Attractions participating in the AOL Program. In 2000, Haunted America estimates that 2 million visitors will log on to the web site and again be motivated to attend our Featured Haunts. 

Sharon Marzano is the owner of Haunted America. For details on how you can have your attraction featured on Haunted America, email us at: Info@HauntedAmerica.com, or visit our web site at www.hauntedamerica.com

IAHA and TW Join Forces

On behalf of the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA), I am happy to announce that the Association has completed an agreement with TransWorld Exhibits, Inc., sponsors of the National Halloween and Party Show held in Chicago each March. The Association and TransWorld have agreed to work together to advance the interests of the Association, and also the Haunted Attraction Seminar Program annually sponsored by the exhibit company. 

Starting immediately, the IAHA will undertake to convey to its membership and the public at large, its endorsement of the TransWorld Seminars held on the Thursday, March 10, the day before the National Halloween and Party Show in Chicago. Additionally, the Association will hold its annual meeting during the trade show and will support and promote all of the Transworld events during the course of the trade show. TransWorld, for its part, will provide financial support to the Association, assist the Association in the physical arrangements for its annual meeting, and work with the Association to continue to improve the Halloween Seminar schedule. 

TransWorld will assist the Association in promoting its various events during the course of the TransWorld Show, and provide the Association with a room at the Rosemont Convention Center during the day of the seminar for the Association to conduct its business and provide hospitality for its members, during the duration of the seminar schedule. The Association will provide TransWorld with input regarding the nature of the presentations to be made at the seminar, and the appropriate schedules for the seminar activities. TransWorld recently announced an expanded format for its seminar schedule, with additional seminar topics being covered during each session. 

The Board of the IAHA has been working on the proposal with TransWorld for many months, and while a formal written endorsement agreement has now been completed by the parties, it is the intent of the Association and TransWorld to develop a strong working relationship so that this initial agreement will become the basis for a much stronger relationship between both entities in future years, for the benefit of both the Association and TransWorld Exhibits, Inc. 

Since the Association has only been in existence for less than two years, the Board felt that the expertise and contacts provided by TransWorld Exhibits, Inc. The Board recognized that much of the annual business of the Association takes place during the TransWorld Halloween Show in Chicago, and that the TransWorld program provided a great opportunity for further growth and development of the Association as a whole. At the same time, the IAHA Board recognized the value of its endorsement to TransWorld, as the official association of Haunted Attraction Industry, a major component of the annual March show. 

The IAHA Board is very excited as to the future prospects for the Association, now that this agreement with TransWorld has been completed. This agreement will definitely assist the Association in reaching its goal to "Assist and Advance the Fright Entertainment Industry, Through Communication, Education, and Information". The IAHA Board encourages all members to watch for further developments in Haunted Attraction Magazine and in the Association Newsletter, in regards to the specific program for the annual meeting of the Association, now scheduled for March 11, 2000 at the TransWorld Halloween and Party Show in Chicago. 

I wish to personally thank Mark Passis of TransWorld Exhibits, Inc., Randy Young and the rest of the IAHA Board of Directors for reaching this milestone in the history of the Association. May our Association now truly "SCREAM AS ONE". 

Drew Hunter, President International Association of Haunted Attractions

A Haunting Tragedy
Rus Hardy

The evening of October 29, 1999 started out pretty much like any other night in Odenville, Alabama just before Halloween. Children's laughter was in the air. Blood curdling screams followed by sighs of relief swirled through the air along with the familiar rustle of autumn leaves. Wagon load after wagon load of fear and fun-seeking children and adults winded their way through Horror Woods, a charity haunt, celebrating its third year of success. It was 8:15 p.m. and by 9:45, 13-year-old Tawnya Key would be dead, 8-year-old Amber Urbahns critically injured, and 22-year-old Garrett Allman in the county jail charged with felony reckless murder. 

A pickup truck pulling a flat-bed hay wagon snaked past one horrifying scene to another as actors performed about 20 skits and attempted to frighten passing patrons. Then, as a wagonload of 10 people passed the scene of a gravedigger exhuming a coffin, an actor pointed a .44 caliber H&K automatic pistol at the patrons and fired. Tawnya Key was struck in the head. According to St. Clair County Coroner, Dennis Russell, the same bullet that killed Tawnya most likely struck Amber and lodged between her heart and spine. The St. Clair County Sheriff, Terry Surles said he believed it was the "ultimate case of bad judgment". The plan called for the actor playing a gravedigger to turn toward the passing patrons and fire a pistol in the air. The Sheriff said he did not know why live ammunition was in the gun's magazine. 

According to local schoolteachers, coaches, and churchgoers, Garritt Allman was a "solid gold citizen" who would not "hurt a flea". So what happened? Upon further investigation authorities believe that live ammunition was used every night of the performance. Authorities also report that empty beer cans were scattered around the gravedigger scene where the shooting occurred, however, declined to report whether they were directly linked to Allman. Allman was tested for alcohol, however authorities have not released the results. The developer of the land, Bobby Smith, who had allowed the hayride organizers to use an undeveloped portion of a subdivision, reports he had no idea real bullets were being used. Smith said, "I wouldn't have let them have it. I was like everybody else. I was shocked. I couldn't believe what happened." 

In an interview with the Birmingham Post-Herald, Allman claims to have fired the gun into the air and cannot understand how someone was shot. "It never even crossed my mind that they could've been hurt because of what I was doing," he said. Allman also claims that he was not drinking and that at least two other actors in the hayride were firing guns as patrons rode by. Authorities report that the gun as well as the ammunition used was owned by Allman. Amber Urbahn's mother sums it up: "What it comes down to is, this man fired a gun. A child is dead. And my child has a spinal injury for the rest of her life. And that's all there is to it." 

This incident raises many questions. What was live ammunition doing in that gun? Why were real guns even used in the hayride? For that matter, why have any actor fire a gun at anyone in a scene, especially a gravedigger? With the multitude of ways to frighten your customers, why even take the risk of someone being shot? The movie industry has learned that even with a "property master" to check guns and ammunition in and out, that when guns are pointed at people there is a risk of someone being killed. Not long ago, actor Brandon Lee, died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen while filming a movie in North Carolina. Hollywood has set safety standards to prevent tragedies like this from occurring again. Although safety standards is a hotly debated issue in the Haunting industry, all that was needed to prevent the tragedy at Horror Woods is simple common sense. 

Garritt Allman is free on bond. The murder trial is still pending. 

Rus Hardy is a Yard Haunter and Owner/Operator of Blue Destiny Graphics, a graphics, desktop publishing, photography and web design company in Springville, Alabama. He can be reached via email at:rus-h@mindspring.com

Design Lab 2000, In Review!
Jeff Preston

As the fog slowly dissipated and the screams faded into the night I knew inside that this would be my last House on Haunted Hill, a very successful backyard haunt that had grown way beyond my wildest expectations, and too big for the house. Where to now? What is the next step in my haunting adventure? My mind was filled with too many good ideas and possibilities to just fold up and quit. 

While distributing fliers for Haunted Hill in the downtown area of Gallatin, Tennessee, the amount of available building space set my mind racing, this was where the show had to move! I set about sending out feelers to get a general idea of how the idea would be accepted, and the response was overwhelming! Even the fire inspector was excited about the idea. Now I had a new problem. I had never been under any code restrictions at home. My haunt had always been a Halloween night only affair. The 'official' questions kept coming, and I did not know where to turn for the answers? 

Now I have to admit I was totally ignorant that haunting was as big as it is. I had always felt that I was an island into myself. Surely no one else did this! Then I stumbled onto a wonderful Internet site, www.hauntedattraction.com. Here were many of the answers I had been looking for. I had no idea that haunting was even an industry, much less big enough to have its own magazine! One item on the site caught my eye, the Design Lab 2000 Seminar. An all day lecture series that was to be held during the IAAPA Convention and Trade Show in Atlanta only a few weeks away. A few key strokes and a credit card number later, I was signed up and about to begin my quest for being a commercial haunter. 

I am a true believer in, "Only a fool councils himself, and a truly wise man seeks the council of others." I am unsure of the source but I find that it holds so true. Learn what you can from those who have gone before you. Benefit from their victories and much more importantly their defeats. With those words firmly engraved in my mind I entered the hallowed halls of the seminar early Saturday morning November 20,1999. The set-up was top shelf all the way from the continental breakfast through the social and local Haunted Attraction tour that was held at Netherworld later that evening. 

To get things started, Leonard Pickel, editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine greeted the bleary eyed attendees, (you could tell the group was used to late nights). "The goal of each speaker is to explain how they design their attraction to scare people," Leonard explained, "And your goal as attendees is to pull this information out of the speakers with questions." The chance was now to pick the brains of some of the best designers in the country! 

First up was Ben Armstrong of Netherworld in Atlanta, Georgia. He briefly covered pretty much every aspect of the haunt business, from the first steps a want to be haunter should take, to individual building blocks such as lighting and safety. (Safety was something that was stressed by everyone involved) Ben's style was laid back and filled with great information. And since we would be visiting his attraction later that evening, we would later see up close what he described in his seminar. We were off to a great start. Before each speaker went to the podium a handout was given outlining the content of the haunters presentation. This worked out very well especially when we strayed briefly from the topic to speak of war stories, but kept the seminar loose and friendly. 

Next was Joe Jensen of Hades Haunted House in Chicago, Illinois, and the creative director of Haunted America.com. Much of Joe's motivational presentation revolved around conceptualization, "social bonding experiences" and "engaging the audience, rather than show and tell." Things we all do, but I never thought about it in that way. Several attendees seemed to be looking for new scares to take home with them from the seminar, rather than relying on their own imagination and creativity. Joe prepared a fertile ground in the minds of my fellow haunters, for new ideas to spring from. 

Kevin Dulle of Darkworld Entertainment in St. Louis, Missouri, also had a very up beat presentation. Kevin got our full attention when he reveled that his father was a Fire Marshall. He provided an in-depth look into the wonderful world of codes! Using audience participation to start his dissertation on what he call the "Coaster Principle," got everyone involved! I was having flashbacks to high school fearing the teacher would ask me a question that I had absolutely no idea what the answer was. Basically, the Coaster Principle, is that a haunted experience should be designed like a roller coaster, with both big thrills and small thrills, arranged in a logical order. Applied correctly, the patron is built up to the big pay off, a great concept and one that I plan to fully utilize in my own attraction. 

Next was time to feed the masses, lunch was served. The attendees had a chance to speak among themselves, and get acquainted. I was soon to discover that there were several big name haunters in the audience as well as those speaking. John Burton of Theatrical Terror, Keith Fort of ScreamFest, David B. Stanton of House of Frankenstein, to name a few. 

The next to speak was Aven Warren of Maryland's Frightland,. He shared some of his thoughts on brainstorming for scares, theming of the attraction, and the design of the haunt, from the impact of the facade to the floor plan. He was also gracious enough to share with us his experience with the word no haunter likes to hear "fire." (See related article) A fire plan that he implemented at the attraction was why cool heads prevailed when a disaster struck. 

The last speaker of the day was Allan J. Clifford of Nightmare Forest in Louisville, Kentucky. He brought up several topics and asked the attendees to share their experiences on the same. The design part of Allan's seminar focused on the design of the outdoor walk through or haunted trail. He described creating new themes and scares, flow control and spacing, and those happy accidents that turn into great scares. 

In closing, Leonard Pickel summed up the various styles that had been described, explaining that there is no right or wrong way to haunt. Each of us have traveled our own path. What works for one haunter may or may not work for the other, but we can all learn from each other's experience. By standing on each other's knowledge, we will be able to reach higher levels than we would ever have been able to reach alone. 

After the seminar the attendees boarded a bus to take us to a special opening of Netherword. Needless to say we were all like kids in a candy store., Ben Armstrong and the staff of Netherworld were gracious hosts and set a standard of haunting excellence that we should all strive to achieve! Of course we were the worst audience in the world, it is pretty hard to scare a haunter, however, I must admit when I reached out to find out what a prop was made of and the prop did the same...well at least I maintained bladder control! 

After we went through the two haunted elements that make up Netherworld, we were treated to a buffet of Mexican culinary delights and accompanying adult beverages! 

There was time to meet the cast and crew as well as some other haunters who showed up for the haunt tour. The opportunity to network and socialize with fellow haunters was like discovering that you are part of an extended family that you never knew existed. 

All in all the knowledge received during the day long Design Lab 2000 seminar has saved me years of 'learning the hard way,' and my quest to join the commercial ranks of haunting took a giant leap forward. With my questions answered and new acquaintances to call if I get stumped with any new ones. Next years' Design Lab Seminar is in the planning stages for November in Atlanta, and I look forward to the opportunity to learn, share ideas, and most of all open dialog with my bothers and sisters of fright. 

Jeff Preston is a free lance illustrator whose work you might have seen in Monsterscene and Little Shop of Horrors magazines. He is also the creative force behind the planned " Terror on the Square" in Gallatin, Tennessee, and can be reached at terroronthesquare@home.com

Halloween lovers get their own fan club

Halloween lovers of all ages now have their very own fan club where the celebrity is Halloween. The Halloween Alliance is being formed to network Halloween lovers, provide group purchase power for its members, and promote a positive view of Halloween. The group looks to attract Halloween-ites with a variety of interests including collectibles, costumes, dark rides, commercial/home/yard haunting, home decorating, make-up, masks, and party planning. 

Members of the Halloween Alliance will receive a free subscription to Happy Halloween Magazine, periodic newsletters, and discounts with participating businesses. The Global Halloween Convergence will serve as the annual meeting for members of the Halloween Alliance, the next to be held June 1 and 2, 2000 in New Orleans. 

This newly formed group will be managed by Global Halloween Alliance who also publish Happy Halloween Magazine, the only year 'round publication dedicated to the celebration of Halloween by folks around the world. 

For more information contact Global Halloween Alliance by phone at 847-328-3605 or by email at info@halloweenalliance.com