Haunted House Association

Haunted Houses scare up more business, in spite of frightful economy

2010-10-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Haunted Houses scare up more business, in spite of frightful economy

October 5, 2010 – Although many Americans feel economic woes have sucked the life blood out of them with smaller paychecks and fewer jobs, thrill seekers pumped millions of dollars into haunted attractions in the opening weeks of the 2010 Halloween “season.”

While the prime scare season has only just begun, operators of commercial haunts across the nation say early indicators suggest a strong season. According to the National Research Federation, the number of Americans planning to visit a haunted attraction this year spiked to 20.8 percent, up from 2009’s 17 percent and just 14.9 percent five years ago.

Pennsylvania’s newest haunted house, PennHurst Asylum, on the grounds of an old hospital in West Chester, created traffic jams when it opened earlier this Fall. Haunted House Association President Randy Bates credits more aggressive marketing campaigns among the 13 major haunted houses in the Philadelphia area with generating a record demand for tickets. He said that, in addition to their individual marketing efforts, they will collectively spend $100,000 to promote the Philly area as haunted destination. Bates said ticket sales at his own haunt, the acclaimed Bates Motel, are comparable with 2009, in spite of several show-stopping storms early in this year’s season.

“In addition to the marketing investment, haunted houses traditionally see more visitors in a down economy,” said Bates. “People need to find a release; an unrealistic fantasy place to take (their minds) away from problems. And that’s precisely what we work so hard all year to provide.”

Dan McCullough, who has owned the House of Torment in Austin, Texas, for nine years, and just launched a new haunt in San Antonio called The 13th Floor, concurs.

“Hollywood and video games are helping drive the phenomenon that has spiked interest in the horror genre,” said McCullough. “In turn, the haunts are becoming more Hollywood-like with more interaction and spectacular effects with CGI, and creative illusions that create a buzz on social networks and generate more demand. People will gather up their friends and make road-trips to enjoy top-notch haunted houses.”

Professional operators like McCullough enjoy today’s virtual benefits, as well. Owners from Philadelphia and Kansas City, to Atlanta and Austin, say website traffic and online ticket sales are higher than ever this season.

Ben Armstrong, owner of Netherworld Haunted Attractions in Atlanta, Georgia, tempers this year’s positive early results with the fact that businesses at commercial haunts traditional builds through Halloween. The real proof of a banner year will be seen in the remaining weeks, he said.

The Haunted House Association (HHA) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote attendance, best practices and safety within the haunted house industry. The HHA is the official association of the industry. Membership includes more than 125 professional attractions in the U.S., which will scare up more than 1 billion dollars in revenues in 2010. www.hhassociation.com

Contact: Haunted House Association interviews, photos or media tours contact Amber Arnett-Bequeaith at 816.842.4280 or 913.406.7833 or Stacey McBride at 816.305.6514. For a full listing and information about members of the Haunted House Association, visit www.hhassociation.com.

Halloween Decorating Tips!

2010-10-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Decorating tips to help you ‘Get into the Spirit’ of Halloween

By Amber Arnett Bequeaith

Haunted House Association www.hhassociation.com

1. If you are looking for a silver casket when all you can afford is a burlap sack, then this idea will have you shimmering with excitement. Take any size pumpkin and spray paint in gold or silver. Then tie coordinating ribbons on the stems. Utilize along staircases with matching ribbon tied on the banister. If you want a darker look, spray paint your pumpkins black and put on black glitter while wet. This idea is beautiful on porches, as well.

2. Cover bushes and trees with spider webs. Adding white, purple, black or orange lights gives a nice illumination.

3. Corn Stalks tied to trees or on either side of your door make a grand fall entrance. Add cobwebs and spiders for freaky enhancement. A hay bale with a homemade scarecrow makes for a fall greeter that shows off your old flannel shirt. It’s fun to use clothes items from each family member and create a scarecrow family if your porch can hold your crew!

4. If you have a pine tree in your yard, you can spray the tips black and then hang orange and black balls to create your Halloween Tree. Of course I recommend lights, just like a holiday tree.

5. Caramel Apples are fun but sometimes it’s hard to have the sticks you need on hand. To create a fun outdoor look, use real sticks from trees. Make sure to check the type of stick; some could render the apple not edible.

6. Mini-Fog Machines and strobe lights make the outside of your home come to life. Also, move a boom box (or I-Pod) behind the bushes and play some spooky tunes to make your trick or treater dance to your door. The parents love it and dance, too!

· Witchy Woman – Eagles
· I Put a Spell on You – Screaming’ Jay Hawkins
· Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival
· Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
· Thriller – Michael Jackson
· Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
· Black Magic Woman – Santana
· Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.
· Spooky – Atlanta Rhythm Section

7. Use an old picture frame, spray it gold. Hang out side your house and add a plastic hatchet or weapon inside with moss or leaves glued to one corner. A little red corn syrup dripping off the weapon never hurt anyone.

8. Call cemetery’s in your area and ask if they have dead flowers you can use. Decorate the yard like a cemetery with dead flowers and plastic bouquets. You can make tombstones out of foam. This is a great way to line a path or create a path in your own yard.

9. Edgar Allen Poe is the creator of Horror. Add ravens to your wreaths, tree’s, and bushes – then have your door greeter recite a few lines of “The Raven” when trick or treat children arrive. “Nevermore!”

10. If a little home fright is what you are looking for…. teenagers can make great characters to give a little adrenaline rush for those still seeking the sugar rush. Coffins, Boxes, Bushes and Tree’s lend a helping hand when giving the element of surprise. Know your age group or make sure to put up a “Beware – Do Not Enter Sign!”

NOTE: Amber Arnett Bequeaith is a national spokesperson for the Haunted House Association (www.hhassociation.com ). She co-owns and operates four commercial haunts in Kansas City, Missouri, including two of the “granddaddies” of American haunts, Edge of Hell and The Beast. www.fullmoonprod.com

Haunted House Season Begins!

2010-10-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

There’s a chill in the air!

Commercial Haunted Houses invite you to come inside

The lights are now off in America’s professional haunted attractions, which means the “boo” season is officially on!

September through Halloween, millions of Americans will choose to scream their way through the phobia-filled halls and mazes of a commercial haunted attraction. The Haunted House Association (HHA), with 125 member attractions from Baltimore to Kansas City to Atlanta, is the official association of an industry that is expected to scare up revenues of nearly $1 billion this year.

“The American consumer is becoming absolutely bewitched,” said Amber Arnett Bequeaith, spokesperson for the HHA. “They want, and expect to be frightened in new and ever more creative ways.

Bequeaith noted that operators of the country’s most successful haunts spend millions of dollars every year to create Hollywood-caliber costumes and props, and to conjure up ever creepier computer-generated optical illusions and sounds.

“It takes a lot more to get the average person’s heart pounding in today’s world,” she said, adding “But believe me, we stay up nights thinking about just how to do it!”

In spite of the nation’s frightening economy, the HHA this year expects lines at the doors of its member haunts, where guests may be met by the likes of Willard the Weird Janitor, The Gravedigger, or Ratman.

Not afraid of no ghosts? Well, fair warning, said Bequeaith, “Our people really get into it. You might say they live to scare you to death.”

For a full listing and information about members of the Haunted House Association, log onto (www.hhassociation.com ). To arrange media tours or on-site or in-studio interviews, contact Amber Arnett Bequeaith at 913-406-7833

The Haunted House Association (HHA) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote attendance, best practices and safety within the haunted house industry. The HHA is the official association of the industry. Membership includes more than 125 professional attractions in the U.S., which will scare up more than 1 billion dollars in revenues in 2010. www.hhassociation.com

Haunted Houses: What’s the attraction?

2010-08-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

For more information, contact Stacey McBride, 816.429.6137

Creatures, ghosts, scary things…
Haunted Houses: What’s the attraction?

There is an interesting fact hiding under America’s bed: People LIKE to be scared.
Studies have shown that people actually find intense pleasure when facing their fears. This helps explain why nearly one in five Americans will choose to scream their way through a haunted attraction in the next few months before Halloween. And why the Haunted House Association, whose members operate more than 125 of the country's largest and most successful haunts, expects haunted venues to scare more than two million visitors this year.
"It takes a lot to get the average person's heart pounding in today's world," says Amber Arnett Bequeaith, spokesperson of the HHA. "Haunted Houses are real in the sense that the creative unknown is right there in front of you somewhere; it's behind that door; it's around the corner. There's just nothing quite like a good old-fashioned living, breathing hideous creature dropping out of the ceiling, or breathing on your ear to get the adrenaline going."
Bequeaith said it is the dedicated actors, who themselves tend to love the horror genre, and the physical reality of an old house, commercial building or dark corn maze that make professional haunted attractions intriguing and popular. That and the fact that the best operators spend big bucks every year to enhance technology and special effects.
"It is certainly more expensive to scare people these days," said Bequeaith. "The cost of technology and elaborate sets and costumes is frightening. We spend a fortune on safety measures. But, the bottom line is, we are entertainers who like to make people happy. And, strange as it seems, scaring people makes them happy."
Note: Haunted Houses begin operation as early as September. For a full listing of, and information about members of the Haunted House Association, log onto (www.hhassociation.com)

About the Haunted House Association

T he Haunted House Association (HHA) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote attendance, best practices and safety within the haunted house industry. The HHA is the official association of the industry. Membership includes more than 125 professional attractions in the U.S., which will scare up more than 1 billion dollars in revenues in 2010. www.hhassociation.com

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Midwest Haunters Convention

2010-05-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

Midwest Haunters Convention!

June 4-6, 2010

The Midwest Haunters Convention is for Haunted Attraction Producers, Actors, Artists and Home Haunters. Our goal is to provide educational seminars and workshops with experienced presenters, a 75+ vendor tradeshow with the latest in haunt offerings, and a place to network with others in the industry during our unique social activities. We'll offer 1st class haunted attraction bus tours, costume parties and contests (the Bloody Mary Monster Makeup Wars competition, Body Art Fashion Show, Ms Midwest Scary Pageant & the IAHA Scariest Character Contest). "Haunters" are always welcome here!

Last year 2,000 people attended the MHC and in 2010 we'll be celebrating our 7th year for the show. The Hyatt Regency is once again our host hotel for our preconvention classes, welcome reception and after hour parties. Our exhibitor trade show will be hosted at the attached Columbus Convention Center. Over 60,000+ square foot of space provides our exhibitors with professional exposure at very reasonable prices.

If you're involved in a Haunted Attraction or Halloween event in any way then the MHC is the place to be!

National Haunters Convention & Halloween Show 2010

2010-04-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Come see the National Haunters Convention on April 30th, May 1st & May 2nd, 2010 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA.

- Three incredible days of a huge show floor with over 100 Vendor Booths!
- Live entertainment the entire weekend
- Free Thursday Night Meet N Greet Event
- Friday Night haunted house tour of Shady Brook Farms Horrorfest
- Saturday Night Costume Ball
- Makeup Wars
- Haunters Lair Artwork, Video and Contest Competitions
- Free Classic Video Games themed of Halloween & Horror
- LARPs, Odditorium & Side Show Acts
- Medieval Weapons of War Show

www.NationalHauntersConvention.com

www.HalloweenUniversity.com
www.HauntTour.com
www.CadaversCotillion.com

HauntCon Show 2010

2010-04-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

HAuNTcon is an acronym for the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Conference. A expo and convention “Designed by Haunters, for Haunters” of every age and level of experience. HAuNTcon brings people together who love Haunted Houses and Halloween for a fun filled three days and nights of Haunter Education, Tours of Local Haunted Houses, a packed Tradeshow Floor, Hearse Show and an incredible Costume Ball!

The HAuNTcon Haunt Tours start on Wednesday April 28 with a pre-show overnight bus trip that includes lights on and lights off tours of the Grimm House, Grey Manor, Terror of Tallahassee, Castle Dread and Warehouse 31. Attendees will meet the design team of Universal Studios Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights during the Thursday Night Kick-off Tour and get a behind the scenes look at this spectacular event now in its 20th year. The Friday Night Spotlight Tour is of two Haunted Attraction at Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Screams event.

A key component of HAuNTcon is education! Over 40 hours all included in the price of admission. Seminars, Make-n-takes, workshops and demonstrations designed to help attendees learn new techniques on makeup and actor training, prop and set building, advertising and marketing, and tips and tricks to make their lives easier and their attractions more successful.

The Tradeshow floor, Friday April 30 through May 2, is filled with the latest in fright services and equipment for the professional Haunted House owner and Halloween enthusiast alike. From horror makeup and highly detailed masks to static props and large animatronic creatures, everything a Haunter needs will be for sale and many at wholesale prices.

Saturday night May 1, Haunters from across the country show off their most creative costumes at the massive Haunted Attraction Magazine Costume Ball, a rocking party that celebrates the joy of getting into character for fun rather than for work. It’s like Halloween in May!

On Sunday afternoon May 2, the hotel parking lot fills with a collection of creepy tricked-out vehicles and funeral cars for the Hearse and Parade Car Rally, followed by a social and meal at the Pirate Adventure Dinner Theater later that night.

“HAuNTcon is an opportunity for Haunters to network, share tips and stories, get fresh ideas, learn new ways of doing things and check out the latest in Haunting props,” explains Leonard Pickel, Editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine and HAuNTcon event coordinator. “It is the best investment you can make on your Haunted Event.”

Attendee and Exhibitor Registrations are available at www.hauntcon.com, as is a schedule of events for the weekend. Discount hotel rates for the Ramada Celebration Resort and Convention Center are also available on the convention website.

If you own a Haunted House or would like to find out how to get started in the Haunt business, then HAuNTcon is a “not to be missed” convention! Even if you just like Haunted Houses and Halloween, then you are in for a rare inside look at how major Haunted Attractions across the country scare millions of people each October. Go to www.hauntcon.com for more details or to register for HAuNTcon 2010!

2010-03-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

2010-03-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here is some info on what the Haunted House Association is working on for 2010.

Lets begin with what I like to call the big picture items:

BIG PICTURE ITEMS

These are the sorts of projects that we feel will help the industry as a whole.

1) PR Campaign - The HHA is embarking on a new PR campaign that is solely owned and funded by the HHA. As you know last year we participated with America Haunts in their campaign, but now that we are on our feet and rolling we are prepared to launch our own campaign. As always our focus will be to protect and promote the Haunted Attraction Industry, and promote our members' haunts. You can be assured that the knowledge of our board and members will give this new campaign great chances for success.

2) New Web Site - As you know last year we developed a web site on the Hauntworld owned URL www.hauntedhouseassociation.org. This year we are now creating our new site on the HHA owned URL www.HHAssociation.com . It is important to note that this is being done with the full support and encouragement of Hauntworld, who additionally donated funds for the NEW website. The HHA board will be fully in control of the new site at all times, and it is planned to focus equally on all projects and entities that help the HHA and the industry as a whole to protect and promote Haunted Attractions. It is hoped that the new site will be online sometime before TransWorld, keep your fingers crossed! This new site will be a great resource for haunted house owners and operators to come together and help the industry.

3) Safety Campaign - As you know we began a campaign last year, an outreach to teach new haunters safety. This will be a big focus in the upcoming year, as we feel that safety education should be promoted and distributed where it is needed most, to start up or home haunts that often have no interaction with local officials. Randy Bates, our new President, is well known as one of the industry's experts on this topic, and plans to address this fully. Also key to this is the Crisis Plan that Randy developed to help Haunt Owners and the HHA deal with assorted problems that could occur on both a local or national scale.

MEMBER BENEFITS

Of course member benefits play a major role when it is time to join an association. Here are some of the benefits a membership in the HHA will bring your event:

- Publications: Members will receive subscriptions to 3 publications while they are members - Tourist Attractions and Parks, Hauntworld Magazine and Haunted Attraction Magazine.

- Vendor Discounts: Members will receive extensive discounts from many of the finest vendors in the industry. Use of just a few of these discounts can pay for your membership in short order.
This list is growing all the time, but we will post an updated list soon!

- Haunt Directory: Member haunted houses will be listed in our new Haunt Directory on our new web site, www.HHAssociation.com.

Assorted campaigns like the PR and Safety Outreach programs will drive traffic to the site and thus to your event's listing.

- Membership Directory: Once a year HHA will produce a comprehensive listing of our members, vendor discounts, by-laws, and other important information. This will be mailed out to our members.

- Heraldry: Members will receive the right to use our logos and imagery to promote that they are members in good standing of the Haunted House Association.

- Exclusive Meetings and Functions: Members will be able to attend exclusive meetings and events such as the upcoming Ultimate Brainstorm meeting at TransWorld this year for members only.

- Participation in the Association: Members who are the owners or operators of a Haunted Attraction can vote for the board of the HHA. Members who are Owners or Operators of a Haunted Attraction with 5 years of operation can run for the board of HHA. Members are also encouraged to participate by joining committees and helping us protect and promote the industry.

- Access to Networking: Members can participate on our NEW HHA Forum and on our Yahoo Group.

Plus more to come!

As you can see there are many benefits to joining the HHA and many important REASONS to help us protect and promote this industry. We look forward to sharing more of our plans with you soon and having you stop by our booth and join the HHA at the TransWorld show in a few short weeks!

Thanks!

Ben Armstrong
Haunted House Association Board Member

2010-03-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

2009: Year One of the Haunted House Association!
Ben Armstrong, NETHERWORLD Haunted House

One year ago this month an interim board of your fellow haunt owners first gathered to start framing a new organization dedicated to a simple premise - to Protect and Promote the Haunted Attraction industry. Thanks to the unending enthusiasm and support of the first board of directors and the haunted houses, industry leaders and vendors who were there every step of the way I am happy to report that the first year of the Haunted House Association has exceeded all expectations! Our organization now has a solid set of bylaws with very critical components.

The first being clearly-defined term limits, which ensures that the board of this organization is always moving and evolving, and constantly bringing in fresh blood.

The second being that only haunted attraction owners or operators with 5 or more years of experience may sit on the board, bringing real wisdom and clear focus to this group.

So what was accomplished in 2009?

One of our big concerns was a safety outreach to find those start up folks who might not have the clearest grip on how to haunt safely. We created a series of dos and don'ts tips submitted by our members embedded with cool images and haunted house ideas. These were presented on several websites and promoted with a two month advertising campaign in Fangoria magazine designed to reach a national audience. We also created a complex Crisis plan that was sent to our members to help them plan for proper disaster response. So why have a safety outreach, why go beyond the membership to promote best practices? Last season there were at least two situations where guns were discharged causing injures in haunted houses. In an eerie coincidence one of our safety tips dissuaded gun use and our crisis plan discussed this very issue in detail. Clearly a safety outreach is critical and should be expanded to protect both us as haunt owners, and our customers from unsafe operators. This outreach is core to our mission and will be expanded by this group in future years.

In the area of promotion there were some truly amazing results. For our members we presented the first association sponsored haunt finder to help promote member attractions. On the national stage HHA's participation with America Haunts with the ongoing national PR campaign netted great results, including portraying haunted houses in a positive light on CNN, Yahoo Homepage, MSNBC, Inc Magazine, Reuters, The National Post and The LA Times, among others. One of the crowning achievements of this years campaign was getting an awesome haunted attraction on the CBS Evening News on Halloween! One of our core goals is to show the world that haunted attractions are serious entertainment venues, and this is exactly the sort of promotion we need to build on year after year.

Some of our industrys top haunted house vendors participated in the HHA discount program, which translated into amazing savings on all manner of Halloween goods and services for all HHA members. We were also able to offer subscriptions to both haunt industry and Amusement Trade publications, and research healthcare options for haunters.

HHA also strove to mend fences, and work hand in hand with other industry groups. We consulted closely with IAHA President Patrick Konopelski, for example to develop marketing information for both of our organizations to share. We published press releases and haunt lists from Hauntworld, Americas Best Haunts, and Haunted Attraction Magazine on our front page blog in the spirit of inclusiveness as well, because they were all promoting the haunted attraction industry in a positive light.

So what does 2010 bring? - Our first election takes place in Febuary, ushering in new officers and board members as per our bylaws. Holding the election next month ensures that the HHA leadership will be organized and ready for our meetings and events at the March TransWorld Halloween and Attractions Show. Several VERY experienced Haunt Owners have stepped up, and I expect great things from this new board!

A new powerful affiliation with TransWorld will bring HHA many ways to help promote the industry and deliver new benefits to its members - including our special Members Only Brain Storming session, networking events, and more!

A brand new website and URL www.HHAssociation.com- Many more exciting bits of news that will be released in the coming months so stay tuned!

In closing I want to thank everyone who helped HHA on its amazing first year voyage, especially the board who gave up so much of their time and skill for something they believed in. Larry Kirchner and Hauntworld for all of his tireless efforts, forward thinking, endless promotion and use of so many of his assets, TransWorld and Jennifer Braverman for really going above and beyond for us in our first year, Steve Kopelman of Haunted House.com for his huge promotion in 2009 that gave us the capital to get rolling, John Kennedy of Haunted Attraction Magazine for his support and even handed approach to our organization, and America Haunts for bringing us into the PR Campaign. Also a huge thank you to ALL the vendors who donated product to our auction and who continue to participate in our vendor discount program. This would be almost impossible without your support!

Lastly I want to thank you the Haunted House Owners who stepped up in year one to join us on our quest to protect and promote the haunted Attraction Industry! I hope you join up again in 2010 and bring all of your haunted house peers along for the ride! Together we can take this industry forward, and keep showing the world just how much Haunted Houses Rock!

Thanks!

Ben Armstrong

Haunted House Association President 2009