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Author: Brian Foreman

The Midwest Haunter’s Convention is Coming…

The Midwest Haunters Convention (MHC) returns to Columbus, Ohio June 8-10, 2012 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel for its 9th year.

THE MIDWEST HAUNTERS CONVENTION  is the largest Halloween show of its kind in the US serving an international audience of Haunted Attraction Industry professionals, owners and enthusiasts. MHC provides shopping, entertainment, education and tours.

Body Paint at the MHCPictured left: Kara/Body Art by Artist Margie McGuire.
Photo courtesy of FOCI Photography


The Midwest Haunters Convention (MHC) offers weekend seminars June 9-10, 2012 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Five tracks of education are presented: Acting, Makeup, Props, Haunt Business, and Haunt Design. The seminars are instructed by industry experts and serve participants with skills ranging from beginner to advanced levels and backgrounds ranging from haunt owners to Halloween fans.

Training and Seminars

The MHC Weekend Seminars are available for $85 in advance (through www.MidwestShow.com) or $99 onsite. The MHC offers weekend workshops June 8-10, 2012 in Columbus Ohio at the Columbus Hyatt Regency and Greater Columbus Convention Center on an individual pay per class basis (and are not included as part of the MHC Weekend Seminars.) Registration costs range from $50 – $300.

MHC workshops and seminars offer a wide variety of professional education with topics ranging from intensive artistic instruction on such things as how to: create realistic zombies, being effective as an actor or designer creating scary scenes, incorporating animatronics and using the latest in technical lighting and sound production, as well as business instruction on how to run a profitable seasonal temporary business.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH SOME VIDEOS OF MHC!!

Tradeshow & Monster Makeup Wars

The MHC Trade Show will be June 9-10, 2012 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center; featuring over 100 exhibitors, a Demo Stage, and Custom Hearse Show: it is open to the public with advance and on-site registration for $5 admission.

The Bloody Mary Monster Makeup Wars signature competition takes place on Saturday June 9, 2012 on the MHC Demo Stage (located on the showroom floor; free to attend with tradeshow registration). Makeup Artist teams will compete in a 30 minute challenge vying for the championship title: to create the most impressive monster using identical makeup ‘black box’ supplies.
Haunted Attraction Charter Bus Tours

 

Pre-Convention Bus Tour

The 2012 MHC begins with a pre-convention 2 day excursion touring 10 haunted attractions in Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio June 6-7, 2012 departing from Columbus, Ohio. This provides exclusive opportunities for participants to visit Halloween venues, which open specifically for the tour that are staffed with actors, for entertainment and research purposes.

The 2012 MHC Haunted Attraction Bus Tour will visit the following destinations:

  • Fear Factory (Findley)
  • Dimensions of Darkness (Maumee)
  • Terror Town (Maumee)
  • Erebus* (Pontiac)
  • Realm of Darkness (Pontiac)
  • St Lucifer’s (Flint)
  • Darksyde Acres (Jonesville)
  • Jackson’s Underworld (Jackson)
  • Exit 13 Haunted House (St. Morris)
  • The Crypt (Burton)

*Erebus was formerly the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Largest Walk-Through Haunted Attraction from Aug. 2005 – Sept. 2009

Daytime Paranormal Bus Tour

 The MHC offers an excursion to visit ‘real’ haunted destinations in Mansfield, Ohio: the Bissman and the Ohio State/Mansfield Reformatory. The Reformatory was featured on the Travel Channel’s Scariest Places on Earth, was the movie filming location for the Shawshank Redemption and Air Force One; and is one of the top 5 largest castle-like structures in the USA featuring Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne , and Richardsonian Romanesque architectural styles.

Friday Night Bus Tour

 The MHC will host a tour featuring the Dublin, Ohio based “Scare-A-Torium” haunted attraction as well as other local Columbus destinations.

Monster Masquerade Party

The MHC Masquerade Party will be held Saturday, June 9, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio; and is open to the public. Guests will enjoy a Hollywood-type Gala Monster event! The evening’s activities begin with the Halloween fantasy themed Body Art Fashion Show and include the Scariest Character Contest and the Ms Midwest Scary Pageant* to find the scariest female character in the Midwest. *Rated as one of the Top 10 Freaky Attractions by AOL Online.

ABOUT THE MIDWEST HAUNTERS CONVENTION (MHC): The MHC is hosted by the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency June 8-10, 2012 in Columbus Ohio. It is the largest Halloween show of its kind in the US serving a primary audience of Haunted Attraction Industry professionals and enthusiasts. It features a 60,000 square foot vendor trade show with over 100 vendor booths on June 9-10 and provides regional businesses and residents the opportunity to shop for professional quality Halloween related products. The MHC also provides educational seminars and workshops and networking activities for haunted attraction industry professionals.

Contact MHC:

 

Share This With Your Friends So They Can Come Too…

Christina Deare: A Dark Photographer’s View


“I’m an expert at creeping myself out and I don’t believe we are ever alone. A lot of my experience lies in my own head because we all have to face it…the human mind is the scariest thing alive…”

dark photography

Photographers can be found anywhere. Heck, I can take a picture with my iPhone-edit it-then upload it to facebook in 2 minutes. However, what I can’t do is train my brain or eyes to function like a highly-skilled artist such as Christina Deare.

Christina can capture that fraction of a second, the perfect ambiance, and the right blend of whimsy and uneasy. When you see her masterpieces you will understand for yourself.

Contact her if you are searching for your own photographer for your next project. If you are looking for that perfect picture for your Attraction and your advertising online or offline Christina would be glad to help you!

Were you creative as a child? Can you remember when you first noticed your eye for Art?

I “starred” in my first play when I was three months old and everything went uphill from there. Between theatre, dance, voice lessons, reading, writing, and my extremely pampered imagination (I was allowed to be as creative as possible – encouraged, even), I pretty much spent my childhood buried in make believe. I can’t remember when I first noticed my “eye” for art because all of it was so incredibly natural to me, but I can say I first paid serious attention to my writing when I was thirteen. By my sophomore year in high school, I was doing volunteer work with a small online magazine submitting short stories and articles on day-to-day life. Sometime during that a camera squeezed itself in and to this day I intertwine my interest in literature with my interest (and studies) in photography.

You told me you were a student. Where do you go to school?

I’m currently a junior at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, though I take the courses online and live close to Hammond, Louisiana. I’ll graduate in 2013 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts and an emphasis in Commercial photography, though I take courses in Fine Art, too.

Do you have any other passions besides Art and Photography?

My one true passion is literature. I am an avid bibliophile and I collect books and antique things (including antique books). To furnish my own home through thrift stores and antique shops, whenever I get to that point in my life, is something I’m determined to do. I’m also in the midst of collaborating with Sarah Drago, an extremely talented writer who also happens to be my cousin, on a collection of short stories set in Louisiana that will hopefully make you smell the swamp water on your own skin. After all, I’ve been writing far longer than I have been doing much of anything else and it is what inspires my work as a photographer, since I am essentially just substituting my pen with my camera.

I like the edge you bring into your photography. Do you have experience in the Haunt Industry or do you gather inspiration from somewhere else?

Haunt experience is hard to explain because I don’t really disconnect haunt from non-haunt, if that makes any sense. Every day of my life is as creepy as I can make it. Living so close to New Orleans and being able to experience the culture from birth, I always feel like the strange and unusual is both in the air and, for that reason, always in my head. I can say I live in a very…unique house, yes, because anyone that has ever spent a long time here will agree. I can say I have been a fan of horror since I was little and frequent anything that has the word “haunted” in it, but I don’t know if that can be considered anything. I do spend the majority of my time in the forest and abandoned homes, however. I’m an expert at creeping myself out and I don’t believe we are ever alone. Like I said, a lot of my experience lies in my own head because we all have to face it…the human mind is the scariest thing alive.

 

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Do your friends support your skills and feed your passion for creativity?

I live with my girlfriend of five years who will be starting her schooling as a special FX make-up artist in the next few years and has been practicing it on her own time for a while now. One of my good friends from school, Alex Williams, is also a very talented film student who works mostly with horror. We feed off one another. No pun intended.

Where do you want to be in your career in 5 years?

I stopped giving myself long term goals, but, if I had to say, I’d like to be in the midst of my first novel (if not finished with it), working with real estate agents and bakeries shooting food and interiors and, in my spare time, paying attention to the conceptual portraiture (which is where you’ll find my darker work) I first fell in love with. I’ll be holding my BFA from Academy of Art University in 2013, so I also hope to be keeping up with paying off all those loans!

For aspiring artists and photographers, what advice can you share for harnessing your creativity and standing out in a competitive industry?

Note: there is no such thing as an aspiring artist. Being an artist starts in the brain and with your thoughts, even if you aren’t exactly working as one. However, for those aspiring to be successful, there are two things I think everyone should remember:

1. Success is a matter of perspective.

2. Do what the hell you want.

You don’t always have to do what everyone else is doing. Do what you feel you have to. If that is to create, then create. Actually, don’t stop creating. I don’t care if you’re just frosting a mason jar with glue, just produce something, even if it’s not something you can sell or add to your portfolio. Keep your hands busy, yes, but keep your mind busier. I’m not nearly as successful as I want to be — or anywhere close — but in this way I’ve accomplished so much that no one will ever understand nor see.

Resources for dark artists?

Tumblr! Tumblr and Flickr are amazing sources of inspiration. Also, a library. Read! Read Poe, read King, read Bradbury, read Gaiman. Read, read, read. The darkest images of all will come from that of a page, I assure you.

Find Christina Here:

  • Website Portfolio
  • facebook
  • twitter

 

The Best Home Haunt of 2011 Is…..

The results are in!! All you Haunters out there that have been waiting for the winners of the Home Haunter’s Association Contest; the Top Three Home Haunts have been announced. If you haven’t heard of this contest, then I suggest you go over to the Home Haunter’s Association Website and enter next year. Here are the Top Three Home Haunt Videos:

1ST PLACE-THORNHILL WOODS HAUNTED HOUSE:

Chris Ainsworth

1 Krisbury Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

The Thornhill Woods Haunted House is a good old fashion cemetery theme front yard haunt that’s packed with elaborate monsters, animatronics, tombstones, lighting and sound effects. It’s totally free of charge, but we ask everyone to donate to The Sick Kids Hospital www.sickkids.ca Here are some of the property features: Property is surrounded by stone columns with built in speakers, post lights and a (150′) wrought iron fence. Two large stone gargoyles on top of the columns as you approach the front entrance. Surround sound system with creepy music and thunder being played continuously. The property is lit up by more then 30 pot lights and other lighting accessories. Spooky porch lighting. Climbing zombies and other creatures breaking out of the ground surrounded by over 20 detailed tomb stones. Garage area is a Laboratory with a (8’foot) Animatronics Frankenstein that shakes violently as he is shocked to life. 8′ foot Creature that was born in the laboratory. Cannibal’s Meat Shop refrigerated cooler stuffed with body parts for sale. Crawling (8′ foot) Vampire on porch roof.

 

2ND PLACE- DARKWING MANOR:

Creators: Tim and Tina Reuwsaat at 

4192 Coleman Creek Road   Medford, Oregon 97501

Darkwing Manor’s story tells of the Baron and Baroness Reuwsaat, descended from a noble family of vampyres, who fled persecution in Wallachia several centuries ago. They settled at Darkwing and opened the Manor as a haven for Nosferatu and other Creatures of the Night. At Halloween, when the veil between the world of the living and the dead becomes very thin, visitors may encounter these restless souls. Patrons enter the Gothic-inspired 100-year-old home and tour the 19th century mourning and funerary collection, including coffins, mourning attire, woven hair art, gravestone rubbings, and other Memento Mori. In the back parlour they witness an authentic “laying out’ scene and hear the story of the tragic ghost who haunts the house. After escaping the family’s sinister chapel, guests enter the haunted grounds where a variety of horrors awaits them including the two haunted horse-drawn hearses in the Dismal Hollow Cemetery.

Darkwing Manor celebrated its 8th year in the Rogue Valley this season. For the first time ever, we were open three nights and had a total visitation of 3,131 people. We operate the haunt in our private two-acre yard and Victorian home, located in the farming country outside of Medford. We do not charge admission but encourage donations for a different charity every year. With seven domestic violence homicides in Jackson County this year, we chose Community Works as our charity of choice. Community Works operates the Dunn House Women’s Shelter and sponsors domestic violence offender and prevention programs. This year we raised $9,330 for them, over twice as much as we gave last year. Our crew is 100% volunteer and this year we broke a record with over 100 people helping to put on the show. Our haunt scenes expand every year and it seems more people are required, not only to act but also for the support roles that go into putting on a smooth-running, well-lit, and safe show.


 

3RD PLACE: HAUNT 31

Toby Wrolson

340 S. Annandale Dr. Lake in the Hills, IL 60156

Haunt 31 is one of the fastest growing and most elaborate private haunted yard
haunts in or around Illinois. In its thirteenth year of operation, we have over
thirty pneumatic and animated props, many static displays, special effects, ambiance music, live actors, and more. Several thousand guests visit us each year. Best viewed after dark- Haunt 31 must not be missed! Be sure to experience the interactive electric chair ride. This haunt includes extensive displays covering the front yard, entire side yard, and garage with much attention to detail. Animation operates nightly weather permitting. Actors on many weekend nights. This is a residential haunted display. That said, this year we added a ton of new props, new static zombies, a witch in a shanty, and a banging coffin held by 4-skeletons.  We have built the prop controls on every prop and upgraded to efx-tek prop-1 controllers waterproof boxes, and new
laser sensors.  We had 1041 trick-or-treaters, and over 8,700 visitors for the
season.

Crazy doesn’t describe it!


Congrats to the Top 20 Home Haunts of 2011!!

Broadview Bloodbath
Dark Shadows Haunt
Darkwing Manor & Morguetorium Museum
Falkirk Fearscape
Gargalese Gates of Terror
Happy Valley Cemetery and Grimm Manor
Haunt 31
Haunt on Williams
McKamey Manor
Pandemic Cemetery
Scare Hollow Haunted Yard
Scarriage Town
Sleepless Souls
Sleepy Hollow
Souls of the Forsaken
The Hideous Horror on Howe
Thornhill Woods Haunted House
The Wicked West Ghost Town
Village Mire
Willow Manor

 

Who Is Your Favorite? Leave a Comment Below…

Free Things To Do At TransWorld Haunt Show in 2012

Yes. TransWorld is still charging to get in this year but there are many things included with that price. So technically, these things aren’t really free because you have to pay the admission price 0f $50. However, if you put a price tag on all of these cool events they would probably exceed the $50 price point. So if you’re looking for the FREE things to do this year at the Transworld Halloween & Haunt Show-Here they are…

Thursday March 8, 2012

  • Make-up Demonstrations: 11:00am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm on the Show Floor Stage. Sit and enjoy 30-minute make-up demos from 1313 FX Fright Zone (Foam Latex Application & Airbrush Painting), European Body Art (Special FX Only Make-up) and Michael Davy (Watermelon Trauma Wound).
  • Opening Night Party Sponsored by Ken Donat & Westland Insurance: 6:00pm – 8:00pm at the Morgan Street Brewery, 721 North 2nd Street. Celebrate with your colleagues at the Morgan Street Brewery while you enjoy complimentary dinner and drinks! Open to all registered buyers.

Friday March 9, 2012

  • Facebook Commerce: The tricks to getting the treats 8:30am – 9:30am. Christian Taylor, CEO of Payvment, Inc. With over a half a billion consumers, Facebook has become the most valuable place on the net for generating new customers and sales. Christian Taylor, founder and CEO at Payvment will share best practices on how to build your Social Commerce empire on Facebook.
  • Make-up Demonstrations: 11:00am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm on the Show Floor Stage. Sit and enjoy 30-minute make-up demos from Bloody Mary (Zombie’s Exposed Cheek Bones Stitches Out With Just Make-up), Grex Airbrush (Demo Using Airbrush Make-up and Grex Airbrushes) and Crown Brush (Hollywood Special FX Make-up).
  • Special Demonstration by Award Winning Pumpkin Carver, Andy Bergholtz of Villafane Studios: 2:15pm – 3:15pm on the Show Floor Stage. Villafane Studios specializes in the creation of the most astonishing 3D pumpkin carvings you will ever see. Founder Ray Villafane and partner Andy Bergholtz combine over 25 years of sculpting experience to push the boundaries of this unique medium and create characters that will haunt your imagination. Whether it’s a fine art portrait, a scenic snapshot or ghastly ghoul, Villafane Studios excels at capturing 3D images in pumpkins that will take your Halloween to a whole new level. See them demonstrate their abilities LIVE on the show floor!
  • Haunted Attraction Association Auction: 5:30pm – 7:30pm (Doors Open at 5:00pm) at the Convention Center. Looking for great deals on brand new props, animatronics and services? Join HAA for its annual auction. Doors open at 5:00pm and the auction starts at 5:30pm with items from the industry’s leading vendors, suppliers and artists. There is no cost to participate and bidding is open to everyone. Cash bar will be available. Open to all registered buyers.
  • Distortions Unlimited Presents “Making Monsters” and Q&A: 7:00pm – 9:00pm at the Convention Center. This two-part one-hour series introduces viewers to the innovators and masterminds of the monster and creature animatronics industry. In “Making Monsters,” viewers meet Ed and Marsha Edmunds, co-owners of Distortions Unlimited, the Mom and Pop monster making shop located in downtown Greeley, Colo., and Jordu Schell, a monster-making veteran from Hollywood. Ed and Marsha have led the charge of the animatronics business for the last 30 years. Their unusual animatronics, monster creations, and haunted house designs are mainstays of the dark amusement industry. Jordu is Ed’s right-hand man, bringing Ed’s twisted creations to life. Based in Los Angeles, he is a renowned sculptor, best known for his work on James Cameron’s Avatar.

Saturday March 10, 2012

  • [Early Bird Seminar] How to Survive in the Haunted House Industry Panel Discussion: 8:00am – 9:00am. Moderator – Ben Armstrong – Netherworld Haunted House. Panelists – Ed Terebus (Erebus Haunted House/FearFinder), Allan Hopps (StiltBeast Studios), Randy Bates (BatesMotel/Pennhurst). Ben Armstrong from Netherworld Haunted House moderates this panel featuring a group of talented haunters who have spent years helping others in the industry. Learn from them the critical lessons about how to run a safe, entertaining attraction while avoiding the mistakes that can end an event’s career before it can ever really get started.
  • Exploring an Exciting Art Form That Will Change the Face of Pumpkin Carving As You Know It!: 8:00am – 9:00am with Andy Bergholtz, Villafane Studios. Topics include the art of “sculpting” pumpkins and the potential of pumpkin related displays as a commercial attraction. In addition to providing exposure to an incredible new art form, the seminar will illustrate the vast potential for pumpkin related displays to drive business and create incredible viral marketing as a seasonal attraction.
  • Make-up Demonstrations: 11:00am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm on the Show Floor Stage. Sit and enjoy 30-minute make-up demos from Iwata-Medea (Airbrush Horror Make-Up), Graftobian (Airbrush Zombies At Low Cost) and Ill Willed (Showcasing the New Ill Willed Products).
  • Special Demonstration by Award Winning Pumpkin Carver, Andy Bergholtz of Villafane Studios: 2:15pm – 3:15pm on the Show Floor Stage. Villafane Studios specializes in the creation of the most astonishing 3D pumpkin carvings you will ever see. Founder Ray Villafane and partner Andy Bergholtz combine over 25 years of sculpting experience to push the boundaries of this unique medium and create characters that will haunt your imagination. Whether it’s a fine art portrait, a scenic snapshot or ghastly ghoul, Villafane Studios excels at capturing 3D images in pumpkins that will take your Halloween to a whole new level. See them demonstrate their abilities LIVE on the show floor!
  • Free Legendary Haunts Panel Discussion: 5:45pm – 6:45pm. Moderator – Ben Armstrong – Netherworld Haunted House. Panelists – Ross Karpelman (The House of Shock), Dwayne Sanburn (13th Gate/Necropolis13), Brett Bertolino (Terror Behind The Walls). Ben Armstrong from Netherworld Haunted House moderates this discussion of some of the most Legendary Haunted Houses in the nation. Learn how they come up with unique sets and special effects, draw massive crowds, and manage complex operations with a high level of customer satisfaction.
  • Turning Technology into Sales: 5:45pm – 6:45pm. Speaker John Gollnick, Route 66. Using technology to increase sales??? Want other options besides Facebook and Twitter, did you know that a technology exists over Wi-Fi??? With NEWER technology at your disposal, we will show you how to earn more money and build your customer database.
  • The Zombie Army & John LaFlamboy present “The Moleman of Belmont Avenue”: 9:30pm – 11:30pm at the Convention Center: This film explores what happens when a terrible situation is dropped into the laps of the two people least equipped to deal with it. The Brothers Mugg can either step up to the plate and finally grow up, or they wait and clean up the resulting mess as a mysterious creature eats every living thing in the building, one by one. This soon-to-be cult classic features horror icon Robert Englund, an ensemble cast of Second City comedy veterans, and set designs from the haunted house industry’s Zombie Army Productions and Pale Eye Productions. (Included Q & A).

Sunday March 11, 2012

  • Make-up Demonstrations: 11:00am on the Show Floor Stage. Sit and enjoy a 30-minute make-up demo from Four Fingers (Application of Prosthetic Appliances and Make-up for Haunters).
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The Davis Graveyard: A Year of Resolutions and Scary Tidings

 

If you are involved in the Haunt Industry (home or pro), you have heard of Chris and Jeff Davis of Davis Graveyard. I am subscribed to their email updates and got this on January 2, 2012. You gotta check out what they are up to for the best year yet! Here’s the email….

“As we start the new year we thought we would begin by sending out an overview of our plans for 2012”

2012 Haunters DVD Set

The deadline for submitting video or photos of your 2011 haunt is Jan 31st.  The response has been a little slow this year, so we encourage you to submit even if you have no video, a slideshow of photos of your haunt works too!  If you’ve posted a video on YouTube then send us the file you used to upload your video and we will include it in the collection.  See the website for more details

 

2012 West Coast Haunters Convention

WCHC will be Fri/Sat/Sun June 1-3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Portland, OR.  This is the first year the convention will be held in a hotel and it’s first in Portland.  There will be a Costume ball on Saturday night at 8pm on the 2nd.  There will be over 50 hours of education throughout the weekend.  The 18,000 sq ft exhibit hall is more than twice the size of previous years.  This should be a show you won’t want to miss and will be one you will want to attend each year.  Visit the website to register or find out more information.

 

2012 Davis Graveyard Workshops

We plan on offering more workshops this year.  We haven’t set the schedule yet but you can expect our normal tombstone class to be one of them.  We are also considering a monster mud class, corpsing workshop and a monument workshop.  We’d really like to hear from everyone on what they’d like to see and dates that work for them to provide useful feedback for setting the workshop schedule.

 

2012 HAuNTcon

HAuNTcon is being held May 3-7 in Monroeville, PA and the preshow tour Wednesday and Thursday before the tour.   We will be attending and assisting with the Make-n-takes again this year, as well as presenting a seminar.    Monroeville has the distinction of having the Monroeville Mall which was used as the backdrop of the 1978 classic Dawn of the Dead by George A Romero.  The costume ball is going to be a Zombie ball just because of the location.   This should be a great convention and as always if anyone wants to attend with us we’d be happy to have you. Visit HAuNTcon.com com for more information.

 

You can keep update with the hauntings at the Davis Graveyard by following us on Facebook.

Talk to you all later this year!

Happy Haunting,

The Davis Graveyard