Brian Foreman, Author at ScaryVisions: We build your Haunted House

HAuNTcon 2016: Haunted Attraction National Trade Show and Convention

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HAuNTcon is the only haunted attraction trade show that sets up in a new state each year. An opportunity for all haunters and Halloween fans to go visit a HAuNTcon near you. This year the lucky city is Birmingham, Alabama from Jan.28th-Feb.1, 2016!

In this podcast of HaunTopic Radio, we get the creator of HAuNTcon on the mic (Leonard Pickel) to discuss what’s new for the trade show, the growing list of educational classes for haunters, and all the extra events that you can’t miss.

Like….Haunted attractions tours of some local haunts. A kick-ass costume party that can’t be missed for socializing and drinking some free beer from Froggy’s Fog. A haunted garage sale for some cheap take home props or sell your own used items. Make and take workshops for making that next mask or prop. Hands-on seminars for the creative types. Business classes for the haunt entrepreneurs. And much more for those who want to make their haunted houses better for their customers and the home haunters who want to take their houses to the next level in October.

Whatever type of Haunter you are- there is something for you to do. One thing I like about HAuNTcon is that you can choose a package that fits your budget. I’m doing the $99 one that includes access to the trade show and 3 days of education. I’ll probably go to the Saturday night haunt tour of Warehouse 13 and catch the costume party on Friday. Just pick and choose which package is good for you.

Check out more information and book your hotel here HAuNTcon Website.

Share this with someone who you think would love to go!

P.S. We play some tunes from The Night Keep: Heretica and tell a story along the way. If you looking for new ideas for a story line then you’ll want to listen to this! You can buy the digital download here.

Haunted House Scare Acting Ideas with Brian and Darryl

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:36 — 58.2MB)

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Scare acting in a Haunted House is a lot different than acting in a play or on television.

You have to be flexible in all areas of the haunt, work in challenging environments, and be up close to the spectators. Scare actors are one of the most valuable assets to your Haunted Attraction business. In this podcast episode of HaunTopic Radio, we discuss our adventures this past haunt season and share some scare acting ideas that you can use next season.

We also talk about Scare Acting Techniques, Switching Up Your Haunted Attraction for Next Year, and Managing Throughput & Your Queue Line.

And your co-host Darryl Plunkie is going to HAuNTcon!! Make sure to say Hello if you see him!!

Midnight Syndicate stops by this podcast and drops off some new Creepy Christmas tunes from their new CD Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering. We play their tracks Christmas Overture, Up On a Rooftop, and Into the Stillness.

We wish you Happy Holidays and may you seek comfort in those around you..and in this audio podcast. 🙂

Haunt Stories with Darryl & Brian (plus Christmas Midnight Syndicate Tunes)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:20 — 61.6MB)

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Where have we been??

Deep in Haunt madness and Halloween overload! With me (Brian Foreman) opening a new Haunted Attraction this year called The Dead Factory and Darryl Plunkie scare acting most of October…we kinda got locked into ‘Haunter Tunnel Vision’. But now we’re back. And we got some Haunt Stories to tell….

dead factory haunted house-haunt stories — (My New Haunt in Mexico, Missouri)

With many benefits to you as a HaunTopic Radio listener because we will share our experience and lessons learned along this podcast and throughout many more episodes. We even had to split this episode into two parts just to squeeze in our Haunt Stories from this Haunt Season!

In this episode, we discuss my journey on Starting a Haunted Attraction and what I learned this first year. We discuss Darryl’s Scare Acting Principles to Live By and How Not to Burn Out before October is over. And what we plan on doing at our Haunts for next Haunt season.

And we play some Christmas Tunes from Midnight Syndicate’s new CD: Christmas A Ghostly Gathering.

This new CD features the band’s unique twist on classic holiday carols blended with new and original material.

“Our goal was to treat each song in a way that would merge familiarity with originality,” said Gavin Goska. “There are definitely recognizable elements, but plenty of additional original material as well. It also incorporates the widest instrument palette we’ve used to date and represents what we consider to be the most varied collection of songs we’ve ever released. There are serenely beautiful moments along more intense, darker tracks, and the end result is a thoroughly compelling and involving listening experience.”

“With so many Christmas-themed albums out there, we wanted to make this collection uniquely our own,” added Edward Douglas. “I think we were able to do that.” (To buy this new CD go to MidnightSyndicate.com)

Listen to our podcast to hear 3 mystery tracks from Christmas A Ghostly Gathering! Listen Here.

deadmonton haunted house-haunt stories — (Darryl’s home during October. Deadmonton Haunted House.)

ScareLA: The West Coast’s Scariest Convention and the Masterminds Behind It

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“ScareLA is the first SoCal convention dedicated to celebrating Halloween. Situated in the entertainment capital of the world, it combines the city’s top talent and unique cultural setting with a twist. Celebrate the West Coast’s scariest faire and indulge in hundreds of exclusive attraction unveils, DIY workshops, classes, industry panels, live haunt experiences, screenings and so much more.” ~ScareLA.com

Hey Haunters. Keeping it short and sweet this time. If you live out on the West Coast or can make a trip out to Pasadena, California on August 8 & 9 then this is one of those conventions where you’ll find an assortment of horror entertainment and haunt industry happenings. Plus, you’ll be in the movie capitol of the world…you’ll never know which famous person you’ll bump in to.

In this episode of HaunTopic Radio (episode 96), we chat with Lora Ivanova, David Markland, Rick West, and Johanna Atilano from Scare LosAngeles and get the behind-the-scene information that you’ll need to know before you go to the west coast’s scariest convention!

You will learn about some of the workshops, live entertainment, nightlife, showroom floor and vendors, and what makes these guys passionate about making this a better experience every year. If you like things scary…this is your place. And make sure to use that code below to get a discount on your tickets!

Use Discount Code ‘HaunTopic’ to SAVE 15% off your tickets for 2015! Register Here.

The Masterminds of ScareLA: Rick West, Lora Ivanova, Johanna Atilano, and David Markland.

Chicago Frights and Haunt Faire: Two New Haunt Gatherings You Need to Attend

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:10 — 68.8MB)

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HaunTopic Radio

It’s only a few months to Scare Season and you still need a few more props, you need some ideas for that gore set in your Haunt, and your actors need some more training before you set them loose.

Good news! There are still some Haunt Conventions/Haunt Faires right around the corner.

Chicago Frights, in Napersville, IL, is a Haunt and Halloween gathering of like minded people of every age and level of experience who love Haunted Houses, Halloween, Special Effects Makeup and scaring people. Chicago Frights is a fun-filled four days and nights of Haunt Tours, Haunter Education, a Dealer Room for all your supply needs, a Monster Costume Party, the Last Ride Car Show, Haunter networking and so much more! (July 16-19th)

We get Leonard Pickel, Founder at HAuNTcon and Chicago Frights, to fill us in on what his new haunt convention brings to the Chicago area and why you need to be there.

Haunt Faire, in Hauppauge, NY, is also a new convention this year that will have plenty of activities for Haunters, Horror Lovers, Paranormal Junkies, and Halloweenies. Makeup Wars, Classes to take your Haunted Attraction to the next level, industry vendors, and lots more entertainment! Two days of horrific fun, learning, and socializing. (August 1st & 2nd)

We also interview LC Macabre (Elsie Ginsberg), Founder of Haunt Faire, on why her convention is a bit different than your every day haunt gathering (including a job fair). And what the Haunt Faire is bringing to the east coast!

Both of these haunt gatherings are brand new for 2015 and are focused on Haunters. If you are needing supplies for your Haunt, learn some new tricks for your haunt business, or just want to meet your friends before the season officially starts…these are great events to attend.

We also include some creepy audio tracks from Sam Haynes, give you an update on the new Haunted Attraction ‘The Dead Factory’ in Mexico, Missouri (Brian’s project), and we throw some bonus content in there for you to chew on.

So…put your earbuds in. Think of something scary and twisted. Now go build it! The season is right around the corner. 🙂

and Share the Scare!