Haunt Tips Archives - Page 12 of 15 - ScaryVisions: We build your Haunted House

Creating Haunt Music with Prelude to a Nightmare..are you listening?

In Episode 11 of HaunTopic Radio we talk with Scott Karan, the man behind the creepy & whimsical sound of Prelude to a Nightmare. A new generation of Haunt Music has begun…

Scott didn’t realize how massive the Haunt Industry was until he started composing music for a Haunt that he was trying to help out. One piece of audio flowed into another and before long his dark journey into the world of horror began. Click here to listen to 3 Soundscapes of Scott’s Music & an Interview with the man behind it all.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:49 — 52.4MB)
Subscribe: Apple

Like any artist; we grab our tools, find our ‘place’, & go to create. Scott Karan does the same with his talent. Here are some of the nice things his customers have said about him:

“Showcases the same magical whimsy as a Danny Elfman Score…it definitely sets the creepy mood.”
Rue Morgue

“Spooky and atmospheric, it’s perfect music for your moldering sanctum!”
Chad Savage – Pumpkincult.com

“EVERYONE should have your Halloween album!”

Zombie Hot Sauce via Twitter

“If you’re a fan of music from folks like Midnight Syndicate or Nox Arcana then you’ll love the dark Gothic soundscape woven by Prelude to a Nightmare.”
Raven’s Burrow

Listen to the podcast to find out Where Scott Finds Inspiration to Fuel His Creativity, How You Can Start to Make Your Own Haunt Music, & How To Win A FREE CD from Prelude to a Nightmare. Just click that play button (you know you want to)…….

Find More Here:

Prelude to a Nightmare Website: Listen to 24 Tracks of FREE Music!
Help Out Scott on Kickstarter: He only needs $200 more to go…and you get music & goodies.

How to Make Your Own Mask and Where to Buy One…just in case.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:12 — 39.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple

In Episode 10 of HaunTopic Radio we discuss the essentials for Molding Your Own Mask, Where to Get the Supplies, & Where to Buy One if you don’t want to spend the creativity & time to do it. Making your own mask for the first time can be a rewarding and learning experience & designing another one will be too. With a little cash and a few hours you can have a few solid molds that you can replicate many masks from and hand them out to your actors. Make each one different with a unique paint job, tears, half-masks, hair, scars, etc. Heck, you can even let the actors design their own. It’s a Haunt….things are supposed to be strange.

What we discovered on this journey of mold making & mask vendors…..there is an endless supply out there! Information overload on how to make one and 100’s of stores selling them. So by no means is this ALL of the resources we found. We HIGHLY recommend buying from your local hobby stores & factories before buying online. But if you don’t have that luxury here is the next best thing. These are just a few from recommendations from our facebook friends and personal experiences. I had many more I wanted to list but I forced myself to stop. You’ll find videos, FREE E-Books, and How-To Guides to get you on the right track on making your own. We also provided a few mask vendors to check-out.

Please leave your feedback in the comments below to let us know where you get your supplies and

have you ever made your own mask?

Facebook Comments from:

“GutRot Effects with so many vendors and companies catering to the fx artist out there … make sure you do your homework on what web-sites and vendors you get your supplies from ,, there are many variances in quality and price . so look before you buy.. building a relationship with the right vendors for you haunt or sfx business is very important in many ways , from prices to shipping times to the quality of the product you get from them..”

“Claire Brooksbank Supplies – Far West Materials, or Georgie’s (local pottery supply – has gallons of slip latex). Ideas…. my brain, generally. Lots of video game inspirations, though.”

“Damon Carson Best mask company for quality, wearablity, comfort, and movement and price! Hands down Zaggone Masks! Chicago Illinois!”

“Chris Haynes Mehron is where we order our liquid latex (by the Gallon) from. It’s Hollywood quality like everything else they sell. Makes any other liquid latex we’ve tried look like watered down junk! Also get the little bottles of coagulated blood from them too.”

“Allan Bennett CFX for silicone, Death Studios for latex.”

“Jeff Davis For masks I think Death Studios makes the best quality. For supplies I shop at Smooth-On.com. They are not the cheapest but the quality and consistency are top notch. They also have a large selection of products and are always coming up with better and more innovative ones.”

“Kyle Arruda I just my mold stuff from BITY like everyone else. They rock, and their YouTube videos are helpful! I also use Monster Makers, fx warehouse, and smooth on. Never had problems with any! They all rock!”

Jim Shackelford Clay and plaster we get from a local pottery supply place by the box/bag. Latex we order by the drum. Silicone and other smaller quantity products we purchase from a place here in Dallas called Bitty Mold Supply.

Alex Lohmann We by lots of stuff from Bity, Latex, silicons and tints, prosade, skin illustrator, etc…. We get some of our clay from him. He get most of our airbursh makeup at the hobby stores. We get a couple of things from the Wolfbros at trade shows and a couple of specific things we get at Norcostco in Dallas like the Ben Nye Thick and Scabby Blood that we like.

Beth Johnson We get most of our mold supply stuff from Douglas and Sturgis , Smooth-On and Monster Makers. Most of our make up supplies come from Frends Beauty Supply and a local store.

Katie Lane I luckily have a great local makeup shop (Jinxed), but I also order Mehron from Evilusions and mold supplies from Monster Makers.

Shawn Morse Ben Nye and Graftobian (I love their blood gel) stuff from local costuming store and simple supplies from local dollar store.

Auburn Haunted House Paint and Powder, Morris Costumes and Graftobian (for airbrush there is nothing better)

MAKE YOUR OWN MASK: (All sites listed sell products.)

BITY Mold Supply on YouTube: 114 Videos, 11,958 Subscribers, & almost 7 Million Views!

BITY Mold Supply: Supplies & More Info.

Smooth-On: How-To Articles on Mold Making & a FREE E-Book on Mold Making & Casting

Smooth-On: Over 50 FREE Videos of Mold Making & Special FX

Monster Makers: Make Your Own Half-Mask

Monster Makers: Supplies & Links to More How-To’s

Douglas & Sturgess: Mask Making Supplies & Other Art Stuff

FX WareHouse: Special FX supplier that has been around since 1985.

OR BUY ONE INSTEAD: (These are just the ones we mentioned here. There are MANY more.)

1313FX Fright Zone: Large selection of Latex Half-Masks with a wide strap for comfort. Avg price: $20

Mostly Dead: Foam Latex Masks & Prosthetics that you can paint yourself. Avg price: $35

Zagone Studios: Movable mouth latex masks known for comfort and price. Avg price: $50

Trick or Treat Studios: Creative and retro vibe to these latex masks. Avg price: $55.

Death Studios: A reputable latex mask maker that ‘s been around awhile. Avg price: $75

Shattered FX: Silicone mask maker with half-masks and full-masks. Avg price: $299 (half-masks)

Immortal Mask: Silicone mask maker that states they have the strongest masks. Avg price: $525

CFX: A popular silicone mask maker with very realistic masks. Avg price: $569.

Buy Music Here from Midnight Syndicate has heard in the show.

Tips You Need To Know Before Starting Up Your Haunted House

In Episode 9 of HaunTopic Radio we’re using 3 of our interviews from Transworld; all providing useful information like Common Mistakes Haunters Make , How Social Media Can Help You Build Your Haunt Business, and a Website Where You Can Get Some FREE E-books on Starting UP Your Haunted Attraction.

We will also be running our very first contest and giving away a Free Issue of Fright Times Halloween & Haunt Magazine. You’ll have to listen to the show to find out how to be the first one to win. Fright Times has donated 15 Issues to give out to you, so we’ll find different ways over the next few weeks to let you win them. Bloody Mary has also donated 1 Quart of her Fake Blood!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:18 — 38.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple

Here are the people and websites that we cover in Episode 9.

Michael Edwards:

A Haunter Life: A YouTube Show Behind-the-Scenes with the Crew of The Haunt House

The Haunt House: One of the Most Terrifying Haunts You’ll Ever Experience

Brain Chow Studios: Costumes & Masks For Sale

A Haunter’s Life Facebook Page

The Bloodshed Brothers/Zachary & Jeromy Ball:

Field of Screams: The Haunted Stadium

Field of Screams on Facebook

Bloodshed Brothers on Facebook

Watch Them on YouTube (Every Day)

Grant Brott:

Grant on Facebook

Haunted House Start-Up: Website & Consulting For Starting Up Your Haunt

Grant on Twitter

Contest Information:

After listening to the rules on the show email your results to this email: [email protected]

Find out more about Fright Times Magazine: Halloween & Haunt Magazine

Remember, the last day to enter this contest is April 24, 2012. Are You Listening?

Halloween Hellmouth: How To Remember the True Meaning of Halloween

In Episode 5 of HaunTopic Radio we talk with Troy Frantz and Keith Lovell from Hellmouth Haunted House about their beginnings of being a Haunter, the challenges of going pro, and their current subscriber drive that may see Keith having to eat a goldfish! Make sure you subscribe to their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/HalloweenHellmouth to ensure that he does!

LISTEN TO EPISODE 5 OF HaunTopic Radio NOW:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:07 — 40.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple

Find Troy and Keith Here:

YouTube Channel

Halloween Hellmouth on Facebook

If you liked what you listened to then you can help us by sharing this episode with your friends and leaving us a comment on iTunes. Thanks for listening…

10 Habits of Highly Effective Haunt Leaders

“When I look at all of this, I think what we did was more like a Summer Camp. The traditions, hard work, perks, and lifelong friendships (and haunt romances!) gave each volunteer a shared unique experience the same as the best Summer Camp anyone will remember. That is what kept them coming back.”- Cynthia Brown of Haunted Theatre

As a Haunt Leader, we all know that it takes a strong work ethic and a skill for balancing the art of business and family when operating a Haunt. Whether you are a Home Haunter or Haunt Owner, it takes leadership skills to accomplish a smooth night of cooperation and loyalty from your helpers. Cynthia Brown from the Haunted Theatre is here to give you some tips on keeping your volunteers and workers excited and ready to come back next year.

Imagination: In 9 years, the single best source of volunteers was a banner I put up on a main street that simply said: “Haunted House needs bodies. No experience necessary.” Of course, I still had to explain to a lot of callers that there was no pay, as it was an all-volunteer charity haunt
Influence: We gathered new and kept old volunteers each year. We didn’t allow kids under 16 unless their parent worked with them, but we still had a lot of kids lie about their age.
Responsibility: After a local attorney informed me that I had a convicted sex offender working in my dark maze, I started asking for driver’s licenses from all my volunteers, and checking names against offender databases.
Plan of Action: We used a sign-up form, and gave a short tour at “auditions”, along with all the rules for volunteers. We broke each night into two shifts, and asked people to only sign up for the nights and shifts when they could definitely be there. I then cast 4 or 5 extra each night, and when people didn’t show, the extras went in. If we had a full crew, the extras work the line or work as “break monsters” – changing costume and switching rooms all night to give others a break. Unless the crowds were thin, we never stopped the line for breaks.
Leadership: To keep them coming back – we made it a tribe. We developed traditions that were exclusive to the haunter tribe. We did a “Magic Circle” each night at opening, with a special chant written for that haunt. We had a traditional final walk-through at the end of each evening by the producer carrying all the ticket stubs, which each monster could fall in behind as we all snaked though the haunt together, singing a song.
Inspiration: We fed a hot meal each night, giant crock pots food brought in by other volunteers. We had a “monster Mom” who manned the break room and took care of the monsters needs. We had a call-and-response system inside the haunt to keep everyone energized (and make sure they were all checking in)
Credibility: Monsters who failed to show without reason, or failed to follow our safety rules were not allowed back, and everyone knew this.
Mindfulness: Most of our haunters did a lot more than act in the haunt – most helped with construction as well, and many helped to design. We let those who wished to take on the responsibility design their own rooms with supervision and guidance. Mind you, we don’t do a kiddie haunt. We focus on making adults and High School kids scream and wet themselves.
Appreciation: At the final cast party – each volunteer received a special embroidered patch (from stadriemblems.com) that was unique to that year. Haunters were very proud of their patches!
Creativity: Producers would keep track of the hours worked by each haunter, and at cast party the “Top 20” would get extra special prizes. We usually ran 7 to 8 performances, and the “Top 20” always had at least 50 hours. The top 4 haunters always had over 100 hours. The very top volunteer who was not the producer always got the best gift. Because we usually did our tear down and cast party the week after Halloween, we were able to buy these cast prizes at the after-Halloween discount sales.

Cynthia Brown is the producer at The Haunted Theatre in Wenatchee, Washington. She has a background in acting, producing, and directing plays as well as Haunted Houses. If you want to reach Cynthia, you can find her here:

Facebook Page

Facebook (personal)

Email- [email protected]

What have you done as a leader of your tribe?