In Episode 35 we round up the year 2012 with some hidden tracks and some secret interviews with a few folk in the Halloween/Haunt Industry. From Transworld Halloween & Haunt Show we have interviews with Allen Hopps from StiltBeast Studios and Dorothy Creamer from Selling Halloween Magazine. We also dive into a few topics like “Favorite Haunt Tools”, “If You Were a Prop”, & “What Are you Scared Of?”. Many tracks that we couldn’t fit into the podcasts of 2012 but still good stuff! Guess you’ll have to trust me…
If you enjoyed 2012 then you’re going to love 2013.
Happy New Year from me & Darryl to you. Hope you have a great 2013!!
Stay tuned for the next episode on January 16th where will be announcing the winners of the 3 Haunted Halloween Calendars from Hector Turner and the updates to the “Haunt Start-Up 101” Course.
In Episode 33 of HaunTopic Radio we talk with Hector Turner about the Making of His 2013 Haunted Halloween Calendar, How You Can Get the Pictures Of Your Haunt in Next Year’s Calendar, and Where You Can Buy a Calendar! We also get a little more history about Hector’s Halloween experience and his Home Haunt Blackstone Cemetery.
We get some ideas from Hector on Creating Foam Tombstones & Wall Panels and more Home Haunting Tips!!
This calendar makes a great stocking stuffer, a nice gift for your Scare Actors or Staff, or just a great looking masterpiece to hang on your wall to stay scary all year long. Why spend money on those generic calendars when you can buy a Haunted Halloween Calendar from Hector Turner, a fellow Haunter/Halloween fanatic!
I’m very pleased to announce that the Haunt Calendar, now in its 5th year, will be expanding to include Haunt photos from all of CANADA, the UNITED STATES and INTERNATIONAL!! It’s amazing how the calendar has grown with every year and this new direction is tremendously exciting in that I will be able to feature haunt photos from Halloween enthusiasts all over. Featuring OVER 60 HAUNT PHOTOS the calendar is both a year-round showcase and source of inspiration for Haunters everywhere.
Each calendar, printed in full color on top quality glossy paper, will be 8.5″ x 11″ when folded opening to 11″ x 17″ so there is plenty of space to write each day’s appointments and there is even a Halloween countdown so we know exactly how many days it is until our favorite holiday rolls around again. Every month features lots of outstanding photos of the very best Haunts both large or small from around the globe – it’s a great way to say thank you to all your hardworking scare-actors and also the perfect gift for the haunter on your list. –Hector Turner.com
In Episode of 32 of HaunTopic Radio we interview Scott Simmons from The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA and learn much more about what it takes to operate & manage Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Haunted House. We also get the story behind The ScareHouse, how Scott started out as a smaller attraction, and what it really took to get to where he is today. Plus a whole bunch more….
Here is a snippet off of the ScareHouse Website:
The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA is an elaborate haunted attraction featuring Hollywood-quality sets, characters, and special effects. It has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and as one of America’s best haunted houses by USA Today, Forbes, and Haunted Attraction magazine.
Unlike many haunted houses and Halloween events, The ScareHouse design team creates completely original concepts and characters for a series of heavily themed attractions each year. (from ScareHouse.com)
We hope enjoy our conversation with Scott Simmons. Remember if you like this episode find us on iTunes and subscribe, share it with your friends, & come back for more next time….Share the Scare…..
Enter the contest on our FaceBook Page. If your caption gets the most likes to our photo then you win a 2013 Haunted Halloween Calendar from Hector Turner. Hector was generous enough to donate (3) 2013 Calendars for the listeners of HaunTopic Radio. Go Here To Play. You have until December 14th to win!
Attend our FREE Online Webinar on December 12th that will dive deeper into our course we are putting together for new Haunt Owners and making your Haunted Attraction successful. Sign Up to attend here.
In Episode 30 of HaunTopic Radio we get a behind-the-scenes guided tour with Mike Clouse & Steve Hoffine from The 3rd Street Asylum of Bonner Springs, Kansas. I get a short interview with the guys before we go through the Haunt with the lights on. They tell us about where they get their supplies, some useful prop tips for your Haunt, & great ideas you can use for yours!
Then we get the full experience with all cylinders in motion! A full 22 Minute walk-through with the actors, music, and my daughter screaming every 2 minutes. You will hear my family through most of this: my wife, 16 year old daughter and 14 year old son as we navigate our way through the dark and sinister hallways of The 3rd Street Asylum.
My Opinion: The 3rd Street Asylum was fun, frightening, and unforgettable! With the combination of passionate actors, startle scare tools, and highly detailed sets make 3rd Street Asylum a Haunted Attraction you don’t want miss! Located within a creepy abandoned school house that was built in 1918 and that appears to be really ‘haunted’. The stone exterior brings a feeling of uneasiness as you climb its oversize stairs. I could definitely feel how this school house can be easily translated to an asylum.
With the building setting a nice tone for the attraction, the sets and actors made the illusions more believable. We were able to take our time through the entire haunt and each person in our group got scared or startled many times. Many times at the same scare spot. The flow through the haunt was just right and it seemed that all the scares were not timed so we never knew what to expect next. The old school style scares mixed with with the ideas & technology of today give the 3rd Street Asylum the right stuff to be a top Haunted Attraction in the Kansas/Kansas City area.
My family also rates The 3rd Street Asylum as one of their favorites.
In Episode 27 we put the Unknown Scare Actor in a small closet with lots of spiders and make him tell us all of his Scare Acting Secrets. Well…kinda. Jim Millspaugh (the Unknown Scare Actor) has acted most of his life, scares the body fluids out of most guests at The Dent School House, & trains other Scare Actors to utilize his techniques. He uses the tagline “Everyone is Afraid of Something” in his segment on The Big Scary Show as he shares different Phobias each episode. And after doing a bit of research on Phobias, it seems there really is a Phobia for everything.
Using Phobias & Fears in Scare Acting is more difficult to do than just reading about them. If you are an actor in a Haunted Event & really want to work the crowd, you may want to check out the F.E.A.R Equation Jim teaches. We get some insights on this and on his techniques for making others tremble in fear.
So click on the play button, enjoy our interview, win a prize, & let us know how you are liking the podcast.
