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Category: Haunter Interviews

Interviews with the people behind Haunted Attractions.

How To Run A Multi-Seasonal Haunted House with Kim’s Krypt

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:44 — 106.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple

Kims Krypt-Essex, MarylandDo multi-seasonal Haunted Attractions work? Can you actually open the doors of your Haunted House for Friday the 13th, Independence Day, St.Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas…and get people to show up? Kim Yates from Kim’s Krypt in Essex, Maryland does it. In this interview, you might just pick up a few ideas on how to incorporate your attraction into different holidays and learn something new about operating a successful Scare Attraction.

Kim’s Krypt is a 21 year old unique Haunted Attraction operated by the passionate Kim Yates. If her Haunt doesn’t make your hair stand up… her infectious energy will! Not only is she dedicated to Halloween and Haunting; she plays in a popular band, rents hearses, works a full-time job, collects horror stuff, and keeps Kim’s Krypt running smoothly all year long.

Once a Home Haunter, Kim knows all about the difficult transitions between decorating your house for Halloween and starting your own Pro-Haunt. We dive into topics such as Things You Need To Know Before You Start Your Own Haunt, Why She Would Still Be a Home Haunter If She Could, and How To Find Passionate Halloween Fans to Help With Your Haunt.

We also announce the prizes for the month of June (Enter Here), Rich Christensen tells you How To Build a Hot Wire Foam Carving Table, and we play some atmospheric tunes from Sinful Audio.com.

We hope you enjoy this episode and go visit our crazy friend Kim Yates at Kim’s Krypt Haunted Attraction!

 

Here are the links we chat about:

 

What do you think about seasonal Haunted Attractions? Leave a comment below.

 

Win One Of These 4 Prizes!

(3) Rust Out Your Props with a kit from Brutal Rust.com

How To Rust Your Props

A 2-Pack Cd from SinfulAudio.com. 1-Sound Effects/1-Creepy Atmosphere Tracks

Haunted Atmosphere

+To Enter+ You must a member of our Haunter’s Toolbox. It’s FREE. Subscribe Here!

       

Recruiting Scare Actors for Your Haunt with Allen Hopps

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:16 — 74.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple

Haunted Attraction Scare Acting TrainingSo…you’ve spent numerous hours designing the Haunt. Gathered all of your construction friends to help you build the Haunt. Now it’s time to make your Haunted House come to life!

How do you find and persuade strangers and non-halloween friends into becoming an actor in your Haunt?

Allen Hopps, Founder of StiltBeast Studios and Show Director for Dark Hour Haunted House, shows you how to find and recruit scare actors for your Haunted House in this episode of HaunTopic Radio. Whether you’re a Home Haunter or Haunted Attraction owner, finding reliable warm bodies to pump energy through your Haunted Event can be a daunting task.

  • Where do you find people that want to be there every weekend through October?
  • What types of personalities do you look for when recruiting?
  • How do you know who to keep and who to let go?

We will answer these questions in this podcast episode and help guide you through the process of recruiting scare actors for your scare attraction or home haunt.

On a different topic, We would also like your feedback on the future of our Online Training for Haunters. Currently, we host online training classes for Haunt Owners and future Haunt Owners and want to know what topics you would like to learn about?

  • When it comes to being a Haunter (Home Haunter or Haunted Attraction Owner), what is your biggest struggle?

We also feel that there is a gap in the Haunt Community when it comes to finding information on The Haunted Attraction Business.

  • Would you benefit from an Online Community that was dedicated to making you a better Haunt Owner?

Please leave a comment below or CONTACT US with your suggestions and feedback.

 

Find Allen Hopps Here:

 

 

Thanks to our sponsors through the month of May! The winners are:

Ricky Heavner Wins…

A 10 second animated logo from High Tower Entertainment

 

high tower

The 5 Winners of

Copies of Sam Haynes New CD “Ghost Stories”-Listen Here

are

Paul Lancer Thomas

Btweezy414

Ducky66026

Charles Dustin Aurand

Ellen Lemberger

Sam Haynes Ghost Stories

You must be a member of our Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter to qualify to win next month.

Subscribe for FREE here.

       

An Inside Look at ‘Fright Props’ with Doug Anderson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:56 — 78.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple

Fright Props Catalog 2014In this episode of HaunTopic Radio, we kidnap Doug Anderson from the Halloween and Haunted House supply company Fright Props! Doug gives his insights on why you need to attend the Transworld Halloween and Attractions Show, what has changed in the haunt industry in the last 10 years, what to expect from Fright Props in the upcoming months, and some ideas to take your Haunt to the next level. We also strap Doug into the electric chair and squeeze some personal information out of him until he confesses.

If you have ordered anything online for your Haunted House, you have probably ran into Fright Props along the way. FrightProps.com has everything you need to pimp out your Home Haunt or add those extra details to your existing Haunted Attraction. From pneumatics to flame resistant materials. Fogs and scents. Masks and weapons. And a whole lot more! Doug has been selling and building high quality fright props since 2003 and his passion shows through in this personal audio interview.

Also, if you need direction or advice on how to get started in building your own props then the Fright Props Catalog can’t be overlooked. It is filled with easy-to-understand photos and diagrams to get you started. You can even find great information on the Fright Props website or view the online catalog. These resources are overloaded with scary goodness! Find these links below.

If you are attending the Transworld Halloween and Attractions show this year then you need to stop by the Fright Props Booth #323 and check out what Doug has to offer. He has added new items to the ‘cash and carry’ product line this year so you better bring a BIG truck!

Haunt Topics in This Episode

Hope to see you at Transworld!!

       

The Haunter’s Hangout Hacks Into HaunTopic Radio!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:47:30 — 147.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple

HELP! We are overrun by the Haunters of The Haunter’s Hangout!!

The Haunters HangoutSomeone tapped into our podcast stream and stuck 1 and a half hours of nothing but some loud and passionate Haunters rambling on about scare acting, haunt ownership, design tips, the ups & downs of Haunting, and maybe a little talk of alcohol! I know I recognized some of the voices in this audio…maybe Bart Butler and Michael Edwards from The Haunt House and Open Casket Designs…Steve Reeves from Steve’s Haunted Yard…Dan Doble from Halloween Room and Inside the Industry….and those other clowns from The Haunter’s Hangout!

Can You believe this??

This is not our normal format and we have no idea what happened!?! They even drop THE ‘F’ BOMB a few times! You’ll have to listen to this for yourself and tell us what you think. Should we let them in next time or block them from ever getting back into our podcast?

They do get a bit crazy, loud, and rude!?

But they do have some really great ideas.

Well, we might be able to overlook this ‘hacking into our podcast’ incident if you would like to hear more from their guests. I don’t know how they get all of these cool haunters on their show but I hope they understand what they’re getting into.

We did pull some of these links out of the audio so maybe you can help us track them down!!

 
If you find them…tell them that we know who they are and we want our audio back!!

So…Should They Come Back or Not? Leave us a comment or reply!! 

Win One Of These Prizes! Submit Your Entry Before Feb.24th. You Must Be a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter. Sign Up Here. (All new members will be automatically entered.)

A hand crafted ‘Melted Molly’ latex mask from Face Factory FX

Face Factory FX

(2) 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendars (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.

 

       

Horror in the UK: Mark Lofthouse from Scare Kingdom & Horror Author Anthony Crowley

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:38 — 97.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple

In this episode of HaunTopic Radio we go international for the first time and meet up with a recognized UK horror author Anthony Crowley and Mark Lofthouse, the Director of Imagineering at AtmosFear Scare Entertainment. Anthony creates a chilling atmosphere for you and shares his journey as a Horror Author and some ideas you can use to create a scary story. Mark helps you understand some creative elements in scare entertainment and how to use them in your home haunt or haunted attraction.

Horror Author Anthony CrowleyAnthony Crowley is a fiction author of Horror Supernatural literature and a non-fiction author of Esoteric Studies and Philosophy. He also writes poetry, magazine articles, song lyrics and a little music composing. He is the author of the best seller ‘The Light Of Keeps Passage’ which has sold all over the world and was also used as a textbook in many educational establishments, such as colleges and universities and also been advertised and mentioned in local book shops in his hometown of West Midlands,UK.

Watch out for his new book ‘The Mirrored Room’ and listen to this audio interview we get some insights on How To Write a Great Horror Story and What To Think About Before You Start Writing Any Piece Of Horror (maybe a back story for your Haunt?)

AtmosFear Scare EntertainmentMark Lofthouse is the Creative Director for AtmosFEAR! Scare Entertainment, which is Europe’s biggest supplier of scare attractions and scare entertainment in all its forms. They have a unique 13 year heritage during which they have created 113 scare entertainment projects for clients including theme parks, agritainment parks and heritage attractions. Working with greats such as Walt Disney Pictures, Merlin Entertainments, celebrity business guru Duncan Bannatyne, Universal Pictures, Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park, Virgin 1, Funtasia Theme Parks, Showzam and Hellenic Entertainment Parks.

But for most of you, The Scare Kingdom Scream Park might ring some bells. One of Europe’s most visited Scare Attractions! If you are in the United Kingdom this February, check out their Valentine’s Day Scare Attraction La’ Mortis House of Darkness!

 

The Topics Discussed in This Episode:

 

Win One Of These Prizes! Submit Your Entry Before Feb.24th. You Must Be a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter. Sign Up Here. (All new members will be automatically entered.)

A hand crafted ‘Melted Molly’ latex mask from Face Factory FX

Face Factory FX

(2) 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendars (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.