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Category: Haunter Interviews

Interviews with the people behind Haunted Attractions.

Foam Carving & Home Haunting Tips with The Davis Graveyard

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:43 — 87.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple

davis graveyardIn this episode of HaunTopic Radio, we unearth Chris and Jeff Davis from The Davis Graveyard to find out all of their foam carving secrets and how you can create realistic tombstones out of foam. They reveal the best foam carving tools you’ll need in your toolbox and how to get started with the tools you already have. We also discuss monster mud, creating their 3 story abbey, and how they keep their passion alive all year long.

The Davis Graveyard has been mentioned on media outlets such as Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Haunted Attraction Magazine, FearNet, and many of their local news resources.

Don’t let all of their high quality props fool you. They started out with the store bought tombstones and props too! With some research and messing up, you can make some cool foam carvings yourself. We are going to try these techniques here at HaunTopic Radio because we might be a little guilty of the store bought props too…

Chris and Jeff love to teach what they know at Haunted House conventions in the off-season and at their home. You might just have to meet up with them in person to learn of few more secrets of your own.

The Davis Graveyard is located in Milwaukie, Oregon and open throughout the entire month of October. Check their website for updates and a full schedule so you can see this haunt masterpiece for yourself.

Topics and Links:

Time For A NEW Contest!! Here are the prizes this month. All entries must be in by October 24th. Support our sponsors by checking out their websites and products. You must be a member of The Haunter’s Toolbox to win…it’s FREE.

Click Here to Sign Up to The Haunter’s Toolbox to Win Prizes

Thanks to HauntLife.com for donating these prizes for October! We are giving away 1 Woman’s & 1 Man’s Haunt Life T-Shirt any size. And 1 XL Man’s HAuNTcon 2013 T-Shirt. (3 Winners)

Sign Up before October 24th.

haunt tshirt

 

 

       

The ScareHouse: Surviving the Horror Movie Inside the Haunted House

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:59 — 90.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple

scarehouse-movieIn episode 56 of HaunTopic Radio, we strap Shawn Lippert from The ScareHouse Windsor to the chair and get the scoop about the horror movie that is being filmed inside his Haunted Attraction by D Films (part of Universal Studios). This thriller movie is titled The ScareHouse and his good friend Gavin Michael Booth is the one taking over his Haunted House to direct this film about a Haunted House that has a ‘real’ dark side!

The Scarehouse Windsor, located in southwestern Ontario, Canada, is 20,000 square feet of madness and provides the perfect backdrop to film a real horror movie. Canadian filmmaker Gavin Michael Booth has had a previous success in the Canadian Film Festival Circuit with his latest short film To Hell With Love and has confidence that this movie will deliver some scares to die for.

Shawn Lippert has a challenge setting up his Haunted Attraction this year as he has been helping build sets exclusively for the movie and navigating around extra equipment and crew for several weeks. We discuss how the formation of this movie happened, the background into The ScareHouse Windsor, and some ideas you can use to get a movie filmed at your location!

The ScareHouse Movie– When Corey and Elaina open a Halloween fun house on Devil’s Night, it’s all fun and games until their former sorority sisters begin to arrive. Quickly these six sisters are confronted by their past within the corridors of The ScareHouse as the night spins out of control.

Find More of The ScareHouse Here:

 

Thanks to our sponsors for the month of September:

Our winners for September (11 music downloads & CD packages):

  1. Top Winner- Dan B (kuma98)
  2. Joy (cowrun2)
  3. James Schuppe
  4. Crawford Hampson
  5. Rob Horton
  6. Jim (foodandgames)
  7. Jess Hoffman
  8. Marcus Constable
  9. Kristin (Spookee Sculptor)
  10. Boo & Douglas
  11. Jerry Murnahan

Make sure you are a member of our Haunter’s Toolbox to win prizes each month.

Click Here To Sign Up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

Midnight Syndicate Interview: Behind ‘Monsters of Legend’ and ‘The Axe Giant’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:07 — 85.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple

"Monsters of Legend" CD by Midnight Syndicate (July 2013)In this episode of HaunTopic Radio, Midnight Syndicate stops by to fill you in on what they have been up to over the last few months and you also might learn something about them you didn’t know. We also announce the 2 lucky winners of some cool props for the month of August Give Away and tell you what prizes we are giving away for September. You won’t want to miss these treasures!

For almost two decades, composers Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka have been known as Midnight Syndicate, creating symphonic soundtracks to imaginary films that facilitate a transcendental and adventurous escape into the secret dimensions of the mind’s eye. To many of their fans, they are Gothic music pioneers brewing a signature blend of orchestral horror music and movie-style sound effects. To others, they remain the first “haunted house band” that forever changed the Halloween music genre and became a staple of the October holiday season. And some know them as the duo that teamed up with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast to produce the first official soundtrack to the legendary Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Their critically-acclaimed works are reminiscent of sweeping, complex masterpieces by artists such as James Horner, Danny Elfman, Black Sabbath and King Diamond and have been featured as a part of films, television shows, video games and at haunted attractions, amusement parks, and live performances worldwide.

 

Find More Midnight Syndicate and Buy Their Music!

 

The Winners of HaunTopic August Giveaway Are:

Michelle Montanaro

John Murray

Thanks To HauntNav.com for donating this Scary Peeper Prop:

Win this Scary Peeper Prop from HauntNav.com

Thanks to Stabbing House for donating this prop package:

Win these Halloween Props from Stabbing House

The Prizes for September are: (11 Winners This Month)

A 7 CD package from Midnight Syndicate (1 Winner)

Halloween Ambient CD from Ken Elkinson (3 Winners)

Welcome to the Horror Show Downloads from Sam Haynes (5 Winners)

Music for Haunts Downloads (2 Winners)

How Do You Win? Become a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox for FREE.

If you are already a member, reply to any email you have received from us with ‘CONTEST’.

       

Monsters Wanted: A Journey from Home Haunting to Owning a Haunted Attraction

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:41 — 77.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple

monsters wanted documentaryMonsters Wanted is the New Haunted Attraction Documentary from ThoughtFly Films. The movie follows Rich Teachout, an IT professional, as he quits his job and invests his life savings into opening a one-of-a-kind haunted attraction.  He and his partner Janel dedicate every moment, ounce of energy and dollar to making their “scream park” a reality. Along the way they have to deal with sabotage, civil war, and the crunch of time to achieve their goals. The resulting movie is a rare peek into a multi-million dollar industry known for its well-guarded secrets and self-proclaimed madness.

“We can’t be more excited about how this project turned out,” says co-director Joe Laughrey. “We knew starting out that the industry was interesting enough to support a feature, but we had no idea the level of emotional investment these haunted house owners have in their work.  This is really a great story for anyone who’s taken a chance or followed a dream.”

“We had over 200 hours of footage,” says co-editor and co-producer Kaley Roberts. “The editing process was intimidating, but I’m glad we took the months of work we needed to find a story that people inside and outside the industry can really connect with.”

In addition to following the Asylum Haunted Scream Park, “Monsters Wanted” also gives an insider’s perspective on several different haunted houses and the industry as a whole.

“Going to the Transworld Haunt and Attraction Show was an eye-opening experience,” says director Brian Cunningham. “Here you had thousands of haunters and vendors set up in one place, all working to try and make their attraction stand out from the others. It wasn’t until then that I realized how big the industry was and how many people are involved in it. It’s one of my favorite sequences.”

The movie also features music by acclaimed indie rock bands Sick of Sarah and Viva Viva as well as Louisville locals OK Zombie and Two-Pump Chump.

“We needed music that could blend together all the different emotions the characters were feeling,” says Cunningham. “We really found a great soundtrack to support the images on screen.”

“It’s a great mix of horror, comedy and real-life drama,” says the film’s co-director Joe Laughrey. “But at its core, ‘Monsters Wanted’ is about following a dream at all costs.”

Monsters Wanted is scheduled for release on August 27, 2013 through Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Digital Download. Buy Monsters Wanted

 

“Monsters Wanted:” There’s nothing more terrifying than following your dreams.

 

Find Out More About Monsters Wanted:

 

Win Prizes for the Month of August!! Submit Your Entry Before August 24th, 2013. Here is What YOU Can Win. You must be a member of our FREE Haunt Club the Haunter’s Toolbox. (All new subscribers between now and the deadline will be automatically entered. All current members- check your email.) Sign Up Here.

 

1) A Scary Peeper Prop from HauntNav.com

Win this Scary Peeper Prop from HauntNav.com

 

2) A Prop Package From StabbingHouse

Win a Bloody Meat Cleaver from Stabbing House!

 

Win a Bloody hand from Stabbing House

       

Horror Movies, Monsters Wanted, Midnight Syndicate, & ScareLA with Matthew Hampel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:23 — 107.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple

Boris KarloffIn Episode 51 of HaunTopic Radio we dig down into our Horror Movie archives with our new HaunTopic Crew Member Matthew Hampel and discuss what scary movies have affected us over our lifetime. We review the new documentary Monsters Wanted which follows the journey of The Asylum Scream Park and the struggles they faced their first year of business.

We even sprinkle this show with spots from other Haunters and how movies have influenced their haunt & horror career. We include a short interview with Kevin Segawa from Scream Team Productions on the premier Halloween, Haunt, & Horror Convention ScareLA in Los Angeles on August 10 & 11.

 

We announce the 3 winners for this month’s HaunTopic Giveaway. We also include 3 NEW tracks from Midnight Syndicate’s new release Monsters of Legend!

 

This show is jammed pack full of Midnight Syndicate tunes, horror movie memories, prize winners, a new Halloween trade show, in-depth reviews, and more scary stuff!

ScareLA– When people hear “August” they think of beaches, late nights, back to school shopping … all of that changes this year.

Don’t run from the fear—embrace it at the ScareLA Halloween Convention! ScareLA and Creative Partner Scream Team Productions bring the horror holiday to Los Angeles, California August 10th – 11th, 2013. Premiering at LAMart, it gives the City of Angels its first convention “…dedicated to celebrating Halloween.” Anyone wanting a preview of what’s to come this October needs to be here!

Here is what we discuss in this episode:

  • Horror movies and how they influence haunted houses
  • The new Haunted Attraction Documentary Monsters Wanted
  • 3 New Tracks from Midnight Syndicate’s ‘Monsters of Legend’
  • The new Halloween Convention in Los Angeles, CA called ScareLA
  • “How To Create a Theme and Backstory for Your Haunt” Seminar
  • 4 clips from other Haunters and the horror movies they like

 

The links to our topics in this episode:

 

The Winners of This Month’s HaunTopic Giveaway are:

Juli Savage

Hope

Slouthia

If You Want A Chance To Win Next Time Click Here to CREATE A FREE MEMBERSHIP

Thanks to John O’Brien of Job 4 Davinci and John Dean of Terrorealm for Sponsorship this month!!