I have been working on some type of free training series that is strictly focused on helpful information for Haunters by Haunters…and here it is. All you have to do is give me your email address and I will start sending you an email each week. I’m picking some of my older popular posts, adding some new one’s, and creating some special content just for The Haunter’s Toolbox Subscribers. Here are some of the things you’ll learn and get for FREE:
Advice from Haunt Industry leaders and professionals.
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How-to articles on special effects, prop building, and designing your haunt.
Get introduced and connected to other haunters like you. Get their emails, facebook links, and other information so you can contact them directly.
Links to valuable resources such as how-to videos, cool websites, and information you can use today.
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I hope you enjoy this program and share it with your friends. If there are some ideas you want added, just let me know. The more of your input I receive, the better the Haunter’s Toolbox will be. If you are currently a subscriber, you will begin to receive the same emails soon. I am consolidating all of my lists to make it easier for me to be efficient.
“For those of you who do not know me, my name is Jen Braverman. I work 365 days a year on this show. I eat, drink and breathe haunt. I would never want to do anything to hurt this show.”
Have you ever been to the TransWorld Halloween and Attractions Show? If you are a haunter, this is one show you must not miss! The energy that you feel when you walk through the showroom floor doors is kinda like that feeling you get right before you get on a roller coaster. Or like that shot of adrenaline you experience as you creep closer to the entrance of your favorite Haunted Attraction and you know you’re going to get the crap scared out of you.
I attended my first TransWorld 3 years ago and automatically became a fan! Being a scare actor, owner, and home haunter; I didn’t really know what I was in for. 15 foot monsters from the Scare Factory. Innovations from Pale Night Productions. Silicone masks from CFX. Lots of monsters and other haunters sharing stories and scaring each other. I felt like I was home!
Admission has always been free and all you need is an invitation or belong to a haunt business of some type. A buyer, an owner, an actor, etc. If you know someone in the industry you can get in. This year the show will be the same show except for one small detail. There is an admission charge of $50 ($60 at the door).
Jennifer Braverman, the mastermind behind the TransWorld Halloween & Haunt Show, was nice enough to call me on the phone and we discussed the reasoning for the shift in price. She was very nice and considerate as I addressed my concerns. She understands that the change for a $50 price is quite unexpected and she assured me that the only way to keep the event alive was to begin charging an admission fee.
“This was a very hard decision for TransWorld to make. I spoke to numerous vendors and buyers about this topic. Here is the reality…. Our expenses in St. Louis have gone up. Unions continue to raise their prices. This is an issue across the country, even in these economic times. TransWorld did not want to cut back on the quality of show we produce. We feel we owe it to our buyers and exhibitors to produce the best show we can and give the best show experience!!! We take our jobs very seriously.”
I also discovered that Jennifer’s grandfather started TransWorld Exhibits in the 1950’s and it has been a family venture ever since. Over 50 years now! She is currently the President of TransWorld Exhibits and her father is the CEO. She has been running the Haunt Show for four years now. I get a sense of pride and passion from Jennifer and sincerely believe she has really thought about this decision. I’ve never managed a business like Transworld so how would I know? Except for that ‘gut’ feeling.
“I tried to add additional value by making the opening night party bigger and better. We also added 2 free seminars – one Saturday morning that is an early bird class and one industry expert panel discussion, moderated by Ben Armstrong, which will take place after the show hours on Saturday. I hope everyone appreciates our position. We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis.”
My opinion – I know change sucks and we never want to pay for things, especially when we have gotten them for free for so long. I have been to TransWorld three times. For FREE. TransWorld has been around much longer than that. The trade show floor provides value for vendors, buyers, retailers, and haunters. The classes are educational because the speakers are experienced with many years in their specialties. The experience around and outside of TransWorld provides opportunities for meeting new friends, socializing with your contacts, and discovering new ideas.
I know there are other great shows around the country. Some smaller, some with a whole different atmosphere, and each with its unique art of value. TransWorld seems to be focused around pro-haunters, retailers, and buying large quantities of items. You can buy a few select items but not like other conventions. TransWorld is a trade show not a convention.
Business decisions suck! What should Jennifer do? Raise the prices even more for vendors and advertisers so the show will suffer in quality? Charge everyone $25 and hope she can pay her staff and bills after it all? Make the show smaller so the cost of production would be less?
It’s been busy at Scary Visions for the last few weeks. I finally produced some of my videos and pictures from this Halloween and entered the Home Haunter’s Association Contest. The deadline is November 20th, so you better get busy if you’re going to enter. There are many good Haunts in there! If you don’t want to register, just check out the page and watch all the videos that have been added. You will get tons of ideas for next year!
Here is my creation this year. But first let me say a few things about my Haunt.
Dr.Phobia is built with 90% Recycled Material. I found all the privacy fence in the trash. The chain link was given to me. I recycle the pallets every year. I reuse the black plastic. If I don’t have to buy it…I won’t.
Most props were made from chicken wire, spray foam, hot glue, pillow stuffing, and float noodles. I have bought props but I try to spend very little. Yes, I’m frugal.
I get a lot of items from the trash and garage sales. Like the wheelchair, the hospital dividers, the PVC, the dog house, the old tree that fell down in my neighbor’s yard.
I probably haven’t spent over $300 in the entire Haunt. Bought some burlap, screws, plastic was donated, some props, a few pieces of hardware, and that’s about it.
I know many Haunters are the same way. We use our Creativity to get us by. We don’t have the funds so we use what we have. Maybe one day I’ll get to buy one of those 15′ monsters from Scare Factory. Anyway, here is my video. And stay tuned for more posts because I have some interesting interviews on the way…
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Here are some of my favorite podcasts and radio shows for my haunting fix. Podcasts and radio shows can be downloaded and put on your phone, iPod, MP3 player, or you can listen to them when you’re surfing the web. Take a few minutes and check these audios out!
HauntCast – Chris Baker and the minions provide Halloween Goodness with a lot of personality and humor. Geared mainly for Home Haunters but excellent information for all Haunters. Each podcast comes out once a month and is packed with interviews, meet and greets, prop tutorials, and a new band from the horror music genre. Say hi to Skully and Grimlock for me.
Rotting Flesh Radio – Jonathan Johnson and the deadites bring you current Haunt Industry news, Haunted Attraction testimonials, and interviews with the people in the horror and haunt industries. Mixed in with Halloween music to keep you inspired all year long. Currently I couldn’t find the archive section of the past shows, but the link above will take you to the most recent one. I use iTunes and search for RFR Podcast. Sit back and rot away…
Scare House – Scott Simmons from Scare House Haunted House provides a behind-the-scenes view on operating a Haunted Attraction, the people behind it all, and some great visions for your Haunted House. If you want some ideas for your Haunt business, you gotta check this one out!
Halloween Haunt – The Halloween Haunter gets you educated on the History Of Halloween, creepy poems, stories of the dead, and a variety of topics from the dark and sinister. He only does this podcast through October and has years of older episodes to keep you in the mood.
Haunted Radio – A hidden resource for many of my haunt friends. Who else has listened to this radio show? I’m not sure why I keep forgetting about Haunted Radio. I’m definitely adding it to my weekly list of haunt podcasts! Go check it out and tell me what you think?
If you have any more podcasts or radio shows you listen to, add a comment below and share your info with other scary people like you!
If you would like to receive a free e-book and some secret information I have planned for my subscribers, then click here and you’ll be signed up for a FREE Membership to my Scare Club. Have a Happy Halloween and remember to have fun in the process.
Who would have thought dressing up 24 years ago as Elvira and a Monster during Halloween Trick or Treating would have evolved into owning and operating a year round Haunted House recognized as one of Americas Best Haunts? Bill & Jayme Criscione, owners of Ghostly Manor Thrill Center in Sandusky Ohio didn’t get there overnight. In fact, opening night for Ghostly Manor was on a Thursday night in September of 2001 … not a good time for a Haunted House advertising terror, horror and fear.
Founded in 2001, Ghostly Manor Thrill Center is an indoor, multi-attraction family entertainment center, dedicated to providing safe, thrilling entertainment at minimal cost to patrons. Located three miles away from Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, Ghostly Manor Thrill Center is open all year round. Their attractions include the nationally ranked walk-through haunted house, Ohio’s first and only XD 4D Motion Theater, birthday parties as well as roller skating at Skateworld, and the Wizards Journey a 3D interactive black light Mini Golf course.
The Crisciones were transferred to Sandusky, Oh in 1987. Bill worked for Pillsbury and ran a grain export facility in Huron, Oh. Their two children Jenae and Billy were 5 & 4 years old at the time. During the Halloween season the Crisciones always dressed up and greeted the local “Trick or Treaters” in costume with spooky music in the background.
As the years progressed the Crisciones gradually purchased many Halloween items and started providing some scary entertainment for visitors. One of the early “scares” included Bill sitting near the door motionless on a bale of straw dressed as a monster. As Jayme (dressed as Elvira) started passing out the candy, Bill would slowly stand. The rest was history. Needless to say there was always candy left over at the end of the night.
In the mid 90’s the Halloween show and crowd grew to the point where people started walking through the Crisciones home haunt. Many props and scenes were set up both indoors and out. Many of their friends would help as actors and at the end of the night everyone celebrated with a Halloween party. 10 actors were used and they entertained approximately 500 people in two nights. The Crisciones had a great time putting on the show but it was a lot of work setting up and tearing down each year.
In 2001 the Skateworld property (4 acres & 27,000 sq ft building) was purchased, both as an investment and for a location to build a permanent Haunted House. By the year 2001, the Crisciones had already been purchasing many different props as well as attending the annual National Halloween Show for several years. During the show they met many people in the industry across the U.S. and received a lot of help and ideas. By that time they had a good idea of what was needed to open a commercial for-profit haunt. They started building Ghostly Manor inside the Skateworld skating rink that summer. The laser tag area was gutted and the Ghostly Manor Haunted House officially opened its’ doors in September of 2001. September 2001 was not a good time to open a haunt due to 9/11. Because of sound financial planning, they were able to survive that first year even though the numbers were low. During that first season Ghostly Manor was only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s in late September and October. The admission price was $10 and attendance was only several thousand people.
Sandusky, Oh is best known for Cedar Point, one of the best roller coaster amusement parks in the world. 9 million people visit the area during the summer. The Crisciones hoped they could tap into some of that vacation crowd. The layout of Ghostly Manor is unique in that efficiency was a priority during its’ design. They needed to provide a quality experience without the expense of many actors. Bill came up with the idea of a central corridor system that allows actors to move throughout the haunt with ease and interact with the customers in every room. The designed flow continually brings the patrons back to the central corridor where the actors are lurking. The whole haunt can be up and running in 5 minutes and can provide a great show with just one actor if needed. All this efficiency and high tech monsters comes at a price though. The Crisciones estimate they’ve probably invested close to $750,000 their “hobby”.
The Ghostly Manor theme is that of an old haunted mansion. As the patrons enter, a door opens to the parlor. They proceed through the mansion just as it would be in an old house. The mansion contains many rooms that include a bedroom, bathroom, nursery, dining room, kitchen, den, library as well as many more. Each room in Ghostly Manor can “scare” from multiple locations. The scares come from places where it’s least expected and the action starts as soon as the door closes. Ghostly Manor is 7000 sq ft of very high-startle, non-stop action. Many haunted houses rely primarily on actors. Ghostly Manor goes that extra step and has combined a large amount of state of the art props with live actors. Because the haunt is open year round, detail sets them apart from many of the seasonal attractions. During the October Halloween season they may employ as many as 75 to staff the production.
Almost all of the props in Ghostly Manor are original creations. Most of the props were designed and built in Columbus, Oh by The Scarefactory. The Scarefactory is one of the largest suppliers in the U.S. to the haunted attraction industry. The Scarefactory combines the latest in high tech pneumatics with quality character design.
Ghostly Manor Thrill Center is open year round. They are open noon daily and closing hours vary during the season. Admission is $11 for adults (10 & older), $7 for children (under 10). Although Ghostly Manor is not recommended for children 9 and under, during the non-Halloween season they can normally tone the experience down so all ages can enjoy their visit. Group rates are available and they will open any time by appointment for groups of 20 or more.
Each year since opening they have added the “latest and greatest” in scares as well as more detail in set design. This year will be no different. They guarantee this will be one of the best Haunted Houses you have ever seen. That claim can be backed up by the fact that Ghostly Manor has received national recognition from the likes of The Travel Channel and Rand McNally’s Top 10 Haunts list for 2010. Ghostly Manor was also selected as one of America’s Best Haunts for 2011 and the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts has ranked Ghostly Manor as one of their Top Ten Favorite Walkthrough Attractions six years in a row. Ghostly Manor is also very safety conscious which keeps their insurance company happy. Their actors DO NOT touch anyone and they have video cameras set up throughout the haunt to constantly monitor and record all activities.
