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Haunted House Scare Acting Ideas with Brian and Darryl

Scare acting in a Haunted House is a lot different than acting in a play or on television.

You have to be flexible in all areas of the haunt, work in challenging environments, and be up close to the spectators. Scare actors are one of the most valuable assets to your Haunted Attraction business. In this podcast episode of HaunTopic Radio, we discuss our adventures this past haunt season and share some scare acting ideas that you can use next season.

We also talk about Scare Acting Techniques, Switching Up Your Haunted Attraction for Next Year, and Managing Throughput & Your Queue Line.

And your co-host Darryl Plunkie is going to HAuNTcon!! Make sure to say Hello if you see him!!

Scare acting ideas

Midnight Syndicate stops by this podcast and drops off some new Creepy Christmas tunes from their new CD Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering. We play their tracks Christmas Overture, Up On a Rooftop, and Into the Stillness.

midnight syndicate christmas a ghostly gathering

We wish you Happy Holidays and may you seek comfort in those around you..and in this audio podcast. 🙂

 

Haunt Stories with Darryl & Brian (plus Christmas Midnight Syndicate Tunes)

 

Where have we been?? 

Deep in Haunt madness and Halloween overload! With me (Brian Foreman) opening a new Haunted Attraction this year called The Dead Factory and Darryl Plunkie scare acting most of October…we kinda got locked into ‘Haunter Tunnel Vision’. But now we’re back. And we got some Haunt Stories to tell….

dead factory haunted house-haunt stories
(My New Haunt in Mexico, Missouri)

With many benefits to you as a HaunTopic Radio listener because we will share our experience and lessons learned along this podcast and throughout many more episodes. We even had to split this episode into two parts just to squeeze in our Haunt Stories from this Haunt Season!

In this episode, we discuss my journey on Starting a Haunted Attraction and what I learned this first year. We discuss Darryl’s Scare Acting Principles to Live By and How Not to Burn Out before October is over. And what we plan on doing at our Haunts for next Haunt season.

 

And we play some Christmas Tunes from Midnight Syndicate’s new CD: Christmas A Ghostly Gathering. 

midnight syndicate christmas a ghostly gatheringThis new CD features the band’s unique twist on classic holiday carols blended with new and original material.

Our goal was to treat each song in a way that would merge familiarity with originality,” said Gavin Goska. “There are definitely recognizable elements, but plenty of additional original material as well. It also incorporates the widest instrument palette we’ve used to date and represents what we consider to be the most varied collection of songs we’ve ever released. There are serenely beautiful moments along more intense, darker tracks, and the end result is a thoroughly compelling and involving listening experience.

With so many Christmas-themed albums out there, we wanted to make this collection uniquely our own,” added Edward Douglas. “I think we were able to do that.” (To buy this new CD go to MidnightSyndicate.com)

Listen to our podcast to hear 3 mystery tracks from Christmas A Ghostly Gathering! Listen Here.

deadmonton haunted house-haunt stories
(Darryl’s home during October. Deadmonton Haunted House.)

 

 

ScareLA: The West Coast’s Scariest Convention and the Masterminds Behind It

ScareLA 2015

“ScareLA is the first SoCal convention dedicated to celebrating Halloween. Situated in the entertainment capital of the world, it combines the city’s top talent and unique cultural setting with a twist. Celebrate the West Coast’s scariest faire and indulge in hundreds of exclusive attraction unveils, DIY workshops, classes, industry panels, live haunt experiences, screenings and so much more.” ~ScareLA.com


 

Hey Haunters. Keeping it short and sweet this time. If you live out on the West Coast or can make a trip out to Pasadena, California on August 8 & 9 then this is one of those conventions where you’ll find an assortment of horror entertainment and haunt industry happenings. Plus, you’ll be in the movie capitol of the world…you’ll never know which famous person you’ll bump in to.

In this episode of HaunTopic Radio (episode 96), we chat with Lora Ivanova, David Markland, Rick West, and Johanna Atilano from Scare LosAngeles and get the behind-the-scene information that you’ll need to know before you go to the west coast’s scariest convention!

You will learn about some of the workshops, live entertainment, nightlife, showroom floor and vendors, and what makes these guys passionate about making this a better experience every year. If you like things scary…this is your place. And make sure to use that code below to get a discount on your tickets!

Use Discount Code ‘HaunTopic’ to SAVE 15% off your tickets for 2015! Register Here.

Scare Los Angeles

The Masterminds of ScareLA: Rick West, Lora Ivanova, Johanna Atilano, and David Markland.

Scare LA Team

 

Chicago Frights and Haunt Faire: Two New Haunt Gatherings You Need to Attend

HaunTopic Radio

 

It’s only a few months to Scare Season and you still need a few more props, you need some ideas for that gore set in your Haunt, and your actors need some more training before you set them loose.

Good news! There are still some Haunt Conventions/Haunt Faires right around the corner.

 

Chicago Frights- Haunt & Halloween Convention

Chicago Frights, in Napersville, IL, is a Haunt and Halloween gathering of like minded people of every age and level of experience who love Haunted Houses, Halloween, Special Effects Makeup and scaring people. Chicago Frights is a fun-filled four days and nights of Haunt Tours, Haunter Education, a Dealer Room for all your supply needs, a Monster Costume Party, the Last Ride Car Show, Haunter networking and so much more! (July 16-19th)

We get Leonard Pickel, Founder at HAuNTcon and Chicago Frights, to fill us in on what his new haunt convention brings to the Chicago area and why you need to be there.

 

Haunt Faire- New York

Haunt Faire, in Hauppauge, NY, is also a new convention this year that will have plenty of activities for Haunters, Horror Lovers, Paranormal Junkies, and Halloweenies. Makeup Wars, Classes to take your Haunted Attraction to the next level, industry vendors, and lots more entertainment! Two days of horrific fun, learning, and socializing. (August 1st & 2nd)

We also interview LC Macabre (Elsie Ginsberg), Founder of Haunt Faire, on why her convention is a bit different than your every day haunt gathering (including a job fair). And what the Haunt Faire is bringing to the east coast!

 

Both of these haunt gatherings are brand new for 2015 and are focused on Haunters. If you are needing supplies for your Haunt, learn some new tricks for your haunt business, or just want to meet your friends before the season officially starts…these are great events to attend.

We also include some creepy audio tracks from Sam Haynes, give you an update on the new Haunted Attraction ‘The Dead Factory’ in Mexico, Missouri (Brian’s project), and we throw some bonus content in there for you to chew on.

So…put your earbuds in. Think of something scary and twisted. Now go build it! The season is right around the corner. 🙂

and Share the Scare!

Create a Custom Video for Your Haunted House with Chris Conlon from Venom VFX

Venom VFX-prop controllers-video trailers

Using video for your Haunted House or Haunted Attraction is a priority with today’s electronic devices and social media channels. ‘Coming Soon’ trailers, Hi-Definition Videos for your marketing, and Documentary-style on location videos are popular with today’s top haunted attractions. Your customers want to see pictures and video of your attraction before they go. They want social proof that your show is the best one to spend money at. Having an updated professional looking website to put everything together is still a requirement.

Venom VFX Chris Conlon Haunt CommercialsWe interview Chris Conlon from Venom VFX, a visual effects & prop controller company, about how to capture the best moments in your show and create a custom video for you to show off your Haunt. Venom VFX can make custom HD video trailers, television commercials, introduction videos, video documentaries, websites, logos, prop controllers, and much more. We also discuss Scare Acting, Ways To Improve Your Haunt, and some secret information on McKamey Manor!

If you are reading this before May 31, 2015…USE CODE ‘MHC’ TO GET 15% OFF at VenomVFX.COM

We also include a list of a few Haunt conventions/shows coming up, Me & Darryl discuss a few horror stories from the past, we play some twisted tunes from Sam Haynes new CD “The Incredible Dark Carnival”, and drop some more gory nuggets throughout the podcast.

So if you’re in need for a short introduction high definition video for your Haunt, a custom logo/website, or a prop controller….give Venom VFX a try.

But the real question…….Are you using video in your Haunt Marketing???

Haunt Topics in this Podcast Episode

 

We’ll Scare Ya Next Time!!!

 

Phobia13 Trailer by Venom VFX