Halloween People: Inside the Haunted House Association
HHA Promotes Haunts On Fangoria
Halloween People: Inside the Haunted House Association
Friday, October 09, 2009 02:50 PM Mike Watt Fearful Features
For people like Ben Armstrong, Scott Simmons and Randy Bates, Halloween starts around January and doesn’t end until mid-November. But then again, the season never really ends when you operate a haunted attraction.
Like everything else, a lot has changed over the last decade for the spooky-house industry. It’s no longer a matter of simply stringing up cotton webs and calling in friends and family to scream “Boo!” in a delightfully tacky manner. The new millennium’s modern haunt is a living spectacle of lighting and set design, labyrinths, mechanics, hydraulics, professional acting and sights designed to both scare and disturb. It’s big business now, and serious business. Haunts all across the country have reached for new heights, upgraded and modernized. So much so that the Haunted House Association was formed a few years back to, in their words, “Protect and promote the haunted house industry.”
Armstrong, who owns the sprawling Netherworld attraction in Atlanta, serves as president. Simmons is vice president and runs the acclaimed ScareHouse outside Pittsburgh. Bates’ namesake is the Bates Motel and Hayride in Philadelphia. And they are all part of the HHA to ensure that the market gets the attention and respect it deserves.
“This is definitely a much more complicated and challenging business than many people might first realize,” says Simmons, caught in a whirlwind of last-minute details prior to ScareHouse’s 2009 opening. “Creatively, there is the challenge of delivering an experience comparable to what customers can expect to see in Hollywood movies and theme parks. That means spending a tremendous amount of time and money on elaborate costumes, adult actors and elaborate sets and special effects. You can’t rely on the same tricks that Hollywood can use to create suspense or mood. There’s no editing, no second takes and no CGI. This is an opportunity to create a kind of real-life experience that relies on so much attention to detail. The elements that make it so challenging are also the very reason why I am so passionate and excited to be a part of the haunted-house industry.”
While genre fans and haunt owners live in that mindset all year round, Halloween people are once-a-year folks. The HHA caters to both groups, and each bring their own set of preconceptions to the show. Halloween people don’t usually expect much, but they’re also the more timid of the pair. Their scares only come during this season. Horror fans are jaded, looking for something new but not too unusual. Santa Claus jumping out at them is only scary if he has a sack full of heads. Haunted-attraction owners have to find that psychological line—what will freak out every person every time? And what will keep them coming back for more?
“How often can you create a completely different world?” Simmons asks. “With a movie, there is always an emotional disconnect between you and the screen. You’re watching it from the safety of a theater or your living room. You can always leave, or turn it off. A haunted house is completely immersive. I love that.”
But just as the scare game has evolved, so have rules, regulations and concerns for safety. It’s no longer appropriate to set up shop in your basement or garage. HHA members have to deal with battalions of fire and safety inspectors and archaic and intricate building codes, many more strict than those for grocery stores or restaurants. Everything has to be coated in fire retardant, exits clearly marked, actors can’t touch patrons or vice versa, wiring must be secured and floors leveled—and all of this must be taken into account before the lights can be turned down or out. The danger can be palpable, but owners work hard to make sure it is never imminent.
But that’s only part of it. Overcoming the notion that haunted houses are quaint or corny is just as important a part of the HHA’s mission statement. “New building codes and safety regulations are just a few things that the HHA addresses,” Bates says. “The main roles the HHA plays are creating awareness of our industry through a PR campaign, establishing safety tips and a help desk and obtaining discounts and benefits for members. It is a haunt association run by haunted-attraction owners. The challenges our industry faces are many. One of the most important things is to get information into the hands of all attractions, large and small, for profit or charity, and make them aware of the basic safety precautions that our industry needs to follow.”
Running a haunt in these complicated times seems like an exercise in extreme masochism. All the safety regulations and promotion aside, haunt operators face the monumental task of constant upkeep and improvement, often with only a very small staff of dedicated workers to assist them. “We only have 11 months of prep time to create, construct and produce a completely new experience every year,” Simmons notes. “Plus, most attractions are only open for about 25 to 30 days on average. An owner spends the majority of the year putting tons of time and money into their attraction, but only generates income for that short window.”
Bates agrees: “This business was not always complicated, but has definitely grown in that direction. With all the new technology, high-end props and sets and computer-controlled sound and lighting devices, this business has entered the 21st century with a bang. Our business requires change every year. If you are not updating your show by 25 percent each season, you will lose customers and your business will stagnate.”
And with that consideration in mind, we come to the first and foremost element that makes the Haunted House Association stand out from other business “unions”: They’re all in it together. While backbiting and squabbling among competing venues does exist—the Pittsburgh region alone has more than 20 high-tech and interactive attractions, all looking to pull in the same crowd—this kind of negativity is almost nonexistent compared to other industries. “I always encourage people to attend not just ScareHouse, but as many local haunted houses and hayrides as they can,” Simmons says. “These owners rely on the support of their customers to survive and grow.”
So try to keep all of that in mind while you’re waiting in line this season, supporting your local haunts. It’s not all about the “Boo!” and it’s not all about the flash. It’s about community. It’s about fright at a visceral and a psychological level. It’s about a business born out of love for the game. It’s about Halloween.
Halloween People: Inside the Haunted House Association
Friday, October 09, 2009 02:50 PM Mike Watt Fearful Features
For people like Ben Armstrong, Scott Simmons and Randy Bates, Halloween starts around January and doesn’t end until mid-November. But then again, the season never really ends when you operate a haunted attraction.
Like everything else, a lot has changed over the last decade for the spooky-house industry. It’s no longer a matter of simply stringing up cotton webs and calling in friends and family to scream “Boo!” in a delightfully tacky manner. The new millennium’s modern haunt is a living spectacle of lighting and set design, labyrinths, mechanics, hydraulics, professional acting and sights designed to both scare and disturb. It’s big business now, and serious business. Haunts all across the country have reached for new heights, upgraded and modernized. So much so that the Haunted House Association was formed a few years back to, in their words, “Protect and promote the haunted house industry.”
Armstrong, who owns the sprawling Netherworld attraction in Atlanta, serves as president. Simmons is vice president and runs the acclaimed ScareHouse outside Pittsburgh. Bates’ namesake is the Bates Motel and Hayride in Philadelphia. And they are all part of the HHA to ensure that the market gets the attention and respect it deserves.
“This is definitely a much more complicated and challenging business than many people might first realize,” says Simmons, caught in a whirlwind of last-minute details prior to ScareHouse’s 2009 opening. “Creatively, there is the challenge of delivering an experience comparable to what customers can expect to see in Hollywood movies and theme parks. That means spending a tremendous amount of time and money on elaborate costumes, adult actors and elaborate sets and special effects. You can’t rely on the same tricks that Hollywood can use to create suspense or mood. There’s no editing, no second takes and no CGI. This is an opportunity to create a kind of real-life experience that relies on so much attention to detail. The elements that make it so challenging are also the very reason why I am so passionate and excited to be a part of the haunted-house industry.”
While genre fans and haunt owners live in that mindset all year round, Halloween people are once-a-year folks. The HHA caters to both groups, and each bring their own set of preconceptions to the show. Halloween people don’t usually expect much, but they’re also the more timid of the pair. Their scares only come during this season. Horror fans are jaded, looking for something new but not too unusual. Santa Claus jumping out at them is only scary if he has a sack full of heads. Haunted-attraction owners have to find that psychological line—what will freak out every person every time? And what will keep them coming back for more?
“How often can you create a completely different world?” Simmons asks. “With a movie, there is always an emotional disconnect between you and the screen. You’re watching it from the safety of a theater or your living room. You can always leave, or turn it off. A haunted house is completely immersive. I love that.”
But just as the scare game has evolved, so have rules, regulations and concerns for safety. It’s no longer appropriate to set up shop in your basement or garage. HHA members have to deal with battalions of fire and safety inspectors and archaic and intricate building codes, many more strict than those for grocery stores or restaurants. Everything has to be coated in fire retardant, exits clearly marked, actors can’t touch patrons or vice versa, wiring must be secured and floors leveled—and all of this must be taken into account before the lights can be turned down or out. The danger can be palpable, but owners work hard to make sure it is never imminent.
But that’s only part of it. Overcoming the notion that haunted houses are quaint or corny is just as important a part of the HHA’s mission statement. “New building codes and safety regulations are just a few things that the HHA addresses,” Bates says. “The main roles the HHA plays are creating awareness of our industry through a PR campaign, establishing safety tips and a help desk and obtaining discounts and benefits for members. It is a haunt association run by haunted-attraction owners. The challenges our industry faces are many. One of the most important things is to get information into the hands of all attractions, large and small, for profit or charity, and make them aware of the basic safety precautions that our industry needs to follow.”
Running a haunt in these complicated times seems like an exercise in extreme masochism. All the safety regulations and promotion aside, haunt operators face the monumental task of constant upkeep and improvement, often with only a very small staff of dedicated workers to assist them. “We only have 11 months of prep time to create, construct and produce a completely new experience every year,” Simmons notes. “Plus, most attractions are only open for about 25 to 30 days on average. An owner spends the majority of the year putting tons of time and money into their attraction, but only generates income for that short window.”
Bates agrees: “This business was not always complicated, but has definitely grown in that direction. With all the new technology, high-end props and sets and computer-controlled sound and lighting devices, this business has entered the 21st century with a bang. Our business requires change every year. If you are not updating your show by 25 percent each season, you will lose customers and your business will stagnate.”
And with that consideration in mind, we come to the first and foremost element that makes the Haunted House Association stand out from other business “unions”: They’re all in it together. While backbiting and squabbling among competing venues does exist—the Pittsburgh region alone has more than 20 high-tech and interactive attractions, all looking to pull in the same crowd—this kind of negativity is almost nonexistent compared to other industries. “I always encourage people to attend not just ScareHouse, but as many local haunted houses and hayrides as they can,” Simmons says. “These owners rely on the support of their customers to survive and grow.”
So try to keep all of that in mind while you’re waiting in line this season, supporting your local haunts. It’s not all about the “Boo!” and it’s not all about the flash. It’s about community. It’s about fright at a visceral and a psychological level. It’s about a business born out of love for the game. It’s about Halloween.
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