Enough with the Bullshit. Thoughts

[graystone]

Erick

My friend need I say more? Shane and it's a clear case of the nuttso's! Shane this time.

[GraveStalker]

You're doing the right thing by taking the high road.

This type of behavior is rooted in insecurity and lack of class; when leadership takes that approach it's easy for the kids that work there to slide that way too. Congratulations on having a safe and successful year and thank you for setting an example by promoting the industry in general. All boats will rise when we work together and you are part of that reality!

I agree it is insecurity. I have seen this many times before both in professional and personal relationships. I have found that people who are insecure can be extremely dangerous. Obviously they feel the way to get ahead is to make everyone else look bad because they are unable to be better. Very Sad!

I believe in your approach and know for a fact that haunts can co-exist without losing attendance -Even if they don't work together. In CT, most attractions I am aware of have outstanding owners, so we do not encounter this problem. But another haunt I do work for (out-of-state) had a new attraction move close by. The first couple years their attendance was steady, but this year with a little marketing (basically promoting that they are in the area too) Their attendance has nearly tripled and I have not heard of or seen a significant drop at the other haunt

Personally, I would use this to motivate me to further separate my haunt from theirs and make them look even worse. I think the case of the Bama haunts is an entirely different issue and may need to be addressed, but as for the high-school bull crap - time to move on...

Best of luck for a great season!!!

[OblivionHauntedHouse]

And again - I would like to stress, I dont beleive it is the owner itself. I have heard on multiple occasions that he has told his actors to respect us. I get a little wearly, however when his very words to me were "I would support you more if you werent 5 minutes away."

Over the winter, we had great support and help with our build from other local haunts like Green Bay Fear and Haunted High. This summer Terror on the Fox loaned us props to finish out a scene. Ron from Nightmare Factory stopped by to check it out in a very professional manner. Upon finishing the tour, we chatted and he gave me honest opinions on our event and I could tell he was genuine. These are the types of things we all need to be doing for each other.

[JamBam]

Networking is best

We believe that networking is best. Communicate folks. Our team does road trips to other haunts with advance notice and permission with professional courtesy. Our team knows to behave and keep comments to themselves if they might be taken wrong.

Haunt owners all need to get along. This is exactly why IAHA and HHA couldn't get as much as they wanted done.

Haunt owners on and off this board that have issues need to work it out and be repectful. Sometimes our help doesn't help like they think they are with their comments, actions, and reports to us. Go around those people and deal with each other directly.

[graystone]

Brett...

Good advice although I do think it's hard. Most who do this bull do it behind a computer. But given the opportunity for a face to face they run like a scared deer caught in your cars headlights.

I never blame the actors or employees as I am 100% sure most of the time they can only believe what they are told and fed. It's like going to court and having a default judgement aginst someone. I mean after all if you don't show up or the judge/person only hears one side of a story then what else do they believe or can they believe?

I will say this Erick you know your friend Shane will shoot you straight. I would not be surprised that the owner/owners are feeding the crew/workers a pack of lies as high as a giraffe's ass! Shane and it's been there and back! Shane this time!

[haunterx]

Graystone

You said you want to meet face to face and that we are scared to do so. So lets do it. We only live a few miles apart. Name the place and time and let's discuss the problems. The ball is in your court now.

Vinny
www.ArxMortis.com

[graystone]

Erick

I hope this helped with your problem. Shane and it's if this don't nothing will! Shane this time!

[mindtumor]

O - I feel for you. We've been dealing with a similar problem since SUMMER of this year. Our disgruntled ex-partner has gone on a smear campaign against us all over the internet, has telephoned vendors calling us thieves, writes nasty stuff & lies about us here on the forums & facebook, and even threatens us with violence online on nearly a weekly basis (feel free to read graystone's comments above - those are pretty typical).

We've taken the high road long enough, however, and I now feel I have to respond to these accusations, because we're finding that if you just sit back and try to be the good guy by being quiet....some people out there start believing the crazy guy yelling all the insults. Sheri, and we're done taking it too, at Arx Mortis.

Cool story, bro. Here is something a little more interesting than this rivalry you keep telling us about that most of us don't care about and none of us can do anything about, Cataclysm comes out Dec 7th and I preordered my copy already. Check it out maybe it will brighten your day. At least it will take your mind off all of your trials and tribulations.

[graystone]

Lmao

Jared! That made my day! Thanks! Shane and it's I needed that! Shane this time!

[harrishaven]

enough bs

Get over it ! Isn't that what you people told me when it came to my posts. But now that it happens to you its waaaaa time. Welcome to haunting 101

[xxxdirk]

erick, that other haunt did the same stuff to us when we were closer. Unfortunately nothing you can do because they see you as a threat which should make you feel better. Unfortunately, if the haunt owner does not take direct action to control his actors behavior, he is, in effect, encouraging it. Just smile and know that you must be doing something right, because they are itimidated by you......

[Jim Warfield]

Haunt Competit$hunn!

Way back when a haunted experience was in the $3 to $5 range, and unemployment was not 10% and people bounced from job to job without a care..."Let's see as many haunts as we can!"
Now with some places getting $20 to $30 for per person....maybe your $30 haunt is a "Cadillac", but maybe the majority of potential customers can only afford a short ride in a taxi cab?
Yes there will be a core goup of haunt fans who will spend whatever it takes to visit many haunts..but is that core group going to be larger than the actual core group that you see the most of every season? The "kids", teenagers?
I'm just asking these questions trying to get a more accurate feel for the big world out there beyound the cornfield, not trying to make anyone upset.......because whatever "works" for you..."Works" and there will never be any arguement concerning that coming from me.
Thanks.

[monsterwax]

It's always a pain when people in the same profession start bad mouthing each other. It's unprofessional and just makes both sides look bad. We ran into that recently with a new haunt that advertised they were going to run us out of business, etc. etc. Fortunately, we were able to discuss it and they agreed to remove such references. We both agreed it was more practical to focus on building our own haunts up by working harder, rather than tearing anyone else's haunt down with insults. I wish I could say we are buddies like we are with the other nearby haunts, but who knows, maybe that can come later.

The way I figure it, there aren't that many people who have as big an interest in haunted houses as do fellow haunt owners. You should value such people rather than diss them. And just as malls attract customers to other adjacent businesses, so do haunts attract more costumers to ALL the nearby haunts. Case in point: Far from being "run out of business" by the new haunt, our numbers were higher this year than ever before. I don't attribute that to the new haunt only, but I certainly don't think having them around hurt at all. As a matter of fact, we took a group over there one of our few nights off and enjoyed getting to experience a haunt as a customer for once.

It's better and more fun for everyone when fellow haunters are friendly rather than antagonistic. (You do have to emphasize this to your workers though, as anything they say or do that is unflattering toward the other haunt will be blamed on you. Sometimes employees will try to brag about your haunt by ragging on the other guys. They think they are doing you a favor, when in fact they are only fanning the flames of discord.)

The taking down of posters and signs is obnoxious as well. We have that happen to us also, and they are often replaced with the other haunt's materials. I prefer to think this is done by overzealous workers, rather than the owners. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but again, why waste your time and energy arguing when you could instead invest it in improving your haunt?

[chuck weber]

Northern alabama rocks

Disturbia haunted attraction

[Boni]

Perfect Timing

Classic situation.

My actor Kate was in line at the other haunt in town.

The other haunts actor was bad mouthing us to the group in front of Kate saying we weren't scary at all. Well, Kate actually remembered escorting this actor out of our haunt the weekend before because she chickened out.

So Kate interrupts, I seem to recall that you couldn't make it through our haunt and I was the one that had to take you to the lobby to wait for your family.

The other actor bows her head, looks at the ground and walks away with tail between legs.

I was rolling when Kate told me that story.

For the record, the other haunts owner and I get along very well, I don't think he is saying anything negative about us.