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  • Question for all you owners?

    I have seen several haunt owners posting here and on facebook about building this or that and redoing or buying or whatever so my question is........ Am I the only one that gets burned out and need a few months to get away. I mean I love it and it's fun but I can't take it 24/7. Along with my coach company I do still have a Christmas division that I enjoy that makes things a little different. But I just can't deal with Halloween and then jump right back into it. Come on I want some feed back on this! Shane and it's pull up a chair and tell me!
    sigpic

  • #2
    Haunted houses are all I do. Mask making, costumes, writing classes, making props, practicing make up I don't really do anything that is not haunt related. No other job, no other real interests. I am in a different situation than most, but being able to bounce between things like costuming, make up, mask making, set work, and even writing classes and filming videos keep any one facet of the business from getting stale for me.
    Allen H
    www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
    http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

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    • #3
      Hi,
      I live for this stuff! My first experience in haunted houses was in 1977 as an actor, and I've been doing it ever since. I work on my current haunted house literally 12 months a year. If I'm not building props or something like that, I'm doing conceptual sketches, buying antiques, always looking out for music / sound effects, working on the floor plan, taking reference photos of different architectural textures / features, and if nothing else, thinking about it. I've loved classic monster movies since I was very little. To this day I continually watch old B&W monster movies! For me, the haunted house is like creating a living, breathing, three-dimensional, interactive horror movie; and I want to do it 365 days a year. I'm counting the days until TransWorld, as well. Can't wait!

      I formerly worked in film, TV and theatre, but don't do it much any more unless a play or other project comes along that I really feel like working on. I'm a returning adult college student, working toward a Master's Degree in Theatre Arts, so I do have course work and so on, but I try not to let that get in the way!

      Mark...

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      • #4
        Yes!!! But not Halloween burnt, but haunt burnt lol. I ALWAYS love seeing haunt stuff others are doing any day of the year but come the last weekend I am DEAD! Haha. So I invested a haunt company, something new! I love seeing my artists work and see new things come to life! I would love to do this for a living eventually but we'll see how it all goes! I'm just looking forward to Transworld! Lol

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        • #5
          Yeah, I pretty much NEED it all year round. The only "break" I take is the week after we tear down, and the space from Thanksgiving til New Years. But even then I'm jotting down ideas all the time. Like scream said, I can't wait for TW (so mad I missed IAAPA this year...)
          Bryce Ring
          Co-owner/ Designer
          Twisted Realms Haunted House

          Comment


          • #6
            Shane,

            I'll be honest with ya... this is the ONLY THING I"M EXCITED ABOUT! Creating new stuff is the magic for me! I'm not so much a fan anymore of running the haunted houses, I like creating new and fun things. So for me this is the most exciting part of everything. I love creating!

            Larry
            Larry Kirchner
            President
            www.HalloweenProductions.com
            www.BlacklightAttractions.com
            www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
            www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

            Comment


            • #7
              We do it out of necessity, it just takes us this long to get ready. I quit having fun 5 years ago and wanted to quit doing it all 3 years ago to concentrate on other interests. But I am having fun with it again so I'll keep plugging along for awhile.
              Jared Layman

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              • #8
                Larry

                Originally posted by drfrightner View Post
                Shane,

                I'll be honest with ya... this is the ONLY THING I"M EXCITED ABOUT! Creating new stuff is the magic for me! I'm not so much a fan anymore of running the haunted houses, I like creating new and fun things. So for me this is the most exciting part of everything. I love creating!

                Larry
                I see the creative side and feel you there. But I think and maybe it's just me I am just burned out I hate the haunt being open and dealing with all the complaints about the waits or this or that I just want to say get the hell out...... Wait I have did that!!!!!!!!! If I did it 24/7 I would just be sick. I like dealing with the coaches and customizing them and then the Christmas Decor gives me something new to do for a while. I think with me is I just can't do the same thing all the time! Shane and it's looks like it's just me LOL!
                sigpic

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Allen H View Post
                  Haunted houses are all I do. Mask making, costumes, writing classes, making props, practicing make up I don't really do anything that is not haunt related. No other job, no other real interests. I am in a different situation than most, but being able to bounce between things like costuming, make up, mask making, set work, and even writing classes and filming videos keep any one facet of the business from getting stale for me.
                  Allen H
                  I AGREE!! Don't keep doing the same thing but keep the "theme" the same...HALLOWEEN!! hahaha

                  In addition to Allen's list I also like watching the Halloween TV specials time and time again. Never gets old to me. That and surfing YouTube/Forums for other inspiration...Horror movies and their special features...Halloween is the ultimate theater geek gone rogue's guilty pleasure!!!
                  O'Shawn McClendon
                  Creative Chair -- Operator: Cayce-West Columbia Hall of Horrors

                  One mans junk is another mans kick-ass new prop...

                  http://www.hallofhorrors.com

                  http://twitter.com/hallofhorrors

                  http://cwchallofhorrors.blogspot.com

                  http://www.youtube.com/hallofhorrors

                  http://www.myspace.com/cwcjc_hallofhorrors

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                  • #10
                    The first 2 years were non-stop for us and to be completely honest this past March I was just burnt out when it came to building the haunt. Keep in mind that we were opening for Christmas, Valentine's Day and every Friday the 13th. I was just done with it and needed a few months away. Each event I had changed up several rooms and in most cases much of the layout. This year I have taken a different approach by not putting as much on my plate. We will do 2 nights for our Christmas event, instead of the four that we have done in previous years. I didn't do any significant changes other than Christmas decorating. We will still do a night or two for Valentines Day but other than that I am keeping the doors closed until September. I debated not opening at all for Christmas this year but my crew was a bit disappointed when I threw that idea out.
                    Richard Alvarado
                    Moxley Manor Haunted House

                    www.moxleymanor.com
                    www.nightscarebeforechristmas.com
                    Stalk Us on Facebook
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                    Stalk Us on YouTube

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by drfrightner View Post
                      Shane,

                      I'll be honest with ya... this is the ONLY THING I"M EXCITED ABOUT! Creating new stuff is the magic for me! I'm not so much a fan anymore of running the haunted houses, I like creating new and fun things. So for me this is the most exciting part of everything. I love creating!

                      Larry

                      I agree with this! I enjoy this time of year and these holiday months are very productive as the attention is off and I'm "back in the lab" developing new ideas and concepts! The creative is much more exciting to me than operation at this point.

                      Allan
                      Last edited by MDKing; 11-27-2012, 09:47 AM.

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                      • #12
                        I remember last season after tear down I was exhausted and DONE. Just wanted to rest for a few months. This year though for some reason I've already started 3 big projects...though that will ground to a halt in January I guess unless we have a mild winter. I think it has to do with just how much stress and /or work you get before and during the season itself. I kick into gear about August, up to that point I have the Dino Park to work on. It does help to decompress and try something else for a bit, gets you fresh and new when you come back.

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                        • #13
                          october is my second favorite time of year...

                          November is number one
                          in order to see the orchestra ...you must turn your back on the crowd...



                          www.HAUNTEDHOOCHIE.COM
                          www.DEADACRES.COM

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                          • #14
                            Yes I love this time of year. I usually get burned out in September after a whole year of building and just work through it, lol! This is the time when I can take the time and think about what new creations we can build and how to improve for the next year while it's still fresh in my mind. While the show is going on I am already planning for the next year. It's great to have the stress of the season behind us so we can focus on major improvements. This is the most important time of year for me. Everything must be well thought out so our build will go smoothly once the snow is gone in the spring. We only have so much time and money and I like the challenge of coming up with something new that makes a huge impact but doesn't break the bank. It forces me to think more creatively. I have many ideas that have never seen the light of day for one reason or another, it all boils down to time and money. We have to drive two hours to Maine this weekend to visit my mother in-law. I will have my wife drive so I can use the time to sketch out new building and prop designs.

                            Looking forward to Transworld this year, see you at the party Shane!

                            Eric
                            www.hauntedoverload.com

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                            • #15
                              Yes I think this best describes it ... you build build build which again in my mind is the best part, then you get into the marketing end, hiring cast, going through inspections, blah, blah or lets say the BORING part, then you head to the running the haunt part where you deal with complaints, things breaking, bad weather, issues, problems and more... I think and lets say building a haunt is THREE PARTS!

                              Part A: Design and Rebuild plus buy new stuff go to the shows, seminars, and again buy new toys.

                              Part B: Hire staff, marketing, inspections go through all the nightmares of getting open

                              Part C: Operations run the haunt deal with all the problems that come along with it.

                              Now can someone please pick the best one? C'mon Shane you know part A is your favorite because you love spending money on new stuff, your party is in that mix and just the time when you have time to catch up with everyone post on forums or just do whatever you need to do!

                              The ONLY PART that I like about part C is getting the money back to pay all the bills! LOL

                              Larry
                              Larry Kirchner
                              President
                              www.HalloweenProductions.com
                              www.BlacklightAttractions.com
                              www.HauntedHouseSupplies.com
                              www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com

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