family freindly vs shear terror

[monsterwax]

I've noticed the "family" customers are much less common and the college kids with dates are our blood and butter. Then again, this is a college town, but young adults taking girls to dates also fill up most the theaters, and night clubs, and whatever other entertainment is going on. So I lean toward making the majority happy and making it SCARY. I would never turn away kids, but I warn the parents, "if they typically get scared by the dark or have nightmares, this is NOT for them. But you know them better than we do. You can leave through any of the exits if they get too scared (but no refunds)." This usually satisfies most, but for a few, I go a step further. I give them a glow band and tell them it's monster repellent. If they get scared, just hold up the glow band and the monster runs away! Of course, you have to tell all your actors ahead of time to back off from anyone holding those bands up, even if they are adults (like a few of the women who start to freak once that freight door slames shut behind them and they hear everyone else in the haunt screaming in the dark).

So far, the monster repellent glow bands have done the trick and I've heard no complaints. (Now that I've said that though, I'm sure the gripes will FLOOD in this season, such is Murphy's Law!)

[Jim Warfield]

From 2 O'Clock this Sunday afternoon til 3 two young women sat in my front room squeezing one another almost to death , screaming, hiding their eyes half the time, I had to stop and ask them if they were enjoying their scares or were becoming phobic?
I also asked them if they had had a supernatural experience before since sometimes those that have are much more afraid of just being here than other people seem to be.
No, they had not.
OK.
Then a Father and son joined the tour and the girls seemed more calm, usually.
I "Got" the Father and son twice with the same effect!
For some reason most people never expect that?
How about that?

The Dad and lad are moto cross people. "Dad" asked me how he should go about bringing a bus load of his friends here?