Haunted House Hall of Fame

[Evilution Unlimited]

I am thinking of starting one of these just as a side thing for people to look at while in line for my haunt, perhapse expand it if there is interest. I plan to do an article on those inducted and perhapse have some photos if available

I am looking for nominations, it can be a group that opperated a great haunted house, it can be an individual that had a tremendous impact on the haunted house industry, it can be a vendor that has changed haunting, etc.

My first nomination is the Hamilton Fairfiend Jaycees
They started the first seasonal haunted house
It was in Cincinnati 1970
It was for charity
you can read more about it at
http://community-2.webtv.net/haunt66...EOF/page3.html

[Evilution Unlimited]

Harry Tarver would also be a good inductee for the introduction of animations to dark attractions. In 1930, his Laff in the Dark ride featured a flat kicking mule, an alligator with moving jaws, and a statue that would topple over towards you as you rode past.

[Gravely]

I would agree with that cinncinatti nomination.
Timothy Herron, aka Horror Host Baron Von Wolfenstein, was a major player in that I believe.

If you need contact info for him, lemme know

[Jim Warfield]

Archaeologists did discover the maze built by the ancient Greeks where those mythological monsters waited in the dark, Minotaur and friends.

A fancy term for "maze"is "labyrinth". I don't remember what color the dots had been painted in the dot room, hollowed out log = spinning tunnel, Greek fire pyro techniques.
Society's need to scare one another beyond selfish or political reasons matured as people became more secure and confident to handle fear as only entertainment.

I had an old van parked beside my house that I made haunt bumper stickers for using haunt names from around the country as if this van had been to see all of them, I thought this was fun. The other fun concept behind this idea was that the van made it to my place, then quit!
"Brad & Janet" all over again!

[drfrightner]

Are you trying to make a Hall of Fame for people in the industry or haunts themselves? I've talked about this before and think our industry should have one. Heck I would love nothing more than to see a Haunted House Museum spring up sometime in conjunction with a Hall of Fame. That would be cool... show all kinds of props dating back to whenever to now. Maybe even include Dark Rides along with it...

If I was going to nominate someone I would nominate Distortions Ed Edmunds and his wife Jan. They're the original haunted house supply company, doing what no one ever though could be done! They are truly the start of this crazy thing known has 'haunt vendor'.

Larry

[MDKing]

Hey Larry, I think you're confusing Janene with Ed's wife, Marsha!

Allan

[Lady Riggy]

I would nominate House of Frankenstein in Lake George, NY.........that place has been so long people are bringing their kids and grandkids there because they had such a great time when they were younger

[Jim Warfield]

I try to ask customers how they discovered my place? One day I asked a tall, muscular young man about 18 (my guess, he drove here) this question.
He said his Dad told him abit The Ravens Grin Inn. Then he said his Dad had been here when he was in 4th or 5th grade!!!!
"?"
(Was the kid's Dad making babys when he was , how old?)
I get people that are obviously adults coming here that tell me they were first here when they we smal children!?
I have only owned the house for 20 years but it was haunted via reputation ever since 1925 that I know of...the elderly people here in town have told me their stories.

[drfrightner]

Whoops ... Marsha Marsha Marsha... LOL

The person I made the mistake of saying was the person who answers their phones I believe. Whoops.

Anyway I would nominate them both in a heartbeat. Distortions is a pioneer in our industry, bar none! They made it possible for the rest of the vendors to exist. Without Distortions the haunt industry would be at least five years behind where it is right now. And that is a fact!

Larry

[drfrightner]

If you're just nominating haunted houses I would have a few for you...

Haunted Schoolhouse started what almost 40 years ago and still goes strong today...

There was a haunt in St. Louis called Thayre Ashton Mansion that really set the world on fire by busing people to the attraction. It might be one of the first mega haunts in the country, doing about 60,000 people, even back in the 80's and marketed itself as a real haunted house.

It caught on fire in the off season and burned to the ground. It opened one more year with an all outdoor haunt but that was it...never opened again. I can get photos of that for you if you want.

Larry