Top 13 Haunts Part 2

[drfrightner]

Here is how the top 13 will be decided...

You can score points... 50% of your points comes from round one which is the grouping. 25% of your points comes from the second grouping (listed below) and 25% of your points come from the last grouping (listed below). This is the only way to make it fair because all the haunts are grouped against each other. So now send your votes to me in the following pattern to darkrides@sbcglobal.net

The voting for best home haunt, products and stuff like that are strictly on the main list. The only reason for this is to make everything 110% fair.

ROUND TWO VOTING (Vote for three from each group) (COUNTS FOR 25%)

GROUP ONE

Woods of Terror
Frightland
Chamber of the Mausoleum
USS Nightmare
Creepyworld
The Darkness
Netherworld
Spookywoods
Haunted Overload
Rock N R Ranch (Hayride)
The Realm of Terror
Bates Motel
House of Torment
House of Shock

PICK ANY THREE (GROUP TWO)

Dead Acres
Shocktoberfest
The Asylum Haunted House
Scarehouse
Haunted Hotel (Louisville)
Erebus
Cutting Edge
Headless Horseman (Hayride)
13th Gate
Fright Kingdom
Scream at the Beach
Spookyworld
Turbidite Manor


ROUND THREE (PICK ANY THREE) (COUNTS FOR 25%) (ALL ATTRACTIONS TOGETHER)


Woods of Terror
Frightland
Chamber of the Mausoleum
USS Nightmare
Creepyworld
Netherworld
Spookywoods
Haunted Overload
Rock N R Ranch (Hayride)
The Realm of Terror
The Darkness
Bates Motel
House of Torment
House of Shock
Dead Acres
Shocktoberfest
The Asylum Haunted House
Scarehouse
Haunted Hotel (Louisville)
Erebus
Cutting Edge
Headless Horseman (Hayride)
13th Gate
Fright Kingdom
Scream at the Beach
Spookyworld
Turbidite Manor

[REDRUM]

Please consider Fright Kingdom for one of Hauntworlds Best Haunts.

[professornightmare]

SpookyWorld

SpookyWorld - Group 5 Please vote for us as one of Hauntworld's Best Haunts!
Thanks and Happy Hauntings!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spdM6BvyA-A

[UndeadProd]

Sorry - I'm just a little confused and could use some minor clarification -

Are you saying that we should vote twice? Once in the fashion you mentioned yesterday (selecting a finalist from each category) -- and then a 2nd vote with 3 finalists from each of the 3 groupings you posted in this thread?

[drfrightner]

Scott,

Yes there is a system I have here... it get broken down three times.

Larry

[derek6star]

Rockin R Ranch Haunted Hayride

Take a look at the video and vote ,we need some new blood for the top 13 . Make sure you check out the fire spitting monster ,starts at 10ft tall and goes up to 30ft tall. Also check out at end of hayride were the monster in the barn literally picks up the back of the haywagon and shakes it .Look at the huge oversized toilet , spits fire, we try to add some humor to mix it up and it lets you let your guard down then we hit you with a great scare. We work hard year round to make a great new show. Please vote for Rockin R Ranch Haunted Hayride www.spookyranch.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep7pMgnR2Bo

P.S. if someone could please help me get video on screen in post without having to click the link. Thanks in advance!

[drfrightner]

NO MORE VOTING!

Some of you have just had people email me from friends or whomever.

I have over 500 emails with votes.

I will not take any more votes.

Larry

[SSP]

I'm still having trouble understanding this, but we'll have to see how this turns out.

But, let me see something... Larry, you're not happy with the fact that haunters had their actors and friends vote, I can understand that. But, you gave the owners of haunts in the industry the ability to vote who goes on the list. Lets say you were to limit it to one representative from each haunt (and given that you said everyone could vote for themselves) each haunt would be in a draw with one vote, or whatever number this two rounds of voting produces per person. Truthfully the only way for someone to get ahead is by the chance that there are multiple people from the haunts on the board, they have someone from outside vote, or for some reason their haunt was so good it would make someone vote for them over their own haunt, which even though is ideal, it is incredibly unlikely. Plus, since the networking and friendships are so strong (and possibly negative) there are probably biases that subconsciously play a role in voting, whether intentional or not, and probably have nothing to do with the quality of the haunt. I could be wrong, but there is a damn good chance, and that can't be denied.

Hell, I know looking back at my voting I didn't vote correctly due to some of the videos. I know there are haunts that deserve a lot more credit than what their video showed, and my voting reflected that, which in reality goes against the whole method of the contest.

If you barred people from voting for their own haunt, that would have a chance at working but then that would require everyone to have some sort of identification with each vote to keep track. But, the voting is done, and it was allowed through e-mail which is virtually untraceable unless you were to find IP addresses or something (not sure how that would work, but I assume).

What am I getting at? I don't think the results can be trusted, and I'm saying this now before any are revealed as to prove I'm not angry at an outcome or anything of the sort. I'm stating simple facts about the way this contest was conducted. I'm not saying this as a representative of any haunt, only my personal opinion. This is where politics in todays world goes wrong, it has nothing to do about the issues anymore, it's about marketing, campaigning, strategy, and bullshit. I heard a saying once, "a job that two candidates will spend millions to get but only pays $400,000 a year must have one hell of a dental plan". Having the contestants vote on themselves in a contest truly is this, and even if the voting still was straightened out you would only have a winner of a haunted house video contest.

Years ago I turned to the hauntworld 13 list when it first came out trusting that the haunts at the top were there because I'd be on the brink of shitting my pants if I went, and I planned weeks around visiting some of the attractions. If I were to go and visit the "best pro haunt" or the "best hay-ride" or the "best home haunt" only to find out the list was made up by the very people who made the haunts, or based on a video I'd feel ripped off.

I'm sorry Larry, I know you put a lot into this, but I don't think this is right.

[actiondeath]

Hahahaha... Accuracy is overrated though, isn't it? Wouldn't a reasonable Top 13 poll make the industry look like a bunch of dried up statistitions? IMHO, that would be serious misrepresentation for haunters everywhere. We must avoid this tragedy at all costs and make the poll as inaccurate as possible. I suggest we let the haunt reviewers decide.

[SSP]

This industry, like any other, is about the product quality, satisfaction, costs, revenue, a bunch of numbers when you boil it all down. It's a creative field based more on emotion and the experience but in the end you either pleased your customer or not. If you want a truly inaccurate rating system then repeat this process for next year, where the results are based neither on attraction quality or customer reviews.

The hauntworld list is not only a giant advertisement opportunity but a great tool for the public to see what this industry is all about. The top attractions should be there for a reason, whether it is something as straight forward as the most high tech, most actors, detail, general quality, etc OR reviews by the attendees. We cannot rate our own product, we can only market it.

Either it's about numbers, or a review by the public and/or an organization, but the top haunts in this list are the ones who had the most e-mail votes by fellow supposedly based on videos they made. I'm sorry, this is a mess.

I will say no more

[JamBam]

Opinions are like E@#&^$&^, everyone has one...

Unforutnately, any results form this forum are going to be as skewed as the industry survey that was attempted a few months ago by an organization not to be named.

Why I think this is because everyone has a different opinion, even if all go to the same events. And any voting by someone who has not attended all, and only possibly viewed videos will be biased.

And the marketing budgets of the big events will always produce the lists that have been in the news in the past.

This TOP13 will never be accomplished fairly, but will always be biased.

I am not trying to offend anyone, just my two pennies.


P.S. One the best I have ever attended is Raven's Grin Inn. And a busload of other haunters I was with the first time I went there (three total now) would most likely agree. And it is NOT your normal haunt. And I also went to the last season of Rocky Point Haunted House and would say IT was one of the best, but it was also in a class by itself. Thanks Cydney and Mr Warfield

[SSP]

I lied, I'm gonna say one more thing

Why I think this is because everyone has a different opinion, even if all go to the same events. And any voting by someone who has not attended all, and only possibly viewed videos will be biased.

And the marketing budgets of the big events will always produce the lists that have been in the news in the past.

This TOP13 will never be accomplished fairly, but will always be biased.

You're 100% right, there is never a list that will ever be bias free. All you can do is offer results and clearly state that it is so and so's opinion. There is nothing wrong with Hauntworlds Top 13 if it is Larry's opinion! Just state so and everyone who reads it understands and takes it with a grain of salt. The only point I am trying to make is that the results of this DO NOT REFLECT ANYTHING AT ALL, it's a popularity contest, who could have made multiple e-mail accounts and gotten actors and people to vote the most. This doesn't reflect the public, it doesn't reflect actual quality, I have not had the opportunity to visit all the entrants haunts so even I should not be allowed to vote. I know I'm not the only one, in fact I doubt there are a lot of people who have visited them all, so we base it on a video? It blows my mind.

Rolling Stones 500 Greatest songs of all time list, entirely their opinion, and I haven't met a single person who has agreed with it in it's entirety. But, they state that it is THEIR list, they base it off their well experienced opinions, and you have the choice of reading it or not.

I just hope if these results are used, when the list is published it is also said how they were decided, through this e-mail contest amongst haunt owners. If that doesn't take the credibility from the list I'll eat my hat. Again, I have no issues with anyones opinion, I would gladly take any one persons opinion over this contest of how many e-mail accounts someone has.

I'm really sorry, I'll shut up now

[megaplay]

Wouldn't it just be easier to just drop the whole voting thing this year and subsequent years and just come out with a list. There is no way the voting is not going to be skewed in some way. Instead of posting about 6 different and confusing ways to vote, just come out with a magazine saying these are the top 13 based on my opinion and most money these haunts spent on the site. I think everyone would be happier this way.

[jason]

lol this is all sad but true!

[RobbeOne]

I totally agree with the last 2 posts. We will never see the real results, which is sad. How about we just draw names out of a hat, or pick one haunt in each state. Simple. Just my thoughts.