Horrible Halloween News

[drfrightner]

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=9239179

First story here is about a child killed this weekend on a hayride. You can NOT let this happen to YOU!

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_arti...storyid=527737

The second story is about a girl who claims she was attacked at a haunted house inside an amusement park.

Larry

[The Ghoulish Gallery]

Larry, I really don't like when you post these horrible stories when they have nothing to do with the haunt industry. For example, in the second story, the girl never claimed she was attacked at a haunted house as you have written. What she claimed was that she separated from her friends for just a minute to get some food. She realized she was being followed by three men. The men grabbed her and then carried her to a secluded part of the park, near a darkened cave, by a haunted house. So while this may have happened in the general proximity of a haunted house, it really didn't happen "at" the haunted house and really has nothing to do with haunted house. When stuff like this that has absolutely nothing to do with our industry gets posted on our industry forums, it creates an implied association. It give the impression that this somehow involved a haunted attraction when it didn't. I appreciate your sharing the stories that do directly involve haunted attractions or haunted houses but I don't think a story should be publicly posted just because the word "haunted house" appears in the text.

Just my two cents,
Tim @ www.ghoulishgallery.com

[brad]

At first when I read Larry's post, I thought that this would be horrible PR for these events.

I think the first story was just an unfortunate mistake. I really hope nothing comes down on the operators of this event, but I why understand why, if it does happen.

The second story is just bad. Just bad. People are probably gonna wonder about the security measures at this event, and this will most likely keep people form attending this event later on.

[drfrightner]

Tim,

I totally disagree with you totally... both apply. Here is why... first and foremost there are hundreds and hundreds of hayrides out there when something like this happens be it inside a pumpkin patch, a farm or a haunted house we need to know about because these are accidents that can happen to all of us. These stories are wake up calls to double and triple check what we are doing.

The second story is also relevant to the haunt industry, it happened allegedly during a haunted event...who cares if she wondered away from her group and got attacked, who cares how it happened it happened. As haunt owners when we are doing thousands of people a night we need to be aware that things like this can happen to not only a customer but one of our female actress.

Again wake up calls!

Larry

[The Ghoulish Gallery]

Larry, I have no issue with the first story. My issue was with the second story, specifically, that you stated this woman was attacked at a haunted house. That is grossly inaccurate and it reflects badly on this industry.

You say, "who cares if this woman wandered away from her group and got attacked" or "who cares how it happened." So let me get this right, you don't care about the how or why or really if this even happened in a haunt vs. near a haunt but your're still holding it up as an example to the haunt community because the word "haunted house" came up in your automatic Google alert?

Again this had nothing to do with a haunted house or the haunt industry. Regardless of whether or not this was a Halloween event, this story involved a Cedar Fair event and is far more related to amusement parks that do 25,000+ attendees a night than a haunt house that does 3000 attendees a night.

In closing, I just feel that the posting of "horrible" and negative stories that really have nothing to do with our industry only serves as a sort of black eye for our industry as a whole. All we need is some media outlet scouring your forum for Halloween news, picking up on this story and they attributing it to our industry.

That would help any of us now would it?

Tim @ www.ghoulishgallery.com

[Haunted Illinois]

I actually agree with both Larry and Tim on this matter.

1) Haunt owners need to be made aware of these things, as a "heads-up" to what could possibly happen at their own events.

2) The second story happened near an amusement park, which is not directly related to the atmosphere at most haunted attractions out there (as Tim stated).

Perhaps this type of posting should be placed on a "members only" part of the forum? Anyone in the general public can read posts on the Fright Forum, including the media.

Think about this, Larry. How would you feel if a reporter from the Chicago Tribune read your post and used it as a basis for a negative story about the Haunted Attraction Industry?

I know you are just trying to be helpful, but Tim is right that such stories (especially ones not specifically related to the Industry) could give us all a black eye. Someone from the media could take this and run with it, and we would only have ourselves to blame.

Spreading misinformation is dangerous. Just my two cents.

[Boni]

Valley Fair's set up is probably just like Cedar Point's as they are both owned by Cedar Point. They open the park in October, they decoarate it for Halloween and have Haunted Houses in the park. But they also operate many of their other attractions as well. To say this was a Halloween event is a stretch. This is an amusement park using a Halloween Theme to extend their season, there is a big difference here.

The victim here was not in a haunted house, she was not attacked by actors, she was not attacked by other Haunted House patrons. It was a random act of violence and is out of place here.

[drfrightner]

First off I said this is what the girl claims, I don't know if she is even telling the truth. Last year we had this same thing happen inside Edge of Hell in Kansas City, someone saying they lost their group and was attacked by someone inside the haunt... I don't know what the end result with that was.

Secondly, I wasn't saying it doesn't matter that she was or wasn't attacked, I said it doesn't matter where or how it happened, the point is she is saying this happened inside the park during the Halloween event. You may not think its a haunted house but it is more or less...its a haunted house or Halloween event.

Are you saying if this happened at Knotts Scary Farm say off to the side but not in the actual haunted house that would make it any the less serious or that somehow it wont' be associated with the HAUNTED EVENT? Who cares if it happened inside the haunt or in front of the haunt in back of the haunt, on the side of the haunt who cares, what matters is that is happened while the haunted event was going on. My only point is bottom line this can happen to you at your attraction like it happened last year inside the Edge of Hell if even the girl was telling the truth.

We dont' know until an official investigation is finalized. My ONLY point again is you need to be on guard!

Larry

[jimmyfish]

I am with Larry on this one

I would not think for the most part that the genral public is reading these forums, I could be wrong ofcourse, but for the most part it is an insiders thing.

If this can get us thinking and even save 1 life or 1 person from injury it is worth it. On the second story it might make us aware to keep security watching for all types of things going on. Let's say a teenage girl is droped off at your haunt and you see an older guy following her off premises, it might be off grounds, but still will be connected with your haunt if something happens to her, besides we would not want something bad to happen on or off our grounds and anything we can do to prevent it, is well worth the extra effort.

[drfrightner]

I agree 110%. My overall point here is you don't want this said about your event... we have ONE week to go so be on guard! Take these reports be it true or false, and take them as wake up calls to not let your guard down.

Larry

[Jim Warfield]

Was it maybe 6 months ago a similair story that was loosely connected to the words "Haunted House" was about a climbing accident on a fiberglass "mountain" but someone had hung a small sign somewhere that said , "Haunted House". ???
Be thankfull someone didn't put such a small sign in the window of the World Trade Center!!

[MMManiac]

Kind of off subject but saw thia news sroty on fox news

"Teen Trick-or-Treat Ban

The ghosts and goblins of Belleville, Ill., come under a little more scrutiny this year as the city has limited trick-or-treating to kids in eighth grade or below.

Mayor Mark W. Eckert signed the ordinance banning the tradition for older teens on Tuesday, saying homeowners complained about late-night door knocks on Halloween. He says the city's government also believes Halloween is for small children.

Exceptions will be made for special-needs kids and teens accompanying younger siblings.

Belleville Police Chief William Clay says he expects parents to enforce the new rules. He says officers will stop older trick-or-treaters and make them go home. If they don't, their parents can be fined $25. (AP)"

[drfrightner]

That is totally UN-AMERICAN... if someone wants to keep trick or treating they should be allowed! UNREAL!

Larry

[Jim Warfield]

It's all another example of the "Nanny" Society becoming more pronounced as those with too much time on their hands can't find something useful for their hands to do, so they give out lawful suggestions as to inform us how to live every little facet of or lives, every single moment of our lives.