Amazing Discovery ... Read On Now!!!

[drfrightner]

This question has been posed many, many times... where did the haunted house industry come from, where did it start, how did it get started, blah, blah.

Well maybe finally some answers ... there will be an article in the Hauntworld magazine that helps explain much of where the haunt industry got started, how it got started and more.

We will even have a follow up story on this very subject. But for the time being a document was found created by the JC's who more or less started the haunted house industry back in the 70's. They created a how to book, that outlined how to start the industry, how to build a haunt and much more. A member of our industry has this book and I will be getting a copy of this document and the man who helped start these problems will have a lot to say about the history of our industry in coming issues of Hauntworld Magazine.

The book outlines best scenes, where to buy supplies, it even has a catalogs from Don Post inside. This is an important document for our industry. FOUND!

Larry

[Darkblood]

That should be a great article(s) Larry!
Y'know, I've heard that before though...with the Jaycee's and the 70's...somewhere but I can't remember...
Can't wait to read it in depth!

Kirk

[JamBam]

Jaycees

The Jaycees in our town started in 1968. I went to the library and searched the old newspaper microfiche machine for a couple of hours. Then, I found a picture of an old Jaycee that has his office a block from the current location we are using. He and I are on another board together. He and his wife confirmed 1968 was the first year. They were active with regional and state activities, so I am sure it came from another chapter.

When I joined Jaycees, the haunted house was in a building that they had for three years. Then we used a series of houses, buildings, park building, and parks until my last year as an official member. That year I managed it one last time (or so I thought). I managed or co-managed it eight out of sixteen years.

By then some of the houses around the country had started to use themes and branding. The setting up in a few weeks, running a few days, then tearing down, and putting everything into storage was taking its toll on everything and everyone.

All the Jaycees haunted houses were simply named "Ourtown Jaycees Haunted House". Masks were the only thing used and black walls or plastic was the buildout. It was all what I call boo scare/startle with very little character reference unless it was a movie thing with no regard to licensing or copyrights.

We found out current location after we decided that a permanent location was the only way to survive. Also, a theme of the Haunted Hotel was started. (1998).


I am going to put out an inquiry to the old Jaycees network for early days information. I should have some good solid info in a few days.

[SSP]

What about the Witches Dungeon in Bristol, CT? It opened in 1966 as a horror movie museum and is considered the longest running attraction of it's kind by Entertainment Tonight. As far as I've heard, this might be a contender to one of the first, starting as a tribute to the horror movies that fueled this whole craze.

http://www.preservehollywood.org/Dun...w/History.html

Just thought I'd throw this in

[Darkblood]

Hmmm...these are interesting historical posts...
I know we've got a Jaycee's haunt about 30+ miles from where I live called the Cochranton Jaycees Haunted House...they own the house and it's mainly black plastic and typical haunted house stuff...
It's been around a looooong time as they don't even advertise much but have tons of people show up and it's not unusual for it to be a 3+ hour wait at all times...even getting there an hour early sometimes there's already a line!
I'm going to try and find out what year it started!

Kirk

[drfrightner]

We know there was dark rides and funhouses for decades some date back to the 20's or whenever... but the industry an industry of opening haunted houses nationwide that is a direct result of the JC's. They have created and printed books on the subject all the way back to the 70's.

People constantly ask how we all came about as an industry well I think we've found some evidence that it started with the JC's.

Larry

[Slain]

Jaycees

I would be very interested in this information.. The Birmingham Chapter always had an award winning haunted house because they actually owned the property and seemed to manage it very well back in the 70's and 80's...
At the time when I started in the haunt industry (around 1986),the Jc's was it. They had a house which is still standing today but being used as nothing because they forgot to reinvest in what was making their monies...
They had alot of heart but not much business sense. I would be interested in anything found on this subject...

We know there was dark rides and funhouses for decades some date back to the 20's or whenever... but the industry an industry of opening haunted houses nationwide that is a direct result of the JC's. They have created and printed books on the subject all the way back to the 70's.

People constantly ask how we all came about as an industry well I think we've found some evidence that it started with the JC's.

Larry

[Raycliff Manor]

There was an organization in the San Diego area back in the 70's called Campus Life and they put on haunted attractions. I may be wrong, but I believe they were connected with the Scream in the Dark attractions, or perhaps they just overlapped in operating haunted attractions out there at that time. For their time, the Scream in the Dark haunted houses were great!

Kel

[Raycliff Manor]

I just googled Scream in the Dark and found this site: http://tulsatvmemories.com/mahu.html

Very interesting!

Kel

[Spookyfinder]

Wasn't Campus Life Tim Turners thing? Or am I mistaken? -Tyler

[skullman]

What about the Witches Dungeon in Bristol, CT? It opened in 1966 as a horror movie museum and is considered the longest running attraction of it's kind by Entertainment Tonight. As far as I've heard, this might be a contender to one of the first, starting as a tribute to the horror movies that fueled this whole craze.

http://www.preservehollywood.org/Dun...w/History.html

Just thought I'd throw this in

The Witches Dungeon is a very cool attraction that often gets overlooked!!

[Bill Schnell]

I always thought it would be cool if somebody would put together a well researched book on the start and evolution of our industry.

[Matt Marich]

My very first professional jobs in the haunt biz were in the late 70's. They were as follows, Phoenix JC's, P.A.C. Foundation ( Youth Group ), and Churches!!! Yes that's right, several Christian churches hired me for Gore and Special effects. Funny how the world has changed. We had several Rock Radio Stations that put on their own Haunts as well.

[Jim Warfield]

A

Fan Told me, a Doctor (An M.D.) took his kids to a haunted house that was maybe in San Antonio held in a castle-looking building operated year round by a church as their main fund raiser and that some JCs basically coped and put into their JCs handbook everything the Church had figured out and then the next year copies of the JC book were published and distributed across the USA.
And that is how it began.
The church-haunt had a real hunchback walking the top of the tower. They used real snakes, bats, rats in the place.
They had an electric chair in which with much fanfare the Doctor's little daughter was strapped into. When the kill-switch was throw everyone except the girl got a mild shock through the metal benches they were all sitting upon.,

Then Herman Muddgett a serial-killer in Chicago had a three-story "Murder Mansion in the 1890s and while he was on trail someone was giving house tours of his place and collecting 25 cents for the experience.
The house contained gas chambers, holding cells secret passages, doors that opened that would allow someone to fall several stories down and a slide to take the bodies down to the basement where he conducted experiments on them, he was fascinated with how much a body could be stretched.
He sold real "Buckys" to local medical schools too.

The Greeks had their scary maze with scary mythological creatures waiting for you inside, it really existed, it was rediscovered quite some time ago. The really large hollowed out log that rotated as people walked through it was just a cartoon I made up, they never had one.

The Ravens Grin Inn was used as the Mount Carroll JCs second haunted house. That was when I began wishing I could own it, I never stopped wishing (and begging and thinking how?)
One night a female customer of the JC /Ravens Grin haunt claimed "someone" had kissed her, "Fully upon her lips"in the pitch/dark wine cellar..it is a haunted, haunted house.
Then many years later I was kissed across my forehead 4 times from right to left, my eyes were wide open by the end of the third kiss, fourth kiss hits me and the lights are on and the room is empty except for me! It kind of got my attention.

[SSP]

I'm sorry to throw this off topic, but...

Jim, a kissing ghost? That has caught my attention too!

I would love to see an article on real spooks in a haunted attraction, I think that would be a great read!