DALLAS – Being the owner of a haunted house may seem like all fun and games. But for the mega haunts that will each attract tens of thousands of thrill-seekers every Halloween season, it takes a lot to leave fans spellbound. These massive, modern attractions are updated each year. Their quality-focus and investment heighten the scares for great times and nights of spooky fun, says the America Haunts Association, which represents the premiere haunted attractions in the U.S.
Chris Stafford, a partner with the 13th Floor – Chicago haunted attraction, concedes that operating haunted attractions across the country is rewarding, however, they test the limits of what mortals can do. After opening night, his team has less than 24-hours to prepare for the next late-night show. Preparing an attraction for the next show can have a range of tasks, such as rebuilding a set, adding special effects, sanitizing all the costumes and masks, auditioning more cast members, and programming and incorporating new technology.
Stafford, like most mega haunt owners, invests a lot of blood and sweat into his attractions and has to find ways to deal with obstacles – like bad weather that can put a chill on ticket sales, especially for outdoor attractions. Luckily, having 14 haunted attractions all over the country helps minimize the blow when one of the attractions deals with adversity. These competitive haunts help Stafford’s team identify new strategies and technologies they see working in one location to then quickly deploy in another location.
Most of the heralded haunts attracting the masses started at a time when CGI (computer-generated images) was in its infancy. This movie technology was somewhat of a catalyst for mega haunts to rapidly create more realism. Modern attractions have gone far beyond their humble beginnings with incredible production values, advanced technology, and unique experiences that guests absolutely love!
Salt Lake City’s Nightmare on 13th is celebrating its 29th season and recalls when many haunts could put on a fun show without a lot of technology. In turn, Nightmare on 13th had to be transformative throughout its history, like other successful haunts thriving today. To stay ahead of the myriad of customer entertainment choices, they methodically incorporated the latest technologies to be more immersive and convincing to the increasingly hardened patron. For example, three-dimensional holograms aren’t science fiction at the mega-sized haunts.
“Take a look at Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati,” said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, spokesperson for America Haunts. “They’re in a 19th-century schoolhouse, but it’s wired better than most 21st-century buildings. A massive haunt like this takes computer programming, night-vision cameras, projection mapping, holograms, and lasers. These advances raise the stakes to generate fear.”
Impressive detail is also a hallmark of successful haunted attractions. “Cutting Edge out of Dallas incorporates their award-winning zombie drumline into their shows and fans go wild,” added Arnett-Bequeaith. “The realism is better than Hollywood-level make-up and masks to be convincing up close. Coupled with the countless hours the drumline spends practicing in the offseason makes their show unique and a bucket list experience for haunt fans.”
Expensive silicone masks and high-quality make-up help visitors suspend disbelief and completely buy into the realism that they are living through their own horror movie. Often stilts, giant costumes, or puppets create larger than life creatures that come after guests making it wickedly fun and scary.
While many hobbyists are adding props to their décor or charity weekend event, a commercial haunted house prop is more complicated. A major haunt may invest upwards of $10,000 for the right props. If they can’t find the right prop, they’ll invest even more in labor and materials to make custom animatronics, costumes, and sets in-house. “There are economies of scale for bigger haunted houses. We’re raising the stakes in production, like at House of Torment in Austin, where quality and realism coincides with complex theming and technical support,” said Dan McCullough, also a 13th Floor partner.
The Darkness in St. Louis is a haunted attraction that pulls out all the stops to scare on a grand scale. It has six attractions at one location and invested in a total renovation to make the experience even scarier and last even longer than it has ever been. The sets used in mega haunts, like the Beast in Kansas City, could easily pass for movie-quality sets in appearance. However, these haunted attractions experienced by the masses are built tough to withstand the rigors of a busy haunt, as safety is paramount.
“No doubt, being immersive and impressive is capital intensive. The operators of America’s most successful haunts are working year-round to prepare for their relatively short season, which can be scary,” Arnett-Bequeaith explained. “But the payoff is customers raving about their haunt experience and leaving 5-star reviews.”
About America Haunts
America Haunts is the national association of premier haunted attractions dedicated to excellence in fear-based, sensory entertainment, thrilling more than a million visitors annually. America Haunts’ members are recognized for their longevity in the industry, technical expertise, innovative design, and relentless talent with a penchant to generate screams for fun and excitement.
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