Haunted Attraction Network

Last year was a very rough year for us. Due to some serious road work taking place, we were forced to cancel our 2019 season. Now, due to COVID-19, many haunts are finding that their 2020 season is hanging into balance. However, if you do have to cancel your season, it's important to cancel it right. A bad cancellation can make it impossible to recover. A good one can let you keep your audience, y...

This is the year of COVID cancellations and many Haunted Attractions are closed for 2020. Those that will be opened are doing things a little differently. The Haunt Master members of the Haunter's Toolbox share their thoughts on this year's operational plans and how you can safely open your attraction or home haunt. Join us next time by becoming a Haunt Master Member at HauntersToolbox.com

Pretty much every haunted attraction has a Facebook page. However, is there more that you could be doing with your social media presence? The answer is yes. Social media is a powerful tool for haunt promotion and, thanks to COVID-19, it's about to get even MORE important in 2020. Even if you can't open, social media can help you stay connected with your customers and make the 2021 seas that much b...

Based on the recent announcements that several large haunted attractions have decided not to open for the 2020 season, Scott discusses the options for both haunters and haunt fans to keep the spirit of Halloween alive.

It's becoming more and more clear that, if haunts are able to open at all this year, it's going to be with a good deal of restrictions and limitations. Those limitations will likely include masks for actors and customers alike. While getting customers to mask up will be challenging enough, there's also the issue of masking up actors. How do you create masks that work well for a haunt? What types o...

Scott discusses the three basic phases of post-crisis recovery and how they apply to the Haunt Industry...its more fun than it sounds. PLUS He announces his new email newsletter, "A Shout in the Dark". To join visit ScottSwenson.com and click on the "Click Here to Subscribe to Scott's Newsletter" link. New subscribers get a free gift!

This week on Haunt Weekly we're doing the news and what a rough news episodes it is. We slog our way through the first round of haunt closures due to COVID-19. However, we work hard to bring you a great deal of good news too, including at least one story that may bring a tear to your eye. So definitely buckle up with this one. It's going to be a rough ride but, if you stick with it, we hope to sen...

Steve Koci, many of you know him as Halstaff on the webs, is the author of The Ultimate Guide to DIY Animatronics. In this podcast, learn the best way to get started in moving props and how to animate many different types of props...Halloween Style.

No matter what happens between now and haunt season, the haunted attraction industry is facing an extremely challenging year. Even the best predictions call for smaller crowds, shortened seasons and limited capacity. In 2005, the city of New Orleans and the surrounding area was facing a challenge of its own: Hurricane Katrina. The disaster impacted the city in countless ways, including closing the...

The haunted attraction industry prides itself on being a welcoming space for anyone who loves scaring. However, as some recent events have shown, that's not always an ideal we live up to. The truth is that we have many of the same issues as any other industry but we often lack the tools and processes to address them adequately. So, that's where this week's conversation sits in as we sit down with...

Scott discusses how diversity, in every sense of the word, can improve the creativity and financial success of your haunted attraction.

It's another episode divisible by four and that means we're doing the news and what a news week we have. Has the nation and world begin the process of reopening, haunted attractions and similar locations are starting to open back up as well. As such, we have a lot of news about various attractions opening their doors for the first time in many months. But it's not just about that. We have some new...

Like it or not, the haunt industry is almost certainly heading into a period of great turmoil that is likely to be followed by a recession or even a depression. While that means some rough times are ahead, they are also an opportunity to change the way we work and prepare ourselves to grow. But what changes should we be eying? What adjustments can we make to elevate this whole industry? There are...

When a global crisis happens, like COVID-19 and similar contagious pandemics, haunted attractions and entertainment venues can suffer. Customers can become fearful to attend close-quarter events like concerts and attractions. State regulations may be different for your event this year and they’ll probably keep changing weekly. You may be feeling a bit uncertain about what this year’s season will a...

Right now is the time of year many haunts are starting to think about actor recruitment, retention and training. It's the time we touch base with our crews, start recruiting replacements and training everyone up. However, this year presents a special set of challenges. The days of 100+ person cattle calls are gone for right now and there are LOT of new things you need to think about training. So h...

This week's Haunt Weekly begins with something of a programming note. Originally, we had planned to have Japes Palles on to talk about actor recruitment and training while working remotely. However, some severe weather struck his area and he was not able to come on. So, we will have that conversation next week, same time, same channel. In the meantime, we wish Japes the best of luck with the clean...

Scott chats with his old friend and colleague, Alex Crow, about working together at Howl-O-Scream, his career after Busch Gardens and the future of the seasonal attractions industry. Enjoy their poignant observations and silly stories.

"Remote" brings you into a horror experience without leaving your house. But you'll feel like you're there. Learn how a"Remote" type of interactive digital experience can be used with your customers. Each year we always try to add something unique to our Haunted Attractions. Sometimes we need to think outside of the box so that we can prepare for the experiences customers want and crave...they jus...

Haunters, just like any profession, have a language and jargon all of our own. But for 228 episodes we've been using a lot of the lingo without making any attempt to actually define what any of it means. This week we are fixing that by going through some of the more common terms and expressions used in the haunt industry and among its members So, get your jargon hat on as we're opening the book on...

We ask Bart Butler and Michael Edwards from Terror in the Corn about their preseason preparation, scare acting, timed ticketing, surviving a pandemic, outdoor haunting, and more Haunt stuff! This was recorded from our LIVE virtual prepared summit. You can find more trainings and master classes at HauntersToolbox.com Follow Terror in the Corn at https://terrorinthecorn.com/ This was recorded LIVE d...

Even as the quarantine drags on and haunters find themselves either worrying about the upcoming season or occupying their time with whatever projects they can do, Haunt Weekly marches on. To that end, we started thinking about what haunts might be doing if things weren't sideways and quickly realized that it's Easter and, for many haunts, that means special holiday openings. While they may not be...

Scott discusses ways to think differently in the face of changing times. This episode is dedicated to those who are concerned about their professional, personal and artistic futures.

This week on Haunt Weekly, we're continuing the proud tradition of finding people smarter than ourselves to discuss the topics at hand. Today, that means sitting down with Chris Gay, an EMT and rescue chief that is also the brains behind Haunt Tech Tips and a regular speaker to the haunt community about how to prepare for medical emergencies. With everything going on with COVID-19 and the concerns...

Recorded on March 16, 2020, Scott shares his thoughts and opinions about how the COVID-19 situation can and should affect the Haunted Attraction Industry. I also got your text. I am pretty open this week and I would love to see what virtual stuff we could do to compensate for the postponement of Transworld

One of the biggest issues we found when we asked you "What is one of your biggest challenges as a Haunter?" We kept seeing this answer: time and money. In this podcast episode, we cover ways to save time AND money as you start and grow your haunted house. This was recorded LIVE during one of our Master Classes. You can find all of our past seminars, classes, and workshops at HauntersToolbox.com Gr...