Life Lessons in Haunting

I was dead set on doing Troupe Macabre as my theme this year. I was really looking forward to it, and had a whole spiel for my role as the Carnival Barker. But, to say the least, life intervened. I was feeling very stressed, and due to a busy schedule, didn't get many Sideshow-themed props built. Two nights ago, my stepdad, Ben, suggested that in order to actually some stress free fun on Halloween, simply build on last year's display (Scarecrow Hill), because I had so many "Traditional Hallowe'en" props, why not simply add to that collection. Life gives you pumpkins, you make pie. The point I'm trying to make is that, in a way, Halloween is more important than a Haunt, and by that I mean what's the point of having a cool haunt if that day of days sucks because of stress and panic? And to you all, I'm sorry Troupe Macabre didn't materialize, it was a cool, albeit complex, idea. I hope you all like my haunt this year. It's sort of a sequel to last year, but with the addition of witchcraft. Here's the video from my spectacular, all new, YOUTUBE CHANNEL! You can check the entire channel at www.youtube.com/user/halloweenut13



Oh, and a hat tip to new follower KK. And an extra special greeting to AutumnForest, of Ghost Hunting Theories, a fun paranormal/horror blog, and whose truly a kind person. Seriously, go check out her blog now!

Yes, I know...

I've had a bunch of different haunt and party ideas this year. And It wasn't very fun. I mean, thinking about the different themes was fun, but towards the end I started feeling confused and uncertain about the haunt this year. But Halloween is only 99 days away and I decided to buckle down and decide on my Halloween plans. So here is the final, absolute, super-duper plan of the HalloweeNut (I promise):

Party:
This is my first Halloween party. I mean, EVER. So, I'm gonna keep it simple - no theme, Pizza, chips 'n' dip, music, scary movie. I figure I kinda have to show a scary movie that most people probably won't have seen, but still ties into the season. So I'm gonna show one of my all time favorites: TRICK 'R TREAT! The music will be a mix of Scary Rock/Metal (Rob Zombie, Creature Feature, Powerman 5000) and dark ambient (Midnight Syndicate, Nox Arcana). I've got all kinds of cool of ideas for decorations, and my costume will be the same costume for my haunt. Which leads me to announce the actual theme of my haunt this year....

Haunt:
Well, I've truly come full circle with this year's theme. I've gone from carnival to taking a year off, and I decided to buckle my @$$ down and choose a theme, and start building! So I'm going to go with original theme - Troupe Macabre Haunted Sideshow. I'm changing it from a "carnival" theme to a "sideshow" theme. The front porch will be transformed into a Freak Museum, and the front sidewalk will be the "Midway". Once again, plenty of cool ideas, but there's a lot hard work ahead. But I'll try to take some time to blog. I've got tons of cool circus/sideshow stuff to show you all. But that will have to wait; I've got props to build. Stay Scary!

OK, for those that didn't know already...

I'm quite indecisive when it comes to my haunt. My plan for this year was to take the year "off" (so to speak) and let my stepdad take over the haunt in PA, while I prepared for a walk-thru party haunt in 2011. Well, it didn't work out exactly as planned. Not that I got distracted by another theme, but I got overwhelmed by the size, scale, and EXPENSE of the walk-thru project. Remember, I'm only in high school, so I don't have a huge budget! So I've made a slight change of plans: my Stepdad will still run the porch haunt in PA this year, and I'll be focusing my energy and personal budget on a Halloween party for my friends. This one doesn't have a theme (unless "general Halloween stuff" counts as a theme). But it should be fun and I'm looking forward to it.

PS: the above image is one of many cool pics from the Love Manor Flickr page

BIG Haunt Changes!

OK. I know I said I was going to do a dark carnival haunt this year. Things have changed. But definetly for the better.

I've always wanted to do a walk-thru haunt. And after seeing Steve Hickman's Dark Works last year, the urge has been even stronger. Well, I recently ordered the Terror Syndicate Homer Haunter's Prop Building Videos vol. 4 (man that's mouth full), which focuses on building a free-standing walk-thru. Another thing I had wanted to do was host a "party haunt", or a haunt where you open it both for a party as well as to the public on Halloween.
I've made a decision: I'm canceling "Troupe Macabre" this year, to focus on creating a highly elaborate (and probably expensive) walk-thru party haunt for 2011. As for this year, I'm going to experiment with a more atmosphere-based haunt that is less prop oriented. The theme will be an old, decrepit house, the kind every neighborhood in America used to have; the ones kids would call the "haunted house". But that's something for another time. I'm probably going to be doing some postings on HauntForum about this, so if anyone has any questions, just shoot me a note there.

Well, I guess it can't hurt to reveal the party haunt's name:

The 13th Street Morgue

PS: Two big shout-outs:
1) go over to Pumpkin Knight's blog, The Land of Always October - he has some very cool news :)
2) Another shout-out to me first British Follower, Ali. Thanks for joining - now I'm boring on an international level!

Halloween 2010

I bid you velcome, fellow spookables.

I'm hear to give you all a little clue about my Haunt theme this Halloween. Last year's haunt was great, but I'm going to try and make this year's haunt even better. I've been looking into all sorts of atmosphere effects, such as new lighting, fog FX, and even spooky scents. All to help set a mood. I'm hoping this year will provide a break from my typical Gothic or "Classic Hallowe'en" themes. It's a popular theme I'm doing this year, but I'm doing MY way, which will hopefully be very different from your typical version of this theme. I'll make it gritty and disturbing, with a very angry vibe. I'll create an atmosphere that is haunting and mysterious, yet feeling like something very, very bad is about to happen. The kind of feeling that keeps you looking over your shoulder, looking for that potential attacker. In the backstory I'm working on, the characters from the Haunt are seeking a bloody revenge.....on you! I'm working on a video to annoucne the theme this year; the picture above is a little hint at things to come...

Well, back to work. Scare ya later, kiddies!

Journey into Madness

Well, tonight is my trip to the haunt of Steve Hickman's DARK WORKS. I gotta say, I'm really excited about seeing this legendary haunt in person. This was one of those "haunts on the forefront", with its elaborate maze layout, high-tech pneumatics, and clever use of monster mud. I'm also excited about meeting Steve, it should be cool to get to talk shop with another haunter. Overall, it should be a fun night. Since I'll be getting back really late, I'll post about it tommorow. Now, get back to your prop building you sickos!

PS: Thanks to CB and House Bloodthorn for joining my blog. You both have some very cool blogs yourselves!

ScreamParks (Part 1)

Hello, again, haunters of all ages.

Well, I hope to be busy working on one of my scarecrows this Labor Day weekend, and I've been looking for topics when it came to me: I've covered home haunts, but not any pro haunts! So I've decided to cover some haunted ScreamParks* before Halloween!

* ScreamPark: noun; a Halloween theme park consisting of haunted attractions.

The first one I want to cover is an old favorite: Universal Studios Florida's HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS! Its been around since 1991, and has just gotten better since. This year's theme is RIPPED From the Silver Screen! and it just looks awesome! There are three haunts themed to the movies SAW, Child's Play, and an upcoming remake of The Wolfman. Two of the haunts are themed as re-imaginings of Frankenstein and Dracula, while the other haunts are done in the style of cheesey B-rate horror flicks. There's also a haunt called "Silver Screams" and is themed as an old haunted theatre. The mascot or "Icon" this year is called "The Usher", and is very creepy looking. Other attractions include Scarezones and two Stage Shows. Check out their awesome site, you won't regret it!

Halloween Horror Nights

Tommorow's ScreamPark: Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses.

Official Backstory (Part 2)

Man, do I seriously need to keep my promises when it comes to blogging. Thankfully, school has let out, so I can do more blogging and prop-making over the summer. However, this post is to tell you part of the aforementioned backstory, so here it goes:

Once upon a time, in a town called Raven's Wood, New Hampshire, there was a very wealthy, and powerfull man named Emerick Belsco. He owned several farms and businesses in the country, and lived in his own mansion, called Belsco Manor. He had a young wife and more money than God. But, he had a bizare and disturbing obbsestion with scarecows. He had at least 30 of them, all displayed on a hill over looking his house. But there was one he was desperate to find: it was called the Hangman's Crow. It was actually the mummified remains of a serial killer who was hung shortly before the American Revolution. As punishment, the killer was turned into a scarecow, and displayed in a farmers field. Belsco had been looking for the Hangman's Crow for years. And one day, it was discovered in a farmer's barn......

To Be Continued......

Official Backstory (Part 1)

Hello again. As I've already posted on May 24th, I've been working on an offical backstory and permenent theme for all the Halloweens after 2009. The story involves a man named Emerick Belsco, and is set just into the 19th Centeury. Its about Belsco's desire for macabre artifact called the "Hangman's Crow". It will be set in an old, rotting Gothic mansion. The goal of this unique haunt will be to play tricks on the guest's minds. Interestingly enough, I consider Halloween 2009's theme of Scarecrow Hill to be a prequel to Belsco Manor in '10 (they both use the same scarecrow prop). Already, cool prop ideas are spinning thru my head (hearse....talking corpse....haunted seance). Ahh, pleasent goose bumps :) Later today, I'll post the Belsco backstory!

Back from FrightFest!

Hi again! I'm back from my day trip to the Great Lakes FrightFest. In the short, it was a BLAST! We had to get up really early to go on our three hour car trip to Petersburg, Michigan, just over the Ohio border. The campsite on its own, I wouldn't recommend, but, in full swing of the FrightFest, the campsite was in true Halloween spirits. Whacked-out hearses were parked next to elaborately decorated tents. There were seminars, how-to demonstrations, kiddie activities, great meals, and above all, shear spooky fun! The first seminar I saw was on saftey, and was done by "Crazy" Bob Turner of the Haunted Hydro in Toledo, Ohio. Unfortunately, We (me, my dad, and my brother and sister) had to leave after dinner, so we didn't see the Fog-Off by Froggy's Fog, or the Haunters Against Hunger Haunted House :( But, I think I might be able to go next year, so watch out, Great Lakes FrightFest, the HalloweeNut WILL be back.....with a VENGEANCE!!!
PS: Later today, I'll post the pics I took.

Great Lakes FrightFest

Pics from My First Haunt (Part 1)

I know, not the best display ever, but the ToT's (and me) loved it. I'll post more soon!

A Permanent theme?

For years now, a story has been circling in my mind. A story about a man named Emerick Belsco. I don't even remember how I came up with the name "Belsco" (pronounced "Bell-SKO"). This character has gone thru all kinds of variations , from a pirate captain to a British Lord to a gunslinger and back again. But in the end, he's always been a kind of evil overlord, ruling an innocent little town in New England. His home has always been Belsco Manor. And he, in every version of his tale, has a VERY bloody end. But finally, after two years, he is finally coming home. By 2010, there will be a new kind of nightmare on the block. This haunt will focus on the ghosts that are a result of one man's dark obbsessions, and his ruthless quest for something called the "Hangman's Crow". Stay tuned for more....

My First Haunt (Part 1)

I began haunting three years ago. Now, I like unusual films, so I was instantly taken with the horror classic Phantom of the Opera. My mom and I had watched it one summer, and she said, "We should build a pipe organ for Halloween!" I was a bit surprised; up 'till then, my mom didn't enjoy Halloween like I did. Months went by, and I forgot. But come October, Mom brought it up again. So, we did it. We used here writing desk as the base of the organ, and painted cardboard fabric tubes as pipes. My Dad bought me a strobe light. I burned a CD of Gothic Opera. But, just two days before Halloween, I said "We need a backdrop." So, I spent all of Halloween (I was home-schooled at the time) shopping for props. I bought a skull candle, battle axe and scythe, "Phantom" mask, and lots of cobwebs in bags. Then, the evening arrived.....

Why this Blog exists

Your probably wondering what this blog is all about, right? Well, it is dead-icated to my favorite holiday of all time, HALLOWEEN! It is also dedicated to my hobby of Extreme Halloween Decorating, or "Yard Haunting". I have currently haunted for three years, and I'm already building for my fourth. Past themes have included Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein's Laboratory, and Granny's Parlor. This year's theme will be "Scarecrow Hill". I will update my blog as often as possible, with Philisophical Halloween Ramblings, updates on the haunt, fun and spooky pics, and much, much more! Please check back soon.