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The Midwest Haunters Convention and The Scare-a-Torium with Kelly Collins

scaryvi1 — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:40:10 +0000

The Midwest Haunters Convention is the last Haunt Industry Convention of the year in the United States. If you haven’t attended a Haunted Attraction Convention, Haunt Trade Show, or Haunted House Conference this year then this is your last chance! The Midwest Haunters Convention is located in Columbus,Ohio through the dates of June 7th through June 9th. Plus, a Pre-show Haunt Tour covering over 20 Haunted Attractions through June 5 & 6! There are still tickets and room available…but you better hurry…

We get Kelly Collins on HaunTopic Radio to give you the details behind the Midwest Haunters Convention, all of the shows and events, and some news about the Scare-a-Torium Haunted Attraction. (Kelly’s Haunt) All of the prices are in this episode and make sure to check out the links below to find out more about all of the crazy cool stuff going on at the Midwest Haunter’s Convention.

The Midwest Haunters Convention (MHC) is the largest Halloween show of its kind in the US serving Haunted Attraction Industry professionals and enthusiasts. The MHC features a tradeshow, education, chartered bus tours and entertainment; and it returns to Columbus, Ohio June 7-9, 2013 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel for its 10^th year.

The MHC Trade Show features a 60,000 square foot show room floor with over 100 vendors. Educational seminars and workshops as well as networking activities are offered. The 2012 MHC features a Monster Masquerade Costume Party featuring the Body Art Fashion Show and contests including the Bloody Mary Monster Makeup Wars Competition, Ms Midwest Scary Pageant & the Scariest Character Contest. The Midwest Haunters Convention is sponsored by Donat Insurance Services.

We hope you take advantage of all the conventions, trade shows, conferences, make-and-takes, costume parties, seminars, webinars, and social events tailored for Haunters. These gatherings may just give you that creative spark you have been searching for or you might meet someone who can help you in in your journey as a Haunter…

REMEMBER- To Win a HAuNTcon T-Shirt (large), You Must Be a Member of HaunTopic Radio. It’s FREE. Reply to One of Our Emails We Have Sent Out With ‘CONTEST’ in the Subject Line By May 24th. That’s It. One Winner Will Be Picked This Month. If You Are Not a Member Become a HaunTopic Member By Clicking Here.

Topics we talk about in this episode:

The West Coast Haunters Convention with Ed Roberts and Darryl’s Return from HAuNTcon

scaryvi1 — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:05:11 +0000

Are you a Home Haunter, Halloween Fan, or Haunted Attraction Owner who lives on the west coast or you want to take a trip somewhere that caters to you as a Haunter? Then the West Coast Haunter’s Convention is a good place to be. We interview Ed Roberts, the man behind the WCHC and the Nightmare Factory, and get the inside scoop on what will be at the convention and why you need to go.

The West Coast Haunter’s Convention is in Portland, Oregon at the Doubletree Hotel and offers education and entertainment to Home Haunters, Haunt Owners, Halloween Fans, and everyone involved with the Haunt Industry. If you sell Haunt supplies or are looking for a place to meet other scary people like you then this is definitely an option. The West Coast Haunter’s Convention is a non-profit organization which uses all the profits from the show for The Oregon School for the Deaf. The kids and staff help Ed operate and act at the Nightmare Factory and participate in setting up the convention.

With guest speakers like Cydney Neil (owner of The Rockey Point Haunted House), Scott Simmons (owner of The ScareHouse), and Mike Krausert (director of operations of Nightmare New England) there will be much knowledge to absorb and creativity to explore. The Bloodshed Brothers and Halloween Hellmouth will also be sharing the details of their journey from Home Haunters to Pro Haunters. Plus all the vendors, haunt tours, costume ball, new friends, and much more…you can’t afford to miss this one!

The Stuff We Talk About in This Episode

This month’s give away was sponsored by Whimzkulls. To buy Halloween cookies go visit the Whimzkull Store. The winners are:

Dustin Aurand
Sean King
Mollie

To win a 2013 HAuNTcon T-shirt (large) for the month of May you need to be a member of the Haunter’s Toolbox.

Subscribe Here.

The National Haunter’s Convention with Michael Bruner and Steve Randi

scaryvi1 — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:27:08 +0000

We packed this episode with double the fun! We get Michael Bruner in the dungeon and torture him for details on his event The National Haunter’s Convention (or The National Halloween, Horror, Haunted House, & Hearse Conversation) which will be at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA on May 3-5. We also turn to Steve Randi, a home haunter going to the pro side, and ask him what he expects from the National Haunter’s Convention this year and why he is setting up a Haunted Attraction in the middle of the convention floor!

Michael Bruner gives you many reasons why you should not miss this year’s convention. An all night Tour to Shocktoberfest, a Wild West Costume Ball, a family friendly environment, new vendors in the Haunt Industry, a hearse show, education for Haunters, the showroom floor, and much more! If you live close by (or even if you don’t) it’s still not too late to jump in your transportation device and go there.

Steve Randi has been a Home Haunter for over 7 years and has decided to take his skills to the Professional side of Haunting. After his home haunt in Danbury, CT outgrew his house he knew it was time to venture into finding a permanent location. He will be displaying his talent for the first time in front of many other Haunters and Halloween fans at this year’s convention. With his crew and help from the SEPHH (South Eastern Pennsylvania Home Haunters) there will will be a complete Haunted Attraction on the show room floor complete with props, actors, and scary goodness. I’m sure you can find Steve there and ask him questions about becoming a Professional Attraction and his experience in Home Haunting. Tell him HaunTopic Radio sent ya….

The National Haunters Convention is like a huge reunion that you look forward every year to attending. We offer many of the features of a large haunt convention without the large bite out of your budget. If you are a Professional or Amateur haunter, a Halloween home or yard haunter, or just plan the coolest Halloween parties among all your friends, then this convention is for you. If you like to visit conventions or have never been to one before we welcome everyone who is into Goth, horror movies, classic movies, animatronics, robots, makeup, prop building, airbrushing, or just plain anything to do with Halloween to attend. Our seminars are top notch, and you will find vendors that have products and services that will amaze you.
For anyone in the past 8 years who has been to a Pennsylvania Haunters Gathering (our predecessor) or an Eastern Haunters Convention they will tell you: our event is about networking, learning and having a good time. The vendors are coming out in droves with a huge variety of products from Animations to Promotional Products. This is a chance of a lifetime for haunts of every size to meet the vendors and other haunters face-to-face, see products in person, stock up on supplies, and have a great time.
You will have the opportunity to participate in informative seminars with industry professionals, win great haunt-related prizes, tour local top notch haunted attractions and even attend our costume ball.
We invite you to browse our website, learn about our seminars, the convention show floor, our famous costume ball, our vendors, and our events. You can purchase tickets online at a discount, or at the door the weekend of the event at full price. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

FIND MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS HERE:

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAIL LIST TO WIN FREE HALLOWEEN COOKIES FROM WHIMZKULLS!!

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HAuNTcon 2013 with Bobbie Weiner, Dick Terhune, Alex Lohmann, & Henry Cowen

scaryvi1 — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:17:15 +0000

In this episode of HaunTopic Radio, Darryl Plunkie goes solo and gets a few of the attendees and vendors on the mic to talk all things HAuNTcon. Guests such as Bobbie Weiner from Bloody Mary Make Up, Dick Terhune the famous Voice From Hell, Alex Lohmann from 13th Street Morgue/Dungeon of Doom, and Henry Cowen who provides Theatrical Supplies to Haunted Attractions.

We also cover a few informative seminars and why you need to take advantage of them to succeed in the Haunt Industry. A peek into the Hearse Convention. And don’t miss out on the Haunt Garage Sale to get some deals on some discount products at the convention.

The Haunted Attraction Tradeshow and Conference (HAuNTcon) is an convention “Designed by Haunters, for Haunters” of every age and level of experience. Four fun-filled days and nights filled with Educational Seminars, Workshops, Trade Show, Haunted garage Sale, Custom Hearse Show and networking socials like the incredible Costume Ball, who’s theme this year is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Masquerade.

Here is where you can find our guests:

HAuNTcon Special Links:

ENTER THIS MONTH’S CONTEST AND WIN FREE HALLOWEEN COOKIES FROM WHIMZKULLS! MAKE SURE YOU’RE ON OUR EMAIL LIST. SIGN UP HERE

How to create realistic corpses without killing anyone!

scaryvi1 — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:08:05 +0000

The highlight of the year for scare enthusiasts is fast upon us, and making your own entire corpse, or parts of a corpse, is the best way to make a truly frightening impression on your guests at Halloween. So, if you fancy a spooky buddy for Halloween night, follow this guide and get haunting…

The full corpse

If you need a fully clothed character to glare frighteningly at people as they arrive at your house (and your weird uncle Alan isn’t available), why not try this ambitious full corpse and really go for it this Halloween.

Wooden framework

Create the body for your figure using pieces of 2×4 cut to form the outline of:

Shoulders
Arms (with an elbow joint)
Spine
Hips
Legs (with a knee joint)

Attach these together with duct tape, sturdily across the shoulders and hips, and with a hinge on the elbows and knees to give your character a slightly flimsy, jerky look.

Hands and feet

Use grey gardening gloves and old shoes sprayed with black paint at the finger tips and toes so they look rotten in gloomy light.

Head

Take a cheap plastic skull and, using PVA glue, cover it with a thin layer of muslin cloth. Add small amounts of grey paint in the shaded parts to make a cheap tacky skull look like it’s covered with rotting skin. Long grey hair from a fancy dress wig will also make the skull look more human-like.

Clothing

Make an old shirt and suit trousers look aged and grimy using watered-down yellow paint and a smattering more of spray paint.

A skeleton

A cheap plastic skeleton can be turned into a frightening corpse by using cobweb material, latex paint to cover, and a small amount of liquid latex and brown paint for the ageing effect. Frightening!

Body parts

If you haven’t got enough time or space to make a whole body, what about just making a few bits to freak your guests out?

Eyeballs

Bouncy balls make the perfect basic shape for eyeballs. Spray paint them black and then white. Use an earplug to make the iris shape and then accurately draw the pupil with a fine paintbrush. Use a paper towel to apply thin streaks of red acrylic paint to give the appearance of broken veins on the eyeball.

Brains

An edible brain could make the perfect centrepiece dessert for a party. Shop around for a brain-shaped jelly mould and fill it with panna cotta and cranberry sauce. Once your guests see this dish, they will really feel the gory atmosphere.

Dressing yourself to match

After making such an effort to make your house look the part, don’t let yourself down by wearing an old sheet and thinking it makes a believable ghost outfit. Halloween costumes are worth putting some work into, and so going to a professional supplier such as the Escapade London fancy dress store is a good option if you’re more skilled at corpsing than you are at sewing.