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Author: Brian

The Haunter’s Hangout Hacks Into HaunTopic Radio!!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:47:30 — 147.6MB)

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HELP! We are overrun by the Haunters of The Haunter’s Hangout!!

The Haunters HangoutSomeone tapped into our podcast stream and stuck 1 and a half hours of nothing but some loud and passionate Haunters rambling on about scare acting, haunt ownership, design tips, the ups & downs of Haunting, and maybe a little talk of alcohol! I know I recognized some of the voices in this audio…maybe Bart Butler and Michael Edwards from The Haunt House and Open Casket Designs…Steve Reeves from Steve’s Haunted Yard…Dan Doble from Halloween Room and Inside the Industry….and those other clowns from The Haunter’s Hangout!

Can You believe this??

This is not our normal format and we have no idea what happened!?! They even drop THE ‘F’ BOMB a few times! You’ll have to listen to this for yourself and tell us what you think. Should we let them in next time or block them from ever getting back into our podcast?

They do get a bit crazy, loud, and rude!?

But they do have some really great ideas.

Well, we might be able to overlook this ‘hacking into our podcast’ incident if you would like to hear more from their guests. I don’t know how they get all of these cool haunters on their show but I hope they understand what they’re getting into.
 
We did pull some of these links out of the audio so maybe you can help us track them down!!

If you find them…tell them that we know who they are and we want our audio back!!
 

So…Should They Come Back or Not? Leave us a comment or reply!! 

 

Win One Of These Prizes! Submit Your Entry Before Feb.24th. You Must Be a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter. Sign Up Here. (All new members will be automatically entered.)

A hand crafted ‘Melted Molly’ latex mask from Face Factory FX

Face Factory FX

(2) 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendars (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.

 

Horror in the UK: Mark Lofthouse from Scare Kingdom & Horror Author Anthony Crowley

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:38 — 97.0MB)

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In this episode of HaunTopic Radio we go international for the first time and meet up with a recognized UK horror author Anthony Crowley and Mark Lofthouse, the Director of Imagineering at AtmosFear Scare Entertainment. Anthony creates a chilling atmosphere for you and shares his journey as a Horror Author and some ideas you can use to create a scary story. Mark helps you understand some creative elements in scare entertainment and how to use them in your home haunt or haunted attraction. Who knew there was so much horror in the UK?

Horror Author Anthony CrowleyAnthony Crowley is a fiction author of Horror Supernatural literature and a non-fiction author of Esoteric Studies and Philosophy. He also writes poetry, magazine articles, song lyrics and a little music composing. He is the author of the best seller ‘The Light Of Keeps Passage’ which has sold all over the world and was also used as a textbook in many educational establishments, such as colleges and universities and also been advertised and mentioned in local book shops in his hometown of West Midlands,UK.

Watch out for his new book ‘The Mirrored Room’ and listen to this audio interview we get some insights on How To Write a Great Horror Story and What To Think About Before You Start Writing Any Piece Of Horror (maybe a back story for your Haunt?)

AtmosFear Scare EntertainmentMark Lofthouse is the Creative Director for AtmosFEAR! Scare Entertainment, which is Europe’s biggest supplier of scare attractions and scare entertainment in all its forms. They have a unique 13 year heritage during which they have created 113 scare entertainment projects for clients including theme parks, agritainment parks and heritage attractions. Working with greats such as Walt Disney Pictures, Merlin Entertainments, celebrity business guru Duncan Bannatyne, Universal Pictures, Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park, Virgin 1, Funtasia Theme Parks, Showzam and Hellenic Entertainment Parks.

But for most of you, The Scare Kingdom Scream Park might ring some bells. One of Europe’s most visited Scare Attractions! If you are in the United Kingdom this February, check out their Valentine’s Day Scare Attraction La’ Mortis House of Darkness!

 

The Topics Discussed in This Episode:

 

Win One Of These Prizes! Submit Your Entry Before Feb.24th. You Must Be a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter. Sign Up Here. (All new members will be automatically entered.)

A hand crafted ‘Melted Molly’ latex mask from Face Factory FX

Face Factory FX

(2) 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendars (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.

 

The California Haunters Retreat and Talking Haunts with Dave Enloe

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:05 — 96.2MB)

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California Haunters RetreatIn this episode of HaunTopic Radio, we get Dave Enloe from The Chamber Haunt/Scream in the Dark/The California Haunters Retreat on the mic to talk about Why Haunt Gatherings are Important, Advice For Starting Up our Haunt, and How Important is Marketing for Your Haunted House?

Rich Christensen fills The Haunter’s Toolbox full of foam and foam tool goodness with “Foam Wars: The Tools for Carving Foam and Which Type of Foam to Use”.

We also strap Dave to the electric chair and bring in another NEW segment we called The Electric Chair Round. This is where we fire some questions asked by you and us and get Dave’s quick replies.

What is the California Haunter’s Retreat?

We are a Haunted Attraction Gathering, not a convention.. (There are plenty of awesome conventions out there.)
We have no vendors.. (again there are plenty of places to go around the US to see new products for purchase.)
There are no fees at all.. (all you do is book a room, feed your face, and buy your drinks.)

So why come hang out with us? If you are serious about the haunt industry, this is the place to meet people that have been doing it on all levels for a LOT of years. This is the one on one grass roots gathering of the West Coast!! Going to the big conventions as most of us have, it is hard to meet good people in a one on one situation without being sidetracked by so many other things going on.

If you are not into the working side of a Haunted Attraction you will probably be bored to death. We are a group of people that are home haunters, semi pro haunters, and pro haunters that understand information and knowledge about our industry, which is the most important asset you can ever have.

Oh yeah.. And it gives us a reason to have a party at our costume ball!!!!

Haunt Topics in this episode:

 

Congrats to Todd Francis who won this mask!

A hand crafted Clown latex mask from Face Factory FX

face factory1

The winner of this calendar is “cotyrs123”. Please contact us to claim your prize!

A 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendar (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) So You Don’t Miss the Next Giveaway! If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.

 

Scare Acting at the Mystery Manor with Rich Christensen

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:06 — 61.9MB)

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Scare ActingIn this episode of HaunTopic Radio, we kidnap our new HaunTopic Crew Member Rich Christensen for an hour and try to steal all of his Haunting secrets. We talk Home Haunting on a budget, Scare Acting Advice, and Growing Up Halloween.

Rich has been a Halloween Enthusiast since he was younger and today he prides himself with finding cheap or free materials to build his new Halloween experiments. He uses his talent in each of our Haunter’s Toolbox segments with cheap and easy audio prop tutorials. He started Omaha Metro Haunters to find like minded Haunters in his local area and to help spark ideas for the Halloween season. Rich is also a scare actor for the Mystery Manor Haunted Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska which has been in operation for 30 years!

Also, make sure to listen to the middle of the podcast where Brian does a Haunter’s Toolbox segment on The 5 Types of Scare Actors. Some useful tips and tricks for scare acting for your next Halloween season!

The Back Story of The Mystery Manor

Built in 1887, this once magnificent dwelling was the home of William and Greta Hall. The meeting place of the elite of Omaha, it was dubbed Hall Manor by those who frequented its confines. The happy times ended on October 23, 1929 when the stock market crashed. By the end of the day William Hall, his vast fortune gone, was a broken man… and quite insane!

Late that night, in a blinding rage of madness, he took his ax from its place in the shed and attacked his dear Greta, chopping her body into pieces until his frenzy had abated. The next morning, realizing with horror what he had done, he carefully placed his wife’s remains in a shallow grave in the front yard of her beloved Manor.

A week later, Greta’s brother John Martin avenged his sister’s brutal murder by hacking up his former brother-in-law with the same ax. He reunited the couple in that shallow grave. The next night, Halloween, John Martin’s body was found at the grave sight with the ax imbedded in his skull.

Some believe the ghost of William Hall killed John Martin. To this day, the murder of John Martin remains a mystery – hence the name “Mystery Manor”. It has been widely rumored that the ghost of William Hall still wanders these halls every October waiting for strangers to come so that he might resume his terrible vengeance upon any soul who enters his home.

Find Out More About the Mystery Manor & Rich Christensen:

 

Win One Of These Prizes! Submit Your Entry Before Jan.24th. You Must Be a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter. Sign Up Here. (All new members will be automatically entered.)

A hand crafted Clown latex mask from Face Factory FX

face factory1

A 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendar (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.

HAuNTcon 2014 and Making Your Haunted House Successful with Leonard Pickel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:23 — 73.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple

hauntcon 2014HAuNTcon, The Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Convention, will be held in Houston, TX on January 23-28 and has teamed up with the Halloween & Expo Show for 2014! That means more Haunted House Tours, an Interactive Trade Show for Haunters, a weekend full of Education to make your Haunted Attraction successful, an over-the-top Costume Ball, a Garage Sale full of cheap items for your next show, and a chance to meet new friends and connect with those you have haven’t seen in awhile.

We get Leonard Pickel (the HAuNTcon mastermind) on the mic to give you the inside scoop on what HAuNTcon has to offer for 2014 so you can plan your schedule before you get there. This year HAuNTcon has teamed up with the Halloween and Party Expo, the first and LARGEST international show for the Halloween, Party, and Costume Industries; which should bring in new customers and products to the Haunt Industry.

 

Check out this Current List of Education Sessions, Classes, and Demos at HAuNTcon 2014  (More Classes Will be Added!)

Topic Presenter
Taking the Fright out of Writing a Haunted Business Plan Joyce McLean
Fire Codes for Haunted Attractions Fire Marshall Todd Mitchel & Shannon Brinkley
Sponsorships and Partnership Programs Julie Dion
Media Buying How-to Julie Dion
Advertising Using Facebook Ads Steve Colberg
Paid vs Volunteer; Operating an Attraction with a Hybrid Staff Jim Bugos
7 Ways to Profit in the $7 Billion Dollar Halloween Industry Kimberly Stewart
How To Build A Creative Team Chris & Jeff Davis and the crew of Davis Graveyard
Selling Sponsorships D’Ann Dagan
Critical Components of a Haunted Attraction Website Jeffrey Ward
Projected Ghost Effects Chris & Jeff Davis and the crew of Davis Graveyard
Using Fog And Special Effects To Safely Affect Your Bottom Line Chris Markgraf
Burns, Flesh Wounds, & Frozen Props! The Art of Detailing Dead Bodies Maris Blanchard
Theming your Haunt!”: Using Psychology to Dramatize Your
Theme and “Traumatize” Your Patrons!		 Craig Caldwell
Advanced Haunted Attraction Floor Plan Design Leonard Pickel
How Realistic Detailing Can Make Or Break Your Set Chris & Jeff Davis
Prop Fabrication On A Budget Russ Foster
Secrets of Queue Line Entertainment! Matthew Martino
How to WIN on FaceOff! Panel Roy Wooley & RJ Haddy
Application of Latex Prosthetics with Emphasis on Airbrushing to Achieve Desired Effect Tom Devlin
The Art of Foam Carving Chris & Jeff Davis and the crew of Davis Graveyard
Horror Face Painting at a Fast Pace! Nick Wolfe
How To Create Effective, Detailed Zombies Cheap and in a Pinch Dale Flink
Roy Wooley Demo Roy Wooley
Dingy, Disgusting Walls for Your Haunt Ettie Thompson
How To Properly And Effectively Light Your Attractions and Store Displays Quan Gan
RJ Haddy Demo RJ Haddy
Original Music For Your Haunted Attraction Chris Thomas
Prop in 3D! Simple carving techniques to make 3D
props for your haunt		 Laura Neeley
Makeup! Tips, Tricks,& Techniques! Hannah Moon

 

We also release the details for our January Giveaway where we will be giving away a one mask from Face Factory FX and one 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendar from Hector Turner. You must be a member of our Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter to qualify to win.

 

Topics & Links we discuss in this episode:

 

Win One Of These Prizes! Submit Your Entry Before Jan.24th. You Must Be a Member of The Haunter’s Toolbox Newsletter. Sign Up Here. (All new members will be automatically entered.)

A hand crafted Clown latex mask from Face Factory FX

face factory1

A 2014 Haunted Halloween Calendar (with Haunt Photos from all over the world!)

Haunted Halloween Calendar

Sign Up Here (FREE) If You Are Not Currently a Haunter’s Toolbox Member.