Haunted House Discussion

[Dan_Cardone]

In some bigger cities i've been there there are "Certified Paranormal Experts" who will walk you around the city, give you some made up ghost stories and 'haunted history' of the places and finish the tour back at a local bar/pub (for which they get paid to end at by the bar). They charge like $10 - $25 per person, and get an own amount from the bar, to do this and from what I can tell they almost always have at least 7+ people.

One more professional group actually takes the participants into a graveyard and does some sort of tarot card reading and "ghost talking" They then hand out "ghost detecting" tools and let people search around. My buddy did it and loved it. He paid $25 and said there were 11 other people. I guess they max out at 12 per group.

Both seems like an easy setup and high profit business.

 

[Raoul Duke]

View attachment zZnxfJv.mp4

 

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[SeanODG]

Well, I'd say this really isn't possible as a last minute thing. It needs to be started probably at least a year in advance. There's a ton of factors to account for:

- Location
- Parking
- City Codes & Ordinances
- Security / EMT
- Insurance
- Prop Acquisition (or building)
- Actors
- Make Up Artists
- Cashiers
- Licenses

TBH There's probably a million other things that I have no idea about that go into this. The Netflix special seems to hint that others start their yearly preparations around 3 months in advance (but they've already been operating for years).

Think you're right @lex!

That being said, I'd also imagine few people are willing to put in months of effort for a seasonal attraction. They'll talk themselves out of it as a "silly idea"

AKA that sounds like an opportunity

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Think you're right @lex!

That being said, I'd also imagine few people are willing to put in months of effort for a seasonal attraction. They'll talk themselves out of it as a "silly idea"

AKA that sounds like an opportunity

The tricky part is looking at this as a seasonal attraction in the first place. It seems like people think about haunts and get stuck on the haunt AS the business.

I look at the haunt as more of a culminating event. The business is not the haunt, but the haunt is a big income opportunity.

So the question for me becomes what business could I build that is related to the haunt, and can also sustain itself during ALL seasons and then turn a huge profit in October?

Random thoughts based on the question above:
- The business shouldn't be tied to Halloween
- The business should operate with minimal staff except during haunt season
- The business should generate buzz for the year's haunt throughout the year
- The business should offer non-haunt products online and offline
- The business should probably be involved in the local community

Other random thoughts:
I wonder if the haunted house could be an upsell opportunity? Could I apply guru funnels to this model? Would some people buy a $100 or $1000 ticket to a scarier event after they exit a $20 haunt they enjoyed? Theme parks sell photos and t-shirts after roller coaster rides. Maybe a photo from inside the haunt would be a better upsell.

 

[Sander]

The tricky part is looking at this as a seasonal attraction in the first place. It seems like people think about haunts and get stuck on the haunt AS the business.

I look at the haunt as more of a culminating event. The business is not the haunt, but the haunt is a big income opportunity.

So the question for me becomes what business could I build that is related to the haunt, and can also sustain itself during ALL seasons and then turn a huge profit in October?

Random thoughts based on the question above:
- The business shouldn't be tied to Halloween
- The business should operate with minimal staff except during haunt season
- The business should generate buzz for the year's haunt throughout the year
- The business should offer non-haunt products online and offline
- The business should probably be involved in the local community

Other random thoughts:
I wonder if the haunted house could be an upsell opportunity? Could I apply guru funnels to this model? Would some people buy a $100 or $1000 ticket to a scarier event after they exit a $20 haunt they enjoyed? Theme parks sell photos and t-shirts after roller coaster rides. Maybe a photo from inside the haunt would be a better upsell.

Or even video upsell of the whole tour

 

[Lex DeVille]

So to flesh this out a bit more.

Lets say your overall story is "You just got kidnapped by a psycho and now you must escape!"

The first week of the month would be "Chapter One." The would go through a series of escape rooms and deal with whatever scary stuff you come up with.

Throughout this some guide takes them through this scary story and journey.

By the time they escape there should be some sort of cliff hanger. Now they are encouraged to come back to participate in Chapter Two which is always held the second weekend of every month. Then chapter three and four on the third and fourth weekends.

The grand ending would be your halloween event.

I guess I'm saying to design a big horror story and allow people to be the real life characters. Nothing like that (as far as I know) exist but I would do it over and over again!

Yeah, that's why it makes sense to build up over months instead of just being seasonal. Stories don't even need to be tied to the haunt location. They can start online and involve the local community. Plus stories can change from year to year so it's not redundant and doesn't grow stale. That's one thing I always like about watching American Horror Story. Each season uses the same cast, but tells a completely different, yet equally terrifying tale.

 

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[Tourmaline]

I imagine an app can be a perfect virtual tour guide! What if you could setup RFID points that the app responded to as well?

 

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[foodiepersecond]

I've had an unscratched itch for a while and thought someone might have experience. Whether you've run a haunted house or just want to chat about it, let's open up discussion. There was also a Shark Tank episode of a horror company setting up a haunted house that may break down some info for you.

Here are some questions for anyone who has done it:

1. What was the startup investment like?
2. What do you wish you knew going into it?
3. How did you advertise and what worked?
4. Was it worth your time and were you profitable (within 3 years?)
5. What else?

If you haven't run a haunted house but are curious, what are your thoughts? Would you do it? How would you approach it? How would you stay top-of-mind throughout the year? How would you make it profitable in the off-season?

Super relevant since I just got back from Universal Studios Halloween Horror Night. Also, Atlanta has had the best haunted house in the nation for several years, Netherworld. HHN was great because the haunted houses were based on a show or theme, such as Stranger Things, the classic monsters i.e. Dracula, Frankensteins monster. Netherworld simply has the best theatrics, makeup, set displays, and overall production. I can't tell you how to set up a house but I can point to very popular and top of the line houses that did it.

 

[Sheens]

Maybe? I really don't know.

What do parents take their little kids outside to do all year?

Amusement parks, parks, swimming pool, paintball, corn maze, pumpkin patch, frisbee golf, bumper cars, an old school arcade (do those still exist?) ...

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

And damnit @minivanman they got to the idea first.. Pooh.

 

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[minivanman]

This type of volunteering works. My friend who owned a dirt track used to schedule a demo-derby. Then he would get the local cub scout pack to come out. Give them free admission, free food and after the nights events, they would set up tents to camp on the infield. Then the next morning they would wake up and clean all the debris off the race track. The Nascar tracks do the same things so someone that does this might want to keep something like that in mind. Great post @FullTimePreneur

 

[MTEE1985]

Scariest haunted house in U.S. requires 40-page waiver, doctor’s note, safe word

WARNING: This article contains graphic images and embedded video. SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. (WFLA) — You really don’t want to do this. This is what every person must utter after failing to comp…

www.google.com

So....yeah. No thanks. This place has a waitlist of 24,000 people. I’d venture a guess that even if he did charge that number would stay the same.

 

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[Entre Eyes]

I never believed in ghosts until I went to Google Street View of a 3 Story building I Lived in as a child and the face of the woman that was stabbed to death as her 4 kids were in the next room was plastered on the window like a pancake.

I did not realize it til later what I was seeing and when I went back to screen capture Google had driven on that street again. Now beautiful clear window.

Google has an archive of real ghost proofs as well as a ton of fake The Grudge pics I can imagine.

 

[Kepler]

$35 seems kind of steep for a haunted corn maze. Do they offer other stuff after entry? Like vendors or games or anything like that? Most of the haunts around here are between $10 and $20. I can see paying higher prices for things like:

- VIP Head of Line Pass
- Multiple Attractions

Not sure what else. Beyond those I imagine money after entry coming from upsells like t-shirts, concessions and other merch.

Out here $35 is pretty standard for fear farm, and 13th floor. They are always busy and usually have a couple haunts to go through

 

[Boogie]

Lex,

If you would like to build a haunted house or escape room business. I believe the biggest trade show for them is in St. Louis. They put on Halloween and Christmas trade shows rolled into one, have several haunted houses and an escape room, provide events, and I remember them being in the consulting and training business as well.

Here are some links:

TransWorld Trade Shows - This contains links to their Halloween and Christmas trade shows. The show is in February. Its events page shows that it deals a lot with business and marketing topics. But it looks like these pages have not been updated with 2023 info.

America's Scariest Haunted Houses - The Darkness - Lemp - Creepyworld - The link to their haunted houses in St. Louis - Darkness, Lemp Brewery, Creepyworld, St. Louis Escape, Silly Putter Retro Golf - These might be good for you to check out to see how a large operator handles them.

The escape room business easily allows for business team building and caters to that.

On the web dev front, this seems to be the Halloween focused web dev they use:
sinistervisions.com

You can go to Find Haunted Houses - Best Haunts - Haunted Attractions | HauntWorld to find attractions around the country.

They may have more businesses. I just mentioned the ones that were obvious. They've spawned some good sized businesses in the Halloween industry.

From a productocracy point of view, in that industry they built enough momentum and respect that they have also built 300 haunted houses and amusement park features around the world for other companies as well.

I hope this helps if you do decide to pursue it.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I’ve been to one of these in Canada and they were making crazy money. Seemed like quite a similar operation.

They were upselling a lot of stuff also - food, drinks, toys, masks, merch.

As for what the maze contained it was standard enough - a decent maze layout, some hints and clues, and some lockout points through the maze.

Nope. The guys putting it on seem to know nothing about business. Ive offered to consult them and improve how much money they make but was told to F Off.

People pay the price and generally seem to love it though.

What's the location like? Do they run it somewhere without much else going on or is it near a city?

 

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[Lex DeVille]

So i just did a little Googling and came up with some cool articles

The Architecture Of Fear: How To Design A Truly Terrifying Haunted House

We chat with the designers behind one of the scariest haunted houses in America.

www.fastcompany.com

doesn't say much about the business aspects, but what I would do is google things like "how to build a haunted house," find people on YouTube or wherever that have done it, then reach out to them about the business aspects. I'm sure they'd be willing to share what they've learned.

Edit: @Lex DeVille found this

Small Business - NerdWallet

All the financial resources you need to take care of business in one place.

www.fundera.com

Thanks, I've read the second one but not the first one. I'm taking the "how-to" articles with a grain of salt for now. From what I can tell, several of these are written by consultants who want to make it seem impossible if you don't hire a consultant to help.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I can see this in my mind but am finding it exceptionally hard to explain.

No worries, it sounds similar to ideas I've been tossing around this morning. Never easy bringing story ideas together (mentally) but they're so worth it.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Now I am hoping there is a haunted house near us this year!

For a year-round option, what about something like a minigolf/putt-putt area that could be designed and changed to fit the different themes?

Does anyone still do minigolf?

 

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[Real Deal Denver]

I don't know the specifics but right at 20 years ago in Omaha a guy put up his house ($200,000 loan) because he wanted to have a haunted house. His wife told him that if he lost their house, she was leaving him. So he had himself a haunted house and charged $12 to get in. He said by October 14th he had enough profit to pay back the loan. I think it was the next year he raised the price to $15. He had the haunted house about 5 years and then never did it again.

My thought on a haunted house is.... is there any way to make it where you have a virtual tour guide? Make it so there is a ghost leading the way. Maybe I am ahead of the game.

I think after Halloween, they should go in to Christmas and make it a North Pole with a work shop, stores that sell Christmas stuff (It IS Christmas ya know) and 1 line that leads in to a room. This room is divided in to 3 and has a Santa in each room. That way the line doesn't get so long for the kids waiting on Santa and they don't realize there are 3 instead of just the 1 REAL Santa . Sleigh rides (instead of hay rides). Christmas light maze, just an over all fun atmosphere with multiple things to do.

@Primeperiwinkle Events And Adventures would be a good one to hook up with for what you are talking about.

When we were in St Augustine, Florida last Christmas we went on a ghost tour. They have like 10 tours a night and the buses are filled. AND, there is more than 1 company that does it so I have no clue how many people take a ghost tour in just that 1 town EVERY day. They are open year around.

You ARE a flippin genius!

 

[Lex DeVille]

Just bought this book on how to start a haunted house

Thought I'd update on this book in case anyone is curious.

It took over a week to ship and I had to contact the seller about it. The seller said he didn't get the notification. He shipped it Priority the next day. If you order this, then I would shoot the seller an email to confirm receipt.

The book is 172 pages. It feels thin and short. It is not a hardback (which the photo on the website appears to be).

It starts with general info on creating a business plan and describes different types of business setup options.

Despite some vagueness in key areas, there are a lot of gold nuggets with regard to the industry. Some of the info is dated since the book was written in 2006 (with three revisions), but a lot of the material is still relevant today.

One of the most useful aspects of the book is the example documents. So far I've seen industry-specific examples of the following:

- Business plan
- Press release
- Phone script
- Radio advertisements
- Coupons and flyers
- Other stuff I forgot

Also, there are a number of factors I may not have considered without reading this. For instance, the reasons why a tent-based haunt might not be a good option.

Another area of value is in the author's approach to developing relationships with media companies, local business owners, banks, insurance companies etc. Every time he proposes interaction it comes from a place of showing what value his haunt will bring them.

Overall I'm pleased with the content. Although there are areas that could be expanded on, it's enough to get started and offers more than what I've found by browsing Google or reading forums and I do not regret the purchase.

 

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[SW ONT HAUNT]

Hello Fast Lane Forum Folks!
I'm an entrepreneur with a proven background in launching new businesses
and am switching tracks to something more creative.
I've joined this forum in search of other creative and business partners in the same geographic region to launch a Pro Halloween Attraction in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
Also, I look forward to sharing business experiences and exchanging ideas.

 

[Real Deal Denver]

Hello Fast Lane Forum Folks!
I'm an entrepreneur with a proven background in launching new businesses
and am switching tracks to something more creative.
I've joined this forum in search of other creative and business partners in the same geographic region to launch a Pro Halloween Attraction in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.
Also, I look forward to sharing business experiences and exchanging ideas.

Do you have palm trees, beaches, and sand in Ontario?

Too. Damn. COLD.

 

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[JSM]

With corn prices where they are currently, you probably would need to up your per acre payment

In many places in the corn belt 200 bushel per acre is good yield. Averaging 300+ would be an excellent year for farmers in even the best soil in Illinois.
200*6.75=1350
300*6.75=2025
Guaranteed money with no crop failure risk that is about the same as total revenue growing corn. Not to mention there is still corn there to harvest. The hard part wouldn't be paying the farmer enough money, it would be convincing them to deal with the people, traffic, insurance, etc.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Lex,

If you would like to build a haunted house or escape room business. I believe the biggest trade show for them is in St. Louis. They put on Halloween and Christmas trade shows rolled into one, have several haunted houses and an escape room, provide events, and I remember them being in the consulting and training business as well.

Here are some links:

TransWorld Trade Shows - This contains links to their Halloween and Christmas trade shows. The show is in February. Its events page shows that it deals a lot with business and marketing topics. But it looks like these pages have not been updated with 2023 info.

America's Scariest Haunted Houses - The Darkness - Lemp - Creepyworld - The link to their haunted houses in St. Louis - Darkness, Lemp Brewery, Creepyworld, St. Louis Escape, Silly Putter Retro Golf - These might be good for you to check out to see how a large operator handles them.

The escape room business easily allows for business team building and caters to that.

On the web dev front, this seems to be the Halloween focused web dev they use:
sinistervisions.com

You can go to Find Haunted Houses - Best Haunts - Haunted Attractions | HauntWorld to find attractions around the country.

They may have more businesses. I just mentioned the ones that were obvious. They've spawned some good sized businesses in the Halloween industry.

From a productocracy point of view, in that industry they built enough momentum and respect that they have also built 300 haunted houses and amusement park features around the world for other companies as well.

I hope this helps if you do decide to pursue it.

Thanks for sharing! I didn't realize TransWorld was here in Missouri. That's about a five-hour drive. Probably worth it if I had to guess.

I tried contacting a local haunt recently about observing (or helping out) to get hands-on experience but didn't get a response. To be fair, I emailed them. Probably should have followed up with a call since I donated my body transport case to them a few years ago. I got sidetracked and didn't get back around to it yet.

If I were going to do this, I'd want to build up into a theme park like Thrillvania in TX. I went there one year, and it was a really cool experience. I heard they went downhill after 2020, but I think the concept could totally work here.

 

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