# Things that I learned this Halloween



## time2dive (Dec 29, 2007)

1. Don't put 9 volt batteries in the same pocket as your metal pocket knife..... they get hot in a hurry.

2. No matter how much you may want, you are not going to finish everything.... and that may be a good thing. We did not finish one room this year, the skeleton bride and groom's dining area. So we moved them out on to a porch where they were much more visible and tots stopped and posed for photos with them. That darkened room created a shadow area to hide in.

3. Don't point fog machines at open windows. That room that I did not finish... it has louvered windows that were open, screens don't stop fog.....I had the fog machine set on lots of fog and on a timer.....

4. Secret passages are fun.... the monsters always know where the secret passage ways are the victims rarely do. We used black cloth as the walls of our maze, we ran out of cloth at roughly the same place on both sides of a wall with just a slight overlap. This created a shortcut through a wall but only if you knew that it was there. I was stalking a couple of screaming victims (okay, chasing) through the maze, they turned the corner to get away, I took the shortcut and now I am in front of them......cue the loud screaming, they turned tail and fled in the other direction, I took the shortcut a second time and now I am in front of them again... cue even louder screaming.... at that point I felt sorry for them and let them go.....only for them to meet the next monster.

5. Rain is bad and you can't stop it..... protect the electronics.... I will do a better job of that next year.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

It's a never ending process of learning what works and what does'nt. But some times it works out better then you could have planed for. 
Sounds like you had a lot of fun this year. So do you have any pictures?


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## The-Haunter (Sep 24, 2009)

One thing I learned tons of help for set up and scaring, breakdown not so much


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## Eeeekim (Aug 14, 2009)

(1) I need to find a better way than a fence (who knew) to keep small children out of the display.

(2) Don't get stressed over the small details, once it dark and the lighting is on people don't see them anyway and they think it's cool even if I see every screw up or zombie hair out of place.

(3) Halloween IS for my kids also not just me. Don't touch that!! Mine, mine, all mine!!!

(4) Let my wife, mother or father-in law take our kids treating so when all the eeeww's and aaahhh's come I'll be there to hear them. = get the props for my props.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

(1) A papier mache prop left to its own devices will fall over and break some part of itself on the day you're setting up.

(2) When you find a lone 9V battery lying on the floor while you are setting up, it probably goes with one of the props you already took outside.

(3) The wind can twist something up on a prop in a way that you wouldn't think possible.

Related to this is (4) - Wigs are likely not to stay on a prop's head when the wind kicks up.


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## Devils Chariot (May 23, 2007)

Torture test all mechanical props! One day minimum. Over-engineer where needed.

Have all mechanical props done first and finished by October 1st. Then don't touch em.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

People that are drinking do not read "No alcohol allowed on premises" signs.


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## muffy (Oct 13, 2008)

I learned that if I want my haunt to be better I have to start getting it up sooner. Trying to get the whole thing up both inside & out during the month of October does not work.

Make a lot more candy bags.

How much easier it is when you have other people helping you.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Some of things may or may not be useful to you, but running a charity haunt that's open multiple nights and using 30+ actors, these are the things I learned this year.

1) There will be unexpected issues. Expect it.

2) As the pressure builds to finish categorize things into groups like: 
Has to be done (i.e. build the haunt)
Needs to be done (i.e. add more details)
What you want to do (i.e. build a huge facade for the haunt)

2) In planning/building determine minimum # of actors necessary to run the haunt but be aware of additional ways to utilize volunteers. Some nights you'll be short other nights you'll have more than you need.

3) If you're open more than one night and using volunteers try to get a schedule for who can be there on what days and what times

4) Start planning storage for you new stuff as you add it not after the fact.

5) If you have a maze in your walk through move it towards the end of the haunt. Otherwise it bottle necks your through put.

6) Scare forward! If you slow a group down or stop them it cuts down on through put.

7) If you have help building your haunt provide drawings of the layout, photos for inspiration etc... so that your help has an idea of what it is your trying to accomplish.

8) Let others help where they can like placing walls so you can focus on your details, props, ambiance, etc...

9) You will be short handed for tear down

10) Radios are great for communication during the show


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Start now to have everything done for next year. Make a list of what you want to accomplish because it will grow as you see new props that you want to do. Everything takes a least twice as long to make because of things that you did not see or count on. 

Do not work while you are tired especially around power tools. That is why you start so far ahead. 

Start surfing ebay now for any unusual parts you may need

check flea markets and thrift stores often.


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## autumnghost (Sep 12, 2009)

Bookmark web pages where you find great ideas.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

Don't build a HUGE spider Web Mecca before the leaves fall and the wind storm comes. SOME leaves look good, but a drooping, falling down mess was what I ended up with. 

When in doubt about wind, err on the side of caution. 

Many dogs are scared of zombies. Several pups peed on the sidewalk when they were being dragged by my display. 

The best thing I learned? My neighbors don't hate me. Most of them enjoy the display.


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## Denhaunt (Aug 18, 2006)

1. Keep at least (2) projects going at a time. This wards off boredom and you always have something to work on while the paint's drying.

2. Twist wires together prior to soldering. It's a sick feeling when you think your done only to realize you've broken a connection _somewhere_ under all that latex, cotton, sprayfoam, paint, and ducktape.

3. Yes - _always_ add another screw.

4. No - you can never have enough "Sharpie" markers. _(Seriously - where do they all go?) _

5. Never (ever) use a heat gun on styrofoam in an unventilated basement. No joke - I thought I was gonna end up in the ER...just trust me on this one.

6. The right music makes all the difference when building props (and displaying them).

7. I build props more for myself than I do my guests. I focus in on ridiculous little details that will never be seen by anyone but me...and I love it.

8. Air cannons scare people (I made an adult "pee a little" on my front porch..hehehehe).

9. I can still get freaked out when I come around a corner and end up face to face with a zombie in a dark basement.

10. For 334 days a year I'm a little "strange" but for the other 31 I'm the coolest guy some people know.


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## Darkwalker (Jul 4, 2010)

I learned a great deal. Most of which have already been mentioned.

If someone asks if they can help- PUT THEIR BUTTS TO WORK!

Don't have too many people waiting around to scare ToT's.
Too many "Scharacters" will desensitize your visitors. Reducing scares.

Take the time to enjoy what you've created. Especially if you only leave it up for one night. We ran from six till ten p.m. Those four hours went by so fast.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

You get really cold when you stand on a porch from 3-9 pm and it's under 40 degrees. 

Your need for food will come on faster than you can find something to satisfy it...asking someone to run & get you hot McFood is faster & easier.


Make a list of all the stupid little details that need to be done once haunt is running that someone else can do for you ( i.e. put up glowsticks once it gets dark, check foggers, etc.).


A backup bag of candy, while rarely used or needed, greatly lessens your stress and can then come off the list of things-running-thru-your-mind- that- you-need- to-check-on.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

Don't alway buy candy based on what you went through the year before. Halloween on Saturday night required much, much, much more candy than Halloween on a Sunday, and therefore, I (and the rest of my family) will still be eating black and orange M&Ms in secret, while the guests are eating the red and green ones 2 months later


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

1. Make sure you know how to use your camera. ( I bought a new one and ended up without good night shots.

2. Stock-up on batteries from the Dollar Tree. They'll get you through the night for really cheap (yes, I am Gemmy dependent).

3. Will that prop you are making work into your haunt theme and will you have a way to plug it in? (Umm...no, I can't use the zombie we made or the grave peeper....maybe next year or the year after that.)

4. Invest in a couple of power tools. (I finally bought a jig saw and rotary tool...what a difference! Finally got the static ghost moving this year after 8 years frozen as a static prop)

5. If you pre-drill a hole in your Hardy-board siding, you can indeed screw things into it.

6. I can't stress this enough...never, ever leave the candy unattended even for 10 seconds.

6. It is ok to get rid of halloween items you never use. I will end up on "Hoarders, Halloween edition" if I don't get rid of some things.


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## Dead Things (Apr 4, 2009)

Snow, in large amounts, really sucks but the lights look cool.
Even if you have 14 out of 15 electrical connections wrapped and taped in plastic, the 15th will trip your gfi if it gets wet.
It is SOOOOOO much better when one has help scaring (thanks son and soon to be son in law), I was able to trouble shoot all the stuff that inevitably breaks down. 
I agree with Devil's Chariot: Torture then leave alone. All of my props worked flawlessly....until Halloween night!
And the best thing I learned
I will never get tired of hearing those TOTs' (and adults') screams!!! :devil:


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## Death's Door (Mar 22, 2006)

Find out the going rate to bribe mother nature so you don't have a windy day. (this happens every year - I am aware of that - however, when November 1st is so calm with not even a breeze - this can mess with you mentally). I think that's her way of messing with ya.

Try to enjoy your day and your props. It is sooo true about only having little time to see them in all their glory for only a couple of hours on Halloween. Just not enough time to look and see the fruits of your labor.

Stick with snacks and appetizers. With all the people coming and going through my house, it was easier for them to have pick food.


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## TheOneAndOnlyKelly (May 7, 2009)

That doing a trial run a couple of nights in advance is very, very good thing...


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

I learned to be careful what I wish for. With a local newspaper doing a full pictorial on my haunt, Most of my neighbors ran out of candy.

I also learned that it's difficult to surprise/scare anyone when there is such a steady stream of TOT's and parents triggering various effects.

I learned from years past to have a few critical tools in a strategic location. It came in handy when one of my props failed and needed a simple repair this year.

LEARN where your breaker box is and what breaker is likely to fail. It happened this year for the first time during halloween night, but I was ready. We lost 30 seconds of sound and lights just before dusk even after extensive testing of my setup. It happens.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Home Owner Associations are evil and suck the FUN out of Halloween!


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## cjbmaaaaaa (Sep 12, 2010)

1) I learned that dipping a q-tip swab into green food coloring and then rubbing it all over your mouth, teeth, tongue and lips really flips out TOT's and some parents too. I was the entry person to let people in and I couldn't get some of the kids pass me no matter how nice I was. They just kept staring at my green teeth. 

2) I can live on nothing but fast food all month and still loose weight but only for Halloween season. 

3) Sleep is unnecessary for October. That's what November is for. 

4) We can still create a fantastic haunt no matter what family drama happens or how severe the drama is.

5) The canvas style painters drop cloth are not only paint-able to what ever design or solid color you want but they are excellent for walls, ceilings, doorways, etc. And they are easy to store, re-use and you can easily treat them with flame retardant because it is cotton. 

6) A solution of 10 oz of Borax to 1 gallon of water really does work as a flame retardant on natural fibers. A paint sprayer is a great way to treat all the fabric. Side note- you can tint the borax solution with Rit fabric dye for some neat affects. 

7) Monster mud is fun! I will create more statues. I will need another storage space to keep them. 

8) I will need more walls made from Dollar Tree cut up skulls and spray foam. 

9) You can build your haunt around 2 billiard tables without moving them or having to incorporate them somehow to your decorum. 

10) One single rat who figured how to sneak into your shed all year long can eat up a ton of stuff and leave a ton of droppings. Rats suck and they will die if I catch one in my shed again! My shed will have a fresh monthly supply of decon.


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## DreadKnightswife (Oct 16, 2011)

1.) small wooden steaks pounded into the ground then screwed into that piece off wood you gorilla glued to the back of your tombstone will save your graveyard.
2.) Make sure you placed all of your fog machines where they are easily accessible for refill.
3.) If you cover your room with tarps, make sure your ceilings are slanted so the rain runs off

I am sure there are more lessons I have learned but these are the ones that really would have helped and have helped!


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## dudeamis (Oct 16, 2011)

To the OP, I was playing around with computer fans and a 9v just testing the fans but one of the wires touched both connections and gave me a nice hot wire paper cut.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

Just making sure the power bill is paid up for the month of October! LOL! (sorry, I just had to add that).


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