# Common Problems?



## smootah (Mar 23, 2014)

I'm a first year haunter but we got a great building, I've worked for past haunts before but never my own profession business haunt. My question is... What are common pitfalls and problems have you faced while running your haunts in the past? 
Whether it be working w/ customers, city regulations, power outages, injuries, budgeting, etc.
Give the new guy some wisdom!


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## RandalB (Jun 8, 2009)

I run a Charity Haunted Attraction that operates under extreme conditions (minimum setup time, all volunteer staff, minimal budget). Even though I don't get paid, I've experienced just about every problem you can think of. Here's a few tips, I'll do my best to give you any advice I can... 

You will have every problem that can happen; Murphy loves a Haunted Attraction. Think of ideas on how to handle them and come up with a game plan ahead of time. 

Make sure you talk to the fire and building officials while you are in the planning stages. Let them know that safety is your main priority and you want to work with them to make your haunt 100% compliant with local codes. Ours have been fantastic to work with. Nothing will derail you faster than finding a violation hours before opening. 

Beyond that, learn to have several plans and backups for your critical systems and displays. If something doesn't work, be ready for plan B, Plan C, etc. 

Final advice: Don't get too attached to an idea or display to the point it upsets you if it doesn't go the way you planned. Most people will ignore subtlety in the dark and I've had some of my best scary ideas get nothing but blank stares. On the other hand, what I've thought were the dumbest ideas have worked out the best. 

HTH,
RandalB


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Common pitfalls, let's see…
Understaffing. Let's be realistic, many haunt fans and workers are flakes, it just comes with the territory. Whether it be age, the time of day, the time of year, etc., there seems to be a great tendency for workers to not show up, show up late, to leave early, to not want/be able to do a particular job or task, or a combination of any or all of these.

Underprepared staff. Often times new haunters build their plans upon one person doing a specific job, but as noted in the previous note, those things and people don't always work out. Having several people that can fill a role if needed can save the day and it also helps to keep your actors from getting bored or worn out from just doing the one thing all of the time.

Not having backup plans if a prop or scene doesn't work. Often times new haunters get so set on a scene or prop working one way, only to find that it doesn't work. They, the haunters, tend to "lose it" and want to throw the towel in on everything. Having a backup plan for any or all scenes, props, etc., takes the pressure off and makes the whole haunting thing much more enjoyable for all involved.

Not having simple backups for music, sound effects, extension cords, power strips, boom-boxes, fog juice, etc. Keep "Murphy's law" in mind at all times. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Not being realistic about working hours and conditions. It's nice to think that your friend can do a blood curdling scream all night, but it's not realistic. Tasks or acting that require a lot of standing, screaming, waving of arms, etc., can only be done for so long. Plan on regular shifts, and maybe changing people's post or job rotation on a regular basis. Make sure you have an area that can accommodate the workers between shifts. Keeping it stocked with water, soft drinks, pizza, etc., helps keep everyone happy and working. But make sure that the rest area is out of sight of the actual haunt activities, and that you patrol the rest area on a regular basis for slackers, or people who don't belong there. Make sure you include an area where workers can store a bag, a purse, etc. Often times, the rest area doubles as the makeup room/area too. 

Keep a separate area for parking or bicycle lockup for workers, make sure you have at least one or two guards who can and will walk workers to their cars. Your workers need to feel safe and secure or they won't be able to do their job very well.


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## eanderso13 (Apr 10, 2008)

You say first year haunter...as in, never done any haunting before at any level? I'm starting an attraction this year, and i have been extreme home haunting for about 15 years, I have two other guys with me who have been running a haunted garage for about 20 years, and one guy who was a former pro haunt owner. I'f you've never really done anything like this before, then take the advice of RandalB...whatever you never thought possible, plan for it. If you've never run even a home haunt before, plan on needing WAY more time than you think you do to set everything up and get it running smoothly. This happened to me almost every year. You almost always end up needing to scale back or simplify.

And i hate to be cynical, but don't rely too much on anyone you don't know well. Most years our "help" caused more problems than they solved. Learn to delegate with close supervision, unless you know someone can bring the goods.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

_*Everything everyone has stated is true, you need to be prepared for anything good or bad! I think that I would also say that one of the biggest problems usually comes from the inside, (as in actors). The biggest thing that usually bothers me in going to an attraction is that when your going through the haunt, there is always someone who knows someone who's an actor inside the haunt.

As a paying customer it is frustrating to me to come into a section and find 2 or 3 "friends" standing around talking to a person or person's who are supposed to be part of the haunt and scarring or interacting with people coming through the attraction! Nothing can kill a professional type haunt than seeing that. Word gets out and then people start to stay away because it's just a bunch of kids or people standing around talking or laughing while the paying customer gets ignored while passing by a section or two.

This is where you want to maintain some kind of control so that your actors do what they are supposed to do and that's scare people or whatever assignment you've given them. If your doing a non-profit then it becomes even harder to maintain order because these people aren't usually getting paid, except for food and drinks while being there.

Hiring or having people you know is not always the best idea, but again bringing in people that you don't know, is where you take the risk as well. I guess you'd say it's a 50/50 thing. Rules and guidelines are the best thing to have when it comes to haunting in an attraction such as what you're wanting to do. If they don't want to comply then get someone else.

On the business side...make sure you are covered with a good amount of insurance. You want to make sure your butt is covered in case of any accidents, to you and or any guest. Fire protection is good to have as well and I would check with your own agent to see what type of coverage you would need to have. 
*_


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## smootah (Mar 23, 2014)

Thank you all for the awesome feedback! This will all come in handy as we get closer to season and as we are out hiring our 'haunters'. I didn't think to openly seek out fire and building officials and promote safety - more likely I was wanting to avoid them, but taking the safety track will in the end save me a lot of money and will help to avoid any serious problems or safety risks! You guys are great! Thanks!


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

One of the nice things about having it all approved by the fire department/marshal, the insurance people and the local police or sherif is that those same people or groups end up being salesmen for your haunt. They are much more willing to come to or talk about your haunt with their community when they know about the haunt and that you are working to meet their needs and recommendations/requirements than they would otherwise.
You might even consider having a preview for them and their families. This lets you get some practice in with a less critical audience, and makes happy sales people out of them and their families. Maybe only a few show up, but the gesture of goodwill goes a long way in helping you through your haunt season.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

When I was helping to run a haunt a few years back, we reached out to the fire department as well for a marshal to walk through, and found a fireman who wanted to act. That really helped. Having an active firefighter on our staff made the marshal much easier to deal with.

Actors are definitely hard to keep through the season as other have said. It really sucks to be ready to go with one or two scenes not staffed due to lack of actors showing up. 

Have pizza and snacks available every night prior to starting. As they are getting dressed and make up they can snack and get into the mood for the night. a bit of fellowship with the actors getting ready helps make a successful team. 

Security guard is a definite must. Having one is a really big help when you have an issue. 

2 way radios set to a protected channel, per room. If you have a problem, you have communication right now. 

E lighting on a single switch that can be thrown easily by the front waiting area and main lead actor that runs the haunt. 

Just a few thoughts.


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