# My Haunt and a question.



## Jooky (Nov 10, 2010)

Hello all. It's the end of July and I have been working on some of my Halloween stuff for a few weeks now in preparation for the big day.

A bit of background. I have been doing a yard/porch haunt for about 10 years now. Every year my display gets a little bigger and a little better. What started out with just a very simple graveyard in the front yard now includes a fairly elaborate (by my standards) graveyard with additional scares on my porch. For the past few years it has been graveyard in the yard, right side of the porch is a scary medical/doctor area, and the left side is a spiderweb and victim area. These areas are separated from each other with black fabric walls that form a narrow hall were the TOT's enter to get the candy. The candy is handed out by the grim reaper.

I know these things don't exactly go together in any type of cohesive theme, but they work pretty well at scaring the kids and I am pretty much the only guy in town that bothers doing something so big.  I will most likely keep this particular "theme" going forever, since I already have so much time, energy, and money invested in it.

The biggest problem I have with my haunt is that I don't have a name for it. I guess the question I have is "Can anyone help me name my haunt?"

Here are some pictures of last years haunt.

Halloween 2010 pictures by Jooky71 - Photobucket

This year I am attempting to add some new (and better) tombstones a couple shiatsu massager zombies/grave grabbers, corpse my bluckies using the plastic wrap and heat gun method, and if time permits do a FCG inside a foam mausoleum. So far I have built pvc inner frames for the 4 bluckies I have, corpsed one of them, and have the framework done for my shiatsu grabber.

Next year my big plan is a pvc cemetery fence.

Comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome, but more than anything I would love to hear suggestions for a name to give my haunt.

Thanks!


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

Give it the whatever street you live on name + haunt, or the family name+ haunt.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Goneferal's suggestion is a good place to start. What the name of the street you live on, or housing development you live in?


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## Jooky (Nov 10, 2010)

Unfortunately, I live on 1st Ave. Not a very scare filled name at all. The 1st Ave Haunt just sounds kind of generic and a bit industrial to me. I have thought about looking through the old county records to see if the neighborhood has a name. However I live in a fairly small town (15,000) so I don't know if they bothered naming the neighborhoods or not.

I appreciate the feedback from both of you though. Thanks!


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## ouizul1 (May 22, 2010)

Does it really need a name? 

I'm not trying to be dweeb, or something. Just curious and interested. Is it for putting out flyers or some other type of advertising? The idea of naming our haunt has never really crossed my mind and I'm wondering if maybe I'm missing the boat or something.

It might be interesting to hear what the TOT's who visit call it or otherwise identify it. Especially the school kids who are undoubtedly talking about it at school the day after.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Well, if you were having a party, you could call it the "First Avenue Fright Fest" or "Fear on First Avenue"


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## Jooky (Nov 10, 2010)

ouizul1 said:


> Does it really need a name?


No, it doesn't really need a name. I have done this for 10 years without having a name for it, I just thought it would be cool to have one. I would like to put a few fliers up at the gas stations and grocery stores here in town. Generally, we only get about 60-75 TOT's every year but I KNOW there are more out there and I would like them to come by.

As far as what the kids call it? "That creepy guys house." lol


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

RoxyBlue said:


> Well, if you were having a party, you could call it the "First Avenue Fright Fest" or "Fear on First Avenue"


Excellent choices - both of them!


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## TheOneAndOnlyKelly (May 7, 2009)

"Nightmare on First Avenue"?


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

I hear your pain...looking for a good name myself...what about "First In Fear" or "First In Fright"...also like the suggestion about incorporating the family name into the haunt


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

The Haunting of First Avenue


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## DreadKnight (Aug 10, 2011)

Your First Nightmare


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## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

Is there anything in your neighborhood's/town's history you can draw on? Local geography perhaps? Something to give the haunt just a hint of believability.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

How about The Waiting Room?
You can do a title and a subtitle or statement that runs right below it that makes people laugh or understand your haunt.
Having a name for your haunt helps people remember you and your haunt, and it helps set your place apart from competitors. And yes, it makes it easier to advertise.
For the kids or potential workers it gives them something to "get into" emotionally.
For many haunts the biggest scare factor is anticipation, and having a name and slogan or subtitle makes it easy to start shaping their fears long before they get to the door of your place. The subtitle or slogan can help sell the idea.
If you do fliers and advertisement having a name you can build upon makes it easier for all concerned, it also tends to make you and your haunt look more solid and professional.
Attached is a jpg with two quick renditions of the same haunt name with different slogans and in different lettering styles.


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## Mortissanguine (Mar 30, 2008)

Thirst Avenue? Cross out the "1st" and have the Thirst written in like blood


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

most kids call my haunt That House..lol.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

First Avenue Creep Out
_(pun on town's name)_ ILL-inois
Those are some salty headstones! How about the Dingle Burying Ground? The Pearl Necropolis? Okay, maybe that's not the direction you want to go for publicly-distributed flyers...


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

How about something like "First Street, Last Stop", or "First street Cemetery; You plug'em we plant'em". A haunt's name has to relate to what your haunt is and who you have as a demographic/crowd. The wording and theme need to be appropriate for both the setting and those you want to entertain/scare.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: What about Arsenic Avenue, or Avenue of Death? Or since you have the Grim Reaper, how about Grim Avenue? :jol:


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Dingle Burying Ground? The Pearl Necropolis


lol!


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

debbie5 said:


> Dingle Burying Ground? The Pearl Necropolis
> 
> lol!


And you wonder why you get spanked!


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## Jooky (Nov 10, 2010)

First of all I would like to thank everyone for some great suggestions.
Secondly, I am redoing all of my old tombstones this year and going away from the adult puns and going with a more realistic scary look. I won't lie, I will miss the old stones  but I feel its time to move on.

I have finally decided on a name for my haunt. It will now be known as "Nightfall Gardens".

Time to start working on a sign and some flyers. Thanks again for all the suggestions!

The Pearl Necropolis was my favorite.


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