# How Scary?



## Mudbeast (Aug 14, 2009)

How scary do you make your haunt? I build mine in hopes of loss of bladder control and chest pains. Most kids cry and all the woman sream and run. The men try to be tough but there is always something to catch them off guard. But the kids keep going through and it becomes less scary. What are your thoughts?


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I debate this issue with myself every year. I want the kids to enjoy it, but for some reason I'm always annoyed with the few that just walk through like its no big deal and don't even at least offer a that was kinda cool response. 

I think with any presentation you need to keep mind your audience or at least the audience you want to attract. Too scary and the little ones won't come in or back. Not scary enough and the older one's don't enjoy it. So really it's hard to say.

You can't please everybody so I just what I do and hope for the best.


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## charlie (Jul 9, 2007)

I go with the philosophy of go big or go home. People come in with the expectation that it will be scary - there is nothing worse than not meeting/exceeding your customer's expectations. In the early years we did a young kid version followed by a scary version for the older kids. Of course, I was like 13 when we did it - so I don't think it was scary. 12 years later, kids cry and adults jump and sometimes refuse to come inside.


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## Monk (Aug 26, 2008)

This year will be less of the jump-out-of-your skin startle scare and more of the can't sleep for days, mess with your head nightmare scare. We'll see how it goes.


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## Mudbeast (Aug 14, 2009)

Hello my name is Lou and I like chasing people with chainsaws.


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## mysticwitch (Apr 9, 2007)

Our house is mostly Gothic all the time but at Halloween we put on a big display. Unfortunately in my "vanilla" neighborhood I would most likely be "sited" for scaring the crap out of people by the homeowner's assoc. I want to go farther but the little sobbing crying kids keep me from letting my freak flag fly


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

I make no effort to scare. For me, it's all about having fun...spooky, creepy fun, that is


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

We're not-so-scary. Although I personally LOVE a good haunt that can send me bawling, I once sustained a bloody lip running "for my life" in one of my favorite haunts ever! My neighborhood is the land of little kids, and I am the mother of several of them, so I guess I'm in kiddie mode at the time being. I don't use any gore. My haunt has a storybook theme for cryin' out loud, so I'm probably kind of pathetic by some of your standards. My goal is to create a spooky, etherial atmosphere and take people into a magical yet creepy place. I would love kids to be awestruck and mystified (not so sure I've accomplished that yet, but it is my goal) not so much terrified. We made a very little girl cry and drop her candy our first year to go big, the mommy in me felt awful and I decided to go for less terror from that point. I do have scary stuff, but I guess it's PG scary. I also try to throw in little side humor here and there that I hope the adults will appreciate.


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## trentsketch (Jul 27, 2009)

I wouldn't say I do a scary haunt. I do a bizarre haunt. I want weird unnatural props and set-ups that make people stop and stare. Apparently, my concept of weird is quite frightening to many people, especially children. I'd say it's rare for someone under 6-7 to actually come up to the door if given the choice. Their parents walk up instead (or walk with them, or push them towards the house and tell them not to be babies) and send their regards to the haunter.

I'm solving that situation by splitting the yard into two paths: "Brave" and "Afraid." My "brave" visitors will have to actually come up close to some pretty out there stuff, while my "afraid" visitors can make a beeline to the door and only deal with one of those haunted bush kits to get their candy.

Though this year, I'm going to up the scare factor for the brave path. I want screams and laughs, not kids trying to eat fog or stare into stake lights.

I'm with *nixie*: gore/traumatized kids = bad; wit and artistic merit = good.


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## MotelSixx (Sep 27, 2008)

I find it that teenagers are more scared than the smaller TOTers, and adults. And as long as everyone laughs as they leave, I know I'm doing good


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

I agree that teenagers, especially the girls are surprisingly easy to scare (at least startle). My 5yr old son is a pro at scaring the girls, I think it's his favorite part of the night...well, maybe the candy. He's a brilliant little actor, gets WAY into character, and little kids can be very creepy!


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

I have a lot of smaller tots and I do not want to scare them so the front of the house is not scary. I may expand to the back with an optional walk through for the older kids. Then all bets are off. Soiled undies for sure.


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## Creeper (Nov 7, 2008)

I like the idea of the "brave and afraid" paths. I've got kids coming through as young as my own 2 yr old daughter to as old as some of the 6th grade neighborhood kids and my own son who is my biggest heckler -always telling me it's not scary enough.


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## Phil1979 (Aug 16, 2009)

I tell you my 2 year old is barely scared of anything he sees my masks and props and goes with me to the shops and all he says is daddy he's got a boo boo LOL he's sooo cute but this year we are stepping things up since the apartment complex is sponsoring it and giving me my own area


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## mattie (Sep 16, 2008)

I dont do to much gore but I will go all out on the scares. I control my pneumatics and also myself , so I have the option to scare the teenies or just stand there and re-assure the parents that nothing will scare their babies because I control them. 
They usually ask me on the way out what normally happens and then to show them...the funny thing is that they usually get scared after Ive already told them what was going to happen.


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## toymaker (Aug 7, 2009)

MotelSixx said:


> I find it that teenagers are more scared than the smaller TOTers, and adults. And as long as everyone laughs as they leave, I know I'm doing good


i think thats because they know what going on and how twisted things in some haunts as for the little kid think it just plain cool


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## dna1990 (Jul 18, 2008)

We have more of a display than a walkthru haunt, but I trigger all the startle stuff by remote. So if I have a tenative TOT, I ease off or eliminate the startle for them. We also will hand out candy at the sidewalk for those who refuse to 'make the walk up'.

Over the years, we have gotten more scary - as the kids have all gotten older.

We go for startle, unusual, unexpected - vs gore and shock.


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## Night Watchman (Aug 15, 2009)

About 6 years ago my oldest son was about 18 months old and we went up to a house and the guy was dressed as a really good Grim Reaper. He played the part perfectly and his costume was perfect. I was even a little uneasy by it. Anyways my son goes up and gets his candy and on the way out stops and turns around to see the guy. The guy in slow motion as he moved stopped and my son waves at him. I laughed and the guy fought hard to stay in character only cracking a small smile. Now 6 years later and my oldest daughter who is 5 won't come into the garage if the halloween props are out. My point being is the young kids are the ones to watch out for. Around ages 4 to about 8/9. If you don't have any around that age than all bets are off. The older ones, I think, enjoy the fright and will talk about it as they leave.


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## Stratusfear02 (Oct 1, 2006)

I have mine creepy. No Gore, and yes it is a delicate balance of lame vs good. My favorite part is messing with the line calling names, i hear, rushing out and staring at people when backs are turned that's when the antisipation drives them nuts.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

I go with the fun and spooky but not too scary concept. I have found that the younger teens and up are so jaded, they are hard to actually scare anyway. Startle maybe, but not actually scare. Besides I am not much of a "blood and gore" type of guy. I like the traditional halloween things; jack-o-lanterns, goofy skeletons, typical scarecrows, stuff like that. I like the whole mood to be spooky, with lighting, sounds etc, but I keep it all sort of light. I am shooting for the little kids to enjoy it, although, the bigger kids are usually impressed by the display anyway.


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## Dead Things (Apr 4, 2009)

I go for creepy. I control all the startle (pneumatics) myself and I am in costume. One year I was dressed completely in black grimreaper style and as the kids came to the door I would walk up behind them and brush past them, go thru the door and grab the candy bowl. You could see the hair stand up on their heads. I am amazed, though, at the parents who drag a screaming crying child to the door for 50 cents worth of candy, or the ones who give the dirty look when i open the door in full costume. Thought they would clue in by looking at the yard.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

We try to have a good mix, as we get a wide range of ages. The front yard is a cemetery with animatronics and static props; posable skellies, bats in the trees, a ground breaker or two and this year some new tombstone peepers. Kind of a disney scene. The walk through is scarier; very minimal lighting, some scare actors and some hidden scares, however this is also the path to the candy. A lot of parents will make their young childen go through because THEY want to see it, but we also give candy out in the front of the house for little kids too afraid to walk through the haunt. We don't do any gore, chainsaw maniacs, etc.. but there are things a little kid would be frightened by.


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