# haunted house themes



## horseman (May 20, 2016)

have a haunted house every year in our boat shed. make 6 rooms with assorted animated props, DIY props, etc. werewolf room, ghost room, movie room,etc. have never had a theme just a walkthrough haunt with lights and music. should i have an actual theme?


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I think that’s a personal choice, not a “should” issue. Lots of folks do walk-throughs or houses where every room has a different theme. If you enjoy using a variety of props and settings, that’s the way to go.

Spooky1 and I do a graveyard display in our yard every year. Having a single theme helps reduce incidences of buying a prop that doesn’t “fit” (Although I must confess that there have been occasional impulse buys that were later donated to someone else:jol. We keep things fresh by adding one or two new graveyard pieces each year and giving some props a rest from being displayed.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Horseman, it sounds like you have a set menu for year after year, and that's great if it works for you, but for many, they kind of need a breath of fresh air on an annual basis.
For those that use a theme for each year, it helps keep them focussed in their design and planning. Like Roxy, they plan and buy along the theme, and it, the theme, makes it easier to tell (and sell) their storyline to the guests. And keeping it fresh also helps keep the slave labor (family and volunteers) interested and coming back year after year.
But hey, what ever works for you.


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## Nifkit (Jul 2, 2016)

I agree with Roxy - - theme isn't a should. If you feel it, if you're looking to tell a story, if you want to challenge yourself, then for sure, go for it. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with having a banquet of frights to delight your guests!
If you're LOOKING for a theme, then you're definitely in right place. The good folks here are more than happy to lend a hand and idea share!
Wishing you all the best, whatever you choose!


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## fordesanders (Aug 8, 2014)

I did a huge walk through at work for years and for the most part had the same things to work with, I just changed the order of the rooms up so it wasn't the exact same from the year before and then tried to add a few new things or switch up the props if it made sense. But having a theme is not needed unless you can think of something. I just called our walk through Tunnel of Terror as a generic theme.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

For most commercial/pro haunts a theme helps them sell the experience to the masses who tend to go to haunts year after year. If they had the same setup year after year their uniqueness would disappear, and paying customers would too.
For some of the big ones, they have the bulk of the same stuff every year, with some shuffling of scenes, and adding a twist in a scene or two to help keep it fresh (or new enough) to keep people coming back.


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