# Naming a haunt



## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

Hello everyone. we are in the process of renaming our haunt. would like to know if you think the words Satan or devil should not be used? such as Devils gate or Satan's Lair.
Do you think that is a turn off for certain people?
Thanks Joe


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Depends on where you live and how conservative your neighbors are

I've found that a lot of fans of Halloween don't like to see it associated in any way, shape, or form with the devil. You might think about using a less obvious moniker for the devil from folklore, such as Old Scratch or Old Hob ("Hob's Lair" would make for a perfectly respectable name for a pub, come to think of it), or more Biblical such as Leviathan or Mephistopheles.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

i have asked in several forums and got the same feedback. thanks for your thoughts


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## EverydayisHalloween311 (Oct 14, 2011)

I agree man. If you wanna attract more people to your haunt i would leave out satan or lucifer or devil.. Especially if you do your haunt on Halloween with trick or treaters involved. Remember you're dealing with kids parents not just teens and young adults wanting to be scared. Good luck though. My haunts name is "Laughing in the dark". It's kinda creepy and has all kinds of props in it each year but always focus's on a main character that is a scary clown... Our haunt has this dark tunnel you walk thru when you exit and all you hear is crazy insane clown laughter.. Hence the name. Just go with something matching your theme. Or like mine.. Were your theme can change but you always keep a main character or "master ghoul" of your haunt. Here are some names i'll throw out there just cause i'm bored.. Might help...

Terror on trick or treat night.
The mysterious Haunt house
House of the crazed
Gate of the ghouls.

...Those are just a few idea's at the top of my head


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

I think your all right. The more i think about it the more it makes sense. 
Our name since 2005 has been Nightstalker Manor. but a haunt that is near by has a problem with it because it is similar to theirs. they moved in to our area in 2006. we were a home haunt until last year. then we opened a 3200 sq. ft charity haunt . So now we would like to change the name so we are not confused with any other haunt. Our theme changes often so we need a generic name that could cover a broad spectrum of themes.
Thanks everyone for the advice.


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## Eric Striffler (May 6, 2006)

I wouldn't include Devil or Satan only because I think it's too cheesy, to be honest.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

I would not use it either, Nothing good can come with mentioning either of those names, IMO.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I think I would do a name with a sub-name or subtitle. For example, "Deathwatch presents The Haunted Manor" This lets you keep a consistent name for the group and lets you have the flexibility of changing the subtitle or sub-name to meet your needs from year to year.

Like the others, I''d leave out Satan or Lucifer from the name. They are just lightning rods for zealots who might view you and your haunt as being followers or fans of either of the two. I don't think adding them or including them buys you anything (other than trouble) either.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

*Need everyone's help with a haunt name!!!*

We are renaming our haunt please tell us which one you like best!!!

*The Void
*Purgatory
*Dark Matter
*Don't like any


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## BadMonkey (Sep 7, 2011)

Dark Matter


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## Halloween_Anna (Dec 13, 2011)

depends on your haunt, doesn't it? dark matter implies science. purgatory - demons/hell, and the void - um, twilight zone-ish?

do any of those apply to your haunt content?


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

we like to change things from year to year so we dont want to give it a name with just one theme. a name that could imply anything.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> We are renaming our haunt please tell us which one you like best!!!
> 
> *The Void
> *Purgatory
> ...


I might have missed this tidbit, but is this a home haunt or a pro haunt? My vote is for "The Void".


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

Brother...We opened a 3200 sq foot charity haunt last year. i guess you can call us a pro haunt. we are not black plastic walls and store bought props. we make most of our props. yes some are store bought severed heads and limbs. we do have some air driven props that we made.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> Brother...We opened a 3200 sq foot charity haunt last year. i guess you can call us a pro haunt. we are not black plastic walls and store bought props. we make most of our props. yes some are store bought severed heads and limbs. we do have some air driven props that we made.


Ah, got it.

Call your Haunt "The Void" or "Dark Matter", and then when you re-theme it every 3 years, call it "Doom Manor at The Void" or "Silo 51 at The Void" and so on. That way you have brand recognition, but you are not too locked into whether the theme works with your brand and so on.

Iow, you have a theme specific title underscored by a theme generic brand.

That should give you a great deal more flexibility.

Btw, what's wrong with "Nightstalker Manor"? Nothing terribly satanic about that. :confuseton:


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

we have a haunt the is near by that is called nightmare manor they had a problem with our name. said it was to close to theirs. so we want our own identity so we are changing it. we have had that name since 2005.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> we have a haunt the is near by that is called nightmare manor they had a problem with our name. said it was to close to theirs. so we want our own identity so we are changing it. we have had that name since 2005.


You've had yours since '05? How long have they had theirs?


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

they started in a different town 2 yrs before. Moved into our town 6 years ago. we were a home haunt till last year.
So what your saying is we could take Naberhoodhaunts as our brand name and say like 
Naberhoodhaunts presents The Void ... which we thought of a few times just didnt decide to do it


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

wait last year was their tenth year anniversary must have been in the other town a few more years..lol i worked for them for 5 years my son for 3 years and my daughter for 4 years my brother-in- law and his son and daughter for 6 years.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> they started in a different town 2 yrs before. Moved into our town 6 years ago. we were a home haunt till last year.
> So what your saying is we could take Naberhoodhaunts as our brand name and say like
> Naberhoodhaunts presents The Void ... which we thought of a few times just didn't decide to do it


Kinda like that, only more like "The Void presents Doom Manor", et al. Iow, I'm not sure Naberhoodhaunts would be a strong brand name. It doesn't roll off the tongue, tho it would make an excellent production company name, which is what it essentially is now.

Case in point: Hellmouth Hostel. Great sounding name, and looks good on the website, but it doesn't roll off the tongue very well, which is a bit of an issue if you are depending on "word of mouth" advertising. The name kinda chokes up around in your mouth at, ironically, the "mouth" part of the name. Talk about self-referential. 

So, a full version would be "The Void presents Doom Manor, (a Naberhood Haunts Production)" or something like that, if you wanted to get technical. Naberhood Haunts DBA The Void, presenting the Doom Manor production. Think "John Magestic DBA the Majestic Theatre, presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet".

Btw, I love the idea of your whole family working at that one haunt. How did that all come about?


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Like Brother M, my choice would be something like "The Void presents...". The name "The Void" becomes your calling card or name of recognition, and the secondary name or subtitle hints at the year's particular theme. It's "The Void" that will be remembered, and that is the name people will look for. I like both the void, and dark matter, but my preference is for the void, I think it's a little more flexible/versatile, and doesn't have the tie into either science or religion that dark matter might.
How do you or would you advertise or market your haunt? That can play a strong role in how you brand yourself or your haunt.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

Fontgeek...Last year being our first year we just did flyers on pizza boxes at a local pizza shop. also the four local McDonalds let us put flyers at their stores on the counter. I did about 500 flyers in newspaper tubes in the surrounding neighborhoods. local news calender and local town paper did a story on us. One local news station came out.. this year we plan on doing radio spots and a few tv spots depending on how much money we have for advertising. Have any ideas we are open for any help at all!!


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> Fontgeek...Last year being our first year we just did flyers on pizza boxes at a local pizza shop. also the four local McDonald's let us put flyers at their stores on the counter. I did about 500 flyers in newspaper tubes in the surrounding neighborhoods. local news calender and local town paper did a story on us. One local news station came out.. this year we plan on doing radio spots and a few tv spots depending on how much money we have for advertising. Have any ideas we are open for any help at all!!


I would seriously hold off on doing radio or tv spots until you are rock solid in your marketing message and your brand. That kind of cash expenditure can eat you alive, and with minimal return on investment if things aren't perfectly executed (and, then again, even if they are).

What kind of website or social media efforts have you made thus far?

Also, what are you doing about front of the line passes? You'll see why I'm asking in a moment.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

BrotherMysterio said:


> I would seriously hold off on doing radio or tv spots until you are rock solid in your marketing message and your brand. That kind of cash expenditure can eat you alive, and with minimal return on investment if things aren't perfectly executed (and, then again, even if they are).
> 
> What kind of website or social media efforts have you made thus far?
> 
> Also, what are you doing about front of the line passes? You'll see why I'm asking in a moment.


We would change the website we have now to what ever we decide to go with. we are on facebook... Nightstalkers charity haunted house, also naberhoodhaunts we dont do vip passes yet because i dont think the lines have been any longer than a 15 min wait. we havent grown that much yet.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

radio would cost me 325 a week for 40 spots per week and 40 spots on the online website,
5am -1pm 20 spots, 12pm to 12am, 40 spots on the website 6am to 12midnight. tv spots are anywhere from 7 dollars to 45 dollars per spot depending on the channel. we plan on making our own commercial.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> We would change the website we have now to what ever we decide to go with. we are on facebook...


When you redo your website, what kind of CMS are you using? Straight HTML, or are you going to go with WordPress? Also, are you linking into all of the social media outlets? How easy is it for people to find your site? For that matter, how motivating is it?



naberhoodhaunts said:


> Nightstalkers charity haunted house, also naberhoodhaunts we dont do vip passes yet because i dont think the lines have been any longer than a 15 min wait. we haven't grown that much yet.


Well, if you're expecting larger turnouts (hopefully), then you will have longer waits.

If you're looking to do some promos and whatnot, a common way of doing it is to giveaway free tickets to the haunt. The problem is that you are giving away revenue. Comping someone free upgrades, on the other hand, doesn't cause you to lose any revenue, and encourages people to show up and pay money to see your show.

The reason why the fast pass is so handy is because you can do stuff like use free fast pass upgrades as promo tools for people who refer a friend, or bring 4-5 friends with them, stuff like that. (Btw, steer clear of use of the term "VIP". "Speed pass" or "fast pass" sounds less hoighty-toighty.)

So, that being said, instead of radio spots, you might see if you can get on a local radio show (for free) and perhaps do a show on the history of your haunt (it's back-story), or the charity you are supporting, all that kind of thing. If you do magic, you could do spooky magic on the radio. All this stuff is free. Also, anyone who like's or friend's you on facebook or joins your email list gets a fast pass upgrade or something like that (printable coupon).

As far as TV spots go, this is also where icon characters really shine. No one really wants to see someone's goofy uncle (or of the like) waxing rhapsodic or philosophical about his wonderful creation, but seeing a fascinating character is TV gold. Also, you can work into the pathway of your haunt a spot or two where the TV camera can get some good action shots, without giving too much of the rest of the haunt away.



naberhoodhaunts said:


> radio would cost me 325 a week for 40 spots per week and 40 spots on the online website,
> 5am -1pm 20 spots, 12pm to 12am, 40 spots on the website 6am to 12midnight. tv spots are anywhere from 7 dollars to 45 dollars per spot depending on the channel. we plan on making our own commercial.


Ah, well, that's what I was referring to. At those rates, you need at least 60 people to show up to break even on your ad spend. It's kinda like leasing a billboard to advertise your business. When I was with the marketing and PR committee for the regional Toastmasters chapter, we looked at billboard campaigns, thinking we would bring in all sorts of new members from all over the metroplex, which would easily amortize the cost, or so we thought.

And then we found out just how much each billboard actually cost. How does $10K a month grab ya? It might bring in new business, but that's $10K a month you have to bring in just to break even on your ad spend. So, so much for the billboards, or anything else pricey for that matter.

Also, you are working for these charities, but are they working for you? They should have networks of donors and volunteers who can help get the message out. If you take the "Scary, Not Gory" approach, they shouldn't have an issue helping you promote your haunt (which in turn helps them).

Incidentally, do the Scouts volunteer or help out with the haunt.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

yes the boy scouts helped out as some volunteers. a few earned badges for the community service. those guys were great but the rest were kinda hard to handle. always running around hard to keep in one spot. but overall helpful. we are looking into other groups to help out and give them a portion of the ticket price either to sell tickets or to volunteer as actors, parking and so on. We still need a main character for the haunt as you call it the icon character. We really aren't gory not a lot of blood and guts. build around many scares.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> yes the boy scouts helped out as some volunteers. a few earned badges for the community service. those guys were great but the rest were kinda hard to handle. always running around hard to keep in one spot. but overall helpful. we are looking into other groups to help out and give them a portion of the ticket price either to sell tickets or to volunteer as actors, parking and so on. We still need a main character for the haunt as you call it the icon character. We really aren't gory not a lot of blood and guts. build around many scares.


What's your theme for next season?


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

BrotherMysterio said:


> When you redo your website, what kind of CMS are you using? Straight HTML, or are you going to go with WordPress? Also, are you linking into all of the social media outlets? How easy is it for people to find your site? For that matter, how motivating is it?
> 
> My son is using adobe dream weaver which is HTML. He is teaching himself how to use it. The website is linked to facebook.not on twitter yet.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

well we were thinking of this.... First part of the house would be... you enter and you are directed to a car covertialbe. there is a projector playing a driving scene the a car crash. a body comes down from the ceiling onto the hood of the car(crash). after that one or two actors dressed as zombie cops yell at you and direct you to an interrogation room where a messed up detective is asking why did you kill him and diff questions. then you are directed into a court room to be sentenced by judge blood. life in the state asylum is your sentence. Then you go to next room which starts the asylum part waiting room for check in, straight jacketed crazies coming at you. next room electro shock lab. next room a morgue maybe the last is a large chain link fence maze with mirrors strbes and lots of crazy zombie people trying to get you. I guess thats the brunt of it. judge bloods house of clots...lol sorry just came to me... I think we have a total of 8 rooms plus a large room which is about 30x36 sq feet for the fence maze. So i guess its is going to be an asylum type theme this year.


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> My son is using adobe dream weaver which is HTML. He is teaching himself how to use it. The website is linked to facebook.not on twitter yet.


Well, if you don't mind me suggesting it, you might consider switching to WordPress this time around. It started life as a blogging platform but quickly changed into the Content Management System of choice for many developers.

Basically, it makes developing, running, and maintaining a website about as easy as using and maintaining an email account. If you want to maintain a professional image as a serious business with a serious marketing plan - especially in the process of rebranding yourselves - then the website will need to be the hub and center of your plan.

Rattling off phone numbers and addresses in news segments and radio and tv spots can be a mouthful, and not very effective. But quickly saying, "go to [HauntName].com for tickets, location, and times" is a lot more effective.



naberhoodhaunts said:


> well we were thinking of this.... I think we have a total of 8 rooms plus a large room which is about 30x36 sq feet for the fence maze. So i guess its is going to be an asylum type theme this year.


So, a _zombie-apocalypse-procedural-penitentiary-asylum-maze_. Interesting. What kind of grid are you using?


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

I know the ideas just came to you, but have you written out a script for the actors to follow? Can they memorize it and speak it naturally and be able to do it for the whole nights show(s)? That just seems like a lot of speaking, and to have to do it at a high volume and repeatedly seems like you will end up going through a fair number of actors for those parts.
The maze room sounds like fun, though I can't see it being very big within a 30x36 foot room. Between the space needed for the walls, the zombies, and the trail itself it seems like you would only get one or two turns in the whole thing.

On the marketing end of things, I too would wait 'til you have a set theme, website, and advertising plan and budget to work from. For the promotional side, I would offer group rates for those that register early, or those who bring friends, etc. If you are going to sell products (shirts, hoodies, hats, etc., then maybe make a deal for a cut price for coupons, set time windows, etc. That way you can avoid losing your gate fees and let the people advertise for you. Doing different shirts and artwork for each year makes your goods collectable and help keep each year's event recognizable from other events (yours or anyone else's).
Facebook may be nice, but you have to kind of know stuff is there, and be a user to view or participate, that kind of limits your market. Invitational radio time is great, but consider doing the same kind of thing with your local papers. Both papers, and broadcast (radio and TV) typically offer announcements for local events. Inviting the DJ(s) for particular time slots and stations that cater to your demographics can help you get more air time.
As far as the difficulties with volunteers, it's almost always a problem. They typically have no vested interest in running a tight ship, and the bulk of the kids have the attention span of a zombie. Either you need to be more selective, and or you need to have more training, a carrot to keep them focussed, and rotate them in their duties on a regular basis. They get bored just doing the same old stuff all the time.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

The maze itself is not that big. We did a corn maze last year in that space.Pallet walls with corn stalks in the pallets. Had a laser vortex to begin it ,a grave yard, train prop with flood light and air horn, grave digger with circular saw, barrel prop and two toe pincher coffins one that rattled. also i think there was 7 turns in that space.there was also total of five actors in that space.We had a very good group of actors for our first year. just had a few problems with the younger scouts that would start wondering during slow times. but it was no real big deal. over all a great group. about half the actors will be back next year. and they were the good ones and they were older actors.the only thing that just came to me was the name judge bloods house of clots. lol the rest was brain storming with several actors and others, took all there ideas and just ran with it.


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

So, a _zombie-apocalypse-procedural-penitentiary-asylum-maze_. Interesting. What kind of grid are you using?[/QUOTE]

lol i guess so,scary looking cops and guards. scary looking inmates with straight jackets.as far as what king of grid. I just use graph paper hallways are 4' wide and each wall panel is 4x8. I haven't used pickles triangular grid yet. just is very easy for me to draw it out on graph paper. we will stick with most of the layout from last year since all the wall are marked to fit together the same as last year. we can make changes to the inner walls as needed. not really a big deal. will have to have another meeting with everyone to finalize the theme for this year. Have you visited our face book page?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nightstalkers-Charity-Haunted-House/158747210863168


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## BrotherMysterio (Nov 25, 2011)

naberhoodhaunts said:


> Had a laser vortex to begin it . . .


Describe the laser vortex. How did you create that?



naberhoodhaunts said:


> . . . just had a few problems with the younger scouts that would start wondering during slow times.


What are you doing about a central corridor?



naberhoodhaunts said:


> > What kind of grid are you using?
> 
> 
> . . . as far as what king of grid. I just use graph paper hallways are 4' wide and each wall panel is 4x8. I haven't used pickles triangular grid yet.


Well, first, just to be clear, it's not "pickle's" triangular grid!  He likes to make it sound like it was all his idea, but the basic principles existed long before him, and granted he was one of the first ones to use it, but he is by no means the definitive expert on it, and not it's greatest champion. (Sorry, just a sore point for me. )



naberhoodhaunts said:


> just is very easy for me to draw it out on graph paper.


I have some excellent custom graph paper you can use for that if you like.



naberhoodhaunts said:


> Have you visited our face book page?


Yes. Very cool!


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## naberhoodhaunts (Mar 29, 2008)

The laser vortex is a tarantula laser set on a circle pattern as you enter the haunt it is at on end of the haunt it reaches about 30 ft long. its great because as people walk through it they can not see the actor out side the laser. he pops in and out the pathway is filled with fog so you can see the green laser.
I dont think i have a central corridor... what do mean by that. we have scare rooms placed throughout the haunt where actors are in for drop panels. but no corridor that is central to the haunt.
Your right its not pickles... sorry i know he pushes it in anything i have read from him on haunt design. sorry
Custom graph paper cool, sure if you dont mind. and Thanks for visiting the facebook page glad you liked it.


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