Every year we receive many emails, phone calls, and have guests conversations in which we are often asked the same questions from haunted attraction fans wondering, "How do you know for sure if a haunted attraction is good and worth your money before going and being disappointed?" It is impossible to say which haunt is great or the best as it's all about preference and everyone likes different aspects about a haunted house, it's all subjective and a matter of opinion.
From our experiences of speaking with professional haunt owners and seeing professional haunted attractions across the country here are 6 things to consider prior to purchasing your ticket that might help you decide where to visit and what to look for in those attractions working hard to offer you the best possible experience.
1) Does the haunted attraction post actual photos of THEIR characters, logos, props, costumes and sets or do they take or claim photos from another source? All too often people post photos of cool things they've found elsewhere without permission that reflects a higher quality than what will actually be experienced inside the show. Be cautious of the bait and switch! Go with an attraction you trust that has a reputation of quality and posts plenty of pics of some of the cool things you can expect to see and will see during your tour.
2) Is the attraction showing and posting high quality costumes, characters and set work? If you visit a website or social media platform and see costumes you can pick up at your local seasonal Halloween or retail store, and the haunted house is charging you a professional attraction's entry fee, then I would think twice about visiting. A professional haunted house owner works all year round building and creating a top notch attraction for you to visit each fall. Also, it should be clearly evident that you see the reinvestment made from one year to the next. If the photos reflect something that looks like it was thrown together, it's because it probably was. A good haunted attraction will have quality, believable sets, and creative and original characters.
3) Originality! If a haunted attraction looks to be ripping off movie characters, and does run-of-the-mill clowns or zombies and does not appear to have a theme, storyline, or much creativity or production value than this might be a sign of a not so high quality show. As entertainers, owners should ensure a haunted attraction remains fresh and unique and offers something different than trying to copy movies or do what everyone else is doing. We all take some inspiration from other creative people and artists out there in the world of movies, gaming, music and more, but as creative minds ourselves it's our job to put our own unique spin on it and make it our own and fresh for your enjoyment. Look for attractions that try new things and concepts instead of following someone's lead. Look for shows that seems to be ever-changing while making big and noticeable improvements from year to year! Those are the types of shows that even if you might not have loved it one year, came back the next year and it may blow you away!
4) Fake claims! What everyone prefers to experience in a haunted attraction varies with individual preferences. Some people even prefer the attractions who are offenders of the criteria mentioned above. But anyone here in the Mid-Atlantic for example can tell you that every seafood restaurant claims to have the best crab cakes in town. Its impossible to really say who's are truly the best, but naturally some will always rise to the top and consistently be considered the best or one of the best. It's no different for Halloween attractions, as everyone claims to be the best or scariest, biggest, or most popular etc. etc. But, the question every potential guest should ask is, does ANYONE ELSE say this other than the haunt themselves? Anyone can make a claim but unless it's backed up by creditable sources, buyer beware!!! A great haunted attraction will be very popular locally of course, by it will also have national sources that back up their claim of being great. Does the attraction in question make any of the top national rankings or lists? Is it recognized by national internet and/or print publications? Has the haunted attraction ever been featured on any of the haunt related various national TV programs you see each fall? These are all signs that the event is legitimately top-notch, not only locally but even receives national attention and one that you can trust rates up there with the very best even on a national level. If you are looking at a particular attraction to visit who makes a claim you are unsure of, then you can always contact the attraction owners and operators and ask that they provide you a source for this rating. If they do not provide it, take it as a sign of simple false marketing and consider looking elsewhere.
5) Is there a difference in quality with an attraction that calls itself a charity haunt versus a professional haunt? What's the difference? In a nut shell, A charity haunt is one that benefits a cause and ALL the proceeds go towards a charity and/or a good cause. Charity haunts are rarely on the level of most professional attractions. They can rely on an underage and sometimes less skilled staff and scare actors, and often operate on a smaller budget than a professional haunted attraction and often do not pay their staff relying instead on volunteers. There are, however, some charity shows across the country that are truly special events and we encourage all to support charities through their endeavors especially if the ENTIRE proceeds go toward the cause as promised, we know that this is not always the case.
A professional haunted attraction is one that by law pays their staff. If a haunt is not directly tied to a charity and is not registered as a 501c for example, as a non-profit and still utilizing unpaid labor, they can not truly be considered a professional haunt just as any other business that does not pay its hard working staff would not be considered a real business. In the 70's and 80's it was common to use volunteers for a for-profit show, but these days people consider it unethical and naturally frown upon a business making money off of free labor. Additionally and in most cases, a true professional attraction usually has a higher budget, and more often puts out a higher quality show. Of course, your opinion may vary, but as a general rule of thumb we've found this to a sound piece of advice.
6) Theming. Theming is very important in conveying the message and mood of your show. Do you ever see some haunted attractions post pictures of their staff and you see a clown or two, Michael Myers, Jason, Freddy, Scream killer and other movie icons, a ghoul, a zombie and any other combinations of overused characters? Unless the attraction has a dozen individual shows and those are the icon characters for each show, it most likely reflects a show that does not understand or one that does not utilize a theme. Typically, you can expect to visit a show that may go from a boiler room to a clown room, then to a butcher scene to a classroom to a graveyard on to an asylum and so on. I'm not implying that the show is automatically bad, but it does show it lacks theming and executing a cohesive and thought out storyline. If you visit the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World for example, you don't see Leatherface charging out of a polka dot room that was filled with zombies. Or another example you wouldn't watch a Victorian era horror movie and see aliens and modern clowns or random serial killer guy wearing Levi's, white nike shoes and a Metallica shirt lurking in a scene. The truth is that its considerably much more difficult to choose a theme and carry it through your show, but we feel its well worth it and more creative and rewarding for today's more sophisticated haunt fan!
The point is, look for shows that cater to your taste. If you like the hodgepodge of scenes and scenarios with no common theming then that's ok, there are plenty of options everywhere. If you appreciate tighter theming, thoughtful execution of layout and film quality scenes and characters, then look for those few shows who do this, though they are fewer and far between.
We hope that you found this helpful in choosing and planning for the fast-approaching 2014 Haunted Attraction season. Most haunts open next Friday September 26th, so get out there and have some fun and make some memories!
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