I do a walk thru haunt but I dont do any gore. I have a 'at your own risk' sign at the door it also states 'younger kids MUST enter with an adult' Even tho the name of my haunt is Nightmare Manor I dont want to give anyone nightmares lol Most of the TOT's we get are teens and tweens, the smaller kids are usually people that we know.
I do a messy, gory haunt. The only thing that can be tamed down would be the actors( Can't move props and sceans around all night LOL). The kids that are to scared can get their candy at the begining of the Q line.
I always try to scare the little ones in my haunt - otherwise what's the point?
I do however take into consideration the reaction each rug-monkey has on a case by case basis - if it seems that I'm pushing the envelope a tad I "empower" them with whatever they happen to have with them at the time...
usually it's a flashlight of some kind, they flash it at me - and I "react" in a way that makes them feel safe. I find that this gives them the power to "hold me at bay" whilst they come up to the house for the goodies...
After all, I don't want to scare a child so badly that they're trumatized by the very holiday I'm trying to make enjoyable for them. I want to help build pleasent childhood memories - not give 'em years of therapy bills...
Our yard display is pretty tame compared to what others have here, from what I've been reading. I worry about scaring the little ones, so I don't put super scary, disturbing, gory stuff outside. I would love to, but it's just me and my boyfriend out there on Halloween night so it's not like we could have a front yard with tame stuff and then a more scary haunt in the garage or backyard. If I had more friends that would come by to help, I might do that. Also, I get very concerned with safety, placement of extension cords and whatnot so no one trips and falls on my property or anything like that.
Two years ago, an ex neighbor came by with her son who was about 3. He was freaked out beyond belief at my boyfriend's costume. He was dressed as an Evil Jester. It was creepy, but we didn't think it would scare anyone that bad. This kid took off running down the street, crying, screaming. It was too funny. The next year they came back and he came right up to my boyfriend, that time dressed as...an executioner or something with a latex skeleton mask and told him "Last year you scared me! Remember?" He wasn't scared at all this time and was telling us he knew it was pretend. It was so cute.
My wife tends to go out and get the little ones, telling them where things are, when their about to jump out. I also have the mildly scary side of the driveway and the REALLY scary side (its circular). We steer the smaller ones to the "nicer" entrance and advise them to go out the same way.
The way I had my haunt set up last year was that I had a more child friendly haunt with lights and a few tombstones.
Then more towards the back was my cemetary with music and the whole nine. I always warned parents that that area might be too scary for their toddler TOT's. At that point it was the parent's decision wether to bring their child to view it or not.
I also had to tell certain TOT'S to not walk on my front yard. The last thing I wanted was one to trip on the many extention cords we had.
All of you that go gruesome and even have the haunted houses, how do you avoid scarring (and scaring) the very little? I would hate to think I terrified a kid so much that they hated Halloween.
Well with my haunt you have the cemetary entrance that takes you through the scariest part of the haunt, then you have the kid friendly entrance that is less scary, and takes the ToT's around the cemetary right to the treats. I never want kids to grow up not loving this holiday.
Our is all front yard, mostly 'display' stuff, with some interaction from year to year. There is alot that is 'spooky' looking, but we skip on gore, blood, witchcraft and coffins. We do lots of skeletons and then whatever the theme is. There is usually one or two remote popups or startles.
The evening is mostly a crowd gathered in the front yard, sidewalk, street around our house. A neighbor-night-out sorta. I stand in themed, but non scary clothes amongst the crowd and chitchat. I remote trigger the popups as I see 'appropriate' TOTs walk by it.
We have a candy bowl at the sidewalk for those too young/nervous to walk up the dispenser.
And yes, we have three levels of handouts - normal, cheapo, and special. The non-neighborhood folks who swoom in for candy alone get cheapo and closer friends get special. Everyone else gets normal. Yes - we are guilty of TOT Profiling.
We rarely see folks 'dragging' their kids up to our yard, but then again it is not really a walk-thru. What we dislike alot (but can sorta understand on school nights), is the parent who 'rushes' a kid along. Kinda like the goal of the evening is to manke as many streets/candy as you can - versus hangin out at our house (one of the few who go all out and often have a game or something you can 'do')...last year we had a laser tag type of game incorporated into the Alien Invasion theme. Like Halloween is such an inconvenience for them. I see walking up and down streets for a few bits of candy as an inconveience, if I saw a place like ours - it would be the place to stay and spend some time. Anyway just our reaction I suppose after all the hard work.
For me I celebrate Halloween for the little kids. I love seeing them in coustome and usally with a smile on there face. However, I don't want to take away the scare effect. This year I'll make a one hour toddler approved walk through in my yard. Since most pearent's take there kids early that will be good for them. Then for about 3 more hours, I'll bring out the spooky side. If pearent's don't like it they don't have to come. We shouldn't have to change everything for a few little kids. For the most part, the pearent's come with the child so it's not really that bad.
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this year we are going to do two yards one for the all out scare the crap out of them( i hope)and a tot freindly yard which my 15 year old daughter wants to run..so my wife and i gave her our animated crypts and fly ghost ,tomb stones and half of the other decor.. not sure about my kicking guy yet we'll see..
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