Thread: Haunter's Golden Rules

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OK - this is a serious thread - so no fun allowed.......

seriously - please try to think of what un/spoken rules you haunt by. what will go into your yard/house/haunt/bedroom/site/forest/abandoned amusement park/etc.... ppl look at you and have no idea why you bought this mask over that one, this cloth, that light, built your prop this way, cut corners here but not there... they think your nuts - they think we are all nuts, which is why we have places like this...

but... your not nuts - crazy like wily fox maybe. but you have a set of ideals in your head that make sense only to you and the poor souls you scare the pants off of. so what? well - what are they? these ideas...

what are your Golden Rules?

rules for posting:
1) rules first - talk/type conversational after a few lines of blankness
2) max of four rules - we would be here all day if i didnt, and you know what i mean smartypants.
3) having similar rules are fine - but i want your rules - not the doorknob's rules four posts above you (and yes, to the fifth post-ee... im a doorknob ). but list your rules, even if someone beat you to the punch of one or two.
4) i really dont have a fourth rule... i just wanted to have a longer list of rules to make the list seem more imressive than it is...

example format

Rule #1 - blah
Rule #2 - more blah
Rule #3 - lots mor of the same
Rule #4 - mi really need to stop thinking in three's

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talky, typey, whatever, that was great, oh how scary that other guys rules were, wow with rules like that - i bet shes hot.... her porch - i meant her porch.... you get the point.

I have but one rule for the tots.
House’s Gallery » posted disclaimer » Sinister Space - Halloween and Haunt Community

1. If you tell a terrified customer (before they get inside) that you will not scare them, don't scare them.
2. Make sure everyone going through my place has the best possible time that I can provide for them, laughs, screams, stimulation.
maybe more later I have to go now,

1 No physical contact with patrons.
2 Take it easy on the little ones.
3 Layoff if someone seems too scared.
4 Stay in character.

hmm..... Interesting topic and should be helpful to many people.

Based on my interpretation of what you’re looking for, I believe that the rules are about scaring people, as there are many important rules in a haunted house, applying to different aspects of the haunt. So I will post my 2 cents about scaring folks, as these are the basics we teach our teenage actors.

1. Use the laws of Fear ( theses are techniques that prey on peoples mind, and removes them from any comfort zone they have)
2. Use the 45 degree rule of distraction (this is controlling your environment, mis-direction, same as a magician does)
3. A scare never lasts more than 2 seconds ( any longer and you;re just a guy in a mask)
4. Choose your target ( go after the screamer, this creates an energy that escalates and transfers to the tension of the group)

There are more, but using these guidelines will usually produce the desired effect.

1. Touch not, lest ye be touched.
2. Fun first, scare second.
3. Always have options for those allergic to chocolate
4. ABSOLUTELY everything must be epilepsy-safe.



First two are obvious. The second two were in response to some special cases I have in the neighborhood.

3: We tend to feature the best assortment of treats around. Sure, someone on the main street gives out king size, where we only give out full size, but we offer candy bars, to starburst/skittles, to cookies, to chips. I was initially shocked that the first year we started offering the non-chocolate option because of that one chocolate allergic kid, the chips were gone long before the candy. Chips now make up about 50% of the treat stock. Many kids prefer them to the candy.

4: I'm becoming a little famous for this locally. One child in the neighborhood with epilepsy can't go through one year, I promise to fix it. She loves it, then tells her school. They all bus down to go through now, and I check lighting designs with experts to ensure it remains safe each year.

1. reign it in for the little ones
2. have something other than candy for the under 2 crowd
3. no open flames in the garage
4. remove tripping hazards

The show must go on!

1) Spooky, not gory
2) What you don't light is just as important as what you light
3) Theater rules - it only has to look good from the "house" (audience)
4) Halloween isn't a holiday, it's a way of life.

Ok, the last one was thrown in because I couldn't come up with a decent third rule.