[hannibal]

We were planning on scaring the trick or treaters this year...just a little(or maybe a lot) and I was just wondering is there an age limit you set where you won't scare them? I figure anyone that looks 10 or under is off limits. My one neighbor hates Halloween because when he was younger he and his friends were chased by a "chainsaw guy", so I don't want to do any permanent damage like that. Do you set a limit with the kids that come to your house or your haunt?

 

[FirstSpartan]

I take it on a kid by kid basis. If it's a 9 year old being pushed up the walk by his/her parents with absolute terror in his/her eyes I let them off lightly. Now if it's a 9 y.o. acting all brave and cool in front of his friends I let the terror fly!

And if they're teens....both gloves come off and I try to send them running . Most times I get a feeling of how much scare the tot's can take before they get there.

 

[Frankie's Girl]

We use the parents as a guide.

If they are young enough to be TOTing with a parent, no scaring.

If they are older/younger kids with a parent, it's generally okay to do a little something, but not directed at the younger kids.

Kids old enough to TOT on their own with no parents - they are fair game.

We don't do major scares, but there are some little things we do...

 

[Junit]

I take it on a kid by kid basis. If it's a 9 year old being pushed up the walk by his/her parents with absolute terror in his/her eyes I let them off lightly. Now if it's a 9 y.o. acting all brave and cool in front of his friends I let the terror fly!

And if they're teens....both gloves come off and I try to send them running . Most times I get a feeling of how much scare the tot's can take before they get there.

Right on!

 

[Yubney]

Working a haunted house we simply went "ooooo ooooo" at the yonger folks and gave it the screaming all out of "yeahhh" at the older ones.

Amazing what the audio cues does for the level of effect. The little ones stopped peeing themselves after our realization.

 

[Sychoclown]

I generally take it easy on 10 and under , and avoid the really young ones. Most of it falls on the parents if they walk them through our haunt that's their choice. As a clown I could really screw up circus time for the kiddies.

 

[GDfreak]

It depends really. I remember last year during Fright Fest you would get the little kids that terrified to no end. We would usaully leave them alone. But every once in a while you get the smart @$$ 7 year old and I will do anything to make them run. Pre-teens and up where fair game. We becam extreemly ruthles. If you were crying we wouldn't back off. We usally wouldn't back off unless you hypervenalating (SP) or peed your self which happened quite offten. And I got paid to do that.

 

[hannibal]

I love how everyone says teens are fair game! That's my opinion too. I just don't want to scare someone to the point that they have damage and hate Halloween. It's not gonna be a huge scare but my daughter is going to be a bloody mess and my husband will be a tad less of a bloody mess. She's going to come walking out of our front door covered in blood in a white slip type thing, her mouth "sewn" shut and a huge gaping bloody neck with a bloody trick or treat bag. As she's making her way to the back of the house(to get back in) hubby is storming out (standing a 6ft even) in a bloody apron, wild hair and a surgical mask with a bloody knife and he's going to scream "where did she go!" They'll be shocked by her and scared senseless by him(I hope). Most kids on the block know him and they are already terrified of him..lol For the teens if at all possible and if he can make it in time we'll have a chainsaw at the back of the house...you know the rest.

 

[Specterkev]

if you are about 8 and up.. good luck lol.. smaller nd we call out the wee tyke shout

 

[Biggie]

There is a really crappy neighbourhood next to ours, and it produces alot of little so called "gangsters". When they show up with no costume, and are 10 and up. We make them run, we chased one group about 350 yards last year.

 

[skullboy]

I take it on a kid by kid basis. If it's a 9 year old being pushed up the walk by his/her parents with absolute terror in his/her eyes I let them off lightly. Now if it's a 9 y.o. acting all brave and cool in front of his friends I let the terror fly!

And if they're teens....both gloves come off and I try to send them running . Most times I get a feeling of how much scare the tot's can take before they get there.

I do what he said,he read my mind.

 

[OMGDan]

I take it on a kid by kid basis.

Most times I get a feeling of how much scare the tot's can take before they get there.

Ditto.

I've had a younger sister dressed as a princess walk into my yard quite bravely whilst her older brother stood scared stiff at the gate.

You can tell the vibe they're giving off and i'll base my scare (or lack of) upon that.

I've had a few actually start to cry at the gate when their parents are urging them to go in, so i'll kneel down and talk 'nice' to them to try and seem less intimidating.

 

[skullboy]

My wife has walked candy down to the sidewalk for the kids that wont come near the house.

 

[Huntmaster]

When I was young, I worked at a summer camp. During Halloween they had a camp out that ran for a few weeks. The rule there was that anyone under 12 just went to a Halloween party that had games, hay rides, and similar themed activites. Anyone over 12 got to go on the "Haunted Trail" which was a two mile hike through the mountains and us counselors got to scare the heck out of them.

Nothing scares kids more than a bunch of camp counselors in the off season.

 

[Scary Firefighter]

I go by a kid by kid basis also. But from my experience, it's the younger kids who don't seem to be all that afraid and it's the pre-teens that act like they are about to crap themselves sometimes. I think the smaller kids just want the candy too much to worry about whether or not they are going to get chopped to bits.

One thing I did not do last year though was take off my mask. In years past when I was just answering the door I would look out the window before hand and if the kid was "too young" I would not put it on. But since I was "in jail" last season I would not take my costume off for anybody. But for really young kids I would wave at them or give them a "thumbs up" so they would not be too afraid. The old kids I would just stand there and stare at them or bang my giant (plastic) machette on the prison bars all of the sudden and scare them with the loud bang. And then of course sometimes I'd just slip through the bars and walk down the street after them..... scared more parents than kids doing that.

 

[Severeth]

We get virtually zero trick of treaters round here... But one year we decided to scare this little kid. One of those really nasty, smart aleky kids. My oldest sister put on this Halloween mask of a hobo... and then knocked on his door. It was great because he actually opened the door. Now, my oldest sister was 6ft and was wearing my dads leather coat at the time...

Needless to say, we could hear the kid screaming from his house to ours. It was great. I still hate him now that he's grown up.

 

[Baron Samedi]

We normally have a seperate area for the little 'uns to collect their treats, away from the main haunt area and just decorated with generic Halloween stuff.

There is nothing worse than seeing a parent pushing or dragging a crying and obviously terrified child into the haunt and telling it "not to be silly"..
Halloween is supposed to be fun for all, not a reason to start a 4 year old on psychological counselling.

We have a warning outside the haunt, and it's also read to the group of TOT's before they enter, giving them a last chance to "chicken out"

Once inside the haunt, there is no mercy. If you're brave enough to enter, you're fair game. My scareactors are under orders not to break character for any reason, Although my daughter is usually on hand to escort out anybody in extreme distress, which has happened on a couple of occasions.

 

[Not-so-sunny-lane]

We don't do a walk thru but do more role playing and startle type scares. So we don't do any scares until we start getting the older kids. We have thought about posting flyers at the local stores and stating "the darker the night, the bigger the scare" Usually people with really little kids come out early, by the time its good and dark you're dealing mostly with pre-teens and teens.

 

[hannibal]

We don't do a walk thru but do more role playing and startle type scares. So we don't do any scares until we start getting the older kids. We have thought about posting flyers at the local stores and stating "the darker the night, the bigger the scare" Usually people with really little kids come out early, by the time its good and dark you're dealing mostly with pre-teens and teens.

We're going to do a little advertising this year. I'm gonna put flyers in 2 supermarkets and then notices on a few telephone poles. I just want to see what kind of draw we get. I'm hoping for older kids so we can go out full force.
I guess I'll do what everyone else does and just judge it on a case by case.

 

[Qweniden]

I take it on a kid by kid basis too. Its parents that get no mercy. I never done any startle scares yet but I may this year.