[pacman]

We in the U.K. still have shedloads to learn from your guys in the states and participation is one thing i should have included more in my builds , due to ill health i wont be able to do my halloween setup next year , but i would recommend and try to think up some more cool ways to help other forum members especially in the U.K. to try to integrate the kids more so its not just a dash up to get the sweets and back out again as they miss so much of the detail which so many of us put into our haunts no matter how big or small they are , great thread Ghost of Spookie , extremely thought provoking and i am sure a hell of a debating point , i will remind some of the other U.K. Haunters if they miss this thread to have a look and chip in , cheers and i hope you get some great ideas , most of my visitors preferred the more comical and fun side of the theme i did , i didnt dwell to much on really scary or overly blood thirsty as some years before , i was pleasantly pleased with this , i did get loads of kids ask me about a home made electric chair prop from 2 years ago when i got some kids to trigger the prop , again back to the participation thing again and it goes to show how powerful that particular halloween memory had made a mark .

 

[TheHalloweenGuru]

Does "ToTs" mean toddlers,kids, or both?

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

Haunted dictionary -- Trick or Treater

 

[TheHalloweenGuru]

Aaaaahhhhhh, thanks

 

[DeadED]

Making the ToT's and Parents part of the show was a huge boost to the haunt.

 

[thehoghunter]

Big hits: 1st pneumatic prop (the mechanic - skeleton on creeper [skateboard] come out from under the car), lock actuator makes 'dead' body jump (Thanks BIGANT), and Aunt Libby - wheelchair scare!

 

[Rigormortor]

Our house and street has earned a popular reputation for Halloween. We have been getting 500-600 TOTS the last 5 years now.
I was out walking my dogs in my yard during the summer, a lady walked by and said "We can't wait for Halloween, you have the best house"
I said thanks, be sure to come back. Alot of us on the street decorate and hand out candy. It is a fun tradition. 2016 will be even better as
im working on a bunch of props.

 

[pacman]

Good for you Rigormortor , its great when you get feedback like that , makes it all worthwhile .

 

[Scatterbrains]

My volunteers...I had enough that I could make a longer walk through.

 

[trentsketch]

My ToTs were freaked out by my second black and white haunt. There are a number of factors to consider. 1) I again used a webcomic as inspiration, so the forms and style were recognizable, but not the characters themselves. 2) There was a clear and intentional disconnect between the cuter celebrating cartoon characters and the scary sequence at the center of the yard. A yard of smiling or silly characters was split down the middle by one character clearing running away screaming while being chased by emotionless monsters emerging from the distance. 3) While more people than ever in the neighborhood decorated this year, I had the only house that aimed for creepy, not just festive. 4) A walk through a cemetery is always going to make ToTs nervous.

 

[Shockwave199]

I attribute my success to just doing something, anything, lol. A darker neighborhood for decorations you will not find. People just don't do a thing. Such a shame. I always think the more that light up, the better. But, I'm an oasis in a sea of darkness and they're drawn to me like flies to a light bulb. I do it for them, honestly. I had my best haunt in 2013. I'm the type that when I nail it, when my dream is realized, I kinda don't need to keep repeating doing it. I move onto other interests and challenges to conquer. Even though I do have fun, it's a ton of work on only me doing it all. So really I do it mostly for the visitors now, to keep the tradition alive and give them a memory that they'll likely remember through their whole lives- maybe even be inspired to do the same when they grow up. That's how it was for me. When you are fully outdoors, it's hard to have a plan because you're at the mercy of the weather. The only plan I have now is to wait until three days before and see what the weather will allow me to do. I have so much stuff now, I can mix and match and set up how ever I want, on the fly.

 

[CaliforniaMelanie]

We had about the same as in most years but much more than last year...for some reason last year we only had 5 ToTers...? But usually it's right around the same amount, 25-30. This year it picked back up to I think 30 and what I attribute it to is BETTER LIGHTING. Thank goodness for all the help here on HF because I was so clueless and never really did have my lighting down. This time I made sure my lighting was visible from well down the street, which meant making sure one side of my house that wasn't decorated was lit. It didn't look odd, in fact it just looked spooky and cool. I also took advice from some on here and had one main portion spot-lighted.

 

[IshWitch]

Help, that's what makes or breaks mine. If it wasn't for Scott and Pete it'd just be a bunch of statics around the yard.

 

[ReelSore]

For mine, I thinks it's because I've been putting more automatic scare props in the walk through. Normally I only have 2 helpers so in order to get more ToT's, I've been doing more automatic scares by laser, ir's, & motion detectors. I've been busy packing up this years haunt still but when I get time, i'll post some pictures.