Fiendish Friday Interview - ScreamHaunt

How long have you been in the business?
I wouldn’t label myself as “being in the business” but I can tell you, I’m a HARD CORE Halloween buff that watches scary movies and dabbles in the Halloween, Haunted House Industry 365 days a year. I spend about 4 hours a night researching the trade, and jotting down ideas for a Haunted Hayride I hope to have in the next couple of years.

How did you start?
After getting a taste of my first dark ride at age 7, I KNEW this was the thing for me. From there, I collected things and built small mechanical things.

What’s the scariest Haunted House you ever attended?
Do you still find time to attend Haunted Houses?
I would say the scariest Haunted House would be the Haunted Mansion in DisneyWorld and I’ll tell you why. Just like an actor that gets into the role of his part, I get into the role of a patron and actually “get into the character” of a person going through an actual Haunted House. Let’s face it, the HM is a landmark of theatrical quality. Don’t get me wrong, there are many attractions out there with equal theatrical quality and some actually have MORE that coordinate tons of talented actors. I’m mainly speaking of a completely animated Haunt. I have a thing for fully animated dark rides etc.

What inspires you to create?
I love to build things, especially “animated” things. I only started building animated things, such as the Flying Crank Ghost in the last couple of years. I think my biggest inspirations are the people that have shown me that “anything” is possible. Many of the home haunters, yard haunters etc, have really paved the way for future haunters. Being involved with tons of haunting communities keeps the feeling alive and always allows you to get a hand when you need it. Also, when someone comes out with a scare, I have the drive to do one that’s a little better (even though I can’t)

Are you married?
How is your wife involved in the business?
Yes, I’m married and the wife is scarier than ANY haunted house. She used to be involved, but she’s better off just being an ornamental type of thing.

Do you ever get scared anymore? What does scare you?
I would have to say yes, but it’s a different kind of scare. As I’ve become desensitized by reality, since I deal with it every day, the normal things that make someone panic, really don’t affect me. BUT.........since I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to see what types of horrific people we have in this world, I’d say people scare me.

Do you believe in real Haunted Houses? Ghosts? Etc.
Absolutely!

What is Fear?
I would say fear is the result of a threatening or startling stimuli, in which your control of the situation is in compromise. Then again, some people are chicken without reason. I have a friend who’s married to a girl (nearly age 30) that won’t come to a Halloween party or watch a scary movie because “she’s scared”. I mean like OMG!

Who’s your average customer?
As I do a yearly party that traffics about 50 plus, most of my patrons are EMS, Police. Most of them want me to take it to a higher level though.

Who’s the main competition in your market and why?
I really don’t have any competition. I know that I want a haunted hayride and I know that with time, effort and dedication, it will happen. I’m not one to compete. I feel that if you provide a unique experience, everything else will fall into place. That is, if you’re willing to work at it.

What are your 5 year goals?
I’m currently trying to settle on a 33 acre piece of ground, located in a rural section of Pennsylvania. The property has been in dispute (originally 104 acres) for about 10 years now and it’s finally coming to a head. The nice thing, is that there are NO Haunted Attractions in the area. I plan on selling my current home, placing a double wide on the new home front and investing some time and money in developing a good hayride to start out with. Being pessimistic, I can honestly say that I’d be happy to have a good haunted hayride, even if the only people that came, were my friends. I’m heavy on the hobby, even if it doesn’t come with success. Aside from HauntersNetwork.com I have two other website projects that I’ve completed and am awaiting funding for launch and advertisement purposes. Just like the Haunted Report, I’m going to put a couple of first timers out there. Maybe in 5 years, I’ll look back on this and have the pleasure of looking back at the past and appreciating success all the more.