August 2009 Archives

Now this is a smart promotion. We need to have them on the Blog for an interview or two....Check out their video below. It's oh so very Richard Garriott and Britannia Manor.

Next Saturday, August 29th, from 9am to 11pm, the Austin, Texas bookstore Book People (603 North Lamar) will be hosting a shopping day for the SCARE for a CURE charity organization, an annual haunted house event in Austin, Texas which raises money for various cancer charity organizations such as the Breast Cancer Resource Center. Book People will be donating 5% of all sales generated that day to the charity funds so your participation is most needed! Not only can you shop at your favorite local bookstore, but you can also show your support for an extremely noble cause.

However, only sales that accompany the official donations flyer will go to SCARE. In order to participate, download the flyer and present it to the cashier at the time of your purchase. 5% of that purchase will then go to SCARE. Purchases made without the flyer will not benefit the organization.

Click here to download the flyer.

Check out this great Blog entry from the cool folks over at Ticket Leap. 

1. Keep lines moving as quickly as possible. Long lines can be scarier than your haunt. Do everything you can to keep your visible lines as short and fast as possible.

"Visibly long lines will kill your attendance numbers," says Patti Ludwinski of Halloween Productions, Inc. Ludwinski manages the ticket booths at both The Darkness Haunted House and Creepyworld Haunted Screampark in St. Louis, MO.

2. Make the shortest line - your ticket line - the one that's visible outside the haunt. Separate your ticket and entrance lines, so extra long lines don't scare potential customers away. First, position the ticket line as the visible line outside the haunt. Once tickets are purchased, direct customers to a separate "hidden" entrance line.

"At The Darkness, our ticket line is unfortunately very visible from the street.  So it's critical to have the ticket lines appear short," says Ludwinski.  "Having several ticket sellers (four or more on busy nights) and/or having a fast, efficient ticket system helps with that."

"The actual queue line into the attraction is separate, and we hide that line as best we can.  This is very crucial to having high attendance numbers each year," Ludwinski adds.

3. Sell Tickets Online. One of the easiest and fastest ways to increase attendance is to sell tickets online. With the help of an online ticketing company, adding ticket sales to your website or creating an event website only takes minutes.

4. Instant Credit Card Processing. Accepting credit cards can increase ticket sales by 18%. Also, web-based ticket systems can approve credit cards much faster than traditional credit card swipes, getting your patrons in the door quickly.

5. Real-Time Ticket Tracking. Ticket tracking software allows you to track and manage every dollar the instant a sale is made. Every dime will make it home so there is no more worrying about your profits.

6. Barcode scanning.  Scanning tickets is an easy way to manage who's in and who's out of your haunt. No one will be sneaking into your event - and scanning decreases the entrance line.

7. Custom Ticket Designs.  Take your haunt to the next level by creating custom ticket designs branded like your haunt. You can match your tickets' look with that of your promotional materials and other haunted themes, so your patrons will instantly recognize your event with one quick glance.

The right ticketing partner can make all of this very easy. Be sure to work with that partner to find the right sized solution for your haunt - not every haunt needs it all.

Guess what? Ghosthunting and Milkshakes (everyone's favorite Paranormal Japanese Game Show) is filming our special Two Part Halloween Episode this weekend.

Can you guess where we will be? Leave a guess on this post or on our Facebook Fan Page and you could win a prize. 

It's that time of year again, the time where we must remind the world that it is not Decepticons, Terminators, or sparkling vampires that frighten the world. It's heartless, mindless, bloodthirsty zombies! Yes, that means it's time to begin preparing for the Alamo Drafthouse's weekend of celebrating all things undead, infected, and zombified - the third  annual Dismember the Alamo Zombie Film Festival at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek.

The festival itself will be held on October 29th, 30th, and 31st while the deadline for submitting a short film is October 13th. Selected short films will be announced shortly thereafter. For those who have attended, you know that this is some of the most fun we have at the Alamo Drafthouse, with everyone from kids to grown adults submitting their most disgusting, humorous, or intelligent movies to showcase.

Of course, we have some lovely incentives to get you to cough up your best zombie material - prizes for the top three short films are $300, $150, an $75 respectively, not to mention plenty of Dismember goodies.

If you have any questions about the festival, just send us an e-mail back at alamozombiefest@gmail.com. Also, all details given here can be seen on www.dismemberthealamo.com.

Looking for the scariest job in Central Texas? Looking for the weirdest job in Austin? You just found both.

Come be a part of what keeps Austin weird! (and get paid to scare the crap out of people)

The Mansion of Terror Haunted House is looking for actors of all types to perform on weekends this Halloween season. Pay is from $7-$12 an hour and our season runs from Sept-Oct. Come be a part of the #1 Haunted House in the Nation, as voted by Lions Gate Films, right here in Central Texas.

Auditions are 2pm or 7pm on August 29th.
 
www.mansionofterror.com
2000 S IH 35
Round Rock, TX 78681

Questions? Can't make it this weekend?
normglenn@Gmail.com
Please call 512-694-9395

What?
Don't miss this chance to join other industry professionals in the horror/thriller & sci-fi fantasy genres for a great night of fun, drinks & networking!  Bring those business cards!
THERE WILL BE GIVEAWAYS!!!  If you'd like to give something away, please reply to this email.
 
Where?
Hollywood Billiards
5750 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.hollywoodbilliards.com
They have very cheap drinks and food if you come before 8PM!
 
 When?
TUESDAY, August 25th
(and will continue on the last Tuesday of every month) check website for details.
 
Time
7:00PM until?
Early Bird drink specials and appetizers!  6pm-8pm
 
This is a FREE event.  Valet parking is available or free street parking!

Drinks and food are very reasonably priced.
 
Please RSVP to: shriekfest@aol.com

On Saturday August 15th, Madison Horror presents the first ever Madtown Brain Drain - Zombie Pub Lurch. Registration for the event will begin at 5PM at the Regent Street Retreat 1206 Regent St. in Madison, WI. The $15 includes an official MBD T-shirt, Admission to the Zombie Dance and entry into the drawing for weekend passes to the Madison Horror Film Festival in October. We will also be giving away a Zombies by the dozen make up kit valued at $120 courtesy of www.gorified.com . The Zombie Dance following the Lurch begins at 10 PM with Human I.D, The Motherhive Syndicate and All The Pretty Horses.

   The itinerary will go as follows. We will be spending roughly 20 - 30 minutes in each bar. We are doing limited stops so we can save ourselves to rock out at the zombie dance. Here are a few of the bars that we will be stopping at, more bars to be announced soon. Pub Lurch rules, pre-registration info and itinerary can be found at www.madisonhorror.com .
 

In 2007, Fantastic Fest was honored by the presence of one of the true masters of horror, George A. Romero.  Now, two years later, we are thrilled to welcome back the undisputed champion of all things undead for his latest blood-drenched thrillride, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD.  When the idyllic retreat of Plum Island falls victim to the zombie plague, a new breed of clan war breaks out.  On one side is the camp who want to exterminate all undead with a wickedly diverse array of brain-splattering headshots. 

On the other, devoted family members take the stance that "zombie-ism" is a disease, the undead have rights and they must be kept alive until a cure is found.  Unable to simply "agree to disagree," the two clans go to war and make their island microcosm a whole hell of a lot bloodier. An undead parallel to the tribal wars that are plaguing our own society today, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD exposes the futility of such conflict and the need for tolerance of the beliefs of others.  Plus it's got zombie horses in it! Oh and ZOMBIELAND is playing as well.

What do you think?

Check out this local theatre performance of EVIL DEAD : THE MUSICAL. Also we love their 1990's Flash Web Site...okay not really. So who's going and can report back to us?

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In the second installment of Ghosthunting and Milkshakes, Alex, David and Aaron head to Round Rock, Texas, visit The Mansion of Terror Haunted House during the off season. Then the team is back in Austin, for Milkshakes at Amy's Ice Cream on South Lamar.