HaunTopic Radio: Haunted Attractions | Haunted Houses | Hallow...

Eddie McLaurin is the creator and owner of the Woods of Terror haunted attraction in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Here's a brief overview of his story:
Family Legacy: The Woods of Terror sits on land that has been in McLaurin's family for generations, dating back to his great-grandfather, Simon Peter "Pa Pete" McCormick.
Inspired by the Land: McLaurin was inspired to create the haunted attraction by the 26 graves on the family property that scared him as a child.

Year-Round Commitment: He treats the Woods of Terror as a full-time job, dedicating himself to its year-round operation and improvement.

Bone Daddy Persona: During the operating season, McLaurin takes on the persona of "Bone Daddy," leading parades and interacting with guests in makeup and costume, including a live snake.

Community Engagement: He is known for engaging with his customers and giving back to the community, including supporting local businesses and charitable causes.

Building a Haunted Kingdom: McLaurin is credited with building Woods of Terror into a highly-respected haunted attraction, creating a unique and immersive experience for visitors.

Dedication and Hard Work: His success is attributed to his strong work ethic and commitment to his vision for Woods of Terror.

Check out Woods of Terror here: https://woodsofterror.com/

Become a Haunter's Toolbox member: https://www.haunterstoolbox.com/

Matthew Murphey is a Haunter and a trial attorney. Matt has worked in courtrooms since starting his legal career as a court-martial clerk in the United States Army in 1985.

He also knows Haunted Attraction's legal roadblocks.

We'll discuss:
-Protecting yourself from legal battles

-How to start a non-profit attraction

-Employee contracts & applications

-Waivers: Good or bad?

-How to deal with local codes & laws

-Insurance & Liability

-Legal guidelines around your brand

-Do you own your characters?

-Advice for Home Haunters & HOAs

Matt has tried cases to juries in three states and five federal districts as counsel. Matt's background in science coupled with his trial experience with prosecution agencies allowed him to transfer his trial skills to private practice fifteen years ago to complex patent and other intellectual property, financial institutions, and commercial litigation cases.

Start, grow, & scale your haunted attraction business at HauntersToolbox.com

Find Matt at themurpheylawyers.com

Scott and Jewel Simonson answer all of your questions about creating killer videos and photos at your haunt, marketing on a budget, retaining your actors, haunt technology, and other questions you have about Haunted Attractions.

"Haunting Media was founded by experienced haunted attraction owners, who, much like you, understand the intricacies and importance of delivering a truly detailed and immersive experience. As we carefully crafted our own haunted attraction, it became apparent that our photos and videos should mirror this attention to detail.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Haunting Media ensures that our content creation services cater to your specific needs. Each member of our team is not only highly experienced in the haunting industry but also exceptionally creative. We understand that no two attractions are alike; therefore, we take great pride in tailoring our offerings to suit your unique vision." -HauntingMedia.com

Start or grow your haunted attraction at HauntersToolbox.com

Start, grow, and scale your Haunted Attraction at HauntersToolbox.com

In this episode, we discuss many things like Scare Actors, Safety, Timed Ticketing, Wall panels, Haunt Construction, Tent Haunts, Outdoor Trails, International Haunts, and more!

Leonard Pickel has over 50 years of themed attraction design and operations experience in year-round and seasonal installations, museums, and dark rides. Creating more than 300 original and innovative dark-themed attractions for major venues worldwide.

 A few of Leonard's accomplishments:

-1987: created the industry's first turn-key Haunted House "˜kits" and the first adaptation of the "Field Theory" for Haunted Attractions (The Triangular Grid System)

-1993 to 2000: Applied his October seasonal experience toward a summer seasonal haunted house with Mayhem Manor® in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

-1994 to 2009: Co-founded Haunted Attraction Magazine, the premier publication for the dark amusement industry.

-1997: Formed the Haunted Industry's first trade association, the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA).

-2004 to 2017: Launched the first national convention devoted solely to the Haunted Attraction Industry. The Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Convention (HAuNTcon®)

-2009: Awarded a lifetime achievement award from the International Association of Haunted Attractions and was honored with a question using his name in the Millennium Edition of Trivial Pursuit.

-2009: Appeared as an industry expert in several television programs including the Travel Channel special about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida and America's Best Haunted Houses.

-1976 to present: Constantly searching for new challenges and striving for new heights in his Haunting career, Leonard has 40-plus years of experience designing all types of commercial Attractions.

Contact Leonard Pickel at Hauntrepreneurs.com

Start and grow your Haunted Attraction at HauntersToolbox.com

Get Merit Badges and Name badges for your crew at ScareItBadges.com

2024 is over! What's in store for 2025??

We discuss many subjects in this episode. Topics like:

• Should you sell alcohol at your haunt?
• How to get free marketing
• Campfire rentals and selling S'Mores
• Concessions and merchandise sales
• Corn Maze Haunts
• Transworld Show preparations
• and a crap ton more Haunt Talk!

Don't be a scrooge...turn up that volume and share us with your entire crew! But don't wake the ghosts...

It stinks that we don't get to travel during October to visit haunted attractions because most of us are busy with our haunt businesses and projects. 

Nick and Beverly Pappas have traveled thousands of miles yearly as Haunt customers and have seen things we haven't. Listen to their stories and get a peek at how Haunts are changing. 

What are the trends coming for the industry? How do Haunts compare between now and then? Are you doing everything at your attraction to maximize your guest experience?

Become a Haunter's Toolbox member at HauntersToolbox.com

HauntPay created the annual Haunt Industry Survey because they needed reliable, recent data about the haunt industry. This is the
fourth annual report and haunters revealed some surprising insights for the coming season!

Marketing efforts got more sophisticated and more robust this year, with haunters using digital and offline platforms to promote their attractions. Crowd sizes are growing modestly, but haunts remain an affordable activity compared with rising costs for other
entertainment. And Haunters are using new strategies to manage the crowds on busy nights.

In this podcast, you'll find insights like: how small or large is the average haunted attraction these days? How much are they
charging for admission? Which social media apps are most popular? What are the biggest challenges haunt owners face?

Thank you to all of you who responded to the 2024 survey! We quite literally couldn't do this without your help.

Visit HauntPay.com for all of your ticketing needs.
Visit HauntersToolbox.com for help starting & growing your haunt.