How To Make a Haunted House

Haunted houses are very fun, you just have to know how to create them. Here are some tips for making haunted houses.

Step 1  

Make Plans. Before you even consider to get out to make your haunted house come alive, you first must conceive it. Sketch a layout and write up a brief but detailed walkthrough of what guests will experience, as well as how you will pull this scheme off and your special effects and lighting. Make sure everything is feasible and do not go overboard as you plan. Ask yourself some of these general questions:Will this house be aimed to scare, or will it joke? Will the general audience be younger or older? Should I use actors or audio-animatronics?

Step 2  

Make it dark. Do not put a lot of lights in your haunted house, otherwise people will be relaxed and know what to expect. They will also be able to tell where the actors are. If it is dark, they will be tense and have a better time. Little strobe lights can add drama and fear, but don't add to many.

Step 3  

Surprises. In most haunted houses you will be walking with a group or family in front of you, then an actor will jump out and scare the people in front of you. You will know that the actor is hiding in a particular spot and expect him as you are following them. Here’s how to fix that: Have some actors jump out in a particular time but not with all the other actors, then people will not expect him.

Step 4  

Film and Popular Culture Characters. Always have characters like Jason, Freddy, Leatherface, Michael Myers etc. That will really scare people. Watch movies so you can get a good idea of what they wear and look like. You can also get pictures off the internet. However, do not go overboard: you should also be original.

Step 5  

Use special effects. Try mirrors, black lights, and smoke to confuse the visitors. If constructing rooms yourself make them oddly shaped (long, narrow, high and low ceilings, walls at a 45 degree angle to the floor rather than completely vertical.)

Step 6  

Research Go to other haunted houses for tips on things that you can apply to your haunted house. If you want, you can ask the people running it. Just be remember to be original.

Tips

• Always wear a mask or obscure the face, especially if you know your guests. Even a greeter at the door can wear a mask. Otherwise the atmosphere is broken.
• BE SCARY!
• Practice!
• Be smart!
• Have fun.
• Use your imagination.
• If your using a blacklight in your haunted house put scary things on the walls with neon spray paint. The neon spray paint will glow like crazy! Put things like R.I.P, HELP!, or do a very thick line of spray paint so it leaks and looks like blood!
• Gory things do not scare people, surprising things do (example: a zombie prop on a rope falls in front of the visitor of the haunted house). Gore is too overdone, and seeing some fake blood on the floor of your haunted house will provide no reaction within the guests other than a yawn. However, if you place a 'victim', who is actually playing dead beside the blood, your guests will be scared out of their wits if he jumps out at them!
• Fog machines are your friend! You can find fog machines for around $30, they are a must have for your haunted house. Fog makes it harder for the visitor of the haunted house to see and makes thier heart beat faster because they have no clue what is coming to them next!
• Before buying props/decorations from major Halloween stores check out your local grocery store (you may be surprised how much good quality affordable props/decorations you can find there. I found a 400W Fog Machine for $25 and a awsome mask for $5). You should also check orientaltrading.com they often have very affordable props/decorations. Another place you can use to find good deals on halloween props/decorations is ebay.com!
• Do not try to make your haunted house huge, instead make it smaller and put more of your props/decorations together so your haunted house seems really scary and not spread out. In fact, a seires of condensed rooms can easily give anyone the creeps, claustrophobe or not, especially knowing that there could be a ghoul hiding with them somewhere!
• Do not buy a fake light up cauldron, they are very bright and really ruin the vibe of your haunted house.
• If you have actors in your haunted house have them shake a soda can on a string and put a couple dimes in the soda can so it makes a scary noise!
• If you are looking for actors, try hiring your friends. They will often participate in such a project, especially if you split your profits with them. If your friends are not the best actors, consider employing some people to do the acting. Most high school students involed in a drama program may be willing to join you.
• I always suggest that you use actors rather than audio-animatronics. Audio-animatronics, of what you can buy at stores and not by special order (you may have came across some of the Jason Vorhees, Hannibal Lecter, or self-decapitating zombie audio-animatronics during Halloween 2008), are generally not scary enough to be put in a haunted house. They do not make enough sudden motions to scare people, and have to have an eye kept on them or else thay may malfunction. You are best using actors, whose organicy make the haunted house all the more better.

Warnings

• Do not touch anyone while acting. Consider the legal ramifications.
• Most fog machine fluid and halloween costumes are flammable so try not using any real flames in your haunted house.
• If you are an actor, do not jump out at small children, especially if they are scared enough as is. You will instantly feel ashamed, as well as have the child's parents yelling at you. In fact, if you are the greeter, you should not allow children under 10 years of age to enter the attraction. If this haunted house doubles as the place you are giving out candy on Halloween, consider having an 'alternate route' for younger trick-or-treaters.