I see you over there.

I see you twisting your mustachio, eyebrow raised with a smirk on your face, your kids beside you oohing and aahing in amazement and I know what you’re thinking.

“I can totally do that!”

Yes, you totally can. But before you take this giant leap into the world of home haunts there are a few things that you should know.

First off, the amount of time involved is immeasurable. It starts with an idea or theme and then you start to run with it. The smallest intentions of a simple home maze with a few jump scares can turn into a monstrous undertaking if one isn’t careful. If this is your first year attempting a home haunt don’t be afraid to start small. Pay attention to details and don’t get caught up in elaborate sets with mechanical props that can overwhelm not only your guests but your staff as well.

Staff? Yes, you will need staff. If you’re planning on having more than just a few black lights, a fog machine and gravestones then you should plan on having some people who can help direct the flow of both foot and possibly vehicle traffic. It’s also nice to have someone who can answer questions for interested attendees. If you want a maze or walk thru with talent then you have to find people who know what they are doing. It’s hard to find people to help. You’ll get a lot of people who say they want to help set up, run the event and tear down but be prepared for those same people to decide that it’s too much work. The time commitment can be a little too much as those same people who say, “I love halloween!” often times love to go out to different events during October. When you work a home haunt it cancels out a lot of extra time to venture out during the month.

August, September, October and November…don’t make any huge plans during those months. Remember being at that haunt you attended last year and telling your kids that you wanted to do that next year? They jumped up and down while screaming, “YES YES YES! LET’S DO IT!!”

Well, that little home haunt you went to started way back in summer. (or maybe before) If you aren’t planning and/or procuring props, sets and staff then you are building your haunt. And when you’re done with that you are running the event. AND WHEN YOU’RE DONE WITH THAT…YOU HAVE TO STRIKE IT! There are only so many days in a week, so many weeks in a month and it all adds up quickly. The crew at our home haunt all have full time jobs so this takes up pretty much all of their extra time. Late nights and early mornings are the norm during the “haunting season”

Since all your extra time is taken your family can end up feeling a little neglected. This is a major downside to running your own event. During the past few years our own Halloween Trick or Treating has either been without dad or dad has to leave after just a little while because it is the biggest night of the year for his haunt. Our kids get into it during the run. My son started wearing his costume and mask (used only for our event) this past year. He had a blast transforming into a scare actor. I might add that he was damn good at it too. My daughter is still a little too young to get the concept of how to scare but she enjoys helping at the merch booth and by helping I really mean sitting there and looking cute. However for the night of Halloween, we have decided that our kids need their own “regular” trick or treating experience. We stay in our own neighborhood pillaging neighbors for candy; that way our kid’s night isn’t disrupted too much by daddy’s gig. Some families decide that the kids can help during the busiest night of the run. Make sure that you sit down with your partner and kids to discuss what is right for your family before it turns into an argument on what should be the most exciting night of the year!

The biggest issue that a lot of home haunts run into is neighbors. Your neighbors who are friendly during the rest of the year could turn into nightmares during this season. Frankly, I can’t really blame them. During build, your home turns into a construction zone; the set up alone is loud and dirty. Then opening night is here and WHAM! All that extra noise from sound effects while guest’s horrified screams echo up and down the cul de sac…it is music to my ears but I realize that not everyone feels the same way. Add in the frustration of parking, a line of guests blocking driveways and people wandering around the neighborhood (leaving trash that you’ll have to clean up every night) the whole thing can really turn your quiet neighborhood upside down. What you don’t want is a lynch mob coming after you with pitchforks. I suggest making friends with the people in your neighborhood. Give them exclusive front of the line passes. Make sure that you are very respectful of their property and keep people off of your neighbors lawns, driveways, rose bushes and the like.

There are a lot of upsides to running your own home haunt. It really is a lot of fun and it’s incredible to receive compliments from guests. It’s also a great way to get your whole family involved in an activity which is hard to accomplish. You build memories nightly that your kids won’t forget. Plus I think it automatically makes you the most awesome family on the block, skyrocketing you into “the cool house” to hang out at. Isn’t that what we secretly want?
So go ahead and jump on those plans to do an event this year! Don’t wait any longer to get started, it’s already the middle of July. Tick-tock TICK-TOCK!