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Location and Structure

The most critical element of creating a haunt is having somewhere to do it. There are several options.

Buildings
Background	A space can be purchased or rented for any length of time. Security is simple, the haunt may remain set up for long periods of time, but there can be many costs involved.
Ease of Use	Buildings offer the most control over a haunt, but there are building codes that must be followed.
Size	Space is limited by budget and availability.
Portability	The space isn't subject to portability, but the props and electronics may be.
Security	Alarm systems can be installed along with strong locks. Additional security may be provided by the locations management such as that of a shopping center.
Safety	As long as building codes are followed safety is obtainable.

Trailers
Background	Tractor trailers may be either road worthy or for storage use. Once the physical modifications are made the haunt can be quickly moved and assembled, but it can be very expensive.
Ease of Use	Haunts built in trailers can remain largely in tact between uses. However, they often must have special stairs, ramps, connections between trailers, and new doors will need to be cut.
Size	The size of the haunt is limited by the number of trailers and the size of each.
Portability	They can be easily moved from place to place.
Security	As long as the construction is sturdy they can be made secure fairly easily.
Safety	Sprinklers and other fire safety measures must be taken.

Tents
Background	Tents can be rented from party and festival supply stores which can be found in the local yellow pages. While a tent is easily obtained, all internal structure must be set up and security can be a problem.
Ease of Use	Tents must be set up, a framework for wall panels built, and electricity hooked up.
Size	Sizes vary by manufacturer and model.
Portability	These can be rolled up and moved by forklift to a vehicle for transportation.
Security	Anyone with a knife could get in, so a temporary fence and security guard is highly recommended.
Safety	If there is a small puncture the structure will not deflate, but a larger gash will cause deflation. However the structures deflate slowly enough to evacuate guests. These are designed to be just under 1000 square feet to avoid having to install a sprinkler system, so other means of fire suppression are necessary.

Outdoors
Background	Caves, forests, and fields often make for a unique haunting experience. The biggest pros are fewer limitations in size and portability, but security can be a problem.
Size	Size is only limited by the safe area available.
Portability	The physical location is not subject to portability, props and electronics may need to be stored indoors.
Security	Fencing and security guards are recommended.
Safety	Care must be taken to ensure a safe path that can be easily followed. All props and electronics should be intended for outdoor use.

Themes and Storylines

The best way to make guests remember your haunt is to make a distinct theme and storyline, but that doesn't have to limit your possibilities. You can find a way to make just about anything fit into a given theme, without losing that memorable storyline. The best theme is often based on the history of your area or sponsoring group. A historical society might create a show based on local legends or a town with a government or industrial plant might make a lab themed haunt.

Some themes to consider are:

Alien Invasion	Carnival/Circus	Cave	Cemetery	Funeral Home	Ghost House
Haunted Forest	Hospital	Industrial Plant	Insane Asylum	Mad Scientist's Lab	Pirate Ship
Prison	Vampires	Witches & Wizards

Haunt Names

Below is one method for naming your haunt. However, this is only representative of one style of name. There are many great titles that don't fit this pattern. The main thing is the title of your haunt should effectively communicate your theme or otherwise distinguish your haunt. Generic names such as "The Haunted House" or "House of Horrors" will soon be forgotten, while "The Mad Scientist's Haunted Lab" is very memorable. Below is a popular method to naming.

To create a great haunt name, just pick one word from each set to fill in the formula The [Set I] [Set II] of [Set III] or simply use the word bank below to serve as inspiration.

Set I
Alien	Bizarre	Black	Creepy	Crimson	Damned	Dark	Dead	Demented	Demonic	Devil's	Doomed
Eerie	Forbidden	Foul	Frightening	Ghostly	Ghost's	Goblin's	Grim	Grisly	Haunted	Horrible	Horrifying
Insane	Lunatic	Maniacal	Menacing	Monster	Mysterious	Nightmare	Ominous	Phantom	Scary	Sinister	Spooky
Strange	Terrifying	Unknown	Vicious	Weird

Set II
Abyss	Asylum	Carnival	Castle	Cathedral	Cave	Cavern	Cemetery	Cave	Church	Circus	Citadel
City	Crypt	Dungeon	Forest	Fortress	Graveyard	Hotel	House	Inn	Jungle	Labyrinth	Manor
Mansion	Mausoleum	Maze	Mortuary	Museum	Palace	Pit	Planet	Prison	Ship	Spaceship	Swamp
Syndicate	Temple	Tomb	Vicious

Set III
Blood	Brutality	Carnage	Cruelty	Damnation	Darkness	Death	Demons	Doom	Dread	Evil	Fear
Fright	Hell	Horror	Malevolence	Malice	Nightmares	Pain	Revulsion	Scares	Screams	Shadows	Shock
Slime	Tears	Terror	The Damned	The Dead	The Doomed	The Insane	The Undead

Adapted from "The Canonical List of Haunt Names" by Michael Bruner of The Monster Maze. Used by permission.

Lighting

Texture means that light can be a plain beam or broken up into light and shadow. Theatrical lights can easily use a gobo or metal disc with holes that create a desired pattern. However there are other methods available. Try positioning an object such as a laundry basket in front of the light fixture to make an interesting mix of light and shadow. In a prison scene, a light shining through the bars can create great shadows.

Location is where in the room the light is located. Generally it is best to place the light in such a manner that it is not obtrusive to the scene. However mixing up the angles lights are placed makes for a more interesting haunt. Try placing a light above a room, shining down. Depending on how many lights you have available and how much of the scene you want visible, you may wish to use multiple lights in one room. A front light, side light, and back light can help define your actors. Other methods of keeping your lights from intruding on a scene include hiding lights behind props or making the light organic (naturally occuring) by using a lamp or fake flame.

Intensity is how bright the light is. This can be changed by the wattage of the bulb, the darkness of the gel or bulb color, or by using a theatrical dimmer. In general a haunt should be dim to give an eerie feel, but have enough light to keep guests safe.

Movement is anything other than steady light. A moving light either in direction or intensity can heighten the mood of any scene. Strobe lights (though often overused) can be a real addition to a haunt. A swirling gobo such as a moving flame projector can also add to a scene.

Guide

Reasons to Haunt

Location and Structure

Themes and Storylines

Haunt Names

Lighting

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