Question for all the HAUNT OWNERS / ACTORS...

[nctrembley0613]

So, the 2009 season is over, or rapidly comming to a close, and I have a burning question.

What night is your favorite night of any season to "work" and why?  Opening night, closing night, somewhere in the middle, what times during the season really get your actor adrenaline going???

Please divulge...

[k2quiere]

Great question!!

[Slappy]

Having been a first-time haunter this year, I can honestly say I can't answer this question.  I found out one thing, working in a haunt is not for everyone.  I have a lot of respect for the people that work haunts year after year.  Me, I prefer to go through the haunts.  But I can tell you one thing, the nights where you're getting good groups with good reactions are far better than the nights where everyone just seems bored.  Actors thrive on scares, so be sure to show your appreciation!

[MidwayHaunter]

Soon as I get a chance I'll give you the break down from  mine and some actors at the haunt we are at. Some of it actually coincides with what Slappy said. 

[ReLlIK ThE KiLlEr CloWn]

Okay, This is a awsome question to ask.. and with me being an actor for years now I think I can voice in on this one..
The beggining night is always a fun night and well of course you are getting back into the routine and making your character and seeing if there is anything needed to be changed and it is great night..

The Middle nights... They start to get rough because you get into that routine and we are still looking for scares but it seems to get old.. but There again.. if we are getting good groups then you would like the middle of the season. that is what happened with I this season. If we wasn't getting scares like we wanted, then we thought that we would chnage things up so that You don't get bored with it and well, groups can't ruin the surprise for others.

The Last night.. The last night is prob most fun.. but yet it can be a very very emotional night because you get close with the people that you work with and well it ain't so easy partin apart from them. I end up crying(weak lil me) because haunters are like my third family.. and it just ain't so easy, but it is the night of what we call wreckage... We get to destroy things that we couldn't during the season, so I mean it's fun.

Now as for my favorite night.. there ain't a favorite night.. Like Slappy said,  if we are getting the appriciation then everynight is my favorite night.. You just got to know how to enjoy what you do everynight.. Thats the way I look at it..

[Prof. Hacker]

What night is your favorite night of any season to "work" and why? 

Every night has its excitement and its challenges.  Opening night is full of antici-pation,  the last night, tinged with a bit of sadness that it'll soon be over for another year.  We look forward to every night with excitement, knowing there's going to be lots of folks who are ready to have some dark, scary, squishy fun with us.  Some nights we have technical 'opportunities' that causes some frustration,  some nights we need to make last minute casting decisions, but our monsters are *always* ready to pull every squeak, squeal, and scream out of everyone that gets within reach - "chomping at the bit", so to speak...
But, to answer your question, Halloween is a very special night for us and always will be.  Its Halloween that "started it all" for each of us at the Hacker House.  Everyone at the haunt loves Halloween, and we do lots of tricks-and-treats among ourselves before, during, and after the show - and munch on treats all night!  We usually have several huge candy bowls that rarely, if ever, have anything in them by the end of the night.  And, it isn't unusual for the candy bowls to have teeth marks and blood on them the next day...

-Prof.

[k2quiere]

Very cool, Professor.  Any other haunters want to chime in?  I'm wondering if you all prefer packed nights or slower ones where you can spend more time with the "guests"?  This is not a financial question, but a performance one.

[ReLlIK ThE KiLlEr CloWn]

No there's another good question... I love to have packed nights but also slow nights... I feel we scare better when it's packed because the adrinaline is up but With slow nights, I can make sure the Beasts and well, clowns have a bit more fun with the souls that step in the hollow.

[slaughter]

As the owner/operator of my haunt I'm split on this question. I always want to see the parking lot full, lines at the ticket booth & at the front door, along with a steady flow of HAPPY customers running out the back from the saws. I mean that is what it takes to stay open year after year, right.
  However, personally over the last couple years the must "fun" I've had has been on nights we  weren't  officialy open.
 I'll explain, we always have a few groups show up on nignts we aren't open. Most of the time they have seen a old posting on the internet from previous years dates, or just want to check it out & assume we are open. If the customer drove a long way, or they seem to be a "good"  group..." collage age girls are always good goups". We will give them a special show.
Keep in mind there is usually 50 to 60 people putting on our haunt, these nights we will do it with just 5 or 6 people! Most of the time it's me and a few buddies that were on site reparing damaged props from the previous weekend. So there is a ALOT  or running around from spot to spot after a brief " football type huddle"   to scare the crowd  in every scene! In the last two years these nights have been the MOST fun for me hands down.
I guess it's because in these few nights I can kinda froget about all the problems that come with owning a haunt & just do what we all love... SCRAE THE CRAP OUT OF SOMEONE!
Thanks for bringing back a few great memories that otherwise might have otherwise gotton suppressed!
To see some of our haunt go to  http://theslaughterhousehorror.com

[Badger]

If you are dedicated to your craft, then EVERY night is the best night of the haunt.  I find the early season when it's slow is good because you have the opportunity to hone your skills.  In the middle of the season, you should be working like a well-oiled machine and making minor tweaks to your area.  The end of the season is always a bit bittersweet but most of the time it's a relief as you can be fatigued from a long season of running on adreneline.

As far as days go, I prefer Fridays because there are high-school football games and a lot of that age group doesn't come until later.