Is it worth it?

[fabianc]

Hey guys for the last few years I have been dying to do my own yard haunt. The only problem is that my area has had a severe decline in trick r treaters and we honestly get about 50-60 people the entire night. Prior to that (early 2000) we had double or even triple that. My question is this though. Should I go through all the trouble to build a haunt/scare zone or should I just kind of be prepared if we happen to get more trick r treaters. The alternative is I could put some banners up at the end of September/Early October linking to a web-site and track the amount of people that go to the web-site that way I will know if their is genuine interest or not.

Also if I am going to put banners up and locally advertise why not just do a few dates through out the month of October like the last two weekends so I get 4 solid scare days in. Im just rambling at this point. Let me know how you would try and bring the kids back out to trick r treating. Its a rare thing and I want to change that.

[Creeper]

On Halloween night I only get 50 TOT's myself and though I'd like more I'm happy enough with that. Hopefully, I'll get several more each year as people count on the haunt being there.

That said, I have kids in school and I open the Haunt up for a party or grand opening the night or two before and that brings many more kids and is even more fun than Halloween night. I haven't created any advertising or banners, just word of mouth so far. I have the invite list from last year's opening night so they'll get the word and hopefully they'll tell a few more. If you build it (and keep building it) I think they'll come.

[Bone Dancer]

I dont have any toter's at all. I have some friends over for a private party. So this means that all the work during the year and the set up time is for a party that maybe lasts for about six hours on one day. I do a cemetry and props outside and decorate and have props for the inside as well. (see album). To me its worth it because I enjoy the planning and making the props and decor.

[toymaker]

from what i hear home haunting is all about word of mouth advertising so i would think as long as you kept up a good haunt it will hopefully grow more and more it is not totally uncommon to here about home haunts that grow so much it becomes a full time business

[Adam I]

I think it's how much you enjoy it.
We have 5 - 20 tots on average.

[joker]

Is it worth it?

I guess that really depends on you. In the past what has been your motivation for your haunt? Do you enjoy building and setting things up?

I enjoy the challenge of building props and figuring out the floor plan for my haunt. Would I like more people to come enjoy it? Sure, but if the numbers drop I'd still at least do a display of some kind. To much time and money invested to give up now...lol.

So to answer your question of "Is it worth it?" I think that's a question you have to answer for yourself, but if your like most of us here the answer is YES.

Besides what else are you going to fill the void with if you don't?:D

[RoxyBlue]

If we got 50-60 TOTs, that would be a good year:)

We set up a yard display/haunt as much for ourselves as we do for others. As long as the kids/parents who show up seem to enjoy what we did and take time to look, we're happy. Last year we had some kids who came back three or four times, not for the candy, but to look at the props again. We were outside in costume talking to folks, and it was a blast.

[Spooky1]

If we got 50-60 TOTs, that would be a good year:)

We set up a yard display/haunt as much for ourselves as we do for others. As long as the kids/parents who show up seem to enjoy what we did and take time to look, we're happy. Last year we had some kids who came back three or four times, not for the candy, but to look at the props again. We were outside in costume talking to folks, and it was a blast.

What Roxy said. :D I think the adults in the neighborhood enjoy the yard display/haunt as much or more than the TOTs do.

[sharpobject]

Last year was our first year - and we live in the middle of nowhere. Our local paper did an article on our haunt before Halloween and we still only got 12 TOT's - we were ECSTATIC. (that was 12 more than the other 14 years we've lived here). For us, the TOT's are just the cherry on the sundae - the fun is in the learning new skills and building all kinds of cool stuff we never would have thought was possible (thanks mostly to this forum and the wonderful Make and Takes every month.)

[jaege]

I probably get that many, but my "haunt" is for the party at my house. Although the entire neighborhood does stop by over the month to check out the decor. I have only been in this neighborhood for three years and have only started the decorating for two, but I have noticed that more kids stopped by my house the second year. I suspect I will get more this year than last, and I dont have a typical haunt like you all do. Mine is just front yeard decor. At least that is all that is open to the public. I consider the haunt more for me than anyone else

[Fiend4Halloween]

To get the word of mouth out, you can try registering with Home Haunters Association, put an add out in the Pennysaver or whatever trade paper. Send out your address with the candy so people will remember where your haunt is, put signs out on telephone poles like how people do with yardsales. Just a thought.

[fabianc]

Hey guys thanks for all the responses. Let me mention some things that I didn't mention in the initial post. One of the reasons why I feel so strongly about putting on a good haunt/maze is because I live in Southern California where we have plenty of people but no one seems to come out to my area. My goal would be to get some of those kids out. I have a middle school down the street and an elementary school up the street so I have plenty of potential to put on a good haunt with a solid turnout.

My idea was to build a web-site that gave the basic information promote it through signs like mentioned above on stop signs, light posts like a yard sale. I was also thinking about approaching the middle school that I actually attended and they do morning bulletin updates where I could ask them to plug the event for me and also put flyers up around the school. In addition they could bring out plenty of their brothers, sisters, friends from other areas, cousins etc.

I think thats a pretty solid plan but now the other part is cost. I stopped by home depot today and I noticed that lumber 2x4's run about 2.30 a piece which I didn't find that expensive since I could use it just for the frame and then get some tarp to use to finish the maze. I want to have a certain level of quality as I am a huge fan of Universal Studio's production and of course I can't be on that level but its what I use as inspiration. Thoughts?

[hedg12]

If we're lucky we get 35 - 40 TOT's a year. I do what I do mainly for myself - it gives me a chance to be creative and play with things I think are really cool. That being said, the look in the eyes of just one TOT when my tombstone starts talking to them makes it all worthwhile to me.

[sychoclown]

I think we had about 50 people our first year and over 500 last year. Word of mouth is a great way of spreading the news. We have spoken to people that tell us about our haunt not knowing we put it on. What also helps is our kids , they tell their friends who in turn tell their friends. If you have schools nearby , put out some flyers around the school. If they like what you do they will be back , and they will bring more people.

[kprimm]

I think you should build it, if it brings joy to you. I'm sure it will bring joy to the others that see it. It might also be a good idea to post flyers around town and advertise to bring people back. Also after word of mouth gets out after a few years you will likely grow it much bigger. I have been doing mine for years and i get hundreds and hundreds of people every year and it just keeps getting bigger. If you build it...they will come.

[Warrant2000]

Unless you live on the moon, it is always worth it!

Have some of the teens you know in the neighborhood use MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter to get the word around to their friends. Post your event in Yelp in early October. Flyers posted in local shops and the two schools will help get the word out.

Talk to your neighbors to encourage them to put on big haunts to "sweeten the deal" for people coming to your block. Kids like to go to many houses close together to score candy, but few will drive across town to go to one house.

Last year I had close to 100 tot's, many repeat customers from previous years.

Today as I was working in my garage, a new family in the neighborhood was walking by, and their 2 yo boy bedecked in a Superman cape pointed to my headless zombie standing outside and yelled, "Halloween, look mommy! I want to see that head!", referring to a prop head laying near my wood pile. I chatted with the new neighbors briefly about Halloween, and they mentioned they heard, "...Halloween is big on this street...". I said, "Yes, I am THAT house." :)

Last year, my mailman brought his family to my haunt.

[nixie]

We live in a decent-sized area, loaded with kids, but our tot numbers were in a sharp decline (25ish), kids were going to other areas. We built our first yard haunt in 07 along with a couple of our neghbors, that year we had a larger number of tots. In 08, we ran out of candy and had to give out whatever we could find while hubby ran out for more! We estimate we had over 400 tots. My thoughts are that if there are a lot of kids in the area and you want to keep them there for trick-or treating, just give them a little incentive! If you're planning to run a live walk-through, I would definately advertise. I also like the ideas of runing it a few times before Halloween, that way you get good use of it, plus it gives word-of-mouth a chance to spread before the big night. We're running the walk-through portion of our haunt the weekend before and on the 30th, and just the front yard on Haloween night. We have a big party and our own trick-or-treating to attend to, it gets too hectic to run the full show that night.
Isay go for it and have fun!!

[Devils Chariot]

I'd say build a haunt if that seems fun to you. Don't build a haunt if your just trying to manipulate outcomes, like altruistically increasing Halloween popularity for X reasons.

People follow the fun. If you have fun it will spread. Flyers help too. or inviting 1000 people on myspae and facebook. :)

[fick209]

Flyers posted at local school works well for me along with getting it put into the school announcements.

[fabianc]

Well this whole idea came from not being able to audition at Universal Studio's Halloween Horror nights because I was in Europe on vacation. I found out though that they usually hold pick up auditions so if I can manage to get hired at Universal then I think that will more than satisfy my hunger for scaring people. If I don't then I might consider building something the only thing holding me back would be funds. We will see though. I will post pictures of whatever I build if thats what I end up doing.

[scareme]

It sounds like you had more kids in the begining, and then, as the neighborhood changed, the number dwinled. Like most people on here my haunt has grown over the years where I now get about 500. But with crowds that size, it's hard to really visit with people. I used to ask kids about there costumes, their age, where they go to school, really talk to them. Now we just throw candy in their bag as the next kid is pushing in. I glad I got the numbers, cause it shows more people enjoying the holiday. But I miss the chance to visit with the kids and their parents.

[fabianc]

Yea the number has definitely gone down since I was kid TOT about ten years ago. I hope and think that its a cycle but its been 6-8 years like this so I don't know. The thing I find odd though is that we have two schools right by us. One up the street and one down the street so I would think that people would actually want to get out and TOT but it doesn't seem like it. They could either go to another part of town that has more TOT's or maybe its the neighborhood that doesn't get into the spirit and give out candy. Thats another issue I see. The majority of the houses around us don't decorate or give out candy. Last year I found out that my area is a lot more conservative than I thought so maybe possible that could be a reason? Just an observation not a political statement. I'll keep you guys posted as to what I end up doing.

[hpropman]

I put fliers up at the local train station with maps from the station to the house and the website was on there as well. I also handed out fliers at my scout pack meeting Halloween party. I like the school idea I will see if the kids can help out with that. I hope to get more tots this year. It has grown every year so far. every time one of the neighbors sees me working in the garage they always ask what i am working on for this year. everyone really likes it.

[Gothic Nightmare]

To answer your question, yes.

I hate to say the cliche but if you build it they will come. I started out just like you 10 years ago. TOT was awful in my town. In 99 I think I got 30 kids. Very few were handing out candy. But I did my best and the next year those 30 kids remembered me and brought others with them. And the parents did too. So I made it bigger. And bigger.

And now 10 years later I get 500 kids that go through my walk-through in a few hours on Halloween night and several hundred more that just get candy and enjoy the yard, because they are too scared to go in the haunt. There aren't even that many kids in our schools so I don't know where they are coming from. But they come. It's worth it.

[Glosang]

We have lived in this house almost 15 years & 1 year we hit the motherload on trick or treaters...55..I thought oh boy next year will be huge..it wasn't.But yes it is worth it!!!! We have a party & that is what helps make it worthwhile!!! I mean we do it every year,so we must enjoy it.

[Zombies R Us]

I had this conversation over an outdoor sit by the fire this past weekend with my other half. He asked me "who do you do this for? The kids or for you?" I had to say I do it for myself because I love Halloween but the visiting of TOTs is a bonus. I used to have about 30 on average and last year about 130 showed up for the "show". I have a neighbour who advertised with signs out on the main road in our neighbourhood and that brought in a whole new bunch of TOTs to see my work. I actually ran out of treats for the first time and didn't have to eat candy for months afterward. I have had children who lived in the neighbourhood beg their parents to come back and see the Halloween place when they moved away. This year I am letting everyone at work know that they can drop by with their children and see my labour of love. I am more excited since I have joined the forum as it has inspired me to be more creative. Each evening I sit in the backyard I am imagining the display in its full glory and I can't wait!

[doggieshop]

If you enjoy the art of haunting then it's worth it! Next year you will get more than this year and so one. For me the crafting, designing, set up and then seeing the faces of amazed people is all worth it!