Haunt or display

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

What’s the difference? Is a haunt something people can walk through and a display a static decorated house? I guess what I’m doing this year would be better called a display and not a haunt??

[Zombie-F]

I consider a display something where you just decorate and people look at it. My yard straddles the line between the two... it's predominantly for looking at, but if you get out of your car and come out for a look, you'll see more stuff than just what's in the front yard.

So in my eyes, the difference is a display is for just lookiing at and a haunt is something a little more interactive. I guess all you'd need to make a display more like a haunt would be a few live actors to add a little "oomph" to it.

[darryl]

I think Zombie hit it on the nose. A display is just that. Your house is on display for people to look at. A haunt is what I think of as people walking through some display and getting scared by some actor or animated prop. Just my two cents.

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

That's kinda what I thought but, I've never seen the word display used only haunt.
Thanks.

[Akasha]

I use the term "yard haunt" to describe what we do - because it's meant to be viewed by passerbys in their car. Of course if you get out of your car you'll see more details but you can almost get the full effect from the car.

A "home haunt" is what I consider a walk through - it's meant to be seen up close.

Just my take...

[gmacted]

I think a display is just that, something someone walks/drives by and looks at and says "that's cool". A haunt is something that the people actually interact with. You walk by a display, you become part of a haunt.

[Bone Dancer]

I really don't think it's important what you call it as long as you are active in making props for your own enjoyment or for others.
I guess that I don't have a haunt or a display, but party decorations that leaked out in to the yard and are starting to spread.

[Haunted Neurons]

I think it is both. Its a display up to Halloween night and gets people interested. People driving by probably wont stop to look at it but might make a note of its location to visit it on Halloween night when they can take a closer look with their kids and it then becomes a haunt.

[NecroBones]

Yeah, I don't think it matters much. In fact, I'd say it's all haunting, with "display" being just a generic term for a static scene. Some people call them 'displays', others 'setups'... many of us just say 'haunts'...

[Empress Nightshade]

HAUNT "to recur constantly and spontaneously to; to visit or inhabit as a ghost; to stay around or persist." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

To me that definition makes it very clear that anything you put in your yard, house, party, etc of a ghostly nature for a period of time is haunting it. Therefore, what we all do is a haunt. I have a Haunted House and Haunted Trail. Bone Dancer has a Haunted Party and Yard, etc..etc. Yeah, I really feel that what we all do is a Haunt regardless of what form we choose to have it in.

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

I think it is both. Its a display up to Halloween night and gets people interested. People driving by probably wont stop to look at it but might make a note of its location to visit it on Halloween night when they can take a closer look with their kids and it then becomes a haunt.

I like that ^. I know it doesn't matter what you call it I just wanted to use the right term being new to "haunting" and all. :smoking:

[wormyt]

I call mine a Haunt display LOL. The only walk through thing I have is my Dot room which gets kids screaming...but its not a Haunt LOL. I display everything I can possibly fit into a front yard and garage. We serve hot cider, and hot chocolate and apple juice inside the decorated garage. I have one whole side set up for kids to come in and touch buttons to activate the animated fun Halloween things, and then one side is more the scarier set up. Coffins, candles, skulls. So its like a walk through display but they can stay as long as they wish. With the hot drinks we dont scare anyone. When they go in the dot room no drinks allowed. Parents love being able to walk around seeing the props, and letting the kids play with the animated things. So I call mine a haunt display LOL. Which reminds me i gotta order my Glow in the dark bracelets as we have every year.

[BobC]

Wow Wormy havent heard from you in a long time. I dont know about all this touching, spilling warm cider on ones self and pushing your buttons talk but it sounds freaky and I like it :D I have mainly a display the whole month of October people line up at my gate and take pictures and stuff. On Halloween I do have a few scares for trick or treaters on the way up to my front door so I guess you could call it a Display/Walkup rather then a walk through. I think I invented something there but anyways Ill talk to you later all. :jol:

[Bone Dancer]

Let me get this straight, there is only 115 days left and you guys are wondering if you should say haunt or display. Must be nice to have all your props ready and waiting to go.

[wormyt]

Heck Nooooooooooooo, I dont have mine ready by far. I have had several folks drive by and see me outside just doing regular yard chores and they are already asking me if Im gonna do my huge Halloween display LOL. So already I got folks in the waiting to see what i come up with this year. Oh my gosh the pressure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DeathTouch]

So what are you going to build new this year wormyT?

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

Let me get this straight, there is only 115 days left and you guys are wondering if you should say haunt or display. Must be nice to have all your props ready and waiting to go.

WOW, it's a simple question that, I don't believe, takes to much time away from prop/haunt/display building? :rolleyes:

[Bone Dancer]

WOW, it's a simple question that, I don't believe, takes to much time away from prop/haunt/display building? :rolleyes:

The point of the comment was not about the time used to explore the question.
But the fact that what you want to call your display/haunt does'nt really matter.:rolleyes:

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

But the fact that what you want to call your display/haunt does'nt really matter.:rolleyes:

O' I'm sorry are you the one that makes the determination of what matters and what doesn’t around here? :rolleyes:

[Zombie-F]

Ok, this course of action can lead to nowhere good. Please keep things civil guys and if you can't, please take it to Private Messages.

[TearyThunder]

I have a "haunted display!" My display part leans to the cutesy/spooky side more than anything right now (even though that is slowly changing more spooky/scary.) I have been relying on other aspects for the actually scare since I have been getting alot of wee little ones in the past years. I never did want to scare them too bad.

Last year a couple friends helped out and one was the major scare factor. He was dressed as a zombie lurking in the darkness handing out the popcorn when it was his turn. He usually wasn't noticed till he growled "popcorn" with his arms out holding the popcorn. We each had our own treat to give out so the TOT's had to go to different areas of the yard in order to get all their treats.

I have been pretty lucky so far with the children not being scared to come in the yard, though a few have been so I took treats to them. I know that is going to change since the TOT's are growing up every year and are expecting my house.

I will just have to out do the previous year. Does the madness ever end? Not that I'm complaining. LOL

[trishaanne]

No, the madness never ends. We started with a few little store bought tombstones a few years ago and now I have no room for all my stuff. The biggest mistake we made was getting a computer, LOL, because then I found out that there were alot more people "like me" out there and I saw all the intense props people were making. Once I found the monsterlist, forget it. Now it's a full blown obsession and as soon as I finish taking things down from one year, I'm planning the next. I do still keep one small section of the yard that is child friendly, where nothing will jump out or scare them. The rest of the yard is for everyone else. That way the kids can still come into the yard and enjoy it without worrying about it. Some of the kids that were even too afraid to come into the yard 5 years ago now come offer to help me set up, which I gladly let them do. Even if they are just setting up tombstones or hanging spider webs, it's getting them involved and I'm hoping to make them interested enough that in a few years they will come back as actors for us! Now, if I could just win that lottery, I could afford to make all the things I want to make! Whoa, sorry I got a little off topic on this LOL.

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

I guess I need to make a corner of my yard "little kid" friendly because, I hadn't thought about them in my display. One thing I don't want to do is scare the little ones and give them bad memories of Halloween, that's 180% off from what I'm trying to do. Thanks for reminding me of the little TOT's. :cool:

[Empress Nightshade]

Gosh...

I guess I should feel guilty. A parent asked me the other day if we go easier on children. I told him "Nope!" I figure if the kids are paying the same price as the adults to get in, they should be given the same treatment. My sis says that we are gonna give some kids nightmares because we have a large actor playing "Bloody Tweety." He's a dude dressed in leather and chains with a bloody handmade cloth "Tweety" mask on carrying a bloody bat.
Well, we ARE a haunted house and since parents know this and they allow their children to go through, they are allowing them to be susceptible to whatever is enclosed in our walls and trail.

Am I mean?

[Frighteners Entertainment]

Nope, not at all Emp!
We have a kiddie Haunt available for just that purpose :)

[Eyes_in_the_dark]

You're not mean Empress, you have a paid haunted house, they get what they get and it's the parents responability to let them go or not. I on the other hand have a display and I want the young ones to have fun also, that's just me.

[TearyThunder]

Trishanne, I started the same way lol. Once I found others on the net that was it for me too! The Monster List is the haunters online bible imo.

Empress, you are not mean at all. You are a different ballgame compared to the ones with a yard/home display/haunt. We are getting TOT's of all ages and trying to find a happy medium to entertain all is a bit tricky. That's why I haven't went too scary or spooky yet. I am slowly building up to that as the little ones get bigger. I have more smaller ones in my neighborhood than older children right now. Most range from 3-6yrs. I have just tried to keep it fun for them without tramatizing(sp) them too much. I have seen even the older children (10+) run for the hills, run back to cars jump in and lock the door, run behind parents, etc. when they saw my friend in the zombie costume. Poor guy all he wanted to do is give them popcorn lol.

[Empress Nightshade]

Poor guy all he wanted to do is give them popcorn lol.
LOL! So this was a scare that was not intentional and came as a total surprise to you and the Zombie, correct?

[TearyThunder]

Empress, it was a little bit of intentional and accidental. We intended to have him dressed up as a zombie giving out popcorn but never thought in a million years he would have scared the older children MORE than the younger ones lol.

We had tested the scare on a 3y/o (my neighbor's grandaughter), who's brother is always dressing up as monters and playing with her, since she didn't seem to be afraid of anything. She was ok with him till he started walking across the street towards her. By the time he made it to the middle of the road she was in the house wanting her granny to lock the door. This was still while it was still daylight.

Mind you the grandaughter knows both the friend and me very well. I am real close to my neighbor an spend a good bit of time with them. She's like a mother to me and my friend. The granddaughter never did cry but she didn't want a thing to do with the friend in costume. He finally made it across the street and we told her who it was she hessitated to take the popcorn from him but finally did. He then took off his mask. After that she was fine and wanted to play with the mask.

The funny thing is that the little girl is the only girl, she only has brothers and male cousins yet she is the meanest and bravest of them all lol.


BTW here's a link to the same costume he was wearing.

LINK (http://www.frightcatalog.com/Halloween-Costumes/Scary+Costumes/Complete+Zombie+Costume-1104056/?utm_source=pf&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=froog)

[slightlymad]

Really made me think about what we do. Ours is an interactive display. However, next year we move to larger digs (both mothers under one roof hows that for scary) might be nice to have a split display drive way safe for tots and front yard for scare trail. The current limited front yard and fenced in display have prevented many from getting candy.

[wormyt]

So what are you going to build new this year wormyT?

Hi Deathtouch, Well as i was reading another thread someone name Ugly Joe i think mentioned a scarecrow. Ive seen some before and wanted to do one but it certainly slipped my brain. Soooooooooo after this person asked me to make one because it a cheap prop to make and you can spook it up as scarey as needed. Soooooooo Im thinking, i will do a cool scarecrow and have haybales by him to let the kids pose with him and have assorted pumpkins to hold while there as if in his pumpkin patch. So that prop for sure. Funds have been not so good this year so im looking for cheaper things til it picks up. Soooooooo what do ya think. i always have props for the kids to have pics taken so this would be fresh and new!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[madmax]

I do both, a yard display and a large free home haunt. I'm going to have to give one up because it's way to much work for one person to do....especially since at least 75% of my display and haunt is totally different from the year before.

I have a large sign letting everyone know the haunt isn't suitable for small children. But it's up to the parent to use their own judgement to let their child come through.

I build to what suits me because there's no way to build props and put on a haunt on what others think. So if I want blood and guts....I have it (with a warning before they go in).Even in my yard display I don't have anything that is cute and warm...(no pumpkins or smiling ghost or friendly looking vampires) but I also stay away from the blood and guts, in the display.

I say call it what you want....it's your time, money, sweat, blood and pain (if you don't spill any blood or hurt yourself...some how. You're doing something wrong :) )

There's no right or wrong way to make a display....it's all personal choice. Some people likes the friendly look and some of us like to cross over to the dark side.