Tell us: What worked & what didn't?

Every thing pretty much worked . But I would adjust the timing on the timers on the props.

I would change the repeat time between arm movements on the back of my crypt to be
ON for 20 sec and OFF for 1 min rather than ON for 30 sec OFFfor 3 min. The 3 min wait was too long
between movements.

also the timing between when 1 prop triggered and the next prop triggered
The interval was too long.

I'm going to modify the MitB next year. I have to use larger U-Bolts because the chain keeps getting stuck and the lid won't open. People are also getting used to it, so I want to have it motion activated and have the lid slam open and shut more violently when triggered.

I also want to do a better job of hiding my lighting next year. All of the lights that lit individual props were way to obvious. I saw Bone Daddy's yard and think I'm going to pilfer some ideas from him on how to hide lights, as well as steal a few other ideas too.

I'll tell you exactly:
Next year - I'm telling mother nature to NOT have any wind. Fog testing the night before was a great success - then we had 20mph winds night of.

Oh well.

Next year - add movement to the props. Finish mech's on the FCG. Build Fence.

This year was an absolute success for year 1. Lot of neighbors had no idea what to expect and admitted they were blown away. A quarter of the kids parents took pictures next to the witch.

Next year I will follow Wormey lead and have a more formal picture place.

Amen to what edwood saucer said. Where the heck did that wind come from?

What worked: haunting the back yard! It's dark back there, unlike the front, where two, count 'em, two street lights on my corner wash out every shadow. That also keeps the scary stuff away from the toddlers; the parents appreciate that. (Got quite a few who brought theirs back to the graveyard, but hey, at least now it's their fault, not mine, when their kid starts crying.)

Next year: finish the sign that points the way to the back yard. Maybe make some cemetery fence and pillars, too, to make it really obvious. We had people answering the door in the front, so they were directing folks to the back yard, but everyone was just a little confused. "Are we really allowed back there?"

Also, I think next year I will have a Halloween party on the Saturday before, so we aren't trying to mix general socializing over dinner with running the haunt on Halloween night itself.

I'm just barely starting to get my lighting set up, and as such, I've got cords everywhere. I need to find a better way to run the cords through my yard so they're less noticable, but not going to be tripped on. It wasn't a problem this year, but I was also using bright orange cords that no one was able to miss seeing, and it definitely took away from the feel of the yard.

As TD said above, the cords going everywhere. I was frantic to get everything done before the sunset and went to turn everything on and blew the circuit. Matter of fact blew it about four times until I persuaded my neighbor to let me run power out of his house to help shoulder the draw to run my haunt. Pretty funny actually, but I will definitely need to rethink the electrical before next year.

Wildomar said:

As TD said above, the cords going everywhere. I was frantic to get everything done before the sunset and went to turn everything on and blew the circuit. Matter of fact blew it about four times until I persuaded my neighbor to let me run power out of his house to help shoulder the draw to run my haunt. Pretty funny actually, but I will definitely need to rethink the electrical before next year.

Click to expand...

that was me the past two years. This year, I had an electrician install a new outlet over by my cemetery that was on its own circuit so's not to overdraw anything, and I also had the two outlets that were already outside split off onto their own circuits as well. Needless to say, my breaker box is getting full now but at least I have no electrical issues to contend with any more.

Make a bigger fence, so I can utilize more of my yard as small as it is...maybe take advantage of the driveway using cemetery gates. I need to hide lights too, and use more of them. I need to have more props that actuate when approached instead of just moving constantly.

Zombie-F said:

that was me the past two years. This year, I had an electrician install a new outlet over by my cemetery that was on its own circuit so's not to overdraw anything, and I also had the two outlets that were already outside split off onto their own circuits as well. Needless to say, my breaker box is getting full now but at least I have no electrical issues to contend with any more.

Click to expand...

Hiring an electrician to install outlets so you can run a haunt...now THAT's dedication!

I'm going to replace all batteries the night before. I was running around that afternoon trying to get everthing all ready, and I didn't budget enough time to the replacing of batts.

I also will probably hire teenagers as actors so they will show up on time. Volunteers are too unreliable.

I got tremendous drive by traffic, so next year I will have a sign that tells people we will be open for a haunt on halloween. I think I could have had better numbers if the drive bys would have come back for halloween.

Overall, everything seemed to work fine. The traffic flowed smoothly. I was the tour guide and that seemed to work well. I will use more remote controlled stuff next year as well.

TipoDeemin said:

I'm just barely starting to get my lighting set up, and as such, I've got cords everywhere. I need to find a better way to run the cords through my yard so they're less noticable, but not going to be tripped on. It wasn't a problem this year, but I was also using bright orange cords that no one was able to miss seeing, and it definitely took away from the feel of the yard.

Click to expand...

put flood lights in front of them and angle them up, I used them and you could not see the cords with blue flood lights!

Zombie-F said:

that was me the past two years. This year, I had an electrician install a new outlet over by my cemetery that was on its own circuit so's not to overdraw anything, and I also had the two outlets that were already outside split off onto their own circuits as well. Needless to say, my breaker box is getting full now but at least I have no electrical issues to contend with any more.

Click to expand...

how much did that run?

Fright Yard said:

put flood lights in front of them and angle them up, I used them and you could not see the cords with blue flood lights!

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did. Still would like to camouflage them better, though--maybe bury them partially in the yard or something just to completely eliminate the risk of anyone tripping on them.

Easiest thing to do. Use a flat shovel and just put blade about an inch or so in the ground and wiggle it. Don't remove any dirt. Keep doing this one blade width at a time. This creates a groove that the ext cord can be shoved in. Then take some wire ( you're a haunter, I know you have lots of wire) and make U hooks. Turn them over and pound them in the ground around the cord. Walla. Instant no trippy trippy. Also grass will grow back in the spring and you will never see the trench.

yes yes hide the lights and set up more pre halloween. We dont set up untill day of.
more lighting and cleaner power distobution

Hmmmm, Let's see. I think that better crowd control has been and remains our only problem. It's gotten too big to just allow people to go straight in as they arrive. Groups of no more than five or six is the key to hitting as many people as possible with each scare. I heard complaints from many of the last people in large groups, that they missed the scare. I could have used a few more power outlets myself, I guess that'll be a midwinter project.

One way in and one way out.Had some larger groups that clogged up the path to the front door and the people behind were trying to get in while they were going out.The path to the door also curves to the driveway,so if I sign the paths and move from inside to the porch,I can remedy the congestion.
Otherwise, I need to finish my projects sooner.This last minute stuff wears me out.
Anyone need help in cord-hiding? PM me, I'm the master of this lost art.I can throw a few hints your way free of charge.....

Things went surprisingly well considering this is the first year I actually went beyond front yard scenery and did an interactive walk-through haunted house. I can relate to the crowd control, as some of the larger groups going through together I know would have ruined the scares for those at the rear of the train. I think my biggest issue was forgetting to set the CD player with my cauldron stirring witch to repeat so for much of the night she was stirring mutely.