Setting Up a Haunted House or Haunted Theater

One of the best fundraisers that my theater does every year is a Haunted Theater.  It’s essentially a haunted house, just set up in a theater.  For years, I’d toyed with the idea of hosting one, but thought it would be too daunting of a task to orchestrate.  However, now that I’ve done it for several years, I can testify that it really isn’t that overwhelming.

Getting Started

First, decide on a theme.  I usually do this in May so that I have the summer to research ideas.  I store those ideas on a Pinterest board.  Sometimes I choose the theme myself, and other times, my students present ideas for consideration.  My past themes include Zombies, Cannibals, Toxic Spill, Mad Science, Carnival,  and H. H. Holmes Hotel.  Our upcoming theme will feature Grimm Fairy Tales.

We meet two times a month prior to the Haunted Theater (for about 30 minutes each time) to discuss what we need, who will be stationed where, what set/props/costumes are needed, etc.  We select a route through the theater and decide what will be in each section in accordance with the theme.  Next students choose characters appropriate for each location.

How It Works

Guests arrive in the lobby and pay at the box office either with 5 cans of food or $5.  Thespian Troupes can sign up to participate in the TOTS Eat (Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat) program.  For others interested in community outreach, local food pantries or shelters are often very appreciative of the donations.

After paying, guests enter the auditorium where they watch a slideshow while waiting for their turn to go through the Haunted Theater.  The slideshow contains any warnings and rules that they’ll need to be aware of as they are led through the theater.  My Thespian/Drama Club officers serve as hosts to guide guests through our Haunted Theater.  Prior to opening, I have the officers go through once so they know the route, and a second time to so that they can let the actors know what was scary and what isn’t working.  Once we open, they typically take small groups of around 4-6 through at a time.

Set & Props

For set and props, we mostly reuse and repurpose everything that we have on hand.  Students can also come after school when I’m doing rehearsals or tech for assistance creating unique pieces with scrap wood, fabric, styrofoam, broken props/set, etc.  Sometimes parents and students request to make items on their own time, which is always awesome!  I also keep a running list of needed props and set items on the board in my classroom in case students know of these items that their parents might be disposing of soon.

Sound Effects & Music

To add atmosphere and save my actors voices, we play music and sound effects.  Lots of inexpensive tracks are available for download such as Haunted House Music: Halloween Sound Effects. or you can create your own using audacity.  We have a speaker system that allows for the music to play throughout many of the the theater spaces.  In other locations we use computers, laptops, and cd players to play sound effects.

Safety

Almost all of my safety guidelines are laid out in my slideshow.  For example, I have a strict no touch policy: my actors can’t touch guests and guests can’t touch my actors.  I also caution my actors about getting too close to guests.  We keep walkways clear and make sure that they are lit with small led candles in areas that are really dark.  Actors and guests are also required to wear shoes at all times.   I do not allow any live flame, including candles, in our theater.  When younger guests are present, we offer a toned down version.  If the parents want this, I send a runner through the maze to let everyone know.  Throughout the night, I am constantly walking through the maze checking on everything and everyone.  It’s also helpful if you can get parents involved so that you as host don’t have to be constantly on the move.

Publicity

Don’t forget to advertise!  In a school setting, I can put it in the announcements and send out a district wide invitation via email.  Other ways that I advertise include having the local radio stations mention it, putting it in the school news and website, having students put out flyers around town (with business owner permission of course) and around the school, and spreading the word via social media outlets.  If you host a haunted house or haunted theater on a yearly basis, you will get regulars and word of mouth advertising will increase.

In Conclusion

Hosting a haunted house or haunted theater is a lot of fun.  I really like that this project doesn’t require a huge time commitment, although its so much fun that my students really enjoy investing extra time.  We typically have our haunted theater open for about five hours (4:30pm-9:30pm) a couple of nights leading up to Halloween. People with young children often come when it’s still daylight, and we end early enough that my students aren’t out too late.

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