By Leonard Pickel
Hauntrepreneurs® Haunt
Design and Consulting
www.hauntrepreneurs.com
972-951-5100
hauntrepreneurs@gmail.com
Tweet Your Notes and Questions to #itsjustahaunt

The Goal of Any Successful Business is…
To Make OBSCENE Profits!To Make OBSCENE Profits!

Great Sets
Great Acting
Great Creativity

Great Marketing
$2-$3 Per Person Spent in Advertising
Television 30%
Radio 25%
Cable TV 15%
Internet 10%
Billboards 5%

Great Capacity
Throughput Equals Profit
Design for Maximum Capacity
Plenty of Ticket Sellers
Scare Forward
Ease of Access
Plentiful Parking
Multi-Element
Timed Ticketing

Great Experience
Show Quality Equals Customer Satisfaction
Complete Environments
Well Trained Actors
High Detail
Big Props

“A Haunted Attraction is a Play That You
Walk From Scene To Scene!” - Leonard
Pickel
Why is This Place Haunted and By Whom?
Create Your Own Characters
Why Are We
Going in?

Form Follows
Function
Designing From the
Inside Out
It’s All About The Scare!
Uncomfortable Spaces
Harsh Lighting

How Do You Scare a 21
Year Old Male?
HIGH STARTLEHIGH STARTLE

Eminent Injury
Dropping Ceiling
Falling Barrels
Chainsaw

Menacing
Line Entertainment

Camouflage
Dot Room
Camo Monster
Hockey Masks
Shadows

Misdirection
Crypt
Animations

Illusions
Bottomless Pit
Endless Hallway

Don’t Forget the End
of the Group
Actor Separation

Drop Panel
Portrait
Door Panel
Wall Panel
Brick

Slap Down

Crash Doors

Pop Up

Twists and Turns Cut Down Sightlines

Egress Pathway/Actor Substitution Route

Enter And Exit in the Same Area

Best Scares First and Last

Darkness is your friend
Use Practicals and LEDs
Soundscape for the Whole Haunt
Specialty Noises for Rooms
Scare Track For Actors

Zoning
Entertainment
Agriculture

Special Amusement Building Code
Mandatory Sprinkler System
Hard Wired Smoke Detection
Alarm to Stop All Confusing Lights and
Sound

Assembly Occupancy Requirements
“A” Rated Flame Spread All Surfaces
Perimeter Egress Corridor
All Doors Swing in the Direction of Travel
Emergency and Exit Lighting

Electrical
All Wiring by Licensed Electrician
No Romex
Metal Boxes
No Extension Cords

Electrical Solutions
Electrical Drops
Open Wiring
12-3 SJO Cord Harness
Low Voltage
Externally Lit Exit Signs
Add a Switch to Your Emergency Lights

Modular Construction - Taller is better
Thin Wall Panels
Triangular Grid
Props as Walls
Bracing

 Step 1 - Create storyline that defines the characters, setting and room
themes
 Step 2 - Designate each scare and what is needed to facilitate them.
 Step 3 - Logically order the rooms to tell the story; best scares first and
last
 Step 4 - Design each room with backstage area and variations
 Step 5 - Draw building/location to scale/locate entrance and exits
 Step 6 - Layout perimeter egress pathway and set the wall grid
 Step 7 - Place rooms to maximize travel distance (less hallway
towards the end)
 Step 8 - Redesign for better order, better fit and/or longer travel
distance
 Step 9 - Sleep on it and repeat step 8 until the best compromise is
reached

“Today’s teen and young adults are not easily frightened. “
Not Scary
 Classic Monsters
 Witches
 Ghosts
 Bats
 Insects
 Rats
 Snakes
 Skulls and skeletons
 Sci-fi
 Gore

Scary
Very Realistic Images
High Set Detail
Outlandish Images
Weird people lurking or staring
Characters suddenly appearing unexpectedly
Sudden Disappearance was also disturbing
Not Feeling Safe
Fear of the Unknown
Scary Music
Sound and Noises
Scent and Texture

Thanks For
Listening!
Leonard Pickel
Hauntrepreneurs® Haunt Design and Consulting Firm
Hauntrepreneurs@gmail.com
www.hauntrepreneurs.com
972-951-5100