The American Scream Page #3

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THE HOME HAUNTER.

PEOPLE SPEND THOUSANDS AND

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON

DECORATING THEIR YARD.

IT USUALLY GROWS INTO A LITTLE

WALK-THROUGH IN THE GARAGE.

SOMETIMES IT TAKES OVER THE

BACKYARD.

>> I CONSIDER A HAUNTER TO BE

SOMEBODY THAT HAS THA ENTHUSIASM, THAT CRAZINESS ABOU THE HOLIDAY TO ACTUALLY SPEND

MONTHS AND MONTHS BUILDING JUS SO PEOPLE CAN RUN THROUGH FOR

ONE NIGHT.

>> [ SCREAMS ]

I WANT TO GO HOME!

[ PEOPLE SCREAMING ]

>> [ SCREAMS ]

>> EVERY ELEMENT OF WHAT GOES

INTO, FOR INSTANCE, A MOVIE

PRODUCTION, ON SOME SMALL LEVEL,

IS EXECUTED BY A HOME HAUNTER.

YOU GET TO DO EVERYTHING --

RIGHT UP FROM CARPENTRY THROUGH

WELDING, PLUMBING, PNEUMATICS,

AND ELECTRONICS FOR SOME FOLKS,

SCENIC DESIGN AND SCENIC

PAINTING, LIGHTING, SOUND.

IT'S LIKE YOU BECOME YOUR OWN

LITTLE AMUSEMENT-PARK CREATOR

FOR A NIGHT.

ALL SO YOU CAN SEE A BUNCH OF

KIDS HAVE THIS MEMORY CREATED OF

THE GUY THAT WAS THE CRAZY

HALLOWEEN PERSON.

>> ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE $20

FOR THIS?

>> YEAH.

>> EXCELLENT.

I'LL GRAB THIS, TOO.

WE GOT SOME REALLY UGLY COLUMNS.

I SCORED SOME CHAIN.

A VERY OLD LAMP.

>> THANKS A LOT.

>> THAT IS A SCORE, RIGHT HERE.

THAT'S GONNA LOOK AWESOME.

>> THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HE

WOULD LIKE TO BUY, THAT HE WOULD

LIKE TO BE ABLE TO USE AND

INCORPORATE INTO THE HAUNTED

HOUSE THAT THEY'RE JUST TOO

EXPENSIVE.

WE CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY THEM

BECAUSE THIS IS JUST ALL OUT OF

POCKET.

WE DON'T GET PAID FOR THIS.

WE DON'T MAKE MONEY OUT OF THIS.

IT'S JUST -- HE ENJOYS IT.

>> THAT IS SO COOL.

>> YOU LIKE THAT ONE?

>> SO, THAT'S THE REWARD WE GET.

HE ENJOYS IT.

>> VERY RARELY DO I USE A PROP

RIGHT OUT OF THE STORE.

I LIKE TO MODIFY MY PROPS.

I LIKE TO MAKE THEM UNIQUE.

I'M LOOKING AT THE PRICE, AND

I'M THINKING, "HOW MUCH IS I GONNA COST ME TO MODIFY THAT AND

HOW MUCH TIME IS IT GONNA TAKE?"

>> IF HE BOUGHT YEARLY FOOTBALL

TICKETS, THAT WOULD BE A BIG

CHUNK OF MONEY, SO, YEAH, THIS

IS KIND OF A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY,

BUT IF HE DIDN'T DO IT, HE WOULD

BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE.

>> IT IS A USED COFFIN, AND I IS PREVIOUSLY INHABITED.

>> REALLY?

>> WE'RE GONNA TURN TO THE SIDE

A LITTLE, GO UP OVER THE RAIL

AND OVER THERE.

THERE YOU GO.

>> YOU BROUGHT THOSE STRAPS,

RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> SO, WE KIND OF FACTOR IT INTO

LIFE.

>> LET'S PUT IT DOWN RIGHT HERE

FOR NOW.

PRETTY COOL, HUH?

DID YOU SEE THE GLASS, MA?

>> IT WAS ONCE INHABITED.

>> THAT'S AWESOME.

I HAVE MY OWN COFFIN!

[ LAUGHS ]

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFEREN HAUNT CONVENTIONS.

THE BALLROOM IS HUMONGOUS.

IT IS JUST FILLED WITH PEOPLE IN

COSTUME.

THEY HAVE VENDORS ON THE FLOOR

SELLING THEIR PRODUCTS, AND SOME

OF THEM ARE PRETTY HIGH-END

PRODUCTS, YOU KNOW?

YOU CAN SPEND 20 BUCKS ON A

SKULL OR $12,000 ON AN ANIMATED

FIGURE.

AND MOST OF ALL, YOU LEARN THE

TRADE FROM OTHER PRO HAUNTERS

AND HOME HAUNTERS, AND YOU GE IDEAS, AND YOU FEED OFF OF THAT.

>> THE EASIEST WAY TO SCARE

SOMEBODY IS TO DO SOMETHING

THEY'RE NOT EXPECTING.

SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOU DESIGNING YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE,

THINK ABOUT, "WHAT IS THE

FUNCTION?"

THE FUNCTION OF THIS HAUNTED

HOUSE IS TO SCARE PEOPLE.

WHAT IS THAT SCARE GONNA BE?

AND THEN YOU ADD THE THINGS IN

THE ROOM TO FACILITATE THA SCARE.

HAUNTCON IS AN ACRONYM FOR THE

HAUNTED ATTRACTION NATIONAL

TRADE SHOW AND CONVENTION.

HAUNTCON WAS DEVELOPED TO KIND

OF GROW THE INDUSTRY.

WE'RE ALL ABOUT EDUCATION.

FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN

IN THE ROOM, AND DESIGN THA FIRST, AND THEN WORRY ABOUT WHA KIND OF ROOM IT IS AND WHAT KIND

OF FURNITURE'S IN THE ROOM AFTER

THAT.

I KIND OF CALL THE HOME-HAUNTER

LEVEL OF HAUNTING THE MINOR

LEAGUES OF OUR INDUSTRY BECAUSE

IT'S WHERE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, GE THE PASSION, THEY CATCH THE BUG,

AND START REALLY THINKING ABOU GOING PROFESSIONALLY.

AND A LOT OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL

HAUNTED HOUSES IN THE COUNTRY

STARTED OFF AS HOME HAUNTS.

SO, WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

WHAT IS MY GOAL HERE?

WHAT IS MY PROCESS?

WHAT ARE THOSE STEPS THAT I GO

THROUGH TO GET TO THAT POINT?

>> AS A HOME HAUNTER, YOU'RE

JUST THINKING ABOUT THE ART.

YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT SCARING

PEOPLE.

AS A PRO HUNTER, YOU HAVE TO

THINK ABOUT INSURANCE AND

PAYROLL AND PARKING AND

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS, AND THERE'S

JUST SO MUCH TO IT THAT A LOT OF

POTENTIAL PRO HAUNTERS NEVER GO

INTO IT.

BELIEVE ME, IF I HAVE THE

OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS

PROFESSIONALLY, I WILL BE ALL

OVER IT.

IF I CAN DO IT AND MAKE SURE MY

KIDS STILL HAVE A ROOF OVER

THEIR HEADS, I'D DO IT IN A

HEARTBEAT.

>> HE'LL JUST MENTION IT HERE

AND THERE.

"I WISH I COULD HAVE MY OWN.

I WISH I COULD DO A PROFESSIONAL

HAUNTED HOUSE."

AND I LOOK AT HIM, AND I LOOK A OUR BANKBOOK AND SAY,

"MNH-MNH-MNH. NOT THIS YEAR."

[ LAUGHS ]

>> BROWN.

REALLY BROWN.

ALMOND.

I USE THESE PAINTS ALSO TO PAIN UP SOME OF MY CLOTHES FOR MY

CLOWN OUTFIT.

WE GO INTO HOSPITALS, INTO FAIRS

AND EVENTS, AND WE'D DO

BALLOONS, WE'D DO SOME COMEDY,

WE'D DO SOME FOOLING AROUND, YOU

KNOW, ACTING CRAZY.

MATT AND I HAVE APPEARED BEFORE

GROUPS OF THOUSANDS -- AT FAIRS,

AT TRADE SHOWS, AT ALL KINDS OF

EVENTS.

>> I LOVE CLOWNING.

OTHERWISE, I WOULDN'T BE DOING

IT FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW, AND

WE'VE DONE A COUPLE YEARS WITH

OVER 900 HOURS.

WE DO BALLOON ANIMALS AND SOME

POCKET MAGIC.

I HAVE ALL KINDS OF SILLY CLOWN

PROPS I USE TO INTERACT WITH

PEOPLE.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE ONES IS --

IT'S A GIANT UMBRELLA, AND I HAS CATS AND DOGS HANGING FROM

IT, AND I'LL WALK DOWN THE

PARADE, AND I'LL SAY, "IT'S

RAINING CATS AND DOGS, AND YOU

BETTER GET INSIDE.

YOU DON'T WANT TO STEP ON A

POODLE."

>> ANOTHER ONE IS A PIZZA I MADE

UP, AND I GLUED DOMINOES ON THE

TOP.

I SAY, "YOU WANT A PIECE OF

PIZZA?"

AND PEOPLE SAY, "WHAT KIND IS

IT?"

YOU LIFT UP THE COVER --

"DOMINOES, OF COURSE."

>> YEAH, IT'S DOMINOES PIZZA.

>> THE TRICK WHEN YOU POWDER IS,

YOU TRY NOT TO BREATHE IN.

YOU DON'T WANT TO BREATHE IT IN,

'CAUSE YOU'LL GET A WHITE LUNG.

YOU KNOW, LIKE THE COAL --

[ COUGHS ]

OOH.

THE COAL MINERS HAD BLACK LUNG.

WELL, CLOWNS CAN GET WHITE LUNG.

>> MATTHEW AND I BOTH DO PIRATE

CLOWNS.

HE'S BETTER AT IT THAN ME,

THOUGH.

ONE OF THEM 1st-PLACE PLAQUES

HE JUST GOT FOR HIS CHARACTER

CLOWN.

>> I LOOK AT, LIKE,

LAUREL AND HARDY AND

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO AND STUFF,

YOU KNOW, FOR INSPIRATION.

I'D BE CURIOUS TO THINK WHA THEY'D THINK IF THEY WERE ALIVE

NOW AND SAW WHAT PASSES FOR

COMEDY.

ARE YOU FEELING OKAY?

'CAUSE YOU LOOK A LITTLE PALE.

>> YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR

DESTINATION.

>> THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

A CLOWN THAT PUTS THE TIME AND

EFFORT AND STRIVES TO BE

PROFESSIONAL AND SOMEBODY THA JUST SLAPS ON SOME HALLOWEEN

FACE PAINT.

THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO IT,

JUST LIKE THERE IS FOR HAUNTING.

>> I'M SLIPPING.

>> EXCUSE ME. GET OFF. GET IN.

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