“It’s really changed from just having some actors and scaring people to having animatronics and things that interact with people,” said Derron Oakley, a manager of the Land of Illusion Haunted Theme Park in Middletown.
The Dent Schoolhouse near Cincinnati, ranked by Hauntworld.com as one of the top 13 haunted attractions in the nation, takes visitors through an actual 1894 schoolhouse where the story of a murderous janitor and his grisly demise unfolds.
“We tell everyone who walks on our property that you are re-entering a horror movie and you get to relive it, because that’s what people want,” said Bud Stross, co-owner of the Dent Schoolhouse, which attracts about 18,000 people annually.
This increasing sophistication has led to annual trade shows such as the Midwest Haunters Convention in Columbus, which features more than 75 vendors, as well as online resources for creating something akin to Disneyland’s “Haunted Mansion.”
“People are spending ridiculous amounts of money,” said Larry Kirchner, president of Hauntworld.com. “The Internet and sites like Hauntworld.com have helped these people be able to accomplish things that in the past were limited to, say, Universal Studios.”
Theme parks such as Kings Island and Cedar Point offer seasonal haunted attractions. “It’s become a huge income source for the park,” Kirchner said.
Professional haunted house operators such as Oakley and Stross work year-round on their attractions, although both have other full-time jobs.
The Dent Schoolhouse, for example, employs more than 50 actors, plus additional behind-the-scenes personnel. The attractions typically are open on weekend nights from mid-September through Oct. 31.
The Land of Illusion Haunted Theme Park in Middletown started 13 years ago as a haunted trail and now features five attractions. “It’s grown into basically a business,” said manager Derron Oakley.
Tickets for area haunted attractions range from $8 for the Riverside Jaycees Haunted House, a nonprofit enterprise, to $29.95 for the Land of Illusion.
The Riverside Jaycees Haunted House is among the last of a dying breed of charity haunted house attractions.
“Now you have a lot more commercial haunts coming into it and people are starting it as their own business,” said Julie Denning, treasurer of the Riverside Jaycees, whose haunt at 1213 Old Harshman Road is in its 24th year and attracts about 5,000 annually.
Proceeds support the Jaycees’ community service projects, Denning said.
Once-dominant nonprofit haunts have been upstaged by professionals who can spend more to create bigger and better attractions, said Larry Kirchner, president of Hauntworld.com.
In addition, some charities couldn’t make site improvements required by fire marshals and building inspectors. “Charity haunts just got pushed out of the business,” Kirchner said.
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 18-24 plan to visit a haunted house this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
“The best horror movie, even in 3-D, is not even close to being as in-your-face and realistic as a haunted house,” Kirchner said. “A haunted house is going to be scarier, more realistic, and has really become the traditional way to celebrate Halloween because of that fact.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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