Haunted House Related Information. Information has been gathered from numerous websites. Information is general/random information for future pages we are putting together.

Including in the information is also other haunt attraction related information.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FROM WIKIPEDIA, SEE THE FOLLOWING LINK AND LINKS INSIDE THE ARTICLE THERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The below information is in whole or part of the article at the link below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_house

HAUNTED HOUSE:

A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property. Supernatural activity inside homes is said to be mainly associated with violent or tragic events in the building’s past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide.

In 2005, Gallup polls conducted in three countries—the United States, Canada, and Great Britain—showed that more people believe in haunted houses than any of the other paranormal items tested, with 37% of Americans, 28% of Canadians, and 40% of Britons believing

“Haunted houses are all over not just in michigan”

HAUNTED ATTRACTION:

– be sure to visit our haunted attraction in michigan –

A haunted attraction is a form of entertainment that simulates the experience of entering a haunted location that might be inhabited by ghosts, monsters, criminals, humorous characters, and other such creatures. Haunted attractions can take place in many locations, including dilapidated homes, abandoned asylums, old prisons, ships, boats, run down grocery stores, semi trucks, factories, shopping malls, fields, farms, and parks.

Haunted attractions use many effects, intense lighting (strobe lights, black lights, and so forth), animatronics, CGI, scent dispensers, fog machines, air blasters, old antiques, gory images, and intense scenes of terror, torment, crime, mischief, or comedy. Visitors often come in contact with various actors dressed up in elaborate and often scary costumes, masks, and prosthetics perform skits or hide and jump out unexpectedly to scare, shock, disturb, or amuse the customer.

There are quite a few attractions that feature elaborate facades that make the building look haunted if it doesn’t already take place in a spooky looking building. A clown themed attraction may use a circus tent with freak show posters or a haunted asylum may have a boarded up asylum frame in front of its building. The facade they use really depends on what kind of attraction it is. While waiting in line you’ll notice that some attractions have their own entertaining queue lines. Some are simple and just include TV screens or projector screens playing horror movies while some queue lines resemble mini haunted attractions. These queue lines may feature frightening animatronics, live animals, costumed characters or other features from the actual haunted attraction.

Many haunted attractions feature concession areas that may offer burgers, hot dogs, pizza, soda, hot chocolate, haunt apparel( t-shirts, hoodies etc.) and food you would expect to eat at a carnival/fair. In addition to that, some haunted attractions offer side entertainment so you can make it a night of haunting entertainment. This may include a tarot card reading station, paintball, laser tag, a coffin simulator (aka Last Ride), sit down electric chair simulator, arcade games, a dance club, skating rink, a 3D Motion Theater, or any form of entertainment that might appeal to customers.

The typical haunted attraction starts operating during the week/weekend of late September or early October all the way up to the last week/weekend in October or first week/weekend of November. There is even a sub culture of haunted attractions that are open year round and a few that open during special occasions such as haunt conventions or Spring Break (aka Scream Break). Haunted attractions range in price from $5–$40 (excluding possible parking charge) and may include a discount or coupon available on the haunt’s website, at the haunt, a restaurant or an entirely different location.^[1] There are some attractions that may even offer the option for a fast pass which will allow customers to skip the line for an additional cost, usually $10 or more. Some attractions are run by Jaycees associations or charities, while many are for profit.

The history of the haunted attraction is unknown. Hollycombe Steam Collection has an Orton and Spooner Haunted House in its collection that dates from 1915.^[2]

In the late 1960s to early 1970s haunted attractions were in developed cities like Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH with the creation of Jaycees haunted houses.^[3] These haunted houses are run by local chapters of Junior Chamber International (JCI) which is the only worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth leadership training organization. There are still many local chapter Jaycees haunted houses in towns like Huntington, IN. Lombard, IL. Foxboro, MA. Raleigh, NC. and Columbia, SC. In 1974 The Haunted Schoolhouse opened to the public and is still in operation to this day. Another notable haunted attraction that has stood the test of time is The Edge of Hell in Kansas City, MO

 

 

Kersey Valley Spooky Woods inHigh Point, NC is an example of a haunted trail/forest.

A Haunted Trail or Haunted Forest is a type of attraction that takes place outside in the woods, at a park, themepark or outside venue. Most haunted trails are close to a mile long and may include small buildings or huts that include various scenes you’ll be forced to enter or walk past. The majority of haunted trails have lit paths or roped off areas if there aren’t paths in the woods that have been made. Haunted trails include various rooms/scenes such as hillbilly huts, a haunted cornfield, a clown maze, movie themed rooms (Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers etc.), an alien invasion etc.

Haunted trails may use tour guides, or they may allow visitors to walk alone. Unlike haunted houses, weather determines if the attraction will be open or not. The typical haunted trail ranges in price from $5–$25 a ticket and lasts 10–45 minutes. The tour time varies greatly depending on the customer’s pace.

 

Bates Motel and Haunted Hayridein Glen Mills, PA is an example of a haunted hayride.

A Haunted Hayride is a haunted attraction and a form of agri-entertainment that takes place on a farm or large piece of land. Patrons climb on a wagon filled with hay or haybales and are driven into the deep dark woods as the tractor driver navigates through brush, cornfields, narrow paths, fields, and barns. Throughout the trip, customers may come in contact with out of control farm equipment, fast-moving vehicles (hearses, hot rods), actors dressed up as monsters and traditional characters like the Headless Horseman.

The typical haunted hayride lasts 10–45 minutes and ranges in price from $5–$25 a ticket with some using sound systems attached to the wagon or tractor. During the daytime some haunted hayrides may have live shows, face painting, fun characters and may even sell pumpkins or other vegetables grown on their farm.

A Haunted Theme Park is an amusement park where many of its buildings have been converted into haunted houses or paths have been made to create haunted trails or hayrides that are open during the fall season (September, October and early November). Many haunted theme parks include themed outdoor scare zones that feature costumed monsters who roam around scaring customers. It’s not unusual to come in contact with actors known as sliders who wear special kneepads. When the actor slides on the ground, the kneepads make a scraping noise before the actor is inches away from the customer.^[5]

Additionally, a large percentage of haunted theme parks feature live shows, concession areas, rides and other typical amusement part attractions. Not all haunted theme parks take place inside an actual amusement park. There are quite a few events that include multiple attractions in one place and may be located on a farm, park, parking lot or anywhere suitable for a large scale event.

The first haunted theme park was Knott’s Scary Farm in Buena Park, CA which opened on October 31, 1973.^[6][7][8] Haunted Theme Parks are some of the most popular haunted attractions since they offer a variety of attractions at an affordable price, usually $15–$40, or free with a park season pass.

A Dark Maze (AKA Pitch Black Maze) is a haunted attraction that consists of dark or pitch black rooms that have twists, turns and/or dead ends. Some may feature actors, air cannons, loud sounds, sprays of water, moving walls or floors, hanging props, flashing lights and more. A dark maze can be a stand alone attraction or an extension of a haunted house, haunted trail or hayride. Some dark mazes can transition into achain maze which is similar to a dark maze except it uses metal bars or a chain link fence for its various walls. Most chain mazes will utilize strobe lights and heavy fog to blind and disorient customers while they try to find the exit. A chain maze can also serve as a stand alone attraction. The average dark maze and chain maze range in price from $5–$20. The amount of time spent inside a dark maze or chain maze depends on how good you are at mazes and how the maze is constructed.

Hell Houses are haunted attractions typically run by American, fundamentalist Christian churches or parachurch groups. These depict sin, the torments of the damned in Hell, and usually conclude with a depiction of heaven. They are most typically operated in the days preceding Halloween.

A hell house, like a conventional haunted-house attraction, is a space set aside for actors attempting to frighten patrons with gruesome exhibits and scenes, presented as a series of short vignettes with a narrated guide. Unlike haunted houses, hell houses focus on occasions and effects of sin or the fate of unrepentant sinners in the afterlife. They occur during the month of October to capitalize on the similarities between hell houses and haunted attractions.

The exhibits at a hell house often have a controversial tone focusing on issues of concern to evangelicals in the United States. Hell houses frequently feature exhibits depicting sin and its consequences. Common examples include abortion, suicide, use of alcoholic beverage and other recreational drugs, adultery and pre-marital sex, occultism, homosexuality, and Satanic ritual abuse. Hell houses typically emphasize the belief that anyone who does not accept Christ as their personal savior is condemned to Hell.

The first hell house, Scaremare (still presented each October) in Lynchburg, Virginia was created by Jerry Falwell in the late 1970s. Similar events began in several regions during that period. Hell houses have faced criticism for advertising they’re a traditional haunted house, when in fact it’s a church run haunted attraction. Most involve biblical lessons and some ask customers to pray to Jesus Christ before exiting no matter what their beliefs are. Sometimes a hell house is much more graphic than a traditional haunted attraction and not appropriate for all audiences.

A Home Haunt is a stripped down version of a haunted attraction. A home haunt usually takes place inside a person’s home or on their lawn. You can expect to see homemade props and animatronics, detailed rooms, special effects, costumed characters and more. The vast majority of home haunts are non profit or ask for a donation to offset the costs of the haunt or use the money towards a respectable charity or cause. Home Haunts are usually open for a couple of hours on the weekend of Halloween or a few weekends in October.

A Yard Haunt is a house that is elaborately decorated to celebrate Halloween. Yards may feature fake tombstones, skulls, large inflatable characters, plastic light up figures (aka blowmolds), strobe lights, fog machines, cobwebs, spooky music, animatronics and decor that can easily be purchased at a local Halloween store. Some home owners even create their own homemade props to set their display apart from other houses, while others synchronize their display to music using computer programs such as Light-O-Rama, Animated Lighting and other popular programs. Neighbors have no need to worry about the loud music since many displays utilize an FM Transmitter so people can park their car, locate a low frequency radio station and watch the show without it disturbing anyone.

A dark ride or ghost train (United Kingdom and Australia) is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects.

A dark ride does not have to be dark. They are enclosed, so all illumination is artificial, and most use special lighting to achieve theatrical effects. Selective use of darkness helps hide the ride mechanisms and increase the visual drama of the experience. Disney’s It’s a Small World is an example of a brightly lit dark ride. The Haunted Mansion is a haunted attraction which is also a dark ride.

A Cornfield Maze is a Halloween attraction that is created by using cornstalks and forming paths for people to walk through. Patrons can expect to experience turns, twists, straight paths and dead ends. The cornfield maze might be designed to resemble a popular character, public figure, event or holiday. Most cornfield mazes are open during the day and are appropriate for all ages. Admission price ranges from $5–$20.

The largest corn maze in the world was located in Dixon, California, and is 45 acres in area as of 2010.^[9] Although this corn maze holds distinction as the world’s largest corn maze, Adventure Acres corn maze in Bellbrook, Ohio, just outside of Dayton, Ohio consists of 62 acres of corn maze with 8.5 miles of trails. ^[10] In 2003, a world record for the longest maze path, as recognised by Guinness World Records, was set on 10 July 2003 at 8.838 miles (14.223 kilometres) in the Lobster Maize Maze, designed by Adrian Fisher, at Stewarts Gardenlands, Christchurch, Dorset, England.

A Haunted Cornfield Maze is identical to a cornfield maze except that it may include actors, props, special effects, scary music and more. The maze is created by using cornstalks and forming paths for people to walk through. Patrons can expect to experience turns, twists, straight paths and dead ends. The cornfield maze might be designed to resemble a popular character, public figure, event or holiday. The majority of haunted cornfield mazes are open during the nighttime hours and range in price from $5–$20.

A Ghost Run is a haunted event that’s unique since it takes place in a person’s car. When a customer purchases a ticket for a ghost run, they are given various clues as to where different haunted attractions are. This haunted scavenger hunt usually includes a few local haunted attractions and other free items. At the end of the ghost run’s season, the winner with the best mileage locating the haunts is revealed and they are given a cash prize.

Between the 1930s-1960s movie theaters would have live shows that featured magicians performing magic tricks, séances, special effects and scary skits. This was at a time when people were unaware of how these incredible tricks were pulled off and it was a relatively new form of entertainment before the invention of the haunted attraction. Many of these spook shows doubled with horror movies and played at smaller movie theaters during Halloween time or different parts of the year. Eventually these shows would incorporate bloody special effects and be referred to as Midnight Horror Shows. These shows were daring for their time, but would phase out near the end of the 1960s.

 

GHOST HUNTING:

The following information has been gathered off of wikipedia and may be in whole or part of the article in the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_hunting

GHOST HUNTING

Ghost Hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence claimed to be supportive of paranormal activity.Ghost hunters often utilize a variety of electronic equipment, such as the following types: the EMF meter; digital thermometer; handheld and static digital video cameras, such as thermographic (or infrared) andnight vision; digital audio recorder; and computer.

Traditional techniques such as conducting interviews and researching the history of a site are also employed. Some ghost hunters refer to themselves as a paranormal investigator.^[1]

While many groups claim to utilize scientific methods in their search for the ghosts, no scientific body has been able to confirm the existence of ghosts.^[2][3] Ghost hunting can be classified as a pseudoscience.

The Internet, films (like Ghostbusters), and television programs (like Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters, The Othersiders, and Ghost Adventures), along with the increasing availability of high-tech equipment are thought to be partly responsible for the boom in ghost hunting. Despite its lack of acceptance in academic circles, the popularity of ghost-hunting reality TV shows have influenced a number of individuals to take up the pursuit.^[4]

Scores of small businesses selling ghost-hunting equipment, paranormal investigation services, and even ghost counseling are booming outside of their prime season: Halloween. Several companies have introduced devices billed as “ghost detectors,” along with the traditional electromagnetic field (EMF) meters, white noise generators, and infrared motion sensors. The paranormal boom is such that some small ghost-hunting related businesses are enjoying increased profits through podcast and web site advertising, books, DVDs, videos, and other commercial enterprises.^[5]

One ghost-hunting group reports that the number of people taking their tours has tripled, jumping from about 600 in 2006 to 1,800 in 2008. Another says its membership has doubled. Others point to increased traffic on their websites and message boards as an indication that ghost hunting is becoming more accepted. Participants say that ghost hunting allows them to enjoy the friendship of like-minded people and actively pursue their interest in the paranormal. James Willis, founder of The Ghosts of Ohio group says that his membership has grown to 30 members since it was founded in 1999 and includes both true believers and total skeptics. Willis says his group is “looking for answers, one way or another” and that skepticism is a prerequisite for those who desire to be “taken seriously in this field.”^[4]

Author John Potts says that the present day pursuit of “amateur ghost hunting” can be traced back to the Spiritualist era and early organizations founded to investigate paranormal phenomena, like London’s The Ghost Club and the Society for Psychical Research, but that it is unrelated to academic parapsychology. Potts writes that modern ghost hunting groups ignore scientific method and instead follow a form of “techno-mysticism”.^[6]

The popularity of ghost hunting has led to some injuries. Unaware that a “spooky home” in Worthington, Ohio was occupied, a group of teenagers stepped on the edge of the property to explore. The homeowner fired on the teenagers automobile as they were leaving, seriously injuring one.^[7] Police say a woman who fell three stories to her death was apparently hunting for ghosts at an old University of Toronto building.^[8]

An offshoot of ghost hunting is the commercial ghost tour conducted by a local guide or tour operator who is often a member of a local ghost-hunting or paranormal investigation group. Since both the tour operators and owners of the reportedly hauntedproperties share profits of such enterprises (admissions typically range between $50 and $100 per person), some believe the claims of hauntings are exaggerated or fabricated in order to increase attendance.^[9] The city of Savannah, Georgia is said to be the American city with the most ghost tours, having more than 31 as of 2003.^[10][11]

Belief statistics

According to a survey conducted in October 2008 by the Associated Press and Ipsos, 34 percent of Americans say they believe in the existence of ghosts.^[4] Moreover, a Gallup poll conducted on June 6–8, 2005 showed that one-third (32%) of Americans believe that ghosts exist, with belief declining with age.^[12][13] Having surveyed three countries (the United States, Canada, and Great Britain), the poll also mentioned that more people believe in haunted houses than any of the other paranormal items tested, with 37% of Americans, 28% of Canadians, and 40% of Britains believing.^[13][14]

Skepticism

Many ghost-hunting groups say they find evidence of something they can’t explain through scientific or natural means, yet critics question ghost-hunting’s methodology, particularly its use of instrumentation, as there is no scientifically-proven link between the existence of ghosts and cold spots or electromagnetic fields. According to skeptical investigator Joe Nickell, the typical ghost hunter is practicing pseudoscience.^[15] Nickell says that ghost hunters often arm themselves with EMF meters, thermometers that can identify cold spots, and wireless microphones that eliminate background noise, pointing out the equipment being used to try to detect ghosts is not designed for the job. “The least likely explanation for any given reading is it is a ghost,” maintains Nickell. Orbs of light that show up on photos, he says, are often particles of dust or moisture. “Voices” picked up by tape recorders can be radio signals or noise from the recorder and EMF detectors can be set off by faulty wiring or microwave towers.^[4]

According to investigator Benjamin Radford most ghost hunting groups including The Atlantic Paranormal Society TAPS make many methodological mistakes. “After watching episodes of Ghost Hunters and other similar programs, it quickly becomes clear to anyone with a background in science that the methods used are both illogical and unscientific”. Anyone can be a ghost investigator, “failing to consider alternative explanations for anomalous … phenomena”, considering emotions and feelings as “evidence of ghostly encounters”. “Improper and unscientific investigation methods” for example “using unproven tools and equipment”, “sampling errors”, “ineffectively using recording devices” and “focusing on the history of the location…and not the phenomena”. In his article for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine Radford concludes that ghost hunters should care about doing a truly scientific investigation “I believe that if ghosts exist, they are important and deserve to be taken seriously. Most of the efforts to investigate ghosts so far have been badly flawed and unscientific — and, not surprisingly, fruitless.”^[

Paranormal researcher Brian Dunning believes that orbs are usually particles of dust that are reflected by light when a picture is taken, sometimes it may be bugs or water droplets. He contends that “there are no plausible hypotheses that describe the mechanism by which a person who dies will become a hovering ball of light that appears on film but is invisible to the eye.” He does not believe there is any science behind these beliefs, if there were then there would be some kind of discussion of who, what and why this can happen. In his investigations he can not find any “plausible hypothesis” that orbs are anything paranormal.^[17]

Methods and equipment

Ghost hunters use a variety of techniques and tools to investigate alleged paranormal activity.^[18] While there is no universal acceptance among ghost hunters of the following methodologies, a number of these are commonly utilized by ghost hunting groups.^[19]

• Still photography and video: using digital, night vision, infrared, and even disposable cameras.
• EMF meter: to detect possibly unexplained fluctuations in electromagnetic fields.
• Tablet PC: to record data, audio, video and even environmental fluctuations such as electromagnetic fields.^[19]
• Ambient temperature measurement: using thermographic cameras, thermal imaging cameras, infrared thermometers, and other infrared temperature sensors. It should be noted that all of these methods only measure surface temperature and not ambient temperature.^[20]
• Digital and a
• alog audio recording: to capture any unexplained noises and electronic voice phenomena (EVPs), that may be interpreted as disembodied voices.
• Compass: some ghost hunters used compass to determine the location of paranormal spot similar like EMFs.
• Geiger counter: to measure fluctuations in radiation.
• Ion meters: to detect an excess of negative ions.
• Infrared and/or ultrasonic motion sensors: to detect possible anomalous movement within a given area, or to assist in creating a controlled environment where any human movement is detected.
• Air quality monitoring equipment: to assess the levels of gases such as carbon monoxide, which are thought to contribute to reports of paranormal activity.
• Infrasound monitoring equipment: to assess the level of sound vibrations.
• Dowsing rods: usually constructed of brass and bent into an L-shape.
• Psychics, mediums, or clairvoyants: trance mediums or “sensitive” individuals thought to have the ability to identify and make contact with spiritual entities.
• Demonologists, exorcists, and clergy: individuals who may say prayers, give blessings, or perform rituals for the purpose of cleansing a location of alleged ghosts, demons, poltergeists, or “negative energy.”
• Lights out: according to ghost hunting enthusiast websites, many ghost hunters prefer to conduct their investigations during “peak” evening hours (midnight to 4 a.m.).
• Ovilus/Ghost Box: These devices are used by some investigators to provide a possible one-on-one conversation with the dead, although they are experimental in nature.
• Interviews: collecting testimony and accounts about alleged hauntings.
• Historical research: researching the history behind the site being investigated.
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