Time Running Out to Get Your Space for the Halloween Costume and Party Show

Even though the Haunt Season is just now approaching and finally here, we are already thinking of you vendors and the upcoming Transworld Halloween and Attractions Show coming to America’s Center in St. Louis once again during March 10-13, 2011.

This annual trek is a must show at for any haunt vendor wanting to make a splash and get those early sales for the 2011 Haunt Season. Once again Rotting Flesh Radio will be vending there and will have something very special to debut. But time is running out to secure your space and a good discount on it if you wish to vend in the upcoming show.

We look forward to seeing all of our friends and haunt family there so on with the details for those wanting to vend.

RELEASE:
THE HALLOWEEN & ATTRACTIONS SHOW featuring THE HAUNT SHOW

March 10-13, 2011 at the America’s Center in St. Louis, MO.

A record number of booths have already been reserved for the 2011 show – and we still not have heard from you! Take advantage of the Early Bird Discount that ends on September 15th and sign up today!! Booth price is only $1,200 per 10×10 booth, plus $100 per corner. After September 15th, booth prices increase to $1,400 per booth – NO EXCEPTIONS!

The HAAShow will be co-located with the Halloween, Costume & Party Show featuring Holiday & Special Occasion Merchandise this year. Both shows are finally back together, co-located in adjacent halls. Buyers will have free flowing access from one event to the other. This gives you, the exhibitor, multiple opportunities to cross-market your products to both the attractions/haunt industry as well as the retail market. This is a WIN-WIN situation for both shows. And you get to take advantage.

Visit our website at: www.haashow.com and see the combined floor plan. Contact your TransWorld Account Executive today to find out what booths are still available. Up until September 15th, we are requiring only $250 per booth deposit. After then, it will be 50% deposit due. There are more events, more seminars, more things to do and see at the 2011 show than ever before.

You can’t afford to miss out.

Haunter Tax Day Extension Excuses

by: RFR Casket Crew Storm
Greetings Deadites,

Tax time has come and gone, and at this point you either are searching the couch for spare change to buy groceries after writing uncle Sam a check, or you are scrambling for some excuses to file an extension. Here a few ill-advised haunt reasons to include with the extension request.

“Left my expense receipts in the zombie costume pants I buried in the back yard to distress.”

“Burned out tax software on computer while programming an animated skull.”

“Tax forms were in the suitcase that got lost on the flight coming back from Transworld.”

“Ran out of blood to sign signature with.”

“Was completing forms while working on a Necronomicon prop and accidently filled out entire form in Latin”

“Mistakenly latexed checkbook to a skeleton, still looking for which one it’s on.”

“Tax preparer stopped returning calls when I asked if severed limb storage was deductable.”

“Left the envelope in my other hearse”

So until next time Deadites, Sit Back, Relax, and Rot Away…

Transworld Haunt Show 2010 Floor Video

The Transworld Haunt Show has just wrapped and it has been a blast. Vendors newest products, encitement for the 2010 Haunt Season and more.

Well, directly from the Dent Schoolhouse comes a Transworld Haunt Show 2010 Floor Video. So if you couldn’t be there here is some fun until we bring you RFR coverage.

Fright Times Magazine Rises Again with a New Owner

So it seems rising from the grave that Fright Times Magazine is back with an all new owner. Read On RFR Deadites:

West Deptford, NJ, March 9, 2010: Fright Times Magazine will resume publication with an upcoming issue available for purchase in April. Fright Times will also have an official relaunch debut at the National Haunters Convention & Halloween show in King of Prussia, PA located in the Valley Forge Convention Center.

Now under the guidance of National Halloween & Haunters Convention Co-Owner Robert F. Kocher, the revitalized magazine will appear in full-color. The first new issue is aptly dubbed “Unearthed from the Grave” Fright Times focuses on the Haunted House Industry and fans of the Halloween season.

Issues 15 and 16 will have a distribution of 5,000, including visibility at haunted houses, conventions, horror clubs and Halloween events.

A yearly Fright Times mail subscription costs $20.00. The illustrious magazine will appear twice per year—once in the spring to help haunters prepare for the season and again around Halloween at the height of the holiday that makes it happen.

The relaunch includes a completely new Web site located at www.FrightTimes.com. On the site, readers can browse early-industry historical issues free of charge, subscribe instantly via PayPal, download exclusive Fright Times desktop wallpaper, submit articles, discuss industry news on the message board and retrieve information about the advertising specs and magazine staff.

The Web site also includes photos of celebrities who have enjoyed Fright Times over the years as well as multimedia selections.

About Fright Times:
Originating under the skillful direction of John Denley of Boneyard Productions in 1996, Fright Times Magazine enjoyed a six-year run with increased readership. Like the Halloween and haunting industry it represents, Fright Times originally grew out of the popularity of haunting as a hobby.

For more information about Fright Times Magazine, check out the Web site at http://www.FrightTimes.com

Gore Galore’s 2010 Offering at Transworld Next Weekend

Gore Galore has been a friend of ours for quite some time and Kevin and his team never cease to amaze me with everything they offer.

A few weeks ago, Kevin was a guest on RFR Show #197 1-15-2010. And their new product line for 2010 will debut at the upcoming Transworld Haunt Show in St. Louis. Well, enough from us let’s let Gore Galore tell you themselves.

Release: We have been busier this past R&D season than ever here is a proof of the catalog that will be handed out at the Hauntshow next week. And we will also have one product at the show that is not finished yet. But you will love it. It is a “Scare Box” It is a queue-line actor scare. It is a puppet built into an illusion that looks like the actor is just carrying this distressed box but really it is a puppet monster in the box ready to jump our at your customers.

We added:
5 new oversized costumes.

1 is the Rock Golem which happens to be the single biggest costume we ever built for this industry.

We also developed a track system that can support from 400 to 900 lbs for any of our costumes or huge oversized Actor operated animations we now have the capability to build to use with this system. Another costume is Cletis Slackjaw a 9′ inbred freak. Gas Mask Maniac. a 9′ techno terror, a 7′ bloody bull, and the Hollowman a form fitting latex suit made possible by Headless Horseman hayrides.

6 new my Pet zombies. We are also able to take any zombie head prop or mask from any company and make a zombie out of it for you.

Tons of new wall decor items. and bringing back some old ones.

Lost of new gory details that can all be used together as a COMPLETE SCENIC PACKAGE called the “House of Gore”

Zombie head plaques with hands to hold the weapon the zombie was killed with, or without hands. And tons of zombie heads to choose from. Plus a zombie face plaque. Again, many faces to choose from.

Barrel toppers. We developed a new product called a barrel topper that allows you to throw this panel on top of a closed drum and it makes it look like the drum is full of gore. 2 models to choose from. and several finishes to choose from to fit most any theme.

Gore pile is similar as above except you just toss it on the floor for a super easy detail.

Gore Trays. Zombie food packaged in food service trays.

Several new severed heads

Actor props: several new small actor props hatchet, wrench, mini sledge, and femur bone. We did these for a movie so it was easy to bring them to market. But the best of all these is our ability to take any one of our severed heads, zombie heads etc… and mount on a rope handle so your actors can shake in the face of your customers. We have been doing this for years but now with over 50 heads to choose from you can get several to use without them looking the same.

5 neck biters. We added 3 new neck biters to our line. Neck biters are also actor props that allow you to interact and distract your customers. Clown biter, baboon biter, and a gargoyle biter.

And a new flat backed corpse called Gnarly Natalie. It is a very detailed blank corpse we can do tons of “custom gorification”. We can detail this corpse out so many different ways you can get several and they will all look completely different. Makes a great autopsy corpse. We can even add a head.

For all the information and updates from Gore Galore visit them at the upcoming Transworld Haunt Show and always at: www.Gore-Galore.com

Haunted House Association 2010 Moves Forward

The Haunted House Association (HHA) is moving its organization forward for 2010. So far there are many things to come of the newly formed association for haunted and these are are couple of the items we can expect to see to help move Haunters forward with support, networking and more.

Release:

PR Campaign:
The HHA is embarking on a new PR campaign that is solely owned and funded by the HHA. As you know last year we participated with America Haunts in their campaign, but now that we are on our feet and rolling we are prepared to launch our own campaign. As always our focus will be to protect and promote the Haunted Attraction Industry, and promote our members’ haunts. You can be assured that the knowledge of our board and members will give this new campaign great chances for success.

New Web Site:
As you know last year we developed a web site on the Hauntworld owned URL www.HauntedHouseAssociation.org. This year we are now creating our new site on the HHA owned URL www.HHAssociation.com. It is important to note that this is being done with the full support and encouragement of Hauntworld, who additionally donated funds for the NEW website. The HHA board will be fully in control of the new site at all times, and it is planned to focus equally on all projects and entities that help the HHA and the industry as a whole to protect and promote Haunted Attractions. It is hoped that the new site will be online sometime before TransWorld, keep your fingers crossed! This new site will be a great resource for haunted house owners and operators to come together and help the industry.

Safety Campaign:
As you know we began a campaign last year, an outreach to teach new haunters safety. This will be a big focus in the upcoming year, as we feel that safety education should be promoted and distributed where it is needed most, to start up or home haunts that often have no interaction with local officials. Randy Bates, our new President, is well known as one of the industry’s experts on this topic, and plans to address this fully. Also key to this is the Crisis Plan that Randy developed to help Haunt Owners and the HHA deal with assorted problems that could occur on both a local or national scale.

MEMBER BENEFITS:
Of course member benefits play a major role when it is time to join an association. Here are some of the benefits a membership in the HHA will bring your event:

Publications: Members will receive subscriptions to 3 publications while they are members – Tourist Attractions and Parks, Hauntworld Magazine and Haunted Attraction Magazine.

Vendor Discounts: Members will receive extensive discounts from many of the finest vendors in the industry. Use of just a few of these discounts can pay for your membership in short order. This list is growing all the time, but we will post an updated list soon!

Haunt Directory: Member haunted houses will be listed in our new Haunt Directory on our new web site, www.HHAssociation.com. Assorted campaigns like the PR and Safety Outreach programs will drive traffic to the site and thus to your event’s listing.

Membership Directory: Once a year HHA will produce a comprehensive listing of our members, vendor discounts, by-laws, and other important information. This will be mailed out to our members.

Heraldry: Members will receive the right to use our logos and imagery to promote that they are members in good standing of the Haunted House Association.

Exclusive Meetings and Functions: Members will be able to attend exclusive meetings and events such as the upcoming Ultimate Brainstorm meeting at TransWorld this year for members only.

Participation in the Association: Members who are the owners or operators of a Haunted Attraction can vote for the board of the HHA. Members who are Owners or Operators of a Haunted Attraction with 5 years of operation can run for the board of HHA. Members are also encouraged to participate by joining committees and helping us protect and promote the industry.

Access to Networking: Members can participate on our NEW HHA Forum and on our Yahoo Group. Plus more to come! As you can see there are many benefits to joining the HHA and many important REASONS to help us protect and promote this industry. We look forward to sharing more of our plans with you soon and having you stop by our booth and join the HHA at the TransWorld show in a few short weeks!

For more information about the association be sure to visit the current site at: www.HauntedHouseAssociation.com

Few Spots Left for The Darkness Behind The Scenes Tour

With the Transworld Haunt Show coming up in a few weeks, as we noted previously (CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE IN FULL) The Darkness Behind the Scenes Tour is quickly filling up and tickets are still available.

To get yours follow the information below and to read our previous write up, follow the link above.

BUY TICKETS NOW FOR THE DARKNESS TOUR
You can buy your tickets ONLINE NOW follow the two links listed below and purchase your tickets! Tickets are limited by hour and by night. Only 300 lights on tickets are available which includes tours through the entire attraction, into our World class make up room, and much more. The Darkness has been totally renovated for the 2010 haunt season. Be one of the first to see the attraction!

Follow the links below to purchase your tickets:

Lights Off Tour (with actors): CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Lights On Tour (behind the scenes): CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Trick or Treat Studios Debuts and with One of Three Toxic Toons Masks

This past weekend was the annual Transworld Halloween Costume and Party Show in Rosemont, IL. And among the many vendors we usually see there, there were some new ones hitting the scene.

Trick or Treat Studios debuted at the show with a great response and something fun and fresh to the scene including an All- New Eric Pigors of Toxic Toons Mask that is Number One of a Series of Three.

Trick or Treat Studios has face masks designed Erich Lubatti, creator of the masks for the street performers at Knott’s Scary Farm’s Halloween Haunt. In fact these ARE the same masks worn by the street performers! Available exclusively through Trick or Treat Studios. Also in their collection are some beautifully detailed full head masks inspired by the classics and sculpted by Justin Mabry exclusively for Trick or Treat Studios.

In addition to these masks, Eric Pigor of Toxic Toons is designing some masks for the studio and right now you can get the First in the Series of Three.

GRUESOME is only 59.99 and Sculpted by Justin Mabry / Designed by Eric Pigors. Gruesome is the first mask in Trick or Treat Studios exclusive Eric Pigors Toxic Toons Collection. “What is a Toxic Toon you ask? Let me quote Eric, “It’s a cartoon character described as a nutty scabbed chicken poxed lilly livered stiched up bone poppin goofball! With some sort of diabolical disturbing dilemma in store.”

Gruesome is the embodiment of this description. This amazing likeness, sculpted by our own Justin Mabry, has all the characteristics that make Gruesome the character we all know and love. Put on your maggot filled overcoat, slip on your mask and prepare all your friends for Gruesome.

Trick or Treat Studios should be on the look out for some great low-cost products with details that can add to any haunt, party or Halloween Store. Stay Tuned to RFR for them to be guests soon.

For more information on Trick or Treat Studios Visit: www.TrickorTreatStudios.com

CFX Launches New Upgraded Site and Masks of the Month!

RELEASE TO RFR:
The new CFX website has gotten a much needed upgrade with some new bells and whistles, more easy to view product catalog, and a few new things that we’ve added based on all those emails we’ve gotten from our customers. We’ve updated our project gallery to reflect some more recent film and TV work we’ve done outside of the haunt realm to give you a little taste of the other side of CFX.

There’s also now a customer gallery with an assortment of some of the photos our customers have sent us using our products. A totally new addition, though, is our Mask of the Month feature that showcases a different customized silicone mask every month either by public request or because we got a weird twitch in one eye during production. Last, but certainly not least, we’ve posted teaser spots for some of our new masks that will be released in March at the 2010 Transworld Haunt Show in St. Louis. As much as everybody pushes and prods us, and as much as we’d like to reveal the full photos, the unspoken ethics of customer anticipation ties our hands and only allows these tantalizing little silhouettes and titles for your viewing pleasure and frustration.

Our new mask products cover a somewhat broader spectrum than our previous releases. This diverse bunch of freaks and miscreants is in response to a collection of customer requests from different markets, spawning some more fundamental fears of the human psychosis while still keeping the company of the classic monsters and ghouls we all love so much. There will, of course, be some new gloves to go with some of the new mask releases, as well as some other various goodies, toes and fingers to chuck out on the sales table. But, the rest of those will have to wait entirely until March, when we’ll see what the constraints of time will allow.

Until then, send us your best customer photos, wipe the drool off your chin and book a hotel room for your trip to St. Louis because if you’ve actually sat through this much of this little blurb, chances are you haven’t done your homework tonight yet.”

For more visit: www.CompositeEffects.com

The INSANE SHANE Transworld Kick Off Party

So the Transworld Haunt Show is fast approaching this March. Then you can roll around in all your bloody glory with the newest animatronics, props, haunt ideas and more. And along with a fantastic Trade Show comes some social interactions with actors, owners, vendors and everyone! One way to kick things off is with the INSANE SHANE Transworld Kick Off Party.

The event is happening on March 24th in St. Louis, Missouri at the Renaissance Grand Hotel. Being held in the Landmark Ballroom from 7:30pm until Midnight, it will be full of All the best foods you can eat, a Live DJ Spinning some Dead Tunes, a Fully Stocked Bar, Costume Contest, and $1,000 in Cash Prizes. This in addition to thousands of dollars in door prizes from the Haunt Industry’s Top Vendors.

To get all of this, hang out, relax and get your Haunt On, its only $85.00 and that covers everything we just listed and more! So if you want to mingle with the best, then try the INSANE SHANE Transworld Kickoff Party!

For more information or to purchase tickets visit: www.GraystoneManor.net