Is it just me? Or do you all feel the same?

[TheNightMare]

I know this is probably a stupid topic since most of you already own/operate some kind of halloween/haunted business. Or maybe you can relate. I dunno maybe its just me but 5 years ago, I didn't even think about halloween as much as I do now. It seems to take over your life. Not sure if thats a good thing or not. I guess to relate to this topic you will have to think back to when you first got started. Did you have to talk about halloween everyday? Possibly hours on end? Didn't your g/f, b/f, or significant other get tired of hearing about halloween? I don't know about you all, but I think this holiday(halloween) takes over your mind, body and spirit. Maybe in a ghostly way. lol You know with all the conventions early 1st quarter(jan-march), sales for merchandise starting in August and with halloween being in the 4th quarter(oct-dec). I dont see a month where I cannot bring up halloween. Maybe its a sickness that can't be helped with medication. Forget trying to get away from it, it'll just suck you back in the portal from which you came from.

Sorry about the rant or not, I just want to see if there are others who think/talk about this holiday in there everyday lives besides coming on to this forum.

~TheNightMare

[Jim Warfield]

It is usually the same for any small business enterprise, if you don't think, act and work and promote what you are doing 99% of the time, then you may not make it.
Working on it for a week or two will also not get you a haunted house tour that you will be able to charge any kind of worthwhile admission price for.
As compared to other people in the haunt field I am more into my own "art" of the performance and utilyzing my own creations to that end of getting a series of reactions from my patrons, usually terminating in their laughter.
I know almost nothing about most horror movies made over the last 30 years, I don't have anything in the haunted business memorized like being able to recite a litany of expensive props and who built them when, ex cetra, like so many of you seem to be able to do.
My past obsessive/compulsiveness has alot to do with working on and acting in my house, this is true, but my aims are not quite common as commonly found within this field.
I have always known that my life is finite and wasting my years, hours and days left to me copying someone else's things is not what I want to be doing.
Even though I have suffered from the compulsion to tell almost everyone the haunted history of this house, I did draw the line a few years ago and generally tell a humorous version of it , most of the time.
And why would I be compulsed to do this? Because some of those supernatural events happened to me or directly influenced my life one way or another and I used to have the feeling that if I told enough people this long enough that someday, somebody with more special knowledge about all of these kinds of things might come walking through my door and explain more of it to me!
I sort of don't think this will happen because nobody really knows the other realm.

[damon carson]

Nightmare, dont feel left out. For me its like an obsession and a compulsive drive that keeps me thinking and working and planning and talking about Halloween everyday. Ya, people around me might and do get tired of hearing about it. But they also know thats who I am. I guess they just learn to like it as well. Alot of the things I make or the ideas I come up tend to impress alot of my friends not to mention our patrons during the Halloween season. So I guess thats a good thing. Im able to express my artistic ability and my imagination through my haunted house. I do tend to get burnt out sometimes. Espessially at wrong times. Like August/ Early September. Very bad timing huh! But its happen. The time I need to be plugging the hardest. But working on this day and night 300 plus days takes a toll thats for sure. I go to as many movies or rent as many horror movies I can to revitalize myself and to spark other ideas. Also I try to visit other haunts early in the season to give myself a haunted house boost when these things happen. And it really seems to get the blood flowing again you could say. But I've always loved Halloween its just really become more of an obsession since it is a business and Im striving to be the best in my area. So thats I good thing! Striving to be the very best is a good trait I believe. So keep the faith no matter what. Youre doing the right thing. Maybe rent something other than a horror movie every now and then. Maybe it will surprise your significant other. Sometimes its a nice change.
Happy Haunting
Damon

[TheNightMare]

Nope, no g/f so I can watch as many movies as I want. lol No, but the truth is she's the one who got me into halloween and now its an obsession thats actually fun and artistic. It funny though talking about halloween in the summer time and the looks on peoples faces. haha There like WTF isnt halloween months away and cold. lol

[Jim Warfield]

I used to obsess talking about World War Two, then one night watching a documentary, I found out who won!
I also have a small room here with a plexiglass cover behind the door that is packed full of plastic model kits (assembled) of World War Two tanks, planes, there might be 900 of them in that 12 by 8 room!
I might not correctly spell "obsession" I am too busy being obsessed to think about spelling it.
I am not obsessed enough though, there are still a whole lot of things I want and need to do.

[damon carson]

Ya Jim thats quite a collection of tanks in that display. Next time I come to the Grin I want to get a closer look at those. That had to take many years to assemble all of those. Are they all from WWII or are they many different other tanks. I guess all boys growing up learn to love playing with army men, tanks, ect. Maybe your more of a history buff as well. Neat stuff! I love the Mr Tuxedo tank thats awesome. Now if we could just make it remote control and make it fire ready! Boy Mr Tuxedo would sure clean up old Mt. Carrol wouldnt he! :wink:
Damon

[Jim Warfield]

I used to have "Motorcycle-Half-track -tank, with a sidecar I built at the front of my house with a pair of female, human legs sticking out from under it. It had a long main-gun and it would go up and down when I pushed a button inside the house.
I scared SO MANY people with this!
I always liked the weekend bikers who would study this contraption for a while THEN when the big gun went up ! Wow!
Really Funny!
I think part of the reason that it effected people like this is because they could tell it was physically impossible for there to be a person inside of it, and it was obviously "junk", just thrown together...yet it moved!!

[Spookyfinder]

I do have a fiance, but it's great because she is into it just as much as I am! So it's nice... but don't feel alone man, we ALL suffer it! -Tyler

[John Coen]

I agree with Jim. If you aren't at least thinking about it off and on it will creep up on you and catch you unprepared.

[brad]

Yes, you could say that this is a sickness that cant be cured.



Another word for that would be




PASSION




For most of us, it is a passion, something that we simply just cant live without.

[Darkblood]

Great topic!

I do agree that it is a passion as well as an obsession! At least with me!
I think about it all the time...my wife and family have to hear me go on and on or when we're out and about I'm spotting things like "That would make a great location!" or "That would be a great prop!"
She says "Man, that's all you ever think about?"
Of course my biz partner and I talk on the phone or hang out and "Talk haunt"...
When he and his wife visit us my wife says "I suppose you guys will talk all about haunted houses and scary stuff all night?"
Yep!
Now to get that 'dream' going this year into 'reality'!

Kirk :twisted:

[Jolly Pumpkin]

Yes, Halloween is an obsession for me and the same goes for Christmas. Every day I surround myself with something that revolves around Halloween, haunted attractions, horror, the paranormal, Christmas and holidays period. Without Halloween my life would be pretty ordinary. But I have always been obsessed with it, but not to this level. You don't want to be around me during the Fall. I'm visiting over 50 haunts in two months time and I'm on the internet with my sites non stop. I'm also decorating my yard with spooky decorations. It's crazy and it's the same way with Christmas. I'm decorating my yard everyday and visiting Christmas events. It's insane. Hopefully I'll have my display syncronized to music this year. But I love it. During July I have a massive fireworks show at my house and I feel sorry for the neighbors during holidays. The obession never and ends and I don't want it to.