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Haunted houses fear for their future

As the business of scaring you throughout October continues to escalate, who gets hurt? The little ghoul.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Haunted houses have long been a tradition of Halloween, evolving from Jaycee charity tents and cold bowls of spaghetti "innards" to the sophisticated spook factories of today featuring movie-quality makeup and special effects. Long lines of thrill-seekers pay up to $20 or $30 apiece for a half-hour or more of controlled fright.

But those in the business say haunted houses, a growth industry only five years ago, have reached their peak. Urban renewal in many of the nation's bigger cities has cut off operators from cheap locations, safety regulations have driven up the cost of doing business and outfitting the haunted house with the latest animatronic zombies or computer controlled ghouls has become an expensive arms race few can keep up with. Haunts built into existing amusement parks also have put pressure on their unaffiliated brethren.

"So many people who get in the business are artist-types who enjoy scaring people and don't understand that if you don't have the money, you don't get to play anymore," said haunted house designer Leonard Pickel, who edits the industry magazine Haunted Attractions. "Scaring people is easy. Making money scaring people is a lot harder."

It's difficult to determine how many haunted houses there are. Excluding Halloween-themed attractions like hayrides, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, Pickel estimated between 3,000 and 5,000 haunted houses are operating this year.

Larry Kirchner, a haunted house designer/operator and president of the International Association of Haunted Attractions in St. Louis, guessed lower, saying there are probably around 600 professional events, the remaining being run by charities.

Whatever the number, observers say there are fewer haunts today than there were 10 years ago. Today's haunts, they say, are for the most part economically healthier and better-run.

"The people who are doing it now really want to be in the business," Kirchner said, noting that entrepreneurial owners have largely replaced the charity houses of old. "There will always be a few guys who think they can get in and make a fast buck and they don't. I sort of think you'll see it stay status quo."

In Kansas City, Mo., the four main houses - the Morgue, The Edge of Hell, the Beast and Catacombs - are in empty, multistory warehouses in the town's old industrial neighborhood known as the West Bottoms. Combined, the houses attract around 100,000 people during the Halloween season.

Operators are reluctant to discuss how much they spend on the houses and how much they make, but the math shows the revenue can be substantial.

Dwayne Throneberry, for example, estimates he'll get 1,000 thrill-seekers on a busy Saturday night, charging $20 a head. His season began Sept. 30, though some houses start as early as late August.

[Last modified October 29, 2005, 01:44:11]