Books - Halloween and Haunted Houses

Every October, schools, civic clubs, scout troops, little leagues and charity groups of all kinds sponsor Halloween “haunted houses” as fundraisers.

But where do they go for good information on how to do it?

How to make the rotting corpse that scares the bejeebers out of everyone or the demonic knife-wielding doll or the living, beating heart that visitors swear is real?

And what about the mundane details (e.g., permits and insurance) that make the haunted house a profitable and safe venture? Where does one find out about that?

All aspects of the successful haunted house are covered here. There is good information on site selection, logistics, design, security, budgeting, sponsorship and volunteer management.

This is followed by detailed, descriptions of many inexpensive illusions for your haunted house; each is accompanied by illustrations that further explain how to make the effect successful. Floor plans, advertising flyers and design worksheets are some of the sample materials included.

Buy on Amazon

If you want to learn how to make a haunted house, then get the “How to Make a Haunted House” guide now.

Inside you will discover tips and secrets on how to start a haunted house business.

• How to integrate your haunted house into the community.
• How to find a location for your haunted house.
• Tips on permanent, temporary, or mobile haunted houses.
• How to build walls for your haunted house.
• How to do set design for a haunted house.
• Haunted house characters
• Human resources and your haunted house
• Ticketing and money tips
• And much more.

Buy on Amazon

If you are looking to raise the coffin lid a little higher this Halloween, try out some of these spooky projects and tips. From simple to advanced there is something here to make your next Halloween party or home haunt even spookier. Halloween is for grown-ups too– the projects in this book are not intended for children, but for the creative, adults who want to handcraft their own Halloween home haunt and graveyard fun.

Buy on Amazon

The coffin lid was raised a little higher in, How to Haunt Your House, Book one. Now it’s time to dig a little deeper and conjure up some new projects and decorating ideas to impress this year’s ghouls and goblins! Inside, How to Haunt Your House, Book Two, you will find a broad range of home haunt prop step-by-step instructions. From animated props to full sized grave ghosts there is something for the haunt enthusiast in everyone. See how to hack store bought props into something truly ghoul-a-rific. Turn Styrofoam into tombstones, crypts and tombs using just a few basic ingredients and tools. Make a severed hand endlessly stir over a glowing cauldron, amid a collection of Apothecary jars and witches’ bottles filled with strange potions and sinister looking ingredients. Turn this year’s Halloween party into the hair raising experience even the undead will be talking about.

Buy on Amazon

The long wait is finally over! How To Haunt Your House, Book Three! is here at last! Advance copies of the book were sent out to haunt industry professionals and the reviews came back with overwhelming enthusiasm once again.

Buy on Amazon

How to Haunt Your House brings new chapters flying, bubbling and crawling to the series in Book Four. There are Flying Phantasms, Mad Labs, Ten Foot Trees, and a variety of home spun spiders all wrapped in our new favorite spider web material using beef netting! We took our theme Invasion of the Spiders to a whole new level and turned our toxic spider experiments into a variety of creepy crawlies perfect for the home haunt. It’s time to get inspired by old B-movie monsters! Turn off the lights and crank up the screams… It’s time to get prepared for the invasion!

Buy on Amazon

Ready for a haunting good time? Want to learn to make your own tombstones and cemetery, turn your child into a mummy, create Monster Mud, and more? You’ve come to the right place! When the living set out to haunt houses, they scream for a unique look and feel. They want to create a spooky memory for visitors coming to party or trick or treat. With a bit of theatrics and light—and layers and layers of homemade cobwebs—today’s home haunters hunger to go beyond just setting out a jack-o’-lantern on Halloween. Now you can create an extreme cinematic experience with touch, sound, smells, and spooktacular sights that bring on the chills and screams at every turn. This frightening decorating guide provides inspiration and instruction on how to lift your coffin lid a little higher and transform your house and yard into the best haunted attraction in the neighborhood this Halloween season!

Buy on Amazon

Create a spooky memory for visitors coming to party or trick-or-treat with more than 20 DIY projects for haunting your house. With a bit of theatrics and light, you can create your own flying phantasms, giant jointed-leg spider, coffin, and other spooky displays. Now you can create an extreme cinematic experience with touch, sound, smells, and spooktacular sights that bring on the chills and screams at every turn. This second volume includes new projects that provide both inspiration and instruction on how to lift the coffin lid a little higher and transform your house and yard into the best haunted house in the neighborhood this Halloween!

Buy on Amazon

The Art of Fear was Mr. Maniacal’s first book published back in 2005. With another book on the horizon Mr. Maniacal has revised his first book and has decided to re-release it to the public. The Art of Fear is Mr. Maniacal’s in-depth look at the haunted attraction industry and the creative nerve center behind the show. Not your typical “how-to” book, The Art of Fear is a collection of theories and techniques he has gathered over the past 15 years in the industry. Covering topics like room design, soundscapes, lighting, character creation, and more makes this book not just for haunted attraction owners, but everyone involved in putting on a haunted show. The industry and customer expectations have changed and the haunted attractions must change with them. This is a perfect companion for any haunter.

Buy on Amazon

For over 30 years, Scott Swenson has been bringing stories to life as a Writer, Director, Producer and Performer. His work in Theme Park, Consumer Events, Live Theater and Television has given him a broad spectrum of experiences. After 21 years working with SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment as the Director of Production, Scott formed Scott Swenson Creative Development LLC. This book harnesses the power of Scott’s spoken word to bring you essential haunted attraction concepts. Curated and edited from the viral episodes of Scott Swenson’s “A Scott in the Dark” podcast, this book contains 13 critical topics. Part One explores “Philosophy: How to Think Like a Haunter,” Part Two is “Guts and Bolts: Operations 101” and Part Three centers on “The Haunt Community.”

Buy on Amazon

Do you love the “Halloween Lifestyle?” Ever wondered if you could launch a “Horror Business” from your unbridled enthusiasm for haunted houses, the zombie apocalypse, and space aliens? Or do you just want to make money and have fun doing it?

If You’ve Got, Haunt It: 50+ Ways to Profit From Your Own Halloween Business has the inspiration and information you need to start your Halloween-based enterprise and claim your share of the 8 Billion Dollar Halloween industry!

Whether your target audience is kids and families or serious horror enthusiasts, there’s a growing subculture of Halloween/Horror fanatics of all ages… and this book will show you how to tap into that market!
You’ll find out:
• What kind of Halloween business is right for you?
• How to turn your unique skills, talents, and assets into a product or service that people will want to buy.
• The three greatest Halloween moneymaking secrets.
• How to generate cash while sitting at home in your pajamas.
• What kind of Halloween business is easiest and cheapest to start.
• How to start a Halloween business that will bring in profits all year long.

Buy on Amazon

Discover the untapped potential of integrating a Halloween haunted attraction into your established business. “Haunting Your Way to Higher Profits” guides you through leveraging the allure of the spooky season to enhance your company’s profitability significantly.

– Diversify Revenue Streams: Open new income avenues by adding a haunted attraction.

– Enhance Brand Visibility: Boost your brand with Halloween’s seasonal buzz.

– Customer Engagement: Create memorable interactions that foster loyalty and repeat visits.

– Practical Implementation: Seamlessly integrate a haunted attraction into your business.

– Cost-Effective Strategies: Achieve higher ROI with budget-friendly setup and operation tips.

– Sustainability Tips: Keep your attraction appealing year after year for sustained success.

Thinking that a haunted attraction isn’t a fit for your business model? “Haunting Your Way to Higher Profits” addresses how businesses of various types can adapt and thrive with Halloween-themed offerings. Concerned about the seasonal nature? The book includes strategies for leveraging this short time to create impactful, lasting results that benefit your business year-round.

If you want to master the Tricks and Treats of creating your Halloween Haunted Empire, then click the “buy now” button underneath right now!

Buy on Amazon

Whether you’re a small business owner, solopreneur, or 9-to-5 professional dreaming of joining the booming haunted industry, this book is your ultimate guide to leveraging Halloween for higher profits and deeper community engagement.
In “Haunting Your Way to Higher Profits – Marketing for Newbies,” veteran haunterpreneur and business coach Angelus Perez shares over 40 years of industry wisdom, offering step-by-step strategies to convert your existing business—or spooky startup—into a thriving seasonal attraction. You’ll learn how to master the 4Ms of success: Mindset, Marketing, Management, and Money, and discover proven tactics like VIP experiences, immersive merchandising, digital marketing, partnerships, and more.

Perfect for escape rooms, firehouses, museums, small shops, or anyone wanting to make Halloween their most lucrative season yet, this guidebook breaks down practical and creative marketing techniques that boost visibility, increase ticket sales, and keep guests coming back year after year.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Create unforgettable haunted experiences on a budget.
• Launch unique events, photo ops, and VIP programs.
• Utilize micro-influencers and data-driven campaigns.
• Tap into memberships, sponsorships, and post-season sales.

Stop haunting the idea—start haunting your way to higher profits today!

Buy on Amazon

Haunted Houses Ideas? Want to make a Real Haunted House this Halloween? Or if You are decorating a home haunt or a “For PROFIT” Dark Attraction, this book is a MUST HAVE!

You’ll get Ideas for props, scenes, scares, rooms… how-to drawings & details showing you EXACTLY what to do to build your own home OR pro haunted house.

ALSO you’re going to get the “confessions of a haunted house owner” giving you real live case studies on haunts to see what worked and what didn’t. This book is Perfect for home haunters, Halloween enthusiasts and professional haunters alike. As a FREE BONUS the book is also including the legendary J.B. Corn’s work “How To Build a Portable, Modular Dark Attraction” that goes over in detail EXACTLY how to build your own haunted house.

Here’s what you’ll learn, how to…

HOW TO BUILD:
Walls, windows, tombstones, coffins, hidden doors, cave walls, a professional facade, ghost illusions and more!

AND SYSTEMS for your haunt, such as:
triangular design system, sound system, power system, lighting system, fire alarm system and more!

PLUS Scare Design
– tactics, misdirection, control, anticipation, customer psychology and haunt look.

…and dozens of other ideas that have been proven to work year after year, plus other safety tips and construction PHOTOS.

This literally has sold for hundreds of dollars. Now you can get everything for a couple of bucks along with my no holds-barred case studies of actual haunted houses, all to honor his memory.

For the home, for the Pro’s, learn everything you’d like to know about building a real haunted house

Buy on Amazon

Are you ready to build a haunt that leaves guests screaming for more? Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to take your haunted attraction to the next level, The Haunter’s Playbook is your ultimate guide to creating a terrifyingly successful haunt.

Packed with 20+ years of industry experience, this book covers everything from actor training and special effects to queue line entertainment and costuming. You’ll discover insider secrets on:

👻 Designing a Haunt That Leaves a Lasting Impact – Learn how to create immersive, story-driven scares that stick with guests long after they leave.

🎭 Actor Training & Character Development – Build a team of skilled scare actors with the tools to engage, frighten, and entertain.

🛠 Props, Special Effects & Fog Machines – Get professional insights on using lighting, sound, and fog to set the perfect eerie atmosphere.

🎩 Queue Line Entertainment & Roaming Characters – Keep guests entertained before they even enter with interactive performances that set the mood.

💀 Costuming & Makeup for Maximum Impact – Discover why originality is key and how to create unforgettable custom characters.

Whether you’re running a home haunt, launching a professional attraction, or improving an existing haunt, this book gives you the roadmap to success. Plus, if you’re looking for personalized help, you can reach out to the author for consulting services.

Dare to take your haunt to the next level? Get this book and let’s get started!

Buy on Amazon