Books on creating spine-chilling haunted attractions and spectacular Halloween decorations, from DIY home haunts to professional commercial attractions.
Topics covered include set design and painting, scare acting, marketing, and maximizing profit.
The Haunter’s Guide to Dialogue: Crafting Fear Through Words
The Complete guide to Haunted House Attractions
By Joshua Fry
The Haunter’s Guide to Dialogue: Crafting Fear Through Words is a comprehensive guide for creating impactful dialogue in haunted attractions. It covers the psychological aspects of fear, exploring how specific types of dialogue, tone, and timing trigger emotional responses. The book discusses crafting original and immersive lines, the importance of improvisation, and how to read and adapt to your audience’s reactions. It also delves into the strategic use of foul language, character development, and how dialogue contributes to building atmosphere. Case studies and practical examples from successful haunted attractions are provided, along with techniques for mastering dialogue that enhances the overall fear experience.
The DIY Guide to Painting Your Haunted House will teach the techniques that professional haunt master, Rich Cimino, uses to achieve the faux paint effects seen in haunted houses and their props. The techniques discussed here are meant to help inspire, guide, and educate you so you can enhance your patron’s haunt experience. Learn tips and tricks used to obtain incredible looks like rust, grunge and wood graining and more.
Turn any space into a nightmare with professional horror painting techniques.
From the mind of a Crime Scene Investigator turned haunt artist.
Step-by-step horror painting secrets from America’s scariest haunts.
Peeling paint, rotting wood, rusted metal—learn the art of realistic decay.
Your complete guide to painting fear into every wall, floor, and prop.
Make your haunt unforgettable. Disturb, disgust, and delight your guests this Halloween. Your paintbrush is your weapon—this book is your arsenal.
Step-by-step instructions for achieving eerie effects.
Insider tips on selecting the perfect ghostly color palette.
Creative ideas for spine-chilling wall textures and finishes.
Budget-friendly solutions for maximum impact.
Safety guidelines for a secure haunted experience.
Perfect for homeowners, party planners, and Halloween enthusiasts alike. Whether you’re preparing for a ghoulish gathering or simply want to add a touch of the macabre to your living space, this book is your ultimate resource.
Learn to:
Create convincing aged and weathered surfaces.
Master the art of shadowy, dimensional effects.
Incorporate spooky optical illusions into your design.
Craft an immersive experience that will leave visitors in awe.
Don’t settle for store-bought decorations when you can craft a truly unique and terrifying environment. With this guide, you’ll transform your home into the talk of the neighborhood, guaranteed to send shivers down every visitor’s spine.
Ready to unleash your inner phantom artist? Grab your copy now and start your journey to becoming the mastermind behind the most hair-raising haunt on the block!
Through The Dead Eye: A Eulogy To The Art Of Scare Acting
A Eulogy To The Art Of Scareacting
By Andy Rawlings
Life’s no fun without a good scare…but how do you truly scare someone? With a catalogue of over 15 years experience under his belt and having worked at multiple scare attractions across the globe, Andy Rawlings shares his experiences and personal insights into the growing art and practicalities of Scare Acting.
“Scare actors MUST HAVE this book. Enjoyable to read and very informative. Perfect for anyone starting out or who’s been in this business for years!” – Sean Rouse, Fear IT clothing
“This book is a must have for any Scare Actor. Andy’s techniques and stories can guide and advise newbies as well as the seasoned scare actor.” – Mikey Johnson, Escape Entertainment
Get the Job, Build Your Monster, Become a Crowd Favorite in the Haunt Industry
By Resolute Printing
Get Hired. Get Scary. Get Great! – Your Complete Guide to Becoming a Scare Actor, From First Audition to Final Fright.
Are you ready to step into the fog, wear the mask, and make people scream for a living?
Whether you’re a horror fan looking for a thrilling seasonal job or an aspiring performer wanting to break into the world of immersive entertainment, this book will show you how to become a standout scare actor—even if you’ve never done it before.
Inside this guide, you’ll learn how to:
Find and apply for haunted house jobs in your area
Audition with confidence and stand out from the crowd
Create a terrifying and memorable character that guests will never forget
Master movement, timing, and vocalization without damaging your body or voice
Work with lighting, fog, and sound effects to enhance your performance
Stay energized all season long while avoiding injury and burnout
Get noticed by haunt management and level up into featured roles or leadership
Build a reputation in the haunt industry and be asked back year after year
Whether you’re looking to scare for fun, sharpen your acting skills, or join the growing haunt community, this is your step-by-step guide to succeeding in one of the most thrilling jobs in the entertainment world.
Perfect for beginners, returning actors, and horror fans who want to take their love of fear to the next level.
“Few books have been written revealing all the know-how needed to master getting under an audience’s skin. Not Afraid to Slay delivers that in spades. …scares up interesting tips and haunt stories that those intrigued by the industry will surely appreciate.”
Scared to death? Not yet obviously! You’ve come to the right pages. The Halloween haunt world has so many thrills and chills awaiting your faint heart, and women are conjuring up many of these sensational experiences. Not Afraid to Slay features both an in-depth look at going from home haunt to commercial haunt, and modern insight on acting, costuming and makeup, house design and layout, story creation, and high-tech inventions in the movie industry that are happily turning haunt. Featuring: Jo Breinig (Grey House Haunts), Caisey Cole (actress), Brian Foreman (Dead Factory), Lanelle Freeman (Texas Haunters Convention), Sue Gray (Graystone Haunted Manor), Allen Hopps (Dark Hour), Shannon Hopps (Stiltbeast Studios), Jes Murphy (Halloween Lady), Mandy Redburn (Factory of the Dead), Scott Swenson (A Scott in the Dark), Shai Stroh (Grey House Haunts), Sylvia Vicchiullo (Nightmare Nomads), and Melissa Winton (Haunt Shirts).
Jan Knuth became fascinated with Halloween as a child and acted on that passion in 2007 when she started a home haunt, which ran through 2013. She then went on to become the sole owner and director of Grey House Haunts, a Halloween haunted house. Jan is on the board of the Chamber of Haunters as 2nd vice-chair. Not Afraid to Slay is her debut as an author.
Candi S. Cross dressed as Raggedy Ann on her first wild Halloween night out as a toddler. She is the founder of You Talk I Write, a modern ghostwriting agency.
Do you want to create Halloween props with glowing eyes? Then the book Make Your Own Eerie Halloween LED Eyes for $5 is for you! Glowing LED eyes are the perfect addition to Halloween zombies, skulls, pumpkins and other props. Now, you can make a pair of eerie eyes for less than $5. “Graveyard Greg” shows you the way in this illustrated step-by-step guide that includes a tools list, materials list and links to specialty online retailers. Whether you’re a spooky starter or a champion chiller, you’ll love this handy haunting how-to! Skills required: Basic soldering. Estimated project time: 60 minutes.
Do you know of any books that should be on this list? We'd love to hear from you - get in touch! We're always looking to expand our collection with books covering makeup artists, monster makers, special effects, prop making, stagecraft, and more.
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