Baconsale Episode 78: Behind the Screams of Haunted Houses

It doesn’t matter whether you call them haunted houses, haunted attractions or spook alleys, the industry of scaring people is big business. And our special guest in this episode, Greg Andersen, has been in that business for almost 30 years. He has worked in such haunts as Rocky Point, Castle of Chaos and, currently, The Great Room Escape. So, of course, Baconsale spends most of the time asking him random questions and making fun of each other. Nevertheless, we do learn a thing or two along the way AND, we announce our FIRST OFFICIAL BACONSALE CONTEST! Listen to find out how you can win a fabulous prize worth up to dollars!

What are you waiting for? Press play and join us!

Great Room Escape website: http://greatroomescape.com/

65 thoughts on “Baconsale Episode 78: Behind the Screams of Haunted Houses”

  4. Not gonna lie, I was one of those “I’m not scared” kind of guys, but not because I wanted to look tough, I love soaking everything in and looking at everything. To be honest, most actors I’ve encountered in Haunted Houses aren’t very good. In high school, our drama class went and haunted the Punkinaze in West Haven, I dressed up as a kind of punk-rock pierrot type with green full-head spikes. It was so much fun! There was this guy walking around with his 6-year old son and I came around the corner and stood up (I was crawling around the maze) and the dad started freaking out and screaming, his son looked at me then looked at his dad and said “Stop being a baby, it’s just a guy in makeup!”. Best moment ever haha I also volunteered at one a week after that up in Logan but I can’t remember what the name of the place was, it was some riverbed thing. Loved volunteering at places. Is the Punkinaze still around or is that gone now? Anyone know?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. Joel, you say you aren’t going to take your son to a haunted house until you are sure he can handle it and get your money’s worth. If he gets scared that easily, doesn’t than mean he gets his money’s worth quicker? Wouldn’t it be more of a waste of money to take a kid who isn’t scared of anything and just walks through the spook alley?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. In college if I noticed a friend of mine walking home behind me, I would hide behind a bush or wall and wait to jump out at them when they approached. It was fun, and they hated me, but I would always justify it by saying that instead of screaming and jumping back they need to kick and punch because what if I was a real bad dude. As much as I told them to punch me, none of them ever did. I know, I’m a hypocrite, I like to scare people, but I don’t like being scared.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Yeah big time hypocrite. Why don’t you like being scared? It’s fun! Given, I always act not scared in spook alleys but that’s mostly because I don’t want to be distracted by cheesey lines some of the.. not as skilled.. actors pop off and enjoy the cool sets in the spook alley.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I’m just not a fan of the feeling. Especially when the fear comes from something that is supposed to be haunted. I hate to say it is for religious reasons since I assume most of us listeners share a religion, but it kind of is, I’m not calling y’all heathens or anything I just don’t like it personally. Although I did find it funny on my mission in Portugal (with Joel) the only people that celebrated Halloween were the Portuguese members of the church. Every ward or branch had a halloween party, and it kind of worried me that people might think of Halloween as a mormon religious holiday. Anyway, I don’t mind getting scared on roller coasters, or the fear that comes when I am getting ready to go cliff jumping, but I don’t like the fear that comes from a haunted house or a horror movie. Probably because sometimes it lasts and can continue to stay with me. Like as a kid when I got scared of mirrors in the dark from Disney’s haunted mansion. As much as I know everything isn’t real, it’s hard to turn off the imagination.

        Like

      2. Yeah I think it’s pretty safe to say 80-90% of us all share a religion haha. My wife is the same way with scary movies and things, which really means I don’t ever watch them anymore. She got mad at me for falling asleep while watching Hocus Pocus… Yeah haha that was fun. I get it, I generally avoid exorcism or demon type shows because they seem like slack-jawed yokel horror, same thing goes for Saw. I like more believable horror shows that have more to offer than jump scares or excessive gore or bashing on religion. The only exception was the Ring, which I thought had a pretty decent storyline for a horror movie and was fun to freak people out with. I’d like to find a good list of “Family Friendly” horror movies or Halloween shows, as my ability to watch scary movies has been limited.

        Totally get the whole “Halloween as a Mormon Religious Holiday” thing, it was the same way in Hong Kong. All the wards had Halloween parties (often put on by the missionaries) and it wasn’t culturally a big thing there because they have two big holidays in October and September already.

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Chidwick, I think you are on to something. This might be an escape room type of clue. It looks like Jacob is doing the sign for L, and it also looks like Joel is making a sign as well. Almost like he is flipping us off, but I think there is a pointer finger up too. What is he holding? What character are Jacob and Joel dressed as? At least I think that his Jacob in the middle window and Joel on the right. Or is that Kent in the middle?

        Like

      2. Joel is Sweeney Todd, definitely, he said he dressed up as him once and that’s a razor. Pretty sure that’s Kent in the middle, but I can’t tell who he’s dressed up as… which would make Jacob the Keebler elf.. what’s the main Keebler elf’s name?

        Like

      3. Here is what I have so far. Since I can’t figure out the other two characters in the window, all I am going off of is the first window. We have the keebler elf, who goes by the name of Earnest or Ernie. Ernest has a Halloween movie called Ernest Scared Stupid. So, that could be the answer. Alternatively, the keebler elves make E.L. Fudge cookies, fudge stripe cookies, and Grasshopper cookies. KEnt brought in Grasshopper cookies during the disney villains podcast because of Hopper. *shakes fist in the air* But Hopper gets me no where. So, back to the elves. I can’t find any scary movie with an elf in it, the only scary elf I can even think of is Elf on the Shelf. Seriously what is up with that dude? But if we think of diminutive magical creatures, then there is the movie Leprechaun. But if that were the answer, why didn’t they use the Lucky Charms mascot instead? So, it probably isn’t that. So, I’m back to square one with Ernie the Keebler Elf in window number 1, a vampire-ish Charlie Chaplain making an L sign in window number 2, and a Joseph Smith type old fashioned farm boy holding a stake and holding up two fingers in window number 3. Not sure if the headless horseman is part of the clue. Also, of note, Kent photoshopped in the Keebler Elf costume that you can buy at Wal-Mart rather than just a cartoon image of the keebler elf. Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe I am Joelverthinking this whole thing.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Chidwick, I am surprised you figured out Mr. Mistoffelees. That was obscure. Hmmmm. Ernie Mistoffelees. Elf Cat. Both are magical. I wonder what the third one is.

        Like

      1. Wow. You guys kind of went off the deep end here. That’s just pictures of us in various Halloween costumes. Jacob wore that Keebler elf costume a few years back, and he’s actually the headless horseman, as well.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. If Joel is Sweeney Todd, that is different. The story of Sweeney Todd is allegedly based on an earlier story of a pieman who baked cats into his meat pies. That brings in Mr. Mistoffelees. And the Keebler Elves bake cookies.

        Like

      3. You’re right that he’s holding a razor, but that I’m pretty sure that is a Bilbo Baggins costume, but instead of holding Sting, he is holding a razor. So, I agree, Johnny Depp playing the part of Bilbo Baggins.

        Liked by 2 people

    3. Ok so the authors name is Trinity Destler… the story in this chapter is Mistoffelees being married, or life bonded, to his Victoria and her bearing his Kittens… which is just so weird.. is Victoria an elf or a cat?.. I’m so confused.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Also, note it looks like the Keebler Elf is missing his nose. Trinity Destler draws fan art of Erik from Phantom of the Opera, and in her versions of Erik without a mask, he is missing a nose. Does that mean Erik from Phantom will be the Elf in the pitched movie idea?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. In looking through images of Keebler Elf Costumes, I think I found the image Kent used to photoshop it into the cover art of this episode, and in that picture the shading makes the nose look likes it’s missing, so I think the Phantom of the Opera is a red herring.

        Like

    3. But wait… if Trinity Destler is the next guest and Jacob is Trinity Destler… Then is next episode just Jacob showcasing his creepy, Cats-LOTR crossover fan fiction? Is he going to reveal that the sequel will be a Cats-LOTR-Saw crossover where Jacob makes Mistoffelees is forced through a game of What would you do where he has to choose between $10,000 every month or eating his own hand? Or strangling feral Vegans?… er… kittens!! That’s a pretty dark episode guys. Jacob, stop writing such creepy Cats Fan-fic.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Based on Joel’s comments above, I think we’ve been following a huge red herring. I listened to the end of the podcast again and they say it will be a caption contest. Anyway, it was fun, but I feel like a fool.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment