Haunts to Eleven – The Build

We are beginning to believe that Arizona must be cursed in some form. As I’ve commented on previous posts, we were supposed to start our migration south right after Christmas. Sorry to say that didn’t happen. Two years in a row we’ve tried to make it there and for an equal amount of times – stymied. Fingers crossed this is only temporary this year and we’ll be on our way soon – last year we had to outright cancel our December trip out there. Decided to use the unexpected time to do a little tidying up around the Intrigued Headquarters. When the staff is away, the boss gets to play ha. The office is quiet, no spreadsheets that need filling out, no requisition approvals, the performance reviews are all wrapped up and thankfully no post holiday party legal issues to smooth over. Figured it was a perfect time to for a little after Christmas haunting. 

Yes, it is time to finally get the Haunted Trail 2023 recap out of the way. These are mega posts and although the trail is the highlight of the year, I dread the work that goes into getting all the pictures ready for the post. Clear your browser image cache ‘cuz we are gonna fill it up again. Hit the jump to see all the work behind the scenes that is needed to put this event on every year.

You would think there would be a lot of “planning” sessions, work orders and reams of paperwork to get the haunted trail off ground. That is all true except for the planning sessions, work order and reams of paperwork part ha. Honestly, it all starts with the layout that usually just requires tweaking to include new themes, new props and any improvements noted from the previous year. 

Key element is the zone map. Several years ago, we figured out a way to save a lot of prep time by organizing the props by their zones and load them accordingly so we could haul them down and get them in the right area from the start. 

Speaking of themes – this year’s was “Haunts to 11”. Over the years we have grown the length of the trail (now over 3/4 of a mile). It felt like this was the year to grow vertical – translated, bigger props. This was a test year for some future ideas that will put the weak Spinal Tap amps to shame as there is an inherit increase in scare that comes with size. Take for instance the new 10′ Birdman.

Ron and I were building that beast right up until the week of the event. There will be another project post coming on the details behind that new prop. You cannot say you are going big on a Halloween display until you have one of the Home Depot 12′ Skeletons. Last year we featured the traditional Skele. Thanks to a Father’s Day present from the boys, we now have the Inferno Skeleton. Big thanks to my brother Dan for getting that beast together.

The workhorse for the prep is the UTV. I can’t imagine the amount of miles this vehicle gets over the weeks it takes to put the trail together and then taking it all down. Long gone are the days when we used to put it up the day of and then haul it all back up in the early morning hours after everyone had gone home.

One of the hardest tasks each year is getting all the trails ready. Clearing them, mowing, trimming and making sure there isn’t any hazards like loose limbs etc. that could cause harm to any of our guests. 

The trail is set up so the further you go, the more mature the haunts get. This is so the whole family can enjoy the trail and also puts the responsibility on parents to determine what is the best exposure for their children. We claim no responsibilities for future nightmares and therapy sessions ha. Note, trail construction order is dependent on when props are ready to go and what takes the most time, so these shots are not in any order.

There are two larger clearings on the trail. One of those is the ToT Cemetery. This is the farthest end of the trail. Key thing is to organize the props to make sure the guests do not go past this area and end up completely lost. 

I’ve always wanted to improve our cemetery and this was the best year yet. We brought in some of my partner in haunt’s props to help set the scene – he still has a smaller one in his area, but this creepy grave sitting girl fit better with our larger stones.

One of the big additions was the new light up stones. To read more about how these were made, check out their project post (link here). 

Another of the new stones.

Last year we upgraded our entrance to the cemetery with a new platform for our smoke breathing gargoyle. 

My other friend in haunt, Brad, brought a new haunt he created to the trail this year. His animated trunk prop was a big hit. I’ll leave the details of how that prop works for the night walkthrough. 

More scenes from the cemetery build out. 

One of the scariest areas on the trail is the clown infestation section. I hate clowns, they scare the crap out of me…which means they are the perfect addition to our night of terror. Even if you like clowns, you might be rethinking that after encountering them in the dead of night in a dark woods.

Pennywise has many friends.

Putting this section up every year just about puts me in seizures..and that is in the daylight.

Looking back at the clown section – note, the sitting clown is on of Paul’s new jump scares.

Every year we add another clown prop. Mr. Red was this year’s addition. Got him put together the day before the event.

Ugh, they are getting creepier every year.

Just a look back towards the cemetery area… you can kind of see that the woods extends far beyond the back of that cemetery which is why we have to make sure no one gets lost. Last year we added the rope lights on the ground and that has served us well to guide everyone through the .75 mile trail.

This is the witch section complete with two new witches – you can check out their project post if you want to know the details behind their creation (link here). 

A closer look. 

We try our best to have some form of scare every 15 to 20 feet. Even though the trail is just under a mile long, it is absolutely full of props. All the empty spaces are slowly filled up as the trail takes shape.

This is another section we have to do some creative guiding. Coming out of the clown section we send them back to the cemetery to get a different view of that area and then have to get them directed to the zombie containment area which circles back behind the clowns. You can see the start of the fencing we add to help on this objective – there are rope lights that hang from the tops of that fencing that makes it pretty clear where they should go next.

Should probably mention we had excellent weather for the two days of the event… leading up to the party was a little dicier as it rained off and on during that period. Luckily, for the most part, the trail was able to absorb a lot of that moisture which allowed us to continue the build in between those downpours.

The trail is starting to take shape now as more and more props make their way out.

Nature did throw us a curve ball this year. No idea what the catalyst was, maybe the amount of rain during the summer, or the temps or what, but this year was a record for the amount of Black Walnuts. Every one of those trees were loaded and guess when they start to drop..yep, at the end of September which hits (pardon the pun) at the same time as the trail. We ended up having to limit the area in the Emerald Forest where it was the thickest to keep our guests safe. Nobody wants to get hit by a falling walnut. As a result, we had to move the witches out of that area and cut the path in closer to the spider section.

Finally got both the Birdman and the new Wolfie out just a few hours before the event started. One thing I didn’t think about when we set the theme of “bigger” this year ..we still have to get them moved out onto the trail and that gets significantly harder with these giant-sized props. 

Wolfie is my first sculpting endeavor and was the test for a new line of props I was planning for next year. It took more work than I originally expected and learned a lot about carving foam. Overall, I’d say a complete success.  Wolfie will get a tune-up over the coming months (and its new set of eyes) and hopefully a new friends!

Brad let us use his 12′ Skele again this year. A nice Walmart greeter into the Emerald Forest.

Time is always a constraint regardless of how early you start. At some point you have to call it or it will never get done. I wish I had more time to put out the amount of webbing I wanted, but at least got some of it out there to compliment the new spider additions.

…and here they are. For more detail on how these spiders were made, please check out their project post as well (link here). 

Nothing like 8′ spider to inject a nice dose of scare into your haunt.

Better yet, TWO of them.

Over the years we have collected many, many, many skeletons. Every year we show the helpers the tubs of skeletons and let them stretch their imaginations. They continue to amaze me. I try not to look at their work until the night of the trail so I can be surprised.

Paul and I have been putting some form of this trail together for well over 17 years now. His prop collection continues to grow like mine and for ease, now there are sections set aside just for his haunts. 

This year was his absolute best ever. 

He went with a more “interactive” concept and had the guests weave in and out of his props versus having them more off to the sides like the rest of the trail. I really like this effect and will definitely be putting that to use in other parts next year.

Although we purposely do not have actors to jump out and scare the guests, I think the fear that might happen keeps the guests on their toes. Who knows, some year we might actually do that…

One area everyone was talking about was his Skeleton Hell area. He put out an army of walking bones that went from already creepy during the daylight hours to absolutely terrifying once darkness fell. You will understand this much better once we put up the night recap post.

Paul’s new three axis talking skull. This prop is just plain awesome.

The skeleton army begins to be assembled. Note that red light will be much more prominent in the night post.

Looking into the Zombie Containment area. Lots of props still to get out in this area, but the 10 foot Grim Reaper is rehearsing for its big night.

Our zombie area also has its share of flesh eating demons.

Starting to get the zombie area populated.

This year, we finally had zero issues with the Servo Man prop (on the right, link here). The hardening process it underwent earlier in the year paid off. 

The Dancing Zombie (link here) patiently waiting to show off his moves for our guests.

Spike Zombie still needs some tweaking. Last year it had some issues at the end and I thought I had it fixed, but it started showing failure signs near the end of the second day this year – thankfully all the guests had made it through while it was still working well. 

I have a much better solution to the animation linkages now and will get that fixed before next year. The key to a successful trail is how quick you can remedy any issues that might come up. It is a stressful two nights until all the guests have made it through.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the first part of the trail this year. This is the kid friend(lier) section mainly consisting of blowups and other props that most children should be able to handle. For instance, everyone likes dragons!

The very last prop to go up is the Pumpkin Arch (link here) – it narrows the trail a bit and harder to get the UTV past it so we want that part of the trail finished before building it. 

The bonfire is officially lit which means the trail prep is DONE for 2023. This work is incredibly exhausting, but now it is time to rest a bit and let our guests enjoy the labor of love. A big thanks to all who help out in this crazy addiction (Linda’s word) including my two brothers. Without all these individuals assisting behind the scenes (in the case of Ron that includes months beforehand), this doesn’t happen. 

Stay tuned for the night walkthrough!