History


According to Webster Dictionary, Halloween is "the evening of October 31, which is followed by All Saints Day or Allhallows; Halloween is now generally celebrated with fun-making and masquerading." Pretty definitive, however one thing is missing-a picture of Bob Burns!

I attended the nations foremost model show, Wonderfest in Louisville, Kentucky in 1994. That year, as in every year, Bob is the number one honored guest. The banquet proved to be a milestone for me. Bob treated us to footage of his legendary Halloween shows, something that for us trick-or-treaters is comparable to an overflowing bag of Halloween candy. Every thing magical about Halloween was captured in that footage. The style and craftsmanship that went into those shows was remarkable. But the one thing that stood out was the fact that everyone involved was having a blast, especially Bob. The seed was planted. I went away from Wonderfest with one goal in mind: to create the Halloween magic I remembered as a youth for myself and whomever would dare enter the portals of the "House on Haunted Hill!"

That fall I started by carving a few pumpkins (the Pumpkin Masters carving tools were still fairly new to the market), decorating the front hallway and dressing up as a welcoming ghoulish host. I had the time of my life and thrilled the dozen or so Halloween visitors that graced my door. I know that sounds ridiculous-how could anybody become excited over 12 people? Fact is I live on a dark, dead-end street and had never had any trick-or-treaters. Twelve goblins was a major victory for me. The following year I enlisted the help of six friends. We blocked off most the walkway leading to my front door. We felt we were really big time with a fog machine, black and strobe lights, custom fangs, and a hidden microphone to alter my voice to a chilling echo. Hollywood, watch out! We had over 100 visitors. Word was starting to spread.

A pivotal year was 1996. Monsterscene, a magazine I did illustrations for, released a Bob Burns special at the end of the previous year. I illustrated the cover, enabling me to become involved with Bob on a one-to-one basis. It was a dream assignment! Bob is an illustrators dream with endless expressions. Every reference shot was priceless. Norman Rockwell would have been in seventh heaven had he a model as animated as Bob. The cover (Insert 1) turned out to be my greatest work to date. More than anything, it opened a dialogue between Bob and myself. By this time my skill as a "pumpkin artist" had grown. I was asked to do a demonstration on a Nashville based talk show. I showed how to carve a Bob Burns face on the pumpkin and talked about my Halloween show. Attendance that year grew to over 300. We were now firmly entrenched as a Halloween tradition. In 1997 we expanded our production to the backyard. This enabled use of the new deck I built that spring.

We wove our way in and out under the deck and blocked off the entire back of my house, creating a terrifying journey of mazed horror! Our production value greatly increased. Again, I gave the pumpkin carving demonstration on television, plugging the show in the process. Attendance exploded! We ran 700 screaming, terrified visitors through in two-and-a-half hours. Another 100 were turned away after we shut down for the evening. I was starting to get the feeling I just might be on to something here. I kept the same basic blueprint in 1998.

The same route was taken by visitors but we redesigned our scenes and polished the show to an even higher level. When friend Darrell Duncan came on board, the level increased yet again. Darrell works heavily in theatrical set design and lighting. His expertise, not to mention his lighting equipment, brought us to where I would stack us against any local commercial attraction. Our exit polling confirmed this. The comment most commonly heard was, "I went to all the haunted houses in Nashville but this was the best. You guys scared the crap out of me!" To me, that was a standing ovation. Our numbers declined that year but the quality of visitors made up for the drop. From opening to closing, all we heard was constant screaming-"listen to them, children of the night, what music they make. "I was indecisive in 1999.Having spent a great deal of money, and sweat, landscaping my home, I did not want to disturb my efforts. There wasn't any passion. I hadn't any new ideas and my desire to start production was totally absent. I ordered the video series "Hauntworld: The Movie" and the bug bit! Suddenly new ideas popped up and my creative juices overflowed. My crew, now 35 haunters, came back for more.

We expanded the show around the house and reversed the route-our exit the previous year became the entrance. We started production earlier, reducing my Halloween season anxiety. I knew inside I had taken the show as far as I could at the house. This would be the House on Haunted Hill's final chapter. We fine-tuned and polished the show and went about to present a haunted attraction deserving of Bob's seal of approval. The show was the best ever-a complete success all around. If you listen carefully on the dark nights you can still hear the screams and laughter that echoed through the woods that Allhallows Eve. While posting my promotional flyers on the town square in my hometown of Gallatin, Tennessee I kept noticing availability of building space. I took a brief pause. The little voice in my head spoke-this is where I need to move the show! Elements started coming together seemingly out of nowhere, confirming that this was something meant to be. While still in our beginning stages, we are getting support from all avenues. "This is the best thing I have ever heard of, it is going to be great!" is the comment most heard from the downtown community.

We are looking at a month long celebration, not just Halloween night. What we were able to achieve in a few short weeks we now have 10 months to prepare. The gauntlet has been laid down. The challenge-to creatively grow and become an attraction that will astound and amaze young and old alike-is accepted. What started six short years ago in my humble attempt to recapture Halloween magic has now grown into a full-fledged monster. And to think it all started with a small seed of inspiration from one man, Bob Burns.

Reprinted permission of Happy Halloween Magazine