Halls Of Horror

HHC: Welcome Mike and everyone from Halls of Horror. We have to be honest here and admit that we don't know much about you or your haunt at all! Unknown to many, Halls of Horror sent in a last-minute audition request in the last week of October 2001. Who would have guessed the newcomer to tie with one of our veterans for third place? We have to ask, how does that make you guys feel?

HH: It feels great. When your review came out last year it was a huge boost to everyone working down here. It was exciting to be recognized for something we work hard on every year and always knew was good. It's always great to hear positive reactions. We usually get it from our audience, but to have it in print was just awesome.

HHC: As we said before, we need to get to know you some! How long has Halls of Horror been around?

HH: Although this is the first time you've heard of us, Halls of Horror has, in one incarnation or another, been around for fifteen years. We started out in small rooms at the local American Legion and have since then been all over: Grandma's garage, to the Fairgrounds, to the Moose Lodge, and now back to the Fairgrounds. We always managed to find a location to put it on because we love to do this.

HHC: Your actors are incredible. Their talent, timing, and technique are perfect. As your haunt was part of a mere few who were given an A+ in the performance category, it leads us to ask, what do you put in the water? What kind of training do you do and how do you get such dedicated people?

HH: Like we said we've been doing this for a long time now, and we've gathered a great bunch of guys and girls through the years. Everyone working down here volunteers their time; usually family and friends, and friends of friends. So for them to come down night after night I just think they love to do it. And after you get that first scare, you're hooked. It's a fun atmosphere and we encourage them to have a good time and improvise. Usually if the scene is designed right it'll work, but a great actor with a lot of energy and creativity will make a so-so room great. And our motto is: NEVER LET UP. No matter if they're screaming, or crying, or even begging. They're paying to be scared, and that's our main objective.

HHC: About how many actors and scenes do you have?

HH: It really depends on the number of scenes, and we'll put in as many scenes that will fit, as long as they work, usually 12 to 15 rooms. We usually design the scenes to work with 2 or 3 actors, or as many as 6 or 7.

HHC: With the well-detailed design of your house, we wonder if you guys sleep there! How many hours has it taken you to get Halls of Horror to its current state?

HH: We spend at least two months setting it up; the hours are countless. And we have been known to spend the night when it comes down to crunch time. We start just as soon as we can get in our building, and spend every bit of time putting it together. The faster we move, the more detail we can put into the rooms. Details make the scene. Most people rush through it, but if the detail wasn't there, you'd be able to tell. I think it sells the scene. A lot of times the details are continually added after opening day. Scenes are tweaked and they change based on how it's working. So most of the time the scenes at the beginning of the dates will be different by the end. We'll do anything or add anything to make it scarier.

HHC: Where do you get your inspiration?

HH: The Halloween Gods.

HHC: One of the first sights-to-see is the incredible waiting area that you have set up. Different from ANY other waiting rooms we have ever seen, you make your patrons a part of the house from the very beginning. The fog, the trees, the low lights…it is hard to explain in words the sight it truly is. Where did the ideas for that come from?

HH: That's a great example of everyone pitching in their ideas. The Halls of Horror is a total collaboration. Everyone comes with ideas. It started out with a picture of an old English church and then bounced off of the awesome set design from a movie called "The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism". Steve Petalas and Bill Pouch built it and did the awesome brick work. Marc Woodke came through with the tree stands, and decked out the ground work with Pete Scheisser's help. And everyone had a hand in painting it. Steve came up with the low-level fog, and Bob Wray's great lighting brought it to life, giving it that great Mario Bava, classic horror movie look. Everyone puts their own mark on each room.

HHC: How many people did you put through your house last year?

HH: We average around 5,000. It depends on location, weather, world events, etc. Last year was a bit slower than usual, which is too bad because it was better than ever. But this year we're back for the third year in a row at the Lake County Fair grounds, a great location, and hopefully this year we'll see more people. After all the work it's just nice to have as many people as we can get through and see it. That's the real thrill - the audience and their reactions.

HHC: Geographically, Halls of Horror really isn't that far from Chicago. Even though it remains as our only house from Indiana, it is only an hour's driving time from Chicago. Where part of the area do most of your patrons come from?

HH: We're kind of the local haunted house and have been lucky enough to put it in our backyard. We all live in the area. Mostly our audience comes from the surrounding areas. But we've had people come from as far as Rockford, IL and Michigan to visit us because they heard we were good. We even had a group come from Chicago because they heard that a girl fainted, which actually happened. We go into Chicago all the time, and it's not that far at all. We'll definitely make it worth the trip.

HHC: The 2002 Halloween season is quickly approaching and with that the Top 10 race is starting all over again. What changes are you planning? Any previews?

HH: We change it every year. We may keep some of the same themes: vampires, chainsaw. But the set up is always different. It keeps it fresh for us and it's a challenge to top the previous year. This year is no different. We've already got some big plans. Sorry, but no previews. You'll just have to wait it out. Besides we're not going to ruin any of the surprise. That's the best part.

HHC: How many actors do you have working at your house on a normal night? Maximum amount? What is the minimum to run the house?

HH: It varies. We can have up to 40 plus or pare it down to 20 or so. I would say 30 is average for us. Some rooms work well with a lot of actors, and others would be ruined with too many.

HHC: Do you guys have any "true haunting" stories you would like to share?

HH: Not really. Although there was the strange being known only as Jappah…

HHC: Do you have any "pre-haunting" warm-up rituals?

HH: Whatever works. Usually just the adrenaline and excitement is enough to get everyone pumped up.

HHC: OK you knew it was coming…do you drink a lot of Red-Bull?

HH: Sometimes. If it'll work, we'll have cases of it down here.

HHC: Other than your own haunt, what is your favorite haunted house?

HH: Don't really have one, although we'd really love to see the top five that Haunted House Chicago raves about. That's the one drawback of building a haunted house - we never have time to check out any others.

HHC: OK and now for our "Fatal Five"…ready? Beside Haunting, what are your other hobbies?

HH: The usual - going to the show; live music; sports. We also make our own movies, most of which you can see during the trailers we show while you're in line. We have a lot of talented guys: writers; artists; musicians.

HHC: Favorite Halloween Costume?

HH: None that we can thing of. Although before the Halls of Horror began Sean Schwaller used to dress up in some gory get-up on Halloween and scare the local trick-or-treaters. He's a little odd.

HHC: Favorite Horror Movie?

HH: We couldn't possibly name 'em all. All the usual greats: The Exorcist; Romero's Dead films; Halloween; great Italian horror movies like Zombie, Suspiria, and The Beyond; the original Haunting; the classic Universal and Hammer films. Too many to mention. Which brings us to the soapbox: Today's horror movies stink! Crap like Scream; I Know What You Did the Summer Before the Last Piece of Crap I Made; any Wes Craven post original Nightmare on Elm Street money-waster. To find any really good horror movies these days you have to search them out - try directors like Bava, Fulci; try the classics, don't be afraid of black and white. Recent gems: The Devil's Backbone, and Session 9.

HHC: Favorite Horror Villain?

HH: We've preached enough in the previous question

HHC: Favorite Musician(s)?

HH: It's an eclectic bunch we've got, and it varies. Everyone down here is a big music fan, but that doesn't always mean they like each other's music. We listen to a lot of music during the construction. On any given night you could hear AC/DC; Rob Zombie; Blue Oyster Cult; The Rolling Stones; John Hiatt; WXRT; The Loop. It depends on who gets to the stereo first.

HHC: Finally, what would like to say to all your fans and everyone that is reading this interview and considering making the trip to visit your house?

HH: We think we have one of the best shows around, and we hope everybody out there will give us a shot this year. We'd love to see some new faces in the audience along with the regulars that come see us every year. Thanks.

HHC: Thank you for your time, guys. We look forward to seeing what Halls of Horror has in store for us this year.

Halls of Horror Haunted House is located in Crown Point. Interview was originally posted on Haunted House Chicago during the month of August 2002.