Haunted House 101

I think there are many different layers of Halloween enthusiasts. There are your top-notch professionals who work in Hollywood and make their living in the Industry. Most of us don't live in their Universe. Most of us don't have their budget, but in our heart of hearts, we want to BE them.

There are people like me, who like to build props and stick 'em in the yard with a suitable murky atmosphere to show them off.

There are those who love rosy-cheeked scarecrows and any cute pumpkin they can lay their hands on. Their skeletons have ingratiating, harmless smiles. Their yards are, dare I say it, adorable. (The very thought gives me chills. Yeesh!)

Then, there are Haunters.

These are people I admire. They may, but probably don't, have a huge budget. They recruit actors. They spend time thinking about what their theme for the coming year will be. They get it all down on paper, drawing and discarding designs with an abandon that can only be matched by Paris Hilton tossing aside another inconvenient pair of panties.

In the fantasy of my mind, they are Organized.

Enter Jerry Chavez, whose book, "Haunted House Halloween Handbook," proves my theory about being Organized.

In this book is everything you need to build your own haunted house except the elbow grease needed to do it. Jerry includes budget projection worksheets for you to copy, tips on mold-making, design, security, sposorship, even an index of theatrical supply companies. If you have questions about producing a medium-sized haunted house, Jerry has it covered. While the instructions on prop-building may not be as in-depth as you may wish, there are clear illustrations to go from, and heck, we all know the websites we go to for prop-building info, anyway.

If you are the kind of haunter who is willing to put many hours into your next haunt, this is the book to get. Amazon has it here. I read the reviews carefully before I bought it, and I wasn't disappointed!

Happy Haunting!