Haunted Houses: The Art of Scaring in the 21st Century

Any time of year, be it day—or especially night, Utahns can venture through ghost towns, creep through haunted houses or explore the paranormal. But during the peak month of October, you’ll experience the $3 million local All Hallow’s Eve industry that rivals Utah’s ever-lucrative wedding industry. Commercial haunted houses may have their roots in Madam Tussauds, Chamber of Horrors, and, yes, even Disney’s Haunted Mansion, but the art of evoking screams has come a long way from stationary wax decapitated French men and ghosts floating in mirrors. Salt Lake Speaks sat down with Nightmare on 13th‘s Casting and Art Director Jimmy Dilley and Marketing Director Travis Hahn to find out what goes into creating a cutting-edge Haunted House and why it’s getting harder to scare the pants off people.