{"id":90,"date":"2010-10-06T15:04:14","date_gmt":"2010-10-06T15:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/?p=90"},"modified":"2010-10-06T15:04:14","modified_gmt":"2010-10-06T15:04:14","slug":"america-haunts-on-aol-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/","title":{"rendered":"America Haunts on AOL"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"entry-title\"><strong>Behind the Screams: The Weird World of Haunted House Operators<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"postTime\"><abbr class=\"published updated\" title=\"2010-10-06T06:58:33-05:00\">Updated: 3 hours 53 minutes ago<\/abbr><\/div>\n<div id=\"articleStr\" class=\"smallText\">\n<div class=\"addthisToolbarTop\">\n<div class=\"addthisLft\"><a title=\"Print\"><span class=\"prntTxtTop\">Print<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <span class=\"txtSize\">Text Size<\/span> <\/span><a class=\"decFontOff\" title=\"small font\" rel=\"smallText\"><\/a><a class=\"at300c\" title=\"large font\" rel=\"largeText\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"addthisTop\">\n<div class=\"aol-share\"><a class=\"aol-share-print\" title=\"Print\">Print this page<\/a><span class=\"separator\">|<\/span><a class=\"aol-share-email\" href=\"http:\/\/share.aol.com\/sendmail\/aolshare?pu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Farticle%2Fbehind-the-screams-the-weird-world-of-haunted-house-operators%2F19657747%3Fa_dgi%3Daolshare_email&amp;pt=Behind%20the%20Screams%3A%20The%20Weird%20World%20of%20Haunted%20House%20Operators&amp;pd=\" title=\"Email\"><span>Email<\/span><\/a><a class=\"aol-share-facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Farticle%2Fbehind-the-screams-the-weird-world-of-haunted-house-operators%2F19657747%3Fa_dgi%3Daolshare_facebook&amp;t=Behind%20the%20Screams%3A%20The%20Weird%20World%20of%20Haunted%20House%20Operators\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share on Facebook\">Share on Facebook<\/a><a class=\"aol-share-twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Farticle%2Fbehind-the-screams-the-weird-world-of-haunted-house-operators%2F19657747%3Fa_dgi%3Daolshare_twitter&amp;text=Behind%20the%20Screams%3A%20The%20Weird%20World%20of%20Haunted%20House%20Operators&amp;via=AOL\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share on Twitter\">Share on Twitter<\/a><a class=\"aol-share-digg\" href=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Farticle%2Fbehind-the-screams-the-weird-world-of-haunted-house-operators%2F19657747%3Fa_dgi%3Daolshare_digg&amp;title=Behind%20the%20Screams%3A%20The%20Weird%20World%20of%20Haunted%20House%20Operators&amp;description=\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share on Digg\">Share on Digg<\/a><a class=\"aol-share-lifestream\" href=\"http:\/\/lifestream.aol.com\/share\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Farticle%2Fbehind-the-screams-the-weird-world-of-haunted-house-operators%2F19657747%3Fa_dgi%3Daolshare_lifestream&amp;title=Behind%20the%20Screams%3A%20The%20Weird%20World%20of%20Haunted%20House%20Operators&amp;description=\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Share on Lifestream\">Share on Lifestream<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"writerProfile\"><a href=\"team\/tony-deconinck\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Tony Deconinck\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"author vcard\"><strong class=\"fn\"><a href=\"team\/tony-deconinck\">Tony Deconinck<\/a><\/strong> <span class=\"blogtitle\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small; color: #999999;\">Contributor<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"source-org  vcard\"><span class=\"org fn\" style=\"display: none;\"><span style=\"color: #666666;\">AOL News<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-entry-content\" class=\"entry-content\">(Oct. 6) &#8212; They plan this all year, you know. They stay up at night, staring at the ceiling, dreaming up new and more diabolical ways to give you nightmares.<\/p>\n<p>What they crave is this time of year &#8212; when the darkness comes sooner and the chill of night creeps into your bones &#8212; because that&#8217;s when they finally get to unleash their horrors upon you. <\/p>\n<p>Their reward is your terrified scream.<\/p>\n<p>Their faces and names are relatively unknown; most people only know the darkened, terrifying worlds they have created with names like Erebus, Netherworld, The Beast, and The ScareHouse. <\/p>\n<div class=\"enhMed rightWrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/photo-hub\/news_gallery\/6\/8\/688522\/1285969101061.JPEG\" border=\"0\" alt=\"The Edge of Hell's infamous Rat-Man sits with a long-tailed friend.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"credit\">Amber Arnett-Bequeaith<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">Scary, isn&#8217;t it? The operators of the nation&#8217;s most horrifying haunted houses belong to a unique trade group that allows them to network, ask advice, and share ideas about how to scare you senseless. This image shows a scene from the Edge of Hell haunted house in Kansas City, which features an infamous Rat-Man and his a long-tailed friend.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>They are members of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #004173;\">America Haunts<\/span><\/span><\/a>, a brotherhood of 18 of the most elite haunted houses in the nation.<\/p>\n<p>Though they are billed as some the scariest people in the country, most members of America Haunts don&#8217;t consider themselves particularly odd. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s hilarious; people are so disappointed when they meet me and my wife,&#8221; said Scott Simmons of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scarehouse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #004173;\">The ScareHouse<\/span><\/span><\/a> in Pittsburgh. &#8220;They&#8217;re expecting Marilyn Manson and the get this dorky suburbanite, instead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That said, many admit that being in the business for as long as they have has left them a little twisted &#8212; not surprising considering they&#8217;re constantly trying to find new and novel ways to freak people out.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been thinking about it for 30 years,&#8221; said Ed Terebus, who runs the famed <a href=\"www.hauntedpontiac.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #004173;\">Erebus<\/span><\/span><\/a> haunted house in Pontiac, Mich. &#8220;How can you not be a scary person if you live, eat, sleep and drink haunted houses?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>All of them arrived in their current profession from different starting points. Thirty years ago, Amber Arnett-Bequeaith&#8217;s mother and grandmother performed plays for tourists at an outdoor theater on their family property. Today, everybody who wants to be a performer at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kcbeast.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #004173;\">The Beast<\/span><\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.edgeofhell.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #004173;\">Edge of Hell<\/span><\/span><\/a> &#8212; two horrifying destinations operated by Arnett-Bequeaith &#8212; has to audition for their part.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They have to show grit, determination, and stamina,&#8221; said Arnett-Bequeaith, a quiet mother of four. &#8220;I tell them that the screams are their applause.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Ben Armstrong came to run <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fearworld.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #004173;\">Netherworld<\/span><\/span><\/a> after being in local Atlanta television for 18 years and choreographing zombies in films including Zombieland, Walking Dead and (Rob Zombie&#8217;s) Halloween. Some of those zombies later became members of his Netherworld cast.<\/p>\n<div class=\"enhMed rightWrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/photo-hub\/news_gallery\/6\/8\/688524\/1285969395067.JPEG\" border=\"0\" alt=\"word-bearing demons are legion at Erebus in Pontiac, Mich.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"credit\">Edward Terebus<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">Sword-wielding demons are just one of the ghouls you&#8217;ll face at Erebus in Pontiac, Mich. &#8212; a sprawling haunted house that stretches 2,450 feet.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The haunted houses that belong to America Haunts are as diverse as the men and women who operate them.<\/p>\n<p>At Erebus, Ed and his brother Jim combine Ed&#8217;s fine arts background with Jim&#8217;s engineering background to create high-tech features like moving walls that push people into bottomless pits.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is not your mother and father&#8217;s haunted house,&#8221; said Ed Terebus. &#8220;We&#8217;re using pneumatics and programmable logic controllers that can trigger different events.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Simmons &#8212; the man behind The ScareHouse &#8212; started trying to creep people out with a humble haunted house that served as a YMCA fundraiser. Since then, The ScareHouse has grown into three horrifying haunted houses in one.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We really try to push the envelope of what you expect in a haunted house, conceptually,&#8221; Simmons explained. &#8220;In Rampage, the whole area is influenced by steampunk, even the robots, and we mixed that with a detailed plot influenced by George Orwell&#8217;s 1984 universe and Pink Floyd. You&#8217;re entering into a world with this ongoing story and you&#8217;re dropped in the battle.&#8221;   <\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>In addition to the militaristic steampunk universe of Rampage, he also runs Delirium 3D &#8212; an off-putting, brightly-colored medley of weird that&#8217;s a jangled mash of overhappy neon strangeness that combines European rave music with a cybergothic aesthetic. To top it all off, you have to wear 3D glasses to go inside.<\/p>\n<p>Even in Forsaken, the most traditional haunted house operated by Simmons, the focus moves from straightforward scares to troubling, disconcerting scenes that are deliberately designed to push people&#8217;s sensibilities off balance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This year we put a guy in a bunny suit with an axe,&#8221; said Simmons. &#8220;It was inspired by furries. Their national convention is here in Pittsburgh every summer, and we felt that what really scares people is contrast, that incongruity. You see a guy in a bunny suit in the basement, that&#8217;s just wrong.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"enhMed rightWrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/photo-hub\/news_gallery\/6\/8\/688525\/1285969647610.JPEG\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ScareHouse's Forsaken brings a visit from a variety of disturbing creatures, including an axe-wielding bunny.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"credit\">Scott Simmons<\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">ScareHouse&#8217;s Forsaken brings a visit from a variety of disturbing creatures, including an axe-wielding bunny.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whatever you have, they&#8217;ll use against you. They know how to prey on whichever fears are most convenient; if you&#8217;re isolated and alone, they prey on that, if you&#8217;re in a group, they prey on the herd mentality.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We will show no mercy,&#8221; said Terebus. &#8220;We will give you fear so intense it will feel like pain.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Beast&#8217;s Arnett-Bequeaith agrees.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s psychology. No one scares the same. We all have different fears, some innate and some taught. Some cry, some scream, some fall to the ground. We utilize live animals; it puts your mind into that different dimension. It&#8217;s about fear.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Not just any animals, either, but a 24-foot-long reticulated python that Arnett-Bequeaith hopes to get confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest one in captivity.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Erebus is seeking to reclaim its own Guinness World Record for the longest haunted house with 2,450 linear feet (over seven football fields) of horror.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s 45 minutes of continuous terror, which is more than many people are able to handle&#8221; says Terebus, who noted that Erebus is continually trying for bigger and better scares out of necessity. &#8220;Southeast Michigan is the haunted house capital of the world. There are 70 within a 50-mile radius; this forces us to innovate and constantly get better.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To make sure of that, Terebus keeps a &#8220;wimp board&#8221; tallying people who couldn&#8217;t make it through Erebus. They also keep track of the people who vomit, who faint, and who wet themselves in fear.<\/p>\n<p>Considering their unique line of work, many America Haunts members say belonging to the fraternity gives them a rare chance to talk shop with other people who understand them completely.<\/p>\n<p>Armstrong says the biggest advantage of America Haunts is that it offers haunted house operators a network of scare experts who they can contact to share ideas and advice.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I had a guy call me who had a malfunctioning pumpkin device. There aren&#8217;t a lot of people you can call with that specific problem.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It also lets them unwind and tell their own brand of war stories to one another after the season finishes, enjoy each other&#8217;s company and meet up with the everyday people behind the hellish terrorscapes they&#8217;ve created.<\/p>\n<p>For each of them, the rewards are different.<\/p>\n<p>Terebus says the biggest compliment he gets is when he sees a kid drag his parents to his haunted house, but then sees the parents return the next night on their own to experience it again.<\/p>\n<p>For Armstrong, the compliment is in the scare itself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They might run or flip out, but then the start laughing and say, &#8216;Okay, you got me.&#8217; I want them to leave and be happy, but I don&#8217;t mind if they have a few nightmares, too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, plenty of odd things happen when you work in such an odd job.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My grandma found a dead squirrel one day, and so she boxed it and gave it to me,&#8221; says Terebus. &#8220;She thought I&#8217;d have a use for it. A dead squirrel!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So, if you&#8217;re feeling a bit apprehensive as Halloween approaches, it might just be a gut feeling that somebody out there is waiting for their chance to hear your terrified, paint-peeling scream.<\/p>\n<p>And you&#8217;d be right.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Behind the Screams: The Weird World of Haunted House Operators Updated: 3 hours 53 minutes ago Print Text Size Print this page|EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on DiggShare on Lifestream Tony Deconinck Contributor AOL News (Oct. 6) &#8212; They plan this all year, you know. They stay up at night, staring at the ceiling, dreaming&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"bookmark\" class=\"reinar-button-simple wvc-button wvc-button-size-xs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[9,10],"class_list":["post-90","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-best-haunted-houses-scariest-haunted-houses-aol-news-behind-the-scares-haunted-house-operators-halloween-haunted-houses","tag-netherworld-erebus-beast-scarehouse","entry","clearfix","entry-grid","entry-columns-default","no-post-thumbnail","entry-post","entry-grid_classic","entry-post-grid_classic"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>America Haunts on AOL - America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"America Haunts on AOL - America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Behind the Screams: The Weird World of Haunted House Operators Updated: 3 hours 53 minutes ago Print Text Size Print this page|EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on DiggShare on Lifestream Tony Deconinck Contributor AOL News (Oct. 6) &#8212; They plan this all year, you know. They stay up at night, staring at the ceiling, dreaming...Continue reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericaHaunts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-10-06T15:04:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"HeadHaunter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AMHaunts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AMHaunts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"HeadHaunter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"HeadHaunter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/person\/b8be4d38b1a1db2229f2ab51ec6f5f47\"},\"headline\":\"America Haunts on AOL\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-10-06T15:04:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\"},\"wordCount\":1366,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck\",\"keywords\":[\"Best Haunted Houses Scariest Haunted Houses AOL News Behind the scares Haunted House operators Halloween Haunted Houses\",\"Netherworld Erebus Beast scarehouse\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\",\"name\":\"America Haunts on AOL - America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-10-06T15:04:14+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"America Haunts on AOL\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/\",\"name\":\"America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America\",\"description\":\"America&#039;s Premier Haunted House and Attraction Association\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#organization\",\"name\":\"America Haunts\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Avatar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Avatar.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"America Haunts\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericaHaunts\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AMHaunts\",\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/AmericaHaunts\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/person\/b8be4d38b1a1db2229f2ab51ec6f5f47\",\"name\":\"HeadHaunter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c06e07f7ac220508199fa236b1da8a5c35da963ad1e16ff66bcea6e18aa3210?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c06e07f7ac220508199fa236b1da8a5c35da963ad1e16ff66bcea6e18aa3210?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c06e07f7ac220508199fa236b1da8a5c35da963ad1e16ff66bcea6e18aa3210?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"HeadHaunter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/author\/headhaunter\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"America Haunts on AOL - America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"America Haunts on AOL - America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America","og_description":"Behind the Screams: The Weird World of Haunted House Operators Updated: 3 hours 53 minutes ago Print Text Size Print this page|EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on DiggShare on Lifestream Tony Deconinck Contributor AOL News (Oct. 6) &#8212; They plan this all year, you know. They stay up at night, staring at the ceiling, dreaming...Continue reading","og_url":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/","og_site_name":"America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericaHaunts","article_published_time":"2010-10-06T15:04:14+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"HeadHaunter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AMHaunts","twitter_site":"@AMHaunts","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"HeadHaunter","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/"},"author":{"name":"HeadHaunter","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/person\/b8be4d38b1a1db2229f2ab51ec6f5f47"},"headline":"America Haunts on AOL","datePublished":"2010-10-06T15:04:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/"},"wordCount":1366,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck","keywords":["Best Haunted Houses Scariest Haunted Houses AOL News Behind the scares Haunted House operators Halloween Haunted Houses","Netherworld Erebus Beast scarehouse"],"articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/","url":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/","name":"America Haunts on AOL - America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck","datePublished":"2010-10-06T15:04:14+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck","contentUrl":"http:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/os\/news\/art\/tony-deconinck"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/2010\/10\/america-haunts-on-aol-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"America Haunts on AOL"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/","name":"America Haunts, representing the best Halloween attractions in America","description":"America&#039;s Premier Haunted House and Attraction Association","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#organization","name":"America Haunts","url":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Avatar.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Avatar.jpg","width":800,"height":400,"caption":"America Haunts"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AmericaHaunts","https:\/\/x.com\/AMHaunts","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/AmericaHaunts"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/#\/schema\/person\/b8be4d38b1a1db2229f2ab51ec6f5f47","name":"HeadHaunter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c06e07f7ac220508199fa236b1da8a5c35da963ad1e16ff66bcea6e18aa3210?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c06e07f7ac220508199fa236b1da8a5c35da963ad1e16ff66bcea6e18aa3210?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7c06e07f7ac220508199fa236b1da8a5c35da963ad1e16ff66bcea6e18aa3210?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"HeadHaunter"},"url":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/author\/headhaunter\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.americahaunts.com\/ah\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}