What is "Extreme" in the world of haunted houses?

There's been a growing trend in recent years of haunts calling themselves "extreme attractions" and it got me thinking about what that term actually means. Haunting is getting bigger, more elaborate and more expensive with each passing year. I see and talk with haunt owners that are always looking to get their hands on the newest technology. Whether that's props or animatronics, makeup, masks; you name it, they need it. They are all vying for the same audience so I understand the need (and want) to spend big bucks on something that they'll probably not be using in 5 years. But what does it mean when a haunt says they're "extreme"? In a society where younger kids can go to the movies and see films with decapitations, rape and other nonsense, what are haunts doing to become more "extreme"? Well, haunts are starting to really up the gore factor and violence for starters. With special effects and lighting becoming more a necessity, it's allowing haunts to truly blur the line between what's real and what's not. We are in the business of creating a suspension of disbelief for those that pay good money to come through our doors and another way that haunts are creating that "suspension of disbelief" is through the use of touch. Ten years ago, you would find, maybe, a handful of haunts that utilized touch to further bring their patrons into the show. Now, almost every haunt community has, at least, one touch haunt. Where we are, in Louisville, KY, Baxter Avenue Morgue was the first touch haunt that I can remember. It was one of the reasons I wanted to work there. The ability to come into contact with someone, in that setting, turned the Louisville haunt community on its head. Suddenly, people were shocked, upset, excited, confused. They didn't know what was happening. It was great. It was new. Now, there are other touch haunts in the market and Baxter has lost that niche thing that created a buzz because the other haunts i.e. Haunted Hotel not only touch, but do it in a MUCH better way. Another way haunts are going more extreme is language. No longer are customers satisfied with an actor yealling, "BOO!" Haunts are starting to curse at patrons, insult them and be, in no uncertain terms, rude. You would think that would be a cause for backlash, and there is some, but, for the most part, people seem to eat it up. We are a weird species when we get a kick out of someone telling us they want to "cut your head off and fuck the hole". Crazy, but we like that stuff in the enviornment of a haunted attraction. I still don't fully understand it myself. Now, another form if "haunt" (and I use that term loosely) is taking hold. The torture porn houses in which you are physically assaulted and made to do gross and degrading things in order to "survive" and find your way out. Black Out in New York is one where you go through alone, in the dark and are gagged, tied to chairs and have to perform tasks. That doesn't sound like fun to me. At all. Perhaps the most famous "extreme haunted house" is McKamey Manor. Supposedly a waiting list of over 24,000 to get in and all to get tortured for a good time. Count me out. Haunting is supposed to be fun. It's supposed to embody the essence of Halloween. Those types places don't. Maybe I'm a bitter old man that doesn't want to change with the times but I just don't think that it helps make Halloween come to life.

However, I've gotten too far away from the point of this rambling mess of thoughts. I guess there is no right or wrong answer to what's "extreme". The only thing that matters is that those that pay to see your show have a good time. If they think a haunt is "extreme" then, it was to them. That's what really matters.

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