I Was Bukkaked!

As part of the effort to resurrect Hauntcast, haunt vendors turned out en masse to support the return of the show to the airwaves. Discounts, prizes, props, and more were offered to the first 250 subscribers willing to pony up $100 for a year's worth of the show. G/host Chris Baker said it would be a prize bukkake if that many listeners subscribed.

There was little doubt I was going to be one of them considering how much I enjoyed and supported the show in the past, and today Hauntcast hit the mark. That meant the shower of gifts would begin, and after spewing the load of prizes over his listeners, it turned out I was actually one of the prize winners: a copy of Lynne and Shawn Mitchell's book "How to Haunt Your House Vol. 3" Awesome!

This was actually on my list of things to buy (along with the other two books) because I've heard such great things about the books. You can actually preview the books on their website and unlike many "haunt books" I've seen, these are sumptuous publications with gorgeous photos of how to build props and effects. It's a $38+ value and worth every penny. And I just got a copy.

Considering one of the other discounts offered was free floor passes to all three days of the National Haunters Convention which I was planning on attending anyway -- itself a $25 value -- I've almost already made back my subscription fee. I'm sure some of the other vendors that are offering discounts will enable me to do just that.

Best of all though is Hauntcast will be tearing up the airwaves again come April 4.

A C-Note for Hauntcast?

Once more into the breach. Seems there really is a movement afoot to resurrect Hauntcast, only it's not what I think was being discussed in my last post about the show possibly coming back (I believe that turned out to be a stripped out version of Fright Flicks & Horror Reviews, which would feature just Chris Baker and Johnny Thunder, pretty cool all by itself).

The new movement, though, if you want to call it that, would be to have a real subscription format, but rather than just the $1 per show Hauntcast devised last time, it would be $100 for the year with a goal of at least 250 subscribers.

Obviously that would gross Hauntcast a minimum of $25,000 which would allow him to justify the amount of time he and his team invest in the production of the show, and speaking of the team, would allow him to pay a stipend to the Scream Team who've agreed they'd come back if they could get paid for their participation. In these still difficult economic times, it makes sense for everyone to want to maximize their own return for their effort. The real question is, of course, does it maximize the return of potential subscribers?

Last year when Hauntcast went pay-per-download, I paid for my own subscription, plus 3 or 4 more subscriptions: two for a contest I held and one or two for friends. That would have brought my support of the show to as much $60, so would another $40 be a dealbreaker for me? Doubtful, but it has to be admitted there is a lot of competing attention for really scarce discretionary money.

I subscribe to both HauntWorld and Haunted Attraction magazines, which go for around $50 each annually (and there's a new magazine coming out next month, Top Haunts, that looks really good), but you get just four issues a year (TH would be biannual, that's two issues a year for the numerically challenged). Hauntcast would be monthly. I also attend a few Halloween and haunt-related shows each year, which adds another $50-$100 a year to my obsession investment, but those are just one- or two-day events. Then there's of course the time and money I commit to making and building props each year, all with the knowledge I'm doing this for a few dozen kids -- at most -- who come trick-or-treating to my house each Halloween (last year, because of the snowstorm and power outages, there were just two kids that showed up, and two neighbors who stopped by to tell me they appreciated my decorating efforts each year). So obviously the risk-reward ratio is all out of whack when it comes to me and Halloween.

In the past I've said how much joy I get out of Hauntcast. It helps me while away the hours on prop building and just listening in generally. I was really getting into the new Ed Gannon segment that was introduced before the show ended and from what I've seen he might be willing to come back as well. That alone should be a big (haunted) attraction for many. It is for me.

Yet at $100 a subscription, that's no small commitment for listeners. When it was $1 a show, most of the subscribers melted away, and -- though I don't know why I think this -- I believe there may have been at most a few thousand listeners (2,000 or less). Can the show attract say just 10% of this number for what amounts to a nearly 10-fold increase in the subscription price? I find it difficult to see them pulling it off.

Without question, Chris's show was top quality. Just from my sorry-ass attempts at editing my vlog I see the time commitment necessary to do all the editing required for the two-hour show that Hauntcast became. And while I appreciated all the extra content Chris gave, undoubtedly from a sense of believing he wanted to give more to people who were paying for his product, it was a monumental undertaking.

My suggestion would be that Chris reduce the admission fee to $50, but cut the content back to the one hour or so that it was before the switch to the pay-per-download format. That would put Hauntcast on the same footing as various Halloween and haunt-related magazine subscriptions and shows and wouldn't necessarily require such an arduous time commitment on him or the Scream Team.

I think also when you have a longer format, you're almost of necessity trying to find stuff to fill in the time with. By keeping it to one hour, the show is much more focused and just the best stuff makes it to the airwaves. No doubt it's still a bear of a commitment by Chris, but I think targeting a larger mass market by pricing it at half the cost of what's being planned -- being the mid-tier Macy's of shows rather than Nordstrom (and we all saw what happened when he tried to be Walmart) -- would broaden his audience considerably. He might get 500 people paying $50 whereas finding 250 at $100 could be more problematic.

Whichever way the show goes, I'm pretty sure I'll be there. I'd understand people balking at paying $100 for the show, particularly during these lean times, but I'd bet Chris, JT, Shelly, and Ed would find a wider more accepting audience at a lower annual cost.

EDIT: Chris Baker just posted a video to address the issue once and for all, and I think it's worth a look:

Hauntcast Resurrection?

Okay, I'm willing to give in to wild speculation. Is the premiere Halloween and haunt related podcast Hauntcast making a comeback? Is it being resurrected from it's ignominious death just three loooooong months ago?

As I said, I'm up for rumor-mongering, but the Hauntcast page on Facebook posted a cryptic status update saying "Somethings brewing in the podosphere." Immediately loyal minions (me included) jumped to the immediate conclusion Chris Baker is resurrecting the show. Who knows if it's true, but it's fun to muse over the possibility.

Truth is, the podcast domain has been a barren wasteland since Hauntcast left the airwaves. I think some vloggers on YouTube have tried to pick up the mantle, notably "Dead with Dave" from Pandemic Productions, but it's hard to argue that the 2-hour extravaganzas Baker produced with Hauntcast were just awesome Halloween ear candy.

Time will tell, I guess, but for now, we can imagine and savor the possibility of its return. Shelly? JT? Denny? Rev? Care to burst the bubble?

Turning a Mouldy Leaf

Like most of the podcast's fans, I was surprised and saddened to learn of the demise of Hauntcast. After three years of monthly, highly entertaining shows g/host Chris Baker decided to close up shop and -- horrors! -- concentrate on getting his personal situation in order.

After hearing of the decision, I decided to delay listening to the last show so that I could enjoy the final helping without distraction. Normally I like to have the podcast playing in the background while I'm building props, working in my shop, or sitting around and doing nothing. That actually resulted in my not catching everything that was discussed, but made re-listening to a show just as enjoyable because I was always catching new tidbits.

I finally listened yesterday and I came away with a better understanding of why the decision was made, though I'm no more happy about it than I was when I first learned of it.

There were some interesting tidbits gleaned from the show, such as the revelation that when the podcast went to the $1-per-download model they expected to lose half their audience, but in fact lost 99% of it! Holy cow! That had to be a disheartening wake up call, that your audience didn't think enough of what you were doing to pay less than a cup of coffee for it.

While I thought maybe there was too much complaining about the lack of support, now I understand why it occurred. It wasn't so much complaining as lamenting that there wasn't broader interest. And while it's easy for us to sit back and say Chris Baker ought to be giving us this quality show for free, the man has to pay his bills too. Throwing stones from the sidelines and saying he should soldier on for our benefit (I thought this myself) is easy; having to put in 80 hours a month or so for no remuneration is a lot harder, particularly in the economy we're in.

So I wish Chris and the Scream Team good luck. While Johnny Thunder mostly has a different sensibility about movies than I do (c'mon, JT, chop socky movies? Really?!) I still found his reviews highly entertaining, even while disagreeing with him most of the time (or feeling like I needed to take a shower, like when after he got all mushy over his review of "Let the Right One In").

The Mistress of Mayhem, Shellhawk, brought a mature, feminine, and dare I say sexy perspective to the show (Shell, baby, you can talk to me anytime with that voice). Of course, Denny's prop segment was just awesome and a welcome addition to the show. He brought prop-making to life.

The new kid on the block, Grimlock, was just getting into his groove on offering a good vibe of what could be found on the web (and not just because I count him a friend). Another new segment that was quickly becoming one of my favorites was Ed Gannon's "Something Wicked" piece, which gave an inside look at the professional world of haunting.

And right up there was Chris Baker's own interviews with haunting gurus. Some of my favorite interviews include Bruce Stanton of Reign of Terror Haunted House (Ep. 18) and the two-part series with Gary Corb of Hallowed Haunting Grounds (Ep. 13 & 14).

Still, I think most people like myself most anxiously awaited Revenant's "Theater of the Mind" segment. That was just good stuff, relating some of the most tangential material to haunting and Halloween. Thoughtful -- cerebral, even -- but always entertaining.

I've since surveyed the landscape out there to see what might be able to take its place. While each of these podcasts has some good points about them, I don't see any being up to the quality, standards, and completeness that Hauntcast set for the home haunting community.

Rotting Flesh Radio: Essentially geared towards the professional haunt, there's a lot of dry recitation of facts and figures, and a repetitive nature to some of the commentary. It could use a good dose of editing, but it does have the benefit of coming out weekly.

Rue Morgue Radio: Music (lots of music), interviews with industry celebrities, and movie reviews seems to take some of the best parts of Hauntcast (though it probably pre-dates it). Also professionally produced, it offers some interesting listening.

Scare House: Another professional-oriented podcast, this one from the folks running the Pittsburgh-area haunted attraction of the same name. It's interesting and sounds professionally produced, though somewhat narrow in focus.

Haunted Radio (Channel 66.6 HM): Probably the closest thing to Hauntcast I've found, it's another weekly podcast dedicated to Halloween and haunt-related themes. Perhaps the one drawback I found was letting some segments go on for longer than need be. A little tighter editing would really improve this show, along with some more animated voice work. It can sound a bit monotone at times. Overall, perhaps the nearest thing home haunting diehards can tune in to.


Halloween Haunt: A short (about 5 minutes or so) podcast on Halloween related topics, poems, and stories.


Musique Macabre: All Halloween and Horror music, all the time.

Horrorphilia: An eclectic assortment of music, reviews, and discussions about horror related topics.

I'm sure there are others out there, but for me none has everything Hauntcast had, which was news, information, humor, professionalism, and yes, even smarts! Having listened to all of the above shows at least once I appreciate all the more what it was that Chris Baker put into Hauntcast. He, the Scream Team, and the show will be sorely missed.

I Have a Dream

"Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"
-- Chris Baker, er -- Martin Luther King

As you probably already know if you follow any number of blogs or vlogs, since so many have mentioned it, the premier Halloween and haunt related podcast Hauntcast is going free again. After a dalliance with a pay-per-download model (the exorbitant sum of $1 per show, or $12 annually) -- which apparently vastly enriched its creator Chris Baker to such an extent that he can now retire and produce the show at no cost to listeners -- he'll be opening up the podcast again for free.

Or...he was able to prove to advertisers that there was a demand for the product. Seems companies were willing to advertise on the show, but it was either it had to be free or Chris decided he couldn't charge people to listen to ads. Either way there was enough of an economic incentive there for him to revert to the original free download model Hauntcast started with.

From what I've read, there were some 12,000 or so downloads of past shows which advertisers found attractive. So what the g/host is doing is reworking the archived shows with new advertising. That's pretty smart on his part! Plus he gets new advertising too. I imagine that's something that can be reworked every so often, though it's probably a bear of an effort to re-edit all those shows.

As regular readers here know I've been a big supporter of Hauntcast, regardless of the iteration. I had a contest for two subscriptions earlier this year and bought one for a friend at a recent haunt convention, along with my own sub. As I've also said, I was more than willing to pay to support the show and I didn't think the cost was outrageous. And I have no problems now that it's gone back to free. It was an investment in extremely enjoyable entertainment for me.

But now, if you were hesitant about shelling out the $12 bucks to listen to what all the buzz was about -- there was buzz, right? -- now you can just head on over and tune in. For me, I'm happy knowing the best haunt and Halloween related podcast will remain on the air. Free at last!

Calling LizardKing97051...

Be on the lookout for a haunter named LizardKing97051. He won a one-year subscription to Hauntcast but  I don't have any contact information for him to let him know the details. As the next podcast is due out in two days, I'd like to make sure he's got his subscription in order so that he can listen in.

Maybe it was the picture of that creepy chick cheering that I used on the post announcing he won that scared him away. But, if you see a LizardKing lurking about, please give him a nudge and have him drop me a note with his email address so I can get him hooked up.

And stay tuned for the next Hauntcast subscription giveaway coming in February! Hopefully the crowd won't be as thick as it was last time.

Tune In, Turn On...

The deadline for my Hauntcast subscription giveaway is upon us! As you may recall, I offered to give an annual subscription to the web's best Halloween and haunting podcast to two people who commented on the post. The response was tremendous and nearly shut down the servers: three (count 'em!) people posted comments!

It became a difficult decision to make, so I decided to take the easy way out: All three of them will get a year's subscription! Yes, I know, I'm great like that.

The winners are:

izombie
LizardKing97051
GoneferalinID

Congratulations, winners! If you three can drop me an email at foolishcop@gmail.com I need a few pieces of information from you to set up your accounts. You know, names of first born, bank account numbers, Social Insecurity numbers, etc. Okay, maybe nothing so personal, but as soon as I get the info I will send it along to our Hauntcast g/host Chris Baker, and we'll get you hooked up so you can start listening right away.

And for those of you who missed the opportunity, you can still head over to Hauntcast and sign yourself up. While a six-month subscription is available, the one-year one for $12 is a better bargain, and if you want discounts from a number of top-notch Halloween and haunt vendors, check out the Dungeon Masters level.

Once again, you three, congratulations!

Rich

What if you held a contest...

...and no one came?

I realize I'm not a blog that has the biggest following, but I am surprised that I haven't had anyone respond to my post announcing that I wanted to give away two one-year subscriptions to Hauntcast, the best Halloween-related podcast on the 'Net. Now it is possible that those who have read my post have already subscribed so there was no need to do so again, but I'd like to think there is someone who would like to be introduced to Hauntcast but is a little leery about signing up on their own.

A free subscription would allow you to do just that. So how do you qualify to win? Just post a comment on the original contest post (making sure you provide some way for me to contact you), and that's it. No muss, no fuss.

The contest is scheduled to end this Wednesday, January 19, so there is still time to win...and since there's been a dearth of comments already (thanks anyway, Shell and JT!) your chances of winning are really excellent!

Should the contest expire without anyone commenting, though, I'll simply donate what would otherwise have been the subscription costs to Hauntcast and if they have a worthy listener they'd like to bestow a subscription on they can do so. But, really, it would be much better to win it on your own. So make believe this is a Chicago election and vote early, vote often.

Now, Free Stuff!

I've been slacking in the Halloween arts department since our holiday ended. But I'm slowly coming out of my funk and have been moved to make my first giveaway contest (cue golf claps)!

I was inspired by reading a post on ShellHawk's Nest about her giveaway contest, so I decided to do one too. As I just posted (that's another first -- since I started blogging I've never posted twice in the same day, though I've missed plenty of days in between), my favorite monthly podcast Hauntcast is in danger of going dark never to be resurrected from the grave again, if enough haunters don't subscribe for the piddling sum of $1 a show (that's $12 a year for those of you without an abacus at home).

ShellHawk is making the generous offer of giving away two subscriptions to the podcast (along with a chance to win some of her handcrafted creations). Now she's a part of the show, so maybe it's a little self-serving on her behalf to do so, but I figured why not have an unaffiliated fan with nothing more at stake than his own aural enjoyment make a similar offer (sans the fancy handmade crafts)?

Thus, I'm also willing to give away two annual subscriptions to Hauncast. Just by commenting on this post, you could be one of two people to win a paid subscription to the 'Net's best podcast.

I read Shell's rules, but I don't have all that fancy Facebook stuff (well I do, but I don't link this blog there) and I couldn't figure out how to tell if someone new started following my blog (but go ahead and do so if you want), so I won't put too many conditions on this contest. Of course, if you want to tell others about it by posting it on the various forums and sites you frequent, feel free to do that too.

ShellHawk's contest is ending this Wednesday (January 12), and mine will run for a week after that, till the 19th. Anyone who posts here will be eligible to win. So here's the rules:

• Comment on this post on or before January 19
• Win (maybe)

You should also be sure that your comment has some means for me to identify who you are. Anonymous posts are cool and all, but they're a bear to figure out to whom they belong.

For what it's worth, or for those who are wondering, I don't get anything out of this, other than the chance to help ensure Hauntcast stays on the air. I enjoy it that much that I'm willing to sponsor two subscriptions to the show for a year. Call me selfish, but I'm doing it to ensure my own listening pleasure.

Without creating any obligations on anyone else, perhaps other haunters who also enjoy the show and have already paid their subscription fees might be willing to sponsor another haunter through a giveaway of their own. Obviously not everyone will do so, but there is the potential to double (at least) the paid listening audience.

So if you missed out on a chance to win ShellHawk's contest, then consider this your second-chance drawing.

Got Stuff?

Halloween stuff, that is, and want to get rid of it? Or maybe you're looking to get more stuff. Then Halloween Overload is just what you're looking for.

I got an email today from the guys at Garage of Evil touting this new "Craigslist for Haunters" site and it looks intriguing. You can post Halloween-related items, from props to fog machines, lights to music CDs, and offer them for sale. Alternatively, if your garage, storage shed, crawl space, and basement isn't already filled to overflowing, you can scour the ads looking for items to buy. I registered right away.

The site's just starting out so it's still thin on inventory, but some of the props for sale look kinda cool (like this full size mummy, pricey though it is). More items are being added to it as I just checked in and there are already several more props for sale. This could be a cool way for haunters to recycle their props that they might otherwise throw away, and maybe make a few bucks in the process.

A Scream Out, Not a Hand Out
And speaking of stuff, I got my new Hauntcast t-shirt last week after signing up for the one-year subscription. As you know, our beloved g/host Chris Baker has converted the home-haunter's podcast to a pay-per-show model (c'mon, it's only $1 a show for 2 hours of awesomeness!), but I fear it may not last much longer if more haunters don't subscribe. Chris put out a video today that lays out pretty clearly the financial side of the business many of us who enjoy the show probably never think about. We listen, absorb, and love him for the quality offered, but never make the connection that 80 hours a month is a lot of time to put in for no remuneration. As he notes, he's clearly not making a profit off of the effort -- unless you consider $3.10 an hour a "profit."



It would be a real shame if Hauntcast disappeared because the show really is that great. I know a bunch of haunters have said they've stepped up and subscribed and I hope more haunters will agree we need Hauntcast on the air. Maybe if we had Sarah McLachlan singing "Angel" and a bunch of sad-eyed puppies looking forlornly at the screen, more people will be moved to contribute.

Unfortunately I have no obvious talents to offer Chris to help him further his show, and no bank account deep enough to be his patron. Still, the collective power of individual effort can help Hauntcast stay on the air. I'm counting on haunters to realize this is a show worth keeping. Stay scary, Chris. I'm looking forward to many more shows.

Hauntcast's Rad Redo

There are plenty of Halloween-related podcasts on the Internet, but most are geared to the professional haunted house industry or they're lacking in professionalism. It's the rare podcast that's able to combine a home haunt flavor with a level of skill and polish. In fact, I've found only one.

I'm a big fan of Hauntcast, the premier Halloween and haunt related podcast. That's why when they broadcast their 16th show yesterday, I was also stoked about their new kick-ass graphics and a completely redesigned website.

Moreover, each of the personalities that participate on the show -- Revenant, Johnny Thunder, Shelley, and Dr. Morbius -- all have their own logos as well. Way cool!

Finally, there's Hauntcast's G/Host, Chris Baker who in addition to overseeing the show's minions, also runs Discount Voice Overs, a site for getting audio into your haunt (amongst other things. Need a DJ? Chris Baker's your man!). He's also started a new Hauntcast blog, which I plan on following.

Aside from the extreme entertainment value the once-a-month show brings, it's surprisingly chock full of useful information too. For example, Revenant's "Theater of the Mind" segment gives haunters some intelligent things to think about when it comes to setting up their Halloween display, whether it's a static show like I put out or something more interactive with animatronics and actors. For example, his suggestion to have a Plan A, B, and C for what you'd like to achieve each year has givne me the hope that I can exceed my ambitions, but if not, all is not lost. Also, his discussions of haunt atmosphere -- an how he arrived at his insights -  you get a lot to think about. It's pretty inspiring. Look to Rev for haunt and Halloween news as well.

Johnny Thunder and his infectious laughter provides a unique insight into horror movies in his "Fright Flicks" segment, even if he and I don't always agree (Johnny, what were you thinking about with your Wolfman love?!). Most of the time he's spot on and I've come to rely a lot upon his reviews in deciding upon what movies to go and see.

Shelley, the Mistress of Mayhem, of ShellHawk's Nest, gives an eclectic view of all things Halloween in "The Charmed Pot," and her entertainment tips are, well, entertaining. She is like a center of gravity for the show, give it some grounding and preventing it from completely running away to become an excess of fratboy antics (not that that's a bad thing). It's like a voice of reason amongst the madness.

Last is Dr. Morbius, who has taken over from the Garage of Evil guys who originally were part of the show answering questions about props and prop building (Dr. Morbius has a page over on the GoE website). The "Ask the Doc" segment takes questions sent in or found on the various Halloween discussion boards like Halloween Forum and Haunt Forum. Dr. Morbius gives you the technical know-how to solve your haunt's problems and challenges.

Combine these elements over the course of more than an hour's running time, and Hauntcast covers a lot of ground but still leaves you wanting more. It's a great soundtrack to work on your Halloween props to and has me laughing all the way through.

The one problem I do have with the show is that it's turning me into an alcoholic. For some reason, when I hear the show I seem to want to crack open a cold one (or two or three or four) and drink heavily. By the time the show's over I've got a hell of a buzz going (remember, the show runs for an hour or so and I'm drinking almost a six-pack of beer, so you do the math on my level of intoxication). Fortunately, I love beer as much as I love this show, so it's all good.

Anyway, I highly recommend you check out the podcasts -- all the past shows are archived on the website. Maybe just put the beer out of reach before imbibing the show's humor.

Rich

Hauntcast

Though I was aware they existed before today, it was only this afternoon that I began listening to the Hauntcast podcasts. What great fun!

Ok, I'll admit I listened one time before, but not for more than just a few seconds as I was initially turned off by the goofy opening. But today I had time on my hands where I wasn't able to do anything but listen to something, so I decided to tune in. I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner. The shows are really professional and they give a lot of information that's useable for home haunters like me. It inspires you to do more.

I listened to shows 10 and 11 and had a great time. These aren't just short blurbs either. These are rich, detailed broadcasts featuring interviews with industry "gooroos," tips, hints, links, and as I said inspiration.

Well worth the time invested in them and I'll be listening to all the other shows they've archived while eagerly awaiting the next installment to be posted.

Rich