If thoughts of visiting haunted houses give you the creeps, and horror films keep you awake at night, a visit to Kim Yates’s home in Rosedale isn’t for you.
“The Regan doll from The Exorcist sits on my couch,” Yates said.
Other seats in the house, including the dining room electric chair, are occupied by skeletons and other spooks. It’s not just for Halloween, but year-round, except for October when Yates and her cast of creepy characters move to Kim’s Krypt, a haunted attraction in Middle River.
“I absolutely love Halloween and horror,” Yates said, even when it’s not October, “I wear Halloween socks and drawers every day.”
Yates may seem unique, but she’s not one of a kind. In recent decades, scores of Halloween fanatics nationwide have taken their passion to the next level by entering the haunted industry.
Yes, you read correctly — the haunted industry — the people who work under most community radars 11 months of the year then surface in fall to peddle faux frights for Halloween.
These aren’t just hobbyists; the industry has its own member organization, the
No one has gotten a handle on how much of that money is going into the haunted industry, Langhorst said, but the Haunted Attractions Show grew so big that it was separated from the Costume & Party Show this year after 20 years sharing the same space.
This year, the shows’ combined attendance was more than 10,000, with haunters coming from 39 different countries and across the U.S., Langhorst said.
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“The Regan doll from The Exorcist sits on my couch,” Yates said.
Other seats in the house, including the dining room electric chair, are occupied by skeletons and other spooks. It’s not just for Halloween, but year-round, except for October when Yates and her cast of creepy characters move to Kim’s Krypt, a haunted attraction in Middle River.
“I absolutely love Halloween and horror,” Yates said, even when it’s not October, “I wear Halloween socks and drawers every day.”
Yates may seem unique, but she’s not one of a kind. In recent decades, scores of Halloween fanatics nationwide have taken their passion to the next level by entering the haunted industry.
Yes, you read correctly — the haunted industry — the people who work under most community radars 11 months of the year then surface in fall to peddle faux frights for Halloween.
These aren’t just hobbyists; the industry has its own member organization, the
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| Melanie Litton of Manassas, Va., is the Vampyre Monk in the House of the Vampyres in Hanover. Photo by Jill A. Bennett. |
International Association of Haunted Attractions, and two annual trade shows, the International Halloween Costume & Party Show and the National Haunted Attractions Show, which are held in early March.
No one has gotten a handle on how much of that money is going into the haunted industry, Langhorst said, but the Haunted Attractions Show grew so big that it was separated from the Costume & Party Show this year after 20 years sharing the same space.
This year, the shows’ combined attendance was more than 10,000, with haunters coming from 39 different countries and across the U.S., Langhorst said.
&n
