Ever since he was a child, my husband Pat has loved haunted houses. Despite my love for Halloween, I have never shared his passion. I don’t understand why people want to be scared out of their minds. My first experience at a haunted house was in my late twenties. I took my nephew who was about 11 years old at the time. It was terrifying! Once we successfully exited the haunted house, I made a mental note to never do one again.
Fast forward a decade and I married a man who LOVES haunted houses. Not just going to them though. Dreaming about them. Creating them. Building them. Inviting others to his haunts. Pat’s haunted houses started out relatively small but each year they increased in size, scope, and expense. Before our eldest made it out of elementary school, Pat had transformed our three-car garage into a full-on, commercial-grade haunted house. We’re talking life-size mechanical zombies, chainsaw wielding mannequins, and IT-level, scary, clowns jumping out at those who dared to enter. Our party goers and neighborhood kids loved Pat’s haunted houses for the exhilarating thrills they provided.
A few years ago, we moved into our new home and decided to take a year off from spending the entire month of October erecting a haunted house. It requires a huge investment of our time, money, energy, and mental bandwidth, after all, as does moving into a new home. Well, one year rolled into two. Then, COVID happened and our decorations sat in storage gathering dust while we all social distanced. Luckily for us, our sons’ school still had their Fall Festival and we were asked to help build its main attraction – the haunted house. We gladly supplied many of our decorations for the cause and have helped build and decorate their school’s haunted house every year since. While it is a ton of work to build, watching the kids (and adults) enjoy the good scare makes the effort worth it.
I have to be honest. The only haunted houses I have been to since my twenties are the ones Pat has built. I refuse to go to others because they freak me out and I’m not a fan of that feeling. Having helped create several haunted houses with Pat over the years, though, I’ve learned a lot about them and am grateful for the life lessons haunted houses have taught me.
Life Lessons I Learned From Haunted Houses
- Fear of the unknown is real. It can feel very scary to not know what’s going to happen next. One of the biggest reasons haunted houses are scary is the uncertainty factor. Our brains love certainty. Not knowing what you’re going to see or hear, or who is going to jump out at you next can feel very scary, especially when you add in all the other frightening factors like being in the dark.
- Things are not always as they appear. Sometimes, we just need to shed light on the situation. If the lights were to be turned on in a haunted house, your fear level would drop way down. I‘ve seen many haunted houses in full light and trust me, the decorations wouldn’t scare a toddler without their spooky lighting. They might even want to give the big bad wolf with giant fangs a hug. Blood looks like red paint, ghosts look like DIY craft projects, and zombies look like Macy’s mannequins with bad makeup. They are just decorations. Try to keep realistic décor in perspective.
- Whenever you face scary situations in life, asking questions can help ground you and curb your anxiety. If you feel scared by the darkly lit props and ghoulish sounds in a haunted house, and it seems very real and threatening, ask yourself questions to snap back into reality. When I am touring a haunted house and feeling stressed, I find it helpful to ask myself, Where am I? and Is this real? to remind myself that it is all fake and I am safe.
- Life is better when you have people to share it with and so are haunted houses. Never go through them alone. Go with a friend or loved one as scary situations are easier to manage when you have someone to support you and even hold your hand. You can also try to make them lead the way. Good luck with that one!
- Whether you’re debating if you should take the job, go for the ask, agree to the partnership, make the investment, go on the date, let your kid play the sport, or go through a particular haunted house, evaluate your risk. Ask yourself, What’s the best possible outcome? What’s the worst possible outcome? If you foresee yourself having nightmares well into the new year, it’s probably not worth it. Save your money and grab some hot apple cider while your friends go in. You can always stick around to be in the picture for the Gram.
As grateful as I am for the learning and bonding Pat’s haunted houses have afforded our family and friends over the years, we’ve decided to close that chapter of our lives after this year’s haunted house. We’ve committed to officially retiring so we can sit back and fully enjoy the month of October.
Subscribe to my Be the CEO of Your Life Newsletter to receive my blog articles and other resources to connect, inspire, and motivate you to get everything you want out of life!
