Haunt Law: How to cover your a$$ with waivers, contracts, & preparation.

Haunt Law: How to cover your a$$ with waivers, contracts, & preparation.

Author: Brian Foreman & Darryl Plunkie: Haunters, Scare Actors, Haunt Owners May 23, 2025 Duration: 1:30:50

Matthew Murphey is a Haunter and a trial attorney. Matt has worked in courtrooms since starting his legal career as a court-martial clerk in the United States Army in 1985.

He also knows Haunted Attraction's legal roadblocks.

We'll discuss:
-Protecting yourself from legal battles

-How to start a non-profit attraction

-Employee contracts & applications

-Waivers: Good or bad?

-How to deal with local codes & laws

-Insurance & Liability

-Legal guidelines around your brand

-Do you own your characters?

-Advice for Home Haunters & HOAs

Matt has tried cases to juries in three states and five federal districts as counsel. Matt's background in science coupled with his trial experience with prosecution agencies allowed him to transfer his trial skills to private practice fifteen years ago to complex patent and other intellectual property, financial institutions, and commercial litigation cases.

Start, grow, & scale your haunted attraction business at HauntersToolbox.com

Find Matt at themurpheylawyers.com


Ever wondered how the chilling atmosphere of a professional haunted house is really built, or what it takes to make a scare actor’s performance truly unforgettable? HaunTopic Radio: Haunted Attractions | Haunted Houses | Halloween | Haunters pulls back the heavy black curtain on the world of professional scares. Hosts Brian Foreman and Darryl Plunkie aren’t just commentators; they’re working haunters, scare actors, and haunt owners who live this passion year-round. In each episode, they sit down with the artists, builders, and visionaries who create the terrifying events we love, capturing their personal stories and hard-won expertise. This podcast is built on practical, real-world advice, focusing on how you can design effective scares and build compelling attractions without relying on a massive budget. It’s a deep, conversational dive into the craft, from makeup techniques and set design to the psychology of fear and the business of Halloween. You’ll hear the triumphs, the creative problem-solving, and the dedicated community that brings the haunting season to life. Tune in for an authentic look behind the screams, where passion for the art form is always the main topic.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

HaunTopic Radio: Haunted Attractions | Haunted Houses | Halloween | Haunters
Podcast Episodes
Introduction to Animatronics with Ed Gannon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:14
Let's talk about things that move in your haunted attraction. Yes, animatronics can be complex and scary to attempt by yourself. But what if animatronics weren't as scary as you thought? Join co-host & haunt veteran Ed G…
Scare Tactics: How To Scare the Crap Out Of Your Customers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:37
Inside a Haunted Attraction, it's all about the SCARE! But how do you pull it off when your audience gets braver every year? Learn the proper techniques to create that perfect scare that can be effective over and over ag…
Wicker Manor: The Journey from Home Haunter to Pro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:08
Sean Herman takes us through the Wicker Manor and tells us how he will transition from a haunt in his two-car garage into a permanent location. Wicker Manor was featured on ABC's Great Halloween Fright Fight and also won…
Terror in the Corn: Mazes, Marketing, Management & Monsters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:50:36
Join the haunt community at HauntersToolbox.com and start your own haunted attraction or grow your current haunt business. Get instant access to haunt master classes, the haunt library, haunt vendor discounts, and haunt…
Improve your haunted attraction in 2024 | Haunted Attraction Network [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35:41
What can you do before next season to improve your brand, your marketing, and your attraction? Are you focused on the right things? Philip Hernandez, from the Haunted Attraction Network, lets us in on a few things he not…
Take Your Haunt From Good to Great with The Scare Factor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:00
What makes a Haunt a GREAT one? The Scare Factor reveals their secret list of what they look for as they review haunted attractions. What to do and what not to do. We all can improve our attractions, here's your list. Be…
Haunted Hollows & Warehouse of Nightmares [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:23
Come with us as we tour a couple of haunted attractions in and around Hannibal, Missouri. Haunted Hollows Haunted Trail Warehouse of Nightmares Don't forget your ScareIt Badges for your Haunt parties and to reward your h…
WickedFest: Halloween/Horror Con in Hannibal,MO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:06
Hannibal's inaugural Halloween & Horror Con! October 7th 2023 ~ 1:00PM until 9:00PM Celebrity Guests, Vendors and Costume Contest. Kids 10 and under are free. Price of admission: $20.00 Guaranteed to be frighteningly fun…