HOME UNSWEET HOME: Builders' visions haunt guests at homes

Randy Grigg likes to build houses, but he doesn't expect anyone to live in them. He prefers that his homes scare people to death -- figuratively speaking of course.

As owner of Haunted Enterprises, Grigg builds haunted houses. He employs traditional building skills such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical wiring, welding and painting to create his houses, except that they are mobile and only in place for a month or so each year.

Grigg uses old 40-foot semitrailers as the basis for his haunted houses and transforms the interiors into chambers of gloom and doom.

"When they're done, you can't tell," he said.

The trailers are painted to look like they are made from stones, and facades are added to hide the wheels. He connects them to create 4,000- to 7,000-square-foot attractions and builds towers to set atop the trailers to help disguise them. With all the maze-like twists and turns inside, he said it's difficult for visitors to notice they are basically walking in a giant rectangle.

This year is Grigg's fifth in Las Vegas.

Craig Lewis of Freakling Bros. has been in the haunted house business for 11 years. He switched to the semitrailer format about eight years ago to save time in building and tearing down the houses, and because they are more weather-resistant.

"We originally started with wooden flats bolted together ... with black tent tops," he said.

Lewis said it took two to three weeks to set up his "circus of horror." Today, he and his partner, Duke Mollner, can set up a trailer-based haunted house in about two days.

Like Grigg, Lewis painted the trailers' exteriors, added skirting and folding towers to create the facade of a dungeon. Power is supplied by portable generators.

Jason Egan, who is presenting The Tomb of Darkness on Highland Drive, said he prefers permanent buildings for his haunted houses. He said creating an attraction that is only open for one month is challenge enough without having to worry about power and restroom facilities for workers.

He also believes a building gives the haunted house a more authentic atmosphere, particularly his because he transformed a ballroom that had been boarded up for the past five years.

Just like traditional homes, haunted houses must meet city safety codes and are inspected by the building and fire departments.

"We do have to follow strict city codes," Egan said. "Because we put people in a dark environment where they can't see the exit doors, we have to be able to show we can get people out immediately (if there's an emergency)."

Egan and Grigg said their haunted houses are equipped with smoke detectors, fire alarms and sprinkler systems. Grigg said his trailers also have emergency backup lights that come on if the main power source fails, as does Freakling Bros.

Lewis said his smoke detectors trigger a relay system that will automatically turn off all the special effects and turn on emergency lights when activated.

Grigg said he is extremely proud that no one has filed a claim against his company after visiting one of his haunted houses and the only injuries have been a few bumps and bruises when someone accidentally bumps into another visitor after being startled.

Still, he keeps someone trained in first aid on staff.

Grigg's haunted houses also meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and are accessible by wheelchair.

Grigg made his first haunted house when he was about 5 years old in the crawl space under his parents' home in Oklahoma.

"It was terrible," he said.

It wasn't Grigg's ideas that were bad, but the execution. He used grease to create some of the effects and his visitors exited as greasy messes.

Both his ideas and techniques have since improved.

For many years, Grigg would transform the back yard of his home into a haunted place. Using an Old West theme, he built a town, mine shaft and cemetery. He said he spent two or three months each year preparing for Halloween.

Eventually, someone suggested turning his hobby into a profession. Grigg sold his Volkswagen repair business and started Haunted Enterprises. In addition to haunted houses, his company manufactures props used by other haunted attractions, including theme parks, throughout the country.

Skulls and skeletons used throughout Grigg's haunted houses and distributed by his company are made from rejects supplied by a medical supply firm that manufactures skeletons.

"Nothing is scary until you have all the elements ... the sound, the lighting, the fog," Grigg said.

Admission to haunted houses ranges from $8 to $18. Most are open nightly until Nov. 2.

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