Here, the phenomenon is less well known, but in the U.S., every Halloween fan is familiar with “haunted houses.” The concept is simple: around October 31, large indoor or outdoor spaces are specially decorated as temporary haunted houses. These are usually walk-throughs, where visitors walk among pumpkins, skeletons, spiders, monsters… in short: everything associated with Halloween.

The HHs want to scare people—and make them laugh at the same time. They use every possible means to achieve this. Horror scenes are enhanced with animatronics, and the examples are endless: skeletons rising from their coffins, a vagrant waving a gas lamp, a massive monster baring its teeth—you name it. Some “dark walks” also hire lifelike actors who—disguised as repulsive creatures—are meant to startle everyone.

The YouTube video below shows a haunted house featuring high-tech animatronics and gadgets that are triggered when someone walks by. Although the world of electronic puppets has become big business over the years, the report also highlights the importance of real actors.