2023 Question and Answer With Hell Harvest Haunted House

MissouriHauntedHouses.com recently sat down with Jeff Sengheiser of Hell Harvest Haunted House, to discuss what's new at Hell Harvest Haunted House for the 2023 Halloween Season!

What's new at Hell Harvest Haunted House for 2023? Do you have any new rides, attractions, or special features that Haunt Seekers should know about?

We have added new scenes and incorporated several animatronics made by our prop company (Graveyard Ghoul Productions) into our show.

What are you most excited about for the 2023 Halloween Season?

We are excited about everything. We live Halloween 365 at Hell Harvest, but nothing can compare to haunt season.

What differentiates Hell Harvest Haunted House from other local haunts in Missouri?

We live this. We strive to improve the haunt every year. We work on it year round. We want our guests to have a great experience and make us part of their Halloween tradition. We also strive to make our haunt a home for our actors and staff. They are the heart of this haunt. We could not put on a top notch show without them, and we love them for it.

How long has Hell Harvest Haunted House been in business? Can you tell us a bit more about Hell Harvest Haunted House's history?

We are going into our fifth year. This has been a dream of my wife Jeannie and I for 20years at least. We both always loved Halloween and put on a very elaborate Halloween party every year. We honed our prop making skills over the years, and always planned to have our own haunt. The stars eventually aligned and we were able to open. I can’t even express the tremendous amount of work that has gone into it. We sacrifice a great deal to put on the show, but it has also brought our family closer. The whole family is involved in one way or another and we also travel to haunt shows with our prop company (and of course to shop for the haunt).

What's your favorite experience since opening Hell Harvest Haunted House?

It is hard to pick one thing. The whole experience has so many great moments. I would have to say that my favorite thing is when we are finally open, and everything is running with guests coming through the haunt. Hearing the screams and seeing all the lighting, fog, sets, music, and the actors just doing their thing. That makes me smile.

How long is a typical haunt experience at Hell Harvest Haunted House from start to finish?

A typical haunt experience at Hell Harvest last year was 45-1hr. We are adding some pretty awesome and significant scenes this year that we are so excited about. It will take over an hour to get through the haunt this year. Unless of course you’re a chicken who sprints through the entire haunt.

On a scale from 1 to 10, how scary would you say Hell Harvest Haunted House is? Why?

We are a 10. Our actors are the best. We strive to put the best props in place, but simply put our actors are INSANE.

Does Hell Harvest Haunted House's property have any real haunted history? Do you have a spooky encounter you'd like to share?

We have had people come to the haunt and tell us some history. There was a general store and several more houses. I haven’t seen anything per say. There is a feeling of dread in one of the houses (even in the daylight). I don’t like to go in alone even in the daylight and I own a haunted house.

What inspired you to open up a haunted attraction? What's your favorite part of the business?

My wife and I were inspired by a lifelong love of everything Halloween. We have attended haunted attractions our whole lives. We attended the inaugural Midwest Haunters Convention in 2004 and really saw what was possible and embraced the haunt industry.

How has new technology (i.e. animatronics, special props, etc) helped you to enhance Hell Harvest Haunted House?

We also operate a prop company called Graveyard Ghoul Productions. We produce professional static and animatronic props for other haunted attractions and Halloween events for amusement parks. This gives us a leg up in that we can incorporate original products that you haven’t seen in another attraction.

Can Hell Harvest Haunted House accommodate large groups? How many people can experience Hell Harvest Haunted House together as a group?

We recommend groups of no larger than 6-8 for the best show. This allows the actors to get their best scare. We do allow large groups if that’s what they want. We do tell them a smaller group would allow for the best show, but ultimately we leave it up to the group.

Does Hell Harvest Haunted House offer any special deals, discounts, or coupons?

We will have giveaway nights for the first x-amount of guests which will be announced on our Facebook page.

Anything else you'd like to let us know about Hell Harvest Haunted House?

We are the best. Our actors are truly disturbed. Our scenes will immerse you in a different and horrifying world. Everything from the lighting to the music to the props is hand selected and agonized over to create an immersive experience. We live for this. Come visit us and we will scare the HELL out of you.