- [Dean] My family had big time Halloween parties growing up.

I wasn't into sports like most kids at early age.

We were into coffins and witches and caskets and goblins and ghouls and I saw the world differently growing up.

We didn't have much of a social life.

So the television was our social life and our Saturday nights was spent watching late night television with these black and white movies.

- They used to have on the local TV station, a show called Shock Theater.

They would run late at midnight, these old horror movies with Vincent Price and Lugosi and just all those films.

So we were really fascinated.

We loved those movies.

- [Dean] The monster always appealed to me because they were picked on, or society was cruel to them because of who they were and the way they looked.

I think I felt sort of the same way, although it wasn't hideous [indistinct].

I related to all that and then it evolved into trying to recreate these characters with whatever crude materials I had around the house.

- And we began doing our own makeups on ourselves.

We did home movies, makeups for friends for Halloween.

So that's sort of how it started.

And then when we were in college at UNCG, a low budget filmmaker came to the school looking for people to work on his movie.

- I got a part, Of course it's low budget.

They're like, "What else can you do?"

Well, I got a makeup portfolio.

- We had never done a movie, but we had done a lot of makeup to that point.

- So from that film, I then get a phone call to interview with David Lynch from "Blue Velvet".

Of course I get to Hollywood and what do I become?

A Hollywood makeup effects artist.

- My name is Star Jones.

I am a film producer.

- My name is Dean Jones.

I'm a film director.

Our home is Alamance County, North Carolina.

And this is our home.

[eerie music] - This tent was a donation from a funeral home.

This is where we sort of vet people.

We bring each group in here into the tent.

Sometimes they find something they don't know is here that they're definitely afraid of and then they have have to come out.

- [Dean] A lot of times it's clowns.

- [Starr] Yeah, A lot of times it's clowns.

People for some reason terrified of clowns.

I don't know why.

Somebody's responsible 'cause it used to be the funnest thing in the world.

Go to circus, see clowns.

Not anymore, not anymore.

- [Dean] The original Hollywood Horror Show began in 1989.

It was the only haunted house at that time that was running on a professional level.

We've incorporated a lot of props and a lot of makeups and costumes from the movies we've worked on in our career.

My brother has built most all the sets here.

You'll see from his experience on set building, there's a lot of detail here.

You know, we will totally immerse people in what we do as filmmakers.

And so with our experience, you get sort of a three dimensional experience.

You get to feel like you're walking on a Hollywood film set.

You're walking in the middle of a horror movie.

- [Starr] Unfortunately, upon arrival at the crime scene, we found two decedents.

That means dead bodies.

[girl screams] - [Dean] There was so much I learned working with big time iconic Hollywood horror movie icons.

Toby Hooper, if you don't know, he created and directed the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and we were fortunate to work with him on "Toolbox Murders".

I directed the sequel for that called "Toolbox Murders 2".

Of course, Toby had also directed "Poltergeist", which is also one of my favorite sci-fi movies.

Here in the museum.

I think we have over 200, 8 by 10 glossies and photos of some of the cast members I've worked with who've been a part of cinematic history.

These heads, this one up here is from "Night of the Living Dead".

These are actually screen used foam rubber pieces.

Sid Hague was the a-list actor of that genre at that time.

He was amazing to work with.

This one's from "Day of the Dead" with Ving Rhames.

Here's the Dennis Hopper head that we blew up in "Blue Velvet".

Dennis gets shot at the end of the movie and the head explodes out the back.

Yeah,.so I've had the honor and the privilege over the last 35 years of my career working in Hollywood and to be able to bring production back here, it means a lot to me 'cause it means I could share the education that I've gotten off of being involved in production with younger artists who are just now starting.

- [Starr] A lot of people, because we do the haunted attraction, they think that we only do horror films, which is not true.

We've done probably about 110 feature films.

There's the Pirates of Caribbean movies, the Star Trek movies.

We've worked with Scorsese, we've worked with Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Richard Gere, and that's one of the things for our haunted house.

We have a lot of kids and young adults who get their start with us that are now working in the industry in theater and film that began their interest here and they realize, hey, the idea of me working in that industry is not so far fetched.

So that's what I'm all about, 'cause I know life is too short to live not doing what you want to do and not have fun at it.

- Hello?

- What?

[indistinct].

- [Starr] Yeah, we we're prepping people for makeup.

We're getting people as they arrive, they get thrown into makeup and we're going to get ready for the show.

- Welcome to the chaos.

Some moms get to be soccer moms.

Some moms get to be dance moms.

I'm a haunted house mom, so Jack of all trades.

- Yes you are.

You're amazing.

- [Starr] That's my daughter down there.

She's been part of the show since she was very small.

She was an actor now.

She helped do makeup.

It's a family affair.

- [Sara] Halloween is Like my absolutely favorite thing ever.

I love it so much.

There's so much comfort that comes with Halloween, to me because of all of this.

It was just a big part of my childhood and a big part of my life.

I begged my dad one day for like career day to come in and show the class what he did.

It was like fifth grade and he came in and he brought in like this zombie bust and he passed it around and it was so funny 'cause people were so grossed out.

But I mean, I've learned like things about how to make the appliances and stuff.

I've learned about molds and like, I really can't describe how much I love it.

It's so cool and it's just so much fun how everyone can be something different and show their true colors with like Halloween costumes.

I thought we'd wanna make it crazy, you know, she's a crazy.

- I think it was just to make it.

- Yeah, here we go.

- [Dean] We give everyone opportunity to experience all levels of production here.

Makeup, costuming, special effects.

We also train our actors.

This is a place to come outta your shell.

[swords clank on each other] It goes in, in back two steps.

Back up.

You could throw some lunges in there and he goes back as it goes in, in here.

Thank you all for being here.

It's gonna be a great Saturday night.

Most likely, all the people that were coming last night are coming tonight, which means our crowd will double.

You've got to make sure you've got some good hiding spots.

We've set the stage with music, we've set the stage with sound effects and the set design.

Remember to stay in character, find the dark, don't scare him too long.

Disappear.

You know every Jason movie, when you see him for a brief second, then he disappears.

It's now you see him, now you don't.

That's how you want to be as an actor.

- On the count of three, everybody.

- 1, 2, 3.

[group yells] - Places.

Thank you.

Thank you.

[people chattering] All right.

I like to [indistinct] the original Hollywood hardship, please do not touch our props or our characters.

Our characters have promised they will not touch you.

[heavy upbeat music] [clown makes weird noise] - One of the things that I'm most proud about this production is this is original work that you're gonna see come through.

The original Hall of the Horseman is really an experience.

It's not just a place where you go to get scared.

It's a place where you go to see things.

You might not see it over places.

[character screams] [character does scary laugh] - [Dean] We want the customer to have an experience all the way through the show.

It's a constant barrage of terror and that's the way it should be.

They pay good money to come here.

We're going to give them treat.

[screams] [clown makes weird noises] [upbeat music] - [Starr] Dean and I both, we have such strong memories of Halloween growing up that really are important to me and what it was like to be a kid, to have the excitement of the Halloween season.

Here at the show we like to create those same memories for people so that they come back and experience something that means something to them, that they wanna pass on.

That, hey, when I was a kid, I came there.

I really enjoyed it, had fun there, had a great experience.

I got to see my friends get scared and jump because that's the fun of it.

- [Character] Where you going.

- [Starr] Look, it's become not only an Alamance County tradition, but a North Carolina tradition.

- [Character] You are gonna love twisty.

He's a real nice guy.

[eerie laugh] - You never know what a place like this means to people and that's one of the reasons we still do it.

- That's a wrap.

There are many levels of success in a career.

Success for me is this show and the happiness and joy it brings to people every year.

- [Character] I will be back tomorrow.

It's perfect and we can bring their blood together.

- [Customer] Very good.

- [Dean] Being able to share my career, my imagination and artistic skills has been a thrill.

People driving here and making it an experience, an event to do once a year as a family, as a couple, that's a huge success to me.

They love what we do and they keep coming back and it's terrific.