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Ok, imagine you’re back in third grade and all the kids are bragging about their parents and how cool they are and what they do… My dad’s a drummer in a rock band… My mom’s a racecar driver… My parents own a pet store, so I have all kinds of pets… Now imagine Brandon Gonzalez saying – my parents have Fright Night Haunted House and I get to scare you! Yeah, I’d say Brandon, and now his kids, get the coolest parents award for the whole time they’re in school; maybe even longer!
I got Brandon to take a few minutes away from building this year’s huge and scariest ever attractions to tell me what drives him to scare people. So Fright Night’s question is… how scared are you? I devil-dog dare you to go!
Tell me about the first haunted house you remember going to. Were you hooked on the adrenalin instantly or scared out of your mind?
First haunted house I ever went to was here in Corpus Christi; it was put on by the Jaycees, I believe. I was around 5 years old and at that time it was amazing to me that I wasn't scared by it as much as I wanted to be in it or behind the scenes!
What possessed you in to opening Fright Night?
Fright Night Haunted House was started by my parents in 1985. We were in several different locations around Corpus and South Texas and we would do it for a lot of non-profits and charities. I wasn't too involved in the creative process back then as I was into acting and actually scaring people.
What drove me was seeing what actually scared people; that I could do the same thing over and over, but there would be that one person who wasn't scared. That's the person that drove me to get better and to find ways to scare that person, so when I resurrected Fright Night 13 years ago that was my main focus: scare the un-scared. Find a way to do that and you will be successful; and here we are.
How do you create/develop your characters?
All of our characters are developed at the same time we design the haunts; we make everything in our design studio here in Corpus Christi, called scareprops.com
Are you a horror movie fan or do you have demented dreams or is there a scare catalog you can go through?
I am a horror fan but not a fan of new horror. All my designs come from my dreams. I know kind of weird, but true. I always keep a pencil and pad by my bed for drawing or writing ideas, so when I wake from a dream I can write it all down
How long did it take you to put this year’s attractions together?
We started building these new attractions in March and we’ve done a complete remodel, so expect it to be unbelievable this year!
What’s new or different than in the past years?
Everything is new this year! I won't go into detail; don't want to give anything away, but it will be huge! We have combines both haunts into one!
On average, how long does it take a “scaredy-cat” to make her way through Fright Night?
They don't come through the entrance.
And how long for an experienced thrill seeker?
Most make it through with their eyes closed and non-stop screaming. The big guys hide behind their girlfriends, so we target them but mainly we want people to enjoy themselves and look at the time we have put into building the scenes and characters.
What are your suggestions for first time attendees?
Come on a weekday that we are open for the best experience and use the restroom first!
Do you have age or height limits? Like the rides at amusement parks.
No age limit; they’re your kids. If you want to scare them for life; we will do it for you!
When is Fright Night Haunted House open?
Go to our website for all the information… www.imnotgoinginthere.com.
Where do we get the tickets and do you have group discounts?
Presale tickets can be purchased at Mesquite St Pizza & Pasta Company (617 Mesquite St) or online at www.imnotgoinginthere.com. We do have group discounts; you can email us at Sales@scareprops.com
Besides building all of your own props, I understand that Fright Night builds props for movie sets and other haunted houses around the country – how did you get in to that side of the business?
We build props for Six Flags and Universal Studios as well as Ripley’s Haunted Adventures and tons of other haunts around the world. There was a demand for it so I taught myself to do it. We start making props for Halloween in March, so it stays busy from then till November for us.
Being involved on the building and creating side of the horror genre are you still able to enjoy scary movies, haunted houses, and other things along those lines, or has the creative side taken over and chilled your fear?
I don't get scared, if that's what you’re asking! But I love a good haunted house. I enjoy watching what other people have created, haunted houses come and go in Corpus Christi but Fright Night Haunted House was born here and will be here every year and just keep getting bigger and better.
2016 has a lot in store like a new south side location in Corpus Christi as well as other locations around Texas.