Graveyard Entertainment’s Paul Boyd is the owner and mastermind behind Chambers of Fear. Chambers of Fear Haunted House is an intense, dark attraction, filled with amazing actors, terrifying scares, incredible special effects and spine chilling entertainment.

Chambers of Fear was selected the #1 Haunted House by the Arizona Republic, and has been featured on national cable and TV networks across the nation. The chills and thrills begin this year on Friday, September 13 and the Olson team is excited to work with Paul and help draw in even more victims, err, I mean guests. We chatted with Paul to learn more behind the mastermind of these chilling attractions.

Q. What made you jump into the seasonal event world of haunted houses?

A. Halloween, haunted houses and horror movies have all been a part of my life since I can remember. I was lucky enough to have two older sisters who took me to all the horror movies I wanted to see, and we hit every haunted house in the area each and every year growing up. There is nothing better than doing what you love each and every day, so a professional haunted house seemed like the right fit. Halloween is a year round business for us. Our team works year round to produce our attractions. From the day we close each season the planning begins for the following year.

 Q. With the challenging economy over the last several years, Chambers of Fear has continued to survive and grow, while other like venues have struggled and closed their doors.  What are you doing differently that is making Chambers of Fear so successful?

A. The economy is tight, no doubt about that, and we knew that from day one. Budgeting is a huge part to our success. We are in this for the long run, and we plan accordingly. Bottom line, if you don’t have the actors to make your show, you don’t have a show. We have built a team from our seasoned veterans and many new and dedicated actors who show up every night to give the best performance possible. Over the years we have added our animatronics and higher tech gadgets as our show grew. We have built our success on our team concept and sticking to an affordable budget each and every year.

We are also fortunate in that we have an incredible support system of family and friends who are all a part of this venture. This support along with dedicated actors who give it their all and take pride in scaring our customers every night help to make Chambers of Fear successful.

I am proud to say we have been selected the #1/Top/Scariest Haunted House in the Valley over the years.  With three haunted houses at one location available for one price, we offer a lot for your money.  In addition, we have some great discount offers from sponsors including Sonic America’s Drive-in and Hungry Howie’s Pizza.

Q. Where do you find your inspiration in creating new and scary elements for Chambers of Fear to keep the scariness new and exciting?

A. This is our fourth year at this location with Chambers of Fear and we have made changes over the years to keep it fresh and exciting. In 2012 we added two additional attractions.  For the 2013 haunting season we’re pulling out ALL the stops—EVERYTHING is being upgraded and we have added more WOW than ever in the history of the company to all three haunts.

Great inspirations for our haunts come from a variety of sources.  Horror movies (current and classics), traveling across the country and visiting other haunted attractions, networking with other haunt owners and of course messed-up crazy dreams to name a few. There are times I wake up in the middle of the night from a chiller of a dream and think that really got me… I have to figure a way to put that into the haunt.

 Q. You are going to be featured on the Travel Channel’s Making Monsters show.  That seems like a big honor.  How did Chambers of Fear get selected?

A. We are very excited to be a featured attraction on the Travel Channel’s Making Monsters. I have known the crew from Distortions Unlimited for many years. They specialize in building animatronic monsters, creatures, zombies and aliens. We have talked over the past couple years since they started doing the show and waited for just the right combination to make it happen. Comicon seemed like a good showcase and the rest is history. Yes, we are very honored to be part of the “Top Haunted Houses” across the country featured on the show.

Q. You mentioned are going to be at Comicon this year.  What can attendees at the Phoenix Comicon expect to see from Chambers of Fear?

A. This will be our second year at Phoenix Comicon, and last year was amazing! We handed out haunted house information and had several incredibly spooky characters available for photo opportunities all weekend. After the show we all agreed, how can you not be part of this event? Phoenix Comicon is an amazing venue with a perfect target audience for us. Going into year two, we wanted to raise the bar. We wanted to have a booth that would blow people away and promote Chambers of Fear Haunted House. Making Monsters will help deliver our mission! You will see a booth like no other, HANDS DOWN!

If you want to catch the Travel Channel filming “LIVE” for the series to be aired later this fall, be sure to stop and see us Thursday evening at our booth. The Distortions Unlimited crew will also be there as well. Killer photo opportunities are available all weekend long!  Plus enter to win an awesome Prize-Pak from FEARnet, one of our long-time sponsors. You can enter to win all weekend at the booth, with the drawing being held on Sunday afternoon. Chambers of Fear Haunted House event T-Shirts and early bird discounted haunt tickets will also be available during the convention.

 Q. What is one of the craziest things you have done to keep Chambers of Fear top of mind with Valley residents?

A. One big item that comes to mind is the Beaver Stripes Chambers of Fear Haunted Hearse! Driven daily, this beast stops traffic wherever it goes. Want a chance to win free tickets? Just take a picture of the hearse around town and post it on the Chambers of Fear Facebook page and tag yourself in it. We will be drawing winners from the posts every day in October, so check our Facebook page to see if you are a winner.