This is the weekly series of interviews we do with people changing the face of the Haunted Attractions and Horror Industry. This week we interview Jeremy of Midnight Fire Attractions. They build custom attractions, sets and props for the themed entertainment industry

Why did you first become interested in the Haunted House/Horror Business?

It all started when I was 13, pretty much by accident. It was about a month before Halloween, and I just happened to mention to a friend that I was bored and needed a project to work on. He said, "why don't you do a haunted house?" I barely even knew what a haunted house was, and had certainly never been to one. But I was intrigued, and together we came up with $90 and put on a little show in my parents' basement. I was hooked from that moment on.

What Previous jobs have you had?

I guess the first real job I ever had was re-shelving books at the local library. That was not fun. Since then, I've worked as a graphic designer, video editor, and musician, in addition to my themed attraction work.

What job do you have now?

I now run a company called Midnight Fire Attractions, and we build custom attractions, sets, and props for the themed entertainment industry. For anyone who's interested in learning more about us and the work we do, there's a lot more information available on our website MidnightFireAttractions.

How Long Have you Been in business?

We officially incorporated the business in 2004, although we had been working on attractions for several years before that.

How Did You Start?

It all just grew out of my fascination (and, I guess you could say, obsession) with running that little haunted house when I was a teenager. I know that a lot of people in this business started out the same way. And then one day, it hits you that if this is what you love to do, you should try to see if you can make a living doing it.

What's the scariest Haunted House you ever been to?

I remember this very vividly. I must have been about 16, and I'm on vacation with my family near Niagara Falls. We're in a mall in the tourist area near the falls, and there's a haunted house in there called "Screamers." My two younger brothers and I are extremely apprehensive about going in, so we convince our dad to join us.

Now to put it mildly, this was not the most creative attraction in the world. Most of the experience (and we were warned of this ahead of time) consisted simply of total darkness. Little red LEDs were placed throughout, and we were told to walk toward the lights.

So we start down the first hallway, walking toward the first little LED... and we’re totally on edge, in anticipation of what's going to happen. It's pitch dark, and we can't see an inch in front of us. Then out of nowhere, an actor slams himself into the wall directly in front of where we're walking. We instantly do a 180 and run out screaming. We return to the ticket counter and, unfortunately, are informed that we won't be getting our money back.