Judith Snyder is the founder and caretaker of Trespauze Manor and the various haunts and spooks on the property. She was kind enough to answer questions regarding the manor and other nearby attractions.
Trespauze Manor is one of the final remaining virtual haunted houses on the internet, along with Frightbytes and Sue's Haunted Mansion, that is continually maintained. Today this article will give spotlight to the creator, as we'll get a thorough look inside her brains...
1. What inspired you to create Trespauze Manor and when did you first begin working on it?
Judith: Way back in 2003, I decided to try my hand at creating a 'haunted house' as a Halloween treat for an online community I was running.
2. The internet has changed drastically since the late 1990s. Virtual haunts and personal Halloween/horror webpages used to be the place people visited when they wanted a scare or two. Now most virtual haunts are either decaying in cyberspace or dead. But you are one of the few people who maintains a site. Why is it important to you to keep Trespauze Manor running?
Judith: Trespauze is important to me for a myriad of reasons; I'd have to say sentimentality is one of them. It's where I cut my designer teeth as it were. It affords me the chance to push the envelope on my imagination and 'how do I make that happen' programming skills.
3. You have some unique features about your Trespauze Manor website. A very detailed haunted house, a haunted mine ( I personally love the flash light effect), a witch's kitchen scavenger hunt, and a hidden treasure pirate adventure. What made you choose these themes for attractions and where did your ideas arise from?
Judith: The themes come from all over. Some come from memories of actual places I've been, some come from friends or a passage in a book, sometimes even a movie scene, or dream I had. You never know what might cause inspiration. Loss Mine came from conversations I had with a friend (YOU!) about gold mining. Many of the rooms in Trespauze were inspired by the Thorne Rooms I saw as a child.
4. Every creative type has his or her creative process. What is yours? What is the process when creating your virtual haunts?
Judith: You know, I'm not sure I actually have what one would call a 'process', and this will sound a bit batty but once I've settled on a locale, I just let it tell me a story.
5. I've never known someone who runs a virtual haunt to not have a favorite one that inspired them. Were there any websites/online haunts that inspired you?
Judith: I'd have to say that Bone Garden Estate (long gone), and Frightbytes.com weigh in heavily as inspirational.
6. Halloween is perhaps the biggest culprit when it comes to one developing a love for all things creepy. What are some of your favorite childhood Halloween memories?
Judith: Favorite Halloween childhood memories: Once, I think I was about 7 years old; we went up on the decorated porch trick or treating. I remember hay bales, and dried out corn stalks. There was a scarecrow sitting on some bales, and the bloody thing got up and came towards us! Took them quite a while to convince me it was a guy in costume.
Watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" with my family, followed by a scary movie marathon. My poor Mom, got sandwiched between some of us younger ones, pressing against her while saying, "I'm not scared."
7. Horror movies are another great source of inspiration. Which ones did you grow up with and which ones are your favorites?
Judith: I grew up watching things like "Creature Features", "Svengoolie", and "Elvira". Later Tales from the Crypt was added. You just can't beat those old 'B' rated monsters, or the classics like Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, or the Mummy. I also adored the original Godzilla.
8. Horror stories are also a wonderful source of inspiration when creating something spooky. You even have your own page of horror stories you wrote. Which ones did you grow up with and which ones are your favorites? Any favorite authors too?
Judith: Horror stories...that's a toughie, I always seem to be stumbling across a new 'favorite,' but I was heavily influenced by Rod Serling (Twilight Zone fame), Ray Bradbury, and Alfred Hitchcock growing up. They taught me that horror is not about how much blood and guts you can spew, but about plot, timing, and the twist.
9. Every generation has some kind of tradition for Halloween, as well as superstitions. What Halloween traditions did you grow up with? Any superstitions too?
Judith: I come from a big family, so costume buying could be quite pricy, the result was we made our own, usually with 'found' items. I guess that would be 'tradition'. As for superstitions, we weren't supposed to go through any grave yards because the dead might follow us home. (Of course, we did, usually on a dare.)
10. As time goes on, virtual haunts are gaining a more niche following of people (many of whom are loyal or long-time fans). Are there any emails or fan mail you recall? Any weird messages?
Judith: Emails/fan mail is rather a novelty; seems to me I receive more 'junk' than anything - and generally written in Russian.
11. I know a lot of times creators can't pick a favorite of their own, as they say it's like choosing a favorite child. But, if you had to pick a favorite haunt on your website, which one do you like the most and why?
Judith: I'd have to say that my favorite haunt is Trespauze itself. As you pointed out, I put a lot of detail into the rooms, and try to keep it authentic to the time period. Over time it's evolved quite a bit, and at times the rooms will whisper to me of changes or additions it wants done.
12. Last, and certainly not least, what is in the foreseeable future for Trespauze Manor?
Judith: I can't really say what next for Trespauze; there's a few ideas brewing in the old cauldron.
You can visit Trespauze Manor here - Happy Halloween! - http://trespauzemanor.com/
This is uses such imageination and always something new to find.
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