Conversations with Clint Tacy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clint Tacy.

Hi Clint, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Little did Russ Streiner know when he uttered the phrase, “They’re Coming To Get You Barbara” in the 1968 George A. Romero classic, Night of the Living Dead, how he would indirectly influence my life. Long before I was ever thought of, that film horrified my then fourteen year old mother. At the time, she lived in a farmhouse and through her bedroom window, had a direct view of the cemetery on the other side of the old country road. She slept under her bed for weeks after viewing the film. Fast forward to the point in her life when I came along, and her fear of all things spooky bled onto me as she attempted to shield me from the genre and culture that had terrified her years prior. Naturally, being kept from something made me want to embrace it even more and so my journey began. The fact that my father was born on Halloween, his mother on Devil’s Night, and my mother in November (most serial killers are born in November) might have a cosmic hand in shaping things as well.

From a young age the excitement and colors of Halloween entranced me. Being a Gen X kid also afforded me plenty of television time to soak up most of the boom of the horror culture of the 1980’s. What the boob tube didn’t offer, my aunt who was just ten years older and like a big sister to me, flooded my eager eyes, against my mother’s wishes, with countless Horror movies from the rental stores.

Pair all of this with my first trip through a roadside haunted attraction in Houghton Lake Michigan which had me in tears and screaming only to be escorted out to the laughter of my family who heard me outside of those strobe lit corridors, countless times of my parents scaring me and laughing, and those same parents supporting my creative nature, and I quickly learned that these things were to be enjoyed and not feared.

Through the theater years of high school and multi-media opportunities afforded to me from the Jackson Area Career Center, as a young adult I was able to obtain behind the scenes television and video production experiences. Shortly after graduation in 1996 I orchestrated my first home haunt which left people clamoring for more. From then through the fall of 2000, each on a grander scale, I continued to design and operate haunted attractions. Real grass roots in the trenches kinds of productions and experiences. After a two year hiatus spent writing my first feature length screenplay, shopping it around Hollywood and working with genre filmmaker Donald G. Jackson and others to launch a production company, I opened my first pro haunt in downtown Jackson Michigan. Freaks N’ Treats was short lived. I was not prepared for the legitimacy of such a professional production and very green to the business and financial side of things.

Licking my wounds and fulfilling my new roles as a husband and father, I did not return to the haunted attraction industry until 2009 with the opening of my first successful pro haunt The Corpse Barn, which lasted through the fall of 2020. Those were some of the best years of my life full of experiences including working with celebrities and the community. It was during this time I met my current business partner, but I will get to that in a minute. Myself and my business partner at the time attempted to buy the property where we produced the attraction but during negotiations the property was sold from underneath us and the new landlords declined to renew our lease.

At a loss for what to fill my time with, I began producing horror themed hand screen print t-shirts, candles, and collectibles and launched INKmares.com. I thought the loss of The Corpse Barn was the end of my journey but it was actually a blessing and just the beginning. Through INKmares and hitting the horror convention circuit, I travel the country which has opened up multiple doors including becoming a film producer and also a podcaster on The I Like It Spooky Horror Podcast. Between myself and my co-host Brian Godsil we have created an ongoing network of programing, and event hosting while building a global audience.

It has been during this time where my involvement with my current business partner at Haunting In The Hills has started to take shape. Haunting In The Hills is a seasonal haunted attraction located at the old Stagecoach Stop in the Irish Hills area of Onsted Michigan. The property which can be found at 7203 US-12 in lower mid Michigan is on a stretch of road that used to thrive with tourist attractions such as Mystery Hill and Prehistoric Forest to name a few. I spent a good amount of time in the area as a child riding go-karts, playing put-put, watching old west gun fight reenactments and enjoying prime rib with my family.

I met my current business partner who has been operating the haunted attraction, other events, and the built-in roadside motel for the last decade. As haunt owners, we used to co-promote together. When she learned I was haunt homeless, we teamed up to develop a multitude of entertainment opportunities at both what used to be Stagecoach Stop, and the Golden Nugget Restaurant across the street. Others have attempted to tap into the potential these old roadside attractions offer, laying the groundwork for us. Along with a team of haunt professionals I have assembled and community of contacts throughout the horror genre and entertainment industry I have gathered throughout my journey so far, we are transforming Haunting in the Hills into a national entertainment destination reaching far beyond just a seasonal haunted attraction. As for the present state of the seasonal haunt, we offer a hybrid style of immersive entertainment every Friday and Saturday in October that stretches across currently three attractions including a hayride. In addition, Sunday’s in October we offer the unique experience of driving your own vehicle with as many people as you can jam inside, through our Mutant Escape Massacre hayride trail.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Throughout all of my experiences what constantly proves to be most difficult are finding reliable, knowledgeable, and dedicated people. Everything I involve myself with and especially everything at Haunting in the Hills, due to it’s size and just the nature of what we offer to the public, is a collaborative art and endeavor. Another challenge has been allowing myself to let things breath and take shape organically. I am very used to micro managing just about everything and am thankful for the growth and life lessons this chapter of my life is providing me.

Other challenges unique to reanimating Stagecoach Stop as Haunting in the Hills and other down the road on- property entertainment developments are the years of neglect the main buildings, various structures, and grounds have had to endure. The timeline of my vision and plan for the future continues to be disrupted by countless repairs, most of them stemming from simple fixes if addressed long ago would have saved a lot of time and money now.

The last hurdles are common ones for most and first is a financial one. Not only do I have internal struggles with myself as an artist and a business owner, but brining the full vision of what we plan to accomplish takes money. A component to what we want to build for the public includes after school and weekend programs for people of the community to come and learn hands on skills. Basically a third space for everyone to come together and have a place to call their own. We are currently in the early stages of seeking investment funds outside of the revenue we already generate to help streamline our mission.

Which leads us to the last obstacle that is another common issue for anyone ambitious enough to embark on any entrepreneurial crusade and that is….time. As a full time single father with a “day job”, a long term relationship and other obligations, balancing time is increasingly difficult. Like the old saying goes though, if it was easy, everyone would do it. One thing is for certain and that is I have an opportunity to make a living off of and be a part of something bigger than myself, that I enjoy and basically my entire life has been involved with so far.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What makes me unique in the haunted attraction/entertainment industry is the array of creative experiences my resume brings to any project I get involved with. From theater, haunt production and acting, in front of and behind the camera background, writing, event hosting, podcasting, product creation, business experience and more, I offer, (to steal a phrase used by one of the members of the Haunting in the Hills build and design team Michael Green to describe the type of haunt we produce) a hybrid of experience.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I come from a hard working middle class family. I was raised in a very no nonsense common sense household. My father was a creative mind and a brilliant self learner who thrived working with his hands on just about anything he set his mind to. My grandfather, my mother’s father, was an intellectual, writer and old school newspaper reporter. I am blessed to have become a solid blend of both of these men who were great influences on my life outside of one very important lesson my mother taught me which was how to financially juggle everything to keep it all together. I feel I had a normal child hood with a focus on learning, community involvement and sports, but from then until this day if we are driving somewhere, my head turns at the sight of a cemetery or creepy building which ignites my imagination.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://INKmares.com
• Instagram: @corpsebarn @ink.mares
• Facebook: @corpsebarn @inkmares @traincarofterror @ilikeitspookypod @psychotherapyentertainment