Learning to haunt at Salt Lake's Halloween summer camp

Zoom in: Rocky Mountain Haunters, the regional hub of horror, summons Utah's spookiest souls each summer to its annual "Gathering" to build mechanical props, share tips for stretching a buck at the dollar store and get pumped for the thinning of the veil.

The latest: I joined this year to build a pop-up tombstone, a magical spellbook and a floating potion bottle.

• We also learned about the latest fog machine technology and how to use lasers without blinding trick-or-treaters.

The bottom line: Haunters are among the most positive, pro-social creatives I've met in Utah, and they have loads of technical and artistic knowledge to share.

• Check out the 30,000-strong Facebook group to get a head start on spooky season.