Heroes

Magician Brian Brushwood once sent a letter to one of his heroes - Teller of the Pen & Teller magic act. 
The answer her received has been widely circulated and has served to inspire many far beyond the world of magic.

The line that I find most profound is this:                                            "Have heroes outside of magic. Mine are Hitchcock, Poe, Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Bach. You're welcome to borrow them, but you must learn to love them yourself for your own reasons. Then they'll push you in the right direction."

This makes me ask, who are my heroes?  When it comes to haunting and telling a great story with great props, the haunters are obvious.  Allen Hopps.  Pumkinrot.  Scott Swenson.  

If I take Teller's advice, though, I need to have heroes outside of Haunting.  People who can inspire me to think in unusual ways, or drive a philosophy.  Mine would probably be Charles Steinmetz, Richard Feynman, Jack Pierce (is that cheating?),  Zdzisław Beksiński, Gene Wilder, and yes, Penn & Teller.

Who can you draw from to guide your haunt philosophy, your approach, your story?  Do you have heroes outside of haunting?

Happy Halloween!