Haunted houses have become a tradition in October. Some people go for the sets or the stories behind the them; others go for the scares. There is a special group of people who happen to enjoy haunted houses so much that they prefer to work in them and pass along those scares to others. Not many people, however, are aware of how much goes into working in a haunted house. Between going for interviews to getting onto the “scare floor”, there is a whole story to be told about these people.
An Interview?…
Not all haunted houses require you to interview with the haunt managers, but there are a select few. Terror in the Corn is one of these haunted houses, but interviews at haunted houses aren’t the same as ones you would normally see. In their interview process they bring six to eight people in at the same time where you talk about any previous haunting experiences you may or may not have had and then have you improv to get out any nerves or jitters about acting in front of people.
Trainings/Orientations
Something that a lot of haunted houses have in common is that they do orientations to help their actors get more comfortable and find a spot that they like working in. The companies do this to see where the actors feel like they can get the best scare and to see the if they would be better suited elsewhere in a different section of the haunted house. Orientations at Terror in the Corn take place in one of their activity fields two weeks before season starts, mainly stemming from the idea to get comfortable around your fellow actors.
The Roles
Each house has it’s own set roles to make a cohesive story line when customers and guests go through. Roles can include scarers, roamers/runners, breakers, line actors, set designers, and hidden repairmen.
“I started my first season as a scare actor, and then my second season I got to be a runner,” 13th Floor scare actor, Shelby said when asked about her role at the haunted house. “We naturally don’t want them leaving their spots because then people will be walking through an empty house which is not scary. We have runners going through and making sure our fellow actors have cough drops, water, bathroom breaks, etc to make sure that everyone is entertained at all times.”
In another interview with Keith Bialo, a haunt manager from The Ritual said “I’ve worked multiple positions including acting, set design, costuming, and management. As an actor, it gave me the opportunity to create a darker character than my normal acting roles.”
Makeup/Costumes
All actors must get get into character when they show up to work that night. 13th Floor in Denver, CO and Terror in the Corn located in Erie, CO uses airbrushes to apply makeup from EBA Performance Makeup, a type of alcohol-based makeup that most haunted houses are beginning to use to keep the intended look on longer. Other companies like The Ritual in Englewood, CO uses classic water activated paints, and the actors are given creative freedom to do their own makeup, so long as it fits the role they are assigned that night.
Hearing From The Scarers
“It’s fun really.” Jaime Huff said about his experience of working at The Ritual. “The main part of it is having fun jumping out at people, but also it’s very demanding. You have to stand around in the dark for multiple hours upon end and it can get boring. I’m glad I took this opportunity.”
“People are great, sometimes the customers suck, but ultimately that’s kind of part of it, and it make the job more fun.” another actor Willow Glouser said about her experience of working in haunted houses.
“An important mindset to be in when you are working in a haunted house is that you are here with them,” said actor Prim. “My favorite mindset to be in is they’re stuck in a room with you, and you’re not stuck in a room with them. You’ve got to make the most out of your room.”
“The community.” Mikey Reynolds from 13th Floor said about what he’s enjoyed most about working in a haunted house. “The haunt family is a real thing, and you never leave it, even if you are not here anymore. We are always there for each other and we build a really close knit family and it’s really cool.”
Showtime
This is the time that all actors from across the haunted house community look forward to the most. The actors focus on channeling that energy into the nights work. There are bad times but so many actors tend to focus on getting the scare rather than any bad situation.
Without these people there would be no fun or entertainment but instead a quiet walk amongst a beautiful set. The next time you consider going through a haunted house, remember the people that work there put in strenuous hours and strive to put on a good show for you. They might not be able to break character but just by a simple thank you in passing can make an actors night.
