IamA actor at a large Haunted House AMA!

What do you think about the parents that take their young (7 and under ) kids into the haunted house?

At Gallows this year we have a special "Monster Repelling Necklace" for the younger crowd. The necklace lights up, and also acts as a flashlight which helps the younger crowd in the dark. The actors are also trained to be scared of the necklaces, and run away from them. Every child that I have seen come through with the special necklace has had a really good time. This is however something unique to the Gallows, so as a general rule of them I would exercise caution bringing younger folks to haunted house.

Oh wow that's a great idea! It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun for the little ones.

They have a really great time. It is a lot of fun to change my character when they come around, changes it up and it always makes our day when we see them have a good time!

I dislike this idea. Don't take children under 7 to a haunted house designed to frighten and scare people. As a fellow haunt performer, I think every patron is up for grabs.

Your job is to serve the customer, of someone pays to come into a haunted house but want it to not be scary, the best buisness is to provide that.

The necklace mentioned does this amazingly well without detracting from other people's enjoyment.

In the same night I can give a kid a playing card with my name on it, tell him a joke, juggle and make him smile, and then 10 minutes later be bringing a different party to a scared fetal position crying. The necklace program has been a big success and is something we all really enjoy doing. It in no way detracts from us scaring the daylights out of people, and even with the necklace program we are still the most terrifying haunted attraction in Virginia

I'm 35, can I get one of those necklaces? Seriously, it's probably the only way I would go to a haunted house. NOT my thing. Glad you enjoy doing it though! We should all be so lucky to have so much fun once in a while!

It really is a treat every night we get to do this. I love our cast and crew, and am so proud to be a member of this team. Each night we get to walk away proud of what we have built and done, and that really does make it all worth it. Check out the news report I posted in the description above to see parts of the haunt! (they just did a piece on us)

That's really wonderful! As a creative person, I understand the overwhelming enjoyment of doing something just to cause fun (umm, fear in this case?) for others. I read the news report but I'm too much of a baby to actually watch it!

haha watch it (trust me it is cool, they show some of our props)

That is bad ass. Internet High Five to you guys for doing that.

hey thanks, the program has been very successful so far

I used to have a haunted house, well actually every October my dad and I would turn the house into a haunted house, whenever a kid came through who didn't want us to scare him they would just tell my mom (who served the candy) and she'd tell us in the actually scary part. The kid would come through and we'd stay in hiding. Good times...

thats when I realized that this kid who didnt want to be scared was a 700 foot tall crustacean from the paleolithic era.

What are you allowed to break character for? I went to one a few years ago that had a slanted room i lost my footing slid all the way out of the room one of the actors help me up and ask if i was ok than proceeded to try and scare me after he found out i was fine

Anytime safety becomes an issue (for performers or guests we break character). Safety is such an important part of what we do, it is always important to be on your toes. After that we do get right back to it though haha.

Has anyone ever shit their pants?

absolutely. We have a surprising amount of people throw up and/or piss their pants from fright at the haunt. We have been voted one of the nation's most terrifying haunted attractions, so that is def something we take pride in (just not while cleaning it up)

Have there been anyone who just don't react to the scares?

If so what do you think when you run into someone like that?

I worked at a haunted house when I was younger and I had an experience with this. I was in an outhouse off in a corner and when people would come by i'd kick the door down and it'd slam and i'd run out(I was a clown). One time I could hear a guy(who was carrying a beer) say to the group he is with, "I bet a clown comes out of that door...let's sit here and wait and watch." I was kind of defeated for a second and didn't want to come out just to prove him wrong, but I did, and as soon as I did he just goes, "HA...told ya.." and walked away like he just witnessed a dog shitting.

It was annoying but you shrug it off because there is another group coming soon.

Yup, there are way more good people in a crowd than bad. You just have to know how to deal with them

Everyone has different things that scare them. Sometimes it will be clowns, sometimes it is loud noises etc... At the haunt people usually will find at least one element to scare them. From an acting standpoint, the key is to just keep trying to see what works for different people.

When it's all over, what do you go back to? Fighting crime? Chip n dale? What kind of person becomes a haunted house actor, and who do you think should get into it?

Me personally, I am a college student and also work on the business side of the tattoo industry, that hasnt really stopped during the haunt season, October has just gotten really busy! We operate on an entirely volunteer basis, so anyone can be an actor with us! You do have to have a certain scare tolerance for loud noises, fake blood, strobe lights, etc... but really we have a wide variety of people working the haunt this year.

Where does your haunt rank on the top 10 in the U.S.? I only ask because I'm an actor at The Darkness in Missouri, and we're consistently top 5 and get paid, but I think the #1 haunt in the nation is volunteer, so it's interesting to see the difference between paid and volunteer haunts.

I really couldnt tell you man. We are super new, this is only our third year as a haunt. How did you guys do this season? I hear awesome things about the darkness. (charlie murphy)

I'm not sure where we've rated, but this was a great season so far, so much so that the owner of the big 3 haunts here is talking about maybe staying open all year.

that is really exciting. I would kill to be able to stay open all year! congrats!

Do you see yourself continuing in the haunted attractions business after college - you know as a pt/ft career or more as a hobby? And now you have me curious about your major in college - psychology? actuarial science? art? I'll share: psych undergrad (humanistic and bio-psych) and close to a master's in South Asian religion. There's some scary stuff in the so-called "left hand" Hindu and Buddhist "tantra" - totes serious - google "Aghora" by Robert Svabodha - you'll see.

At bare minimum a hobby, but honestly Gallows feels like a family. Neat major, I will look that stuff up.

hey there! Thanks for doing this AMA. I have always been interested in haunted houses, and I love going to them every year around halloween. I have a few questions:

• How do you get into this kind of work? I never see any type of job postings or calls for actors around my city. Do you have to know someone?
• What is the strangest/weirdest reaction you have ever gotten from someone in the crowd?
• Have you ever scared someone too much? If so, how was it handled?

No problem! 1) I got into this through my friends. I have a large theatre background and things just kind of fell together. I know every year though we do have open acting calls on facebook around september for both cast and crew! 2)Weirdest reaction has been trying to fight me. I will never understand the people who will shell out for VIP tickets to come in and try to be tough guys. 3) The bigger the reaction, the funnier it is. Last weekend I had a girl just drop right to the floor in the fetal position, so that was funny. The weekend before the I had a girl full on terror cry on me, like just give up and wait for death. Someone got a picture of it.....I might get it framed. http://imgur.com/t67UqRS

hah! That's fantastic! Thanks for the great responses :)

No problem! Come check out the Gallows if you ever get a chance

Did you give her hugs?

She wanted no part in a hug from me. And plus hugging really doesnt fit with my character. I'm not a nice clown.

The few haunted houses I have gone to have been with gfs etc so I was too busy being the macho-bf/dealing with the hysterical girl to get scared myself. Do you ever get people that want to go through it alone and how do they usually handle it?

We have tons of "single riders". You are put in a line with everyone else, and then are sent through the haunt with a group of 4-6. I love seeing the macho-bf types, as those are usually the best scares if you can get them to jump. (especially because you get to see the laughter and disappointment on their S/O's face)

Any reasoning for having them in a group? I just imagine being alone in a haunted house would be terrifying.

We have 2200+ come through every night we are open. So a lot of it is finding the optimal group size to ensure the shortest wait times possible for our guests through the night.

We had a "single rider" get added on to our group of 6 recently. We all were convinced he was a plant from the Haunt who was going to try to scare us in the dark. Turns out it was just some dude.

Thats hilarious. I hope everyone looked at him really shady eyed, and then he just like got in his car and left, wondering what the hell he was doing to be so awkward. You may have given that guy a complex! haha

Would you say that this is a pretty accurate article?
http://www.cracked.com/article_21402_4-ways-haunted-houses-are-even-creepier-behind-scenes.html

Do you get a bonus for inducing a pants-shitting?

Happy Cake Day! That article is actually surprisingly accurate. Backstage though our haunt is safe, marked exits, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, etc...So injuries happen from time to time with slider characters, but overall injuries are not super common. We do not get a pants shitting bonus, but we do keep score . This is after the first 2 weekends. The score is way higher now. http://i.imgur.com/dA8fNvR.jpg

Does that sign say that 3 people have died? Some people should not be attending haunted houses.... That or they want to get tips on haunting before they kick the bucket

That is how many years we have been open, "Dead" just fit with the theme a bit better haha.

Have 3 people died srsly?

Thats just the years we have been open, "Dead" just fit with the theme a bit better than "years open".

If there was just one thing you really needed for a haunted house, what would it be?

An effective haunted house is made up of a lot of different elements, the most important of which is the cast and crew. We have an absolutely all-star cast that puts in the effort and time to make sure that everyone who comes through the haunt has a great and unique experience.

Have you or anyone you work with been approached sexually? Not necessarily assaulted, but just come on to because the person transferred their fear into sexual attraction?

fear does take some strange forms. Some people are creeps, but thankfully out security staff is always there in case anyone gets out of hand. On a lighter note, I have gotten a phone number or two while in character, which we always think is really funny

Ever called any of those numbers? haha

;)

What's the best part of the job? And what can't you stand about it either?

The best part of the job is getting to interact with the crowd. Seeing people react to your character and the elements in the haunt that we work so hard on is just really rewarding. We work all year at the haunt to get it built, ready, and open, and so to see people come through and really enjoy themselves is fantastic. The only thing I would really say I cant stand is the contacts I wear for my character. After a long night, they can be really taxing to wear.

Are they full eye contacts? I really really want to get some, but they seem super uncomfortable and hard to get in... heh

I can see out of them, and they are shaped for my eye, but yes as someone who does not wear contacts normally, they take a bit to get used to, and get uncomfortable after wearing them for 5+ hours. On my eyes, the colored contacts just feel very "heavy"

What is the funniest reaction you've ever gotten/heard of to scaring someone?

Is there ever a point where someone is just so terrified that you've felt bad and backed off a bit?

Funniest reaction I have ever heard of would be a woman coming through a very tight section of the haunt, where you are very close to the actor in that spot, and getting so scared she drops to the ground in panic. So she stands back up still scared, gazing right at the actor, and her pants fall to the ground. So now the actor is face to face with a terrified pantsless, embaressed woman as she struggles to pull her pants back up and exit the room, all while begging jesus to save her.

The only time we will back off from people being scared are when parents bring their kids through with the "monster repelling necklace". With anything else, we go full bore and scare you as much as possible.

I'm just happy that somebody gets to say that they have literally scared the pants off of somebody.

You can hear that story and a few more on this episode of the podcast I do. Episode (47): The Spooky Bottom Boys, go check it out. I think a few other haunt war stories are told, we had a lot of fun with that episode http://christolertattoo.com/chattoo/

Has there ever been any violent reactions to you or others scaring someone?

Unfortunately yes, sometimes people do try and touch the performers, or get aggressive or violent. The majority of the time, alcohol is the cause of this, but whenever it happens we deal with it accordingly. We have a large security staff as well as a police presence at the haunt to ensure a safety of performers and guests alike.

As a follow up to this, if you want to hear a specific story of when someone got aggressive and tried to fight me in character, you can check out this episode of the podcast I also do. The story is in episode 49 "The Haunt For All October" http://christolertattoo.com/chattoo/

Would you have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids?

Well for a while we were stealing boats in the bay dressed as a green glowing deep sea diver, so that was shit when it didnt pan out. Then there was also having to recoup the sunk costs of designing and engineering multiple Space Kook costumes. TLDR: Jenkies.

Has anyone ever puked from being so scared?

absolutely. We have so many people Piss and Throwup from being scared. It happens on such a regular basis it is almost not funny. (it is always funny)

What do you have to do in the hiring process?

You have to have solid references from satan, that definitely helps. Lol. No but really it is all volunteer and we have an open casting call before the season starts (usually around august or september)

I have went through a few of these Haunted Houses and never really thought they were scary just startling. Is there anything in your act that truly amps up the terror?

We have everything from sensory deprivation to traditional cat scares. There is something for everyone to be scared of at the Gallows, which is one of the biggest reasons we have been voted Virginia's scariest haunt 2 years in a row now. We have so many people "Opt-Out" of the end sensory deprivation portion of the haunt, that it really is amazing. It is a truly fun, terrifying experience.

Nice thanks for the answer! The sensory deprivation would be quite scary.

No problem, thanks for checking out the gallows! Find us on facebook and throw us a like if you want to be super rad! https://www.facebook.com/GallowsFoundryofFear

What is sensory depreciation?

haha, a typo. *Sensory Deprivation

That's so cool.

1. How long does your makeup take? Do you do it yourself?

2. What kind of training did you get, or do they give you free rein?

Thanks!

1) I do my own makeup. We have a makeup staff that will do a lot of actors makeup at once, but for my character I wanted to go ahead and just learn to do it myself. It takes me a full hour to do the makeup, and another hour ish to put my hair up, contacts in, props checked, and costume on. 2)We give every actor training before the season starts. We give our actors guidelines of what to say (and what not to say and do). For the most part though it is free reign. My character entertains people in the parking lot, so for the most part what I do is improvisational based on the people in line. It is a lot of fun and I really enjoy getting able to think in my feet like that. It is the most interactive theatre work I have ever done.

Can you elaborate on "what not to say and do." I imagine there are liability issues here. What are the no-no's.

Groping, molesting, dealing with asshole customers, what you should do if you are ever touched, etc. It sounds like I am making a joke, but really the short hand version of this talk is the difference between "good touch" and "bad touch". We are allowed to touch our patrons at the haunt, so teaching our actors what that does (and doesnt) mean is key.

How long do you work, on average? Are there shifts? How do you get out of the Haunted House with others around?

the haunt is open from 7-midnight ish. So usually we are in character for around 6 hours. Actors in the haunt take bathroom and water breaks as needed, with others filling in quickly for them as they take breaks. The haunt is built with a few secret hallways, false doors, etc... so we can get in and out of any spot through the entire 10,000 squarefoot haunt very quickly.

Is the pay a bit decent?

It is all volunteer, we do it cause we love it, with the profit of the haunt going towards new props, security, insurance, etc...

Are there any specific themes or just concepts for a huanted attraction you'd like to work in you havn't had the chance to? Or, if you have, what was it?

I've always thought it would be really fun to have a common place, out of theme room in haunted house. Just to mess with people. Imagine you are going through a haunt, front room, clown room, dungeon, you go through a door....and its just a dentist waiting room. Fish tank, motivational posters, Highlights magazines on the table. There is one person in room, a secretary at her desk, just normal, she asks you to have a seat, you do, 45 seconds later she says "the dentist will see you now" and you go through a door, back to the theme of the haunt. I mean it is really funny, but would also be incredibly unsettling.

Has anyone ever had a heart attack at your haunted house?

A woman claimed she was having a heart attack last year, the haunt stops, actors all exited the haunt, and paramedics came in and got her. Turns out she was just afraid....in a haunted house....and made a scene. haha

Maybe she was just trying to scare you.

She got us good. I wasnt around for this incident last year, but apparently it was a whole lot of nonsense.

What is the worst injury you have gotten while on the job? Has anyone punched, kicked, or slapped you in reaction?

It got really close the other weekend. This is not a terrible injury, but it is really funny. So I made my costume, and part of it was to stress the fabric to make it look warn. I stressed the dress pants too much, and so every time I perform out there I rip them, which is why they are ductaped as such. haha. I mean it looks great with the character, so that ended up working out.

Thanks for doing this and for all of the awesome answers!

Has working in a haunted house desensitized you to them? Are you still able to enjoy them as a participant?

No problem, if people can take the time to comment I can take the time to answer! So being in a haunted house has desensitized me to our haunt def, I can walk through their with my eyes closed at this point, as it is all memorized, but we all do still enjoy other haunted houses. The haunt community tends to be close knit, so it is always fun when we can go and see what everyone else put together this year

Has anyone you've scared ever hit/attacked you?

My law enforcement boyfriend punched someone out of reflex once.

It has happened before, but not to me. The biggest thing I have to deal with is drunk tough guys who want to be clever. I have a few ways to deal with this, but the most effective really is humor, either genuine or mean spirited, but either way either they end up realizing they need to calm down, or the crowd of people laughing at them shames them into settling it down.

Isn't it fun?! I love doing this. How do I get an actual job around it?

Not sure how to get a paid position in one, and I think it would honestly largely depend on which haunted house you are looking to work at. But look at what haunted houses are around you, and then make contact with them!

Are there any pre-designed characters for the haunt, or is pretty much up to the actors to create their own?

I worked at a haunted corn maze back in college, and it was all up to us actors to create our own characters/costumes. The first few nights was kind of a random hodge-podge of characters, but by the end of the first week or so, we had all re-designed our characters to follow a certain theme/story, which we felt was more conducive to scaring people.

There is a central theme revolving around the Woodson family (a murderous family that lived in the hills around where the haunt is located now) This theme carries through the haunt with 2/3 characters being centrally involved in the theme. The other 1/3rd are supporting casts, people who operate drop panels (quick scares), and a few other odds and ends peices in the haunt. For example my character works really well and is very successful outside, (people seem to really dig it) so it is important to the haunt, but not really involved with the theme. Does that make sense?

What are the requirements to get a job like this? I am concerned that killers will want a job like this so they can murder people

You've found us out! haha. No man the requirements are that you are good around people, loud noises, dark spaces and some sort of theatre background doesnt hurt.

Whats the "E" stand for?

say the name out loud ;)

What is your character supposed to be? The nose makes you look like an evil clown but you said he wasn't . . .

Mr. E is a drunken undead clown. He isnt nice, and he doesnt have time or patience for your shit.

What is your earliest memory of being afraid? I'm curious how or if it influenced you to become the frightener (for lack of a better word).

And do you have any personal ghost stories?

I dont believe in ghosts (or really much of anything). My earliest memory of being afraid was probably exiting the line for the back to the future motion ride at Universal Studios when I was really young.

This sounds like so much fun! Any tips on where to get a job like this? Of course, it would only be during Halloween season but still... awesome!

Find a local haunted house near you and reach out. This really is a ton of fun!

Ive had this question for a bit about working a haunted houses. You may know but it may very per haunted place. When is the time to start looking for these jobs. Ive wanted to work at a haunted house for a while but never know when the start hiring/rehearsing. Should I start looking for these jobs a month or 2 in advance or in the beginning of october? Ive always wondered because you dont normally hear about them being open until its already October and you dont tend to hear about them for the rest of the year.

The best way to work at a haunt is to talk to the staff of that in particular haunt. These operations are huge, year round affairs, even though we are only open in October. Find what haunt you are interested in working at, and see what their policy is. If you were to come up to me and say, how do you I get involved next year, I would say to take my information, and contact me in september, or just watch the Gallows facebook for when we start posting about casting calls. For the most part, these haunts are not a huge secret society, and we invite anyone to come out and be a part of the fun. Hope that helps, the haunt has been one of the best experiences of my life, (both on and off the stage), so I cant encourage you enough to go out and get involved in one. Really, it is a ton of fun.

Thank you very much. I just always wondered how to get involved and when the best time to contact the places would be. I will defiantly have to contact some people Ive always thought it sounded really fun to do.

absolutely. If you are in VA come out to the gallows next year, if not, like I said look at what haunts are around, and talk to the crew there and see the best way to get involved! The best time is anytime between February and November, but contact them anytime, like I said building and maintaining these sorts of attractions are a year round thing

Any interesting stories that revolve around drunk assholes?

So if you are really interested, these stories are best told vocally, and you can check them out on Episode (49): The Haunt For All October http://christolertattoo.com/chattoo/

Episode (47) also has a few I think!

How long have you been working at Gallows? Did you have a different role in the haunt when you first started? (ie being an actor in the house as opposed to at the entrance?

This is actually my first year! I started out helping with construction (around April), realized I loved being involved with the gallows team, it quickly turned into me wanting to perform (I have a pretty extensive public speaking and theatre background) and we were able to craft a character around that. I am quick on my feet, and great with people, so outside is def where I want to be. Allows for a bit more of a dynamic performance if that makes any sense at all. Inside performers almost work as a team with the other actors in their specific rooms, so repetition is key because it gives the other actors the ability to consistently play off your performance in the same way.

Do you think you're going to do it again next year? You seem to love it!

This is something I plan on doing in some capacity for the rest of my life.

Do you have a SAG card... Or are you eligible for one after working a haunted house?

I dont have one, and Im pretty sure we are not eligible for them, I will check though, would love to say I have on haha

I'm guessing you have to be 18?

At some haunts yes, at Gallows we allow those under 18 to participate as actors with their parents consent. There is a liability waiver they sign and such.

Have you ever been assaulted by a "victim"? In other words, has someone ever freaked out and punched you?

Not me personally, but it has happened to others on the staff. Occupational hazzard I suppose.

I'm afraid to go to a Haunted House out of the fear, I may strike one of you. Has anything like that happened to you?

Not to me personally, but that reaction isnt uncommon.

How can I work there?

Go follow the facebook page and watch close to september for the open casting call. https://www.facebook.com/GallowsFoundryofFear?ref=br_tf

Do you have a review on your states haunt website? I'm from a haunt that was rated number 1 in Illinois for a few weeks last year, pretty good reviews too but we don't have the thousands of dollars to spend on set design like catacomb walls or giant animatronics, that's our only bummer.

Also, I can't quite make out what your character is or does. Any info on the story of Mr e?

ScremFreaks and HauntWorld.

I've always wondered, is the pterodactyl screech a thing over there? I've worked at four haunts here in Texas, and every single one of them used the sound as not only a scaring tactic, but a heads up to the actors in the next room that a group was on their way.

haha we have a few tips and tricks we do. The scream is def one of them! Good to hear from another haunter! Did you guys have a good season?

You said you were a college student. Since the house is in Christiansburg, can I safely say go Hokies?

Invent the future, baby!

Nice. I'm personally loyal to VCU, but I'll always root for VT over UVA!

This years game is going to be close, we are pretty terrible.

I still remember a cartoon last year that showed two beat up VT and UVA players fighting over a cup of water labeled "Commonwealth Cup". Guess it hasn't changed.

At the local dive bar we go to, after the game last year, the common wealth cup got passed around and everyone drank beer out of it.

Do any amputees work at your haunted house as scare actors?

If so, do you think that kind of thing is common/rare at all? Did they attend an audition on their own accord, did someone from the house ask them to work there, was an ad placed asking for amputees, or did someone who worked there just spot one of the street and politely make an offer? Do they seem to enjoy it, or are they probably just doing it for the money? I've always wondered about that sort of thing.

Amputee scares are always great, as long as it isnt exploitative. But no we do not do that at Gallows currently

What makes something like that exploitative or non-exploitative, demeaning or non-deameaning? How would an employer/organizer know? Is it entirely up to how the actor feels? How should employers/organizers handle amputees and other disabled people in jobs that take advantage of their appearance? And is finding amputees etc. for things like that difficult? I'd be too terrified of offending or exploiting someone to hire someone like that for that kind of thing.

I suppose it would be up to the actor to decide that

Have you or any of your compatriots ever caused someone to go into labor? In your last pic where is your Defication? or your Vomit? Just curious. I read more comments, Still want to know if your cause birth? that is my high watermark at this point.

Yes, 9 months prior though.

Can you describe your favorite section of the haunted house? Also, which one is the scariest to you? Do you ever get startled or creeped out while working there by the sounds/music/atmosphere?

My favorite section is the end of the haunt. Where the focus is on sensory deprivation. I cant say too much about it, other than 1/6 people through "opts out" and takes the lame way out. By far and away the most terrifying part of the haunt. Being at the haunt for a while, you get used to things popping out at you, blood, gore etc. It is all pretty run of the mill now. I can have a chainsaw rev behind me without so much a blink, just because of how often we hear that sound

How can I get a year 'round job in the haunt industry? Doesn't have to be an actor, could be a designer or something similarly creative.

What we do now is year round, but it is based on volunteer work. To get paid im not really sure

I went to an event in Toronto with haunted mazes, didn't sleep well after. Do you ever scare someone so much you feel bad for them?

Nope, we love what we do and take pride in it. The bigger the scare the better

How many spooky skeletons do you have in the haunted house?

too many.