Scare Acting 101: Using your words to get the scare

My first love of scare acting (besides simply scaring people senseless) is interaction with guests as my character. Half of them are completely shocked that you responded to something they said. Simply put, being able to improvise your lines and respond to guests in character is a challenge but can make for a great scare.

Why talking can actually be a terrible idea

Some haunts have strict policies against any of their characters talking, there is a very good argument for this. Guests, in a sense, often see actors as "props" in the haunt. They know the actors are alive but they tend to dehumanize them. This makes sense because actors don't typically "look" human while they're in character. Most importantly, you really want them to not see you as human.

You are asking them to suspend their disbelief and assume, while they are in your haunt, that they are in some kind of real danger. If not done properly, improvising or even talking in general, can humanize you and make you seem less threatening. Worse yet, it take the guest out of the scare by realizing there is no perceived threat.

A mime is a terrible thing to waste

So this means if you are going to do it, don't bother unless you know (beyond a shadow of a doubt) that you are going to increase their fear, not diminish it. This is not something that new scare actors should be doing until they have some experience. This is only for experienced scare actors who know the pitfalls of talking to guests and can avoid them.

There are a few golden rules that should always be followed:

• Never promise something you can't deliver - It's really easy to say "I am going to kill you" or "I'm going to eat your face" but what do you do when the guest turns to you and says "Go right ahead"? You can't kill them or eat their face no matter how tempting it may be. It's an easy fix, by simply changing it to "I want to..."  

• Never ask a question unless you are prepared for a response - When you ask a question you are literally inviting the guest to respond. I hear the cliche phrases all of the time in haunts like "what are you doing here?" "where are you going?". If you ask a question you better be prepared for a response because many people will answer you. If you stare at them dumbfounded and can't think of a reply, you just took that entire group out of the haunt.

• Never use cliched overused phrases -  Avoid the old overused expressions that have been used to death. If you walk through a haunt and hear "Get out" multiple times, you're going to want to, but not because you're scared. Same with phrases like "fresh meat", "what are you doing here" "you're going to die" etc. 

• Be Memorable - Remember at the end of the day, you are an entertainer. Saying something different and memorable (even if it's funny and not just scary) will leave an impression on the guest or entire group. 

Improv, it's not just for comedy troops

So, after reading those warnings, if you still want talking scare actors, here are a few of the things I've picked up during my time scare acting. These are both from personal experience and some advice from people who have a lot more experience than I do.

• Give your character a name (if they don't already have one). This is handy for a couple of reasons. It makes your character more personal and, honestly, it's convenient for referring to the character in the future. 

• Give your character a personality. Are they angry, hungry, or a political activist? You made a back story, now create a personality. Knowing how they would react is incredibly important to improvising as that character. When a guest approaches would you attack, try to eat them or try to force political flyers at them telling them they need to vote for Satan, or worse an actual politician?

• Always interact as your character, not yourself. Think of what they would say in a situation. If someone says "you're not scary" don't respond with "screw you, I even created a backstory for this character!" say what your character would say, like "we can talk about it later when you get home, I'll be under your bed." 

• Don’t just be a mannequin in make-up, you are not a prop, Your haunt could have used animatronics if they wanted that effect, go ahead and create a character. Most of the scare actors I know create a complete back story for the character they are playing. It's incredibly helpful to play a character if you know all about them. This is a very effective character development exercise, even if you don't have a speaking role. To be fair this does not mean taking it to an extreme and asking for useless details and your character's motivation. For example, if you are a zombie your motivation is brains not world domination. 

• Consider their posture, demeanor, voice and accent of your character and stay with it. If you move around on your set, always think about how your character will move. If you're out of your spot, walk back in character. It also helps you stay in character because you never know if a guest is close and you just can't see them. So, if you're a zombie, no twerking between groups. Actually, you probably shouldn't twerk period, lambada is better for haunts.  

My favorite trick to making improvisation easier 

The best trick I have learned about improvising your lines may seem a little bit contradictory but bare with me and I will explain.

Always try to plan ahead for your improvised lines.

Yes, this seems like it's the same as respond to your spouse saying "Honey, we should be more spontaneous" with "yes we should plan to be spontaneous" but it's not the same (and you won't get the same disappointed look from your spouse when you say it either).

I hope you own a comfortable sofa

The idea is to think about your character and surroundings and think about what people might say to you ahead of time.  

Sure you might already have your lines, but what about responses to guests? Brainstorm about what people might say to you, and think of some good responses that your character could say. You can get your director and/or cast mates to help with this too. Having several good responses "at the ready" to common things guests say can help you respond quickly and with the impact you are looking for.

Also, take notes at the close of the haunt every night. Sometimes you get a comment that you would love to have a good comeback for but couldn't think of one at the time. I've honestly had that happen a few times myself. Nothing stings worse than thinking of a great comeback after they've left your set. Think of great response and use it on the next person who says it. Because no matter how original and funny some people think they are, most of the time someone has already thought of the same thing and already said it. You will have your revenge, even if it's the second guy who says it.

I would also suggest having some that you can use that don't address them directly but will mess with them none the less. That would be the "you smell different when you're awake" and the "you have great hair, I can't wait to wear it" types of comments that tend to wreck people.

I hope this was informative and at least a little humorous too, I would appreciate your comments and input. Happy Haunting! 

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Kenneth Leary is the author of Practical and Theatrical Scare Acting. He has worked in in the haunt industry since 2012 and is a year round student of scare acting and haunting in general. The purpose of this blog is to help others benefit from his research and experience in a humorous and informative way. He can be contacted at ken_leary@outlook.com for questions and comments. He doesn't get paid for this, so he's not too full of himself yet and will be happy to talk to you.