Practical and Theatrical Scare Acting

One thing you can count on every year (sometimes every night) is the problematic guests that will come through your haunt. Talk to any veteran scare actor and they will immediately give you a list of people that have ticked them off, and they have some very colorful language to describe them. Not surprisingly the stories are often similar too. Some people think that spending money at a haunt gives them license to be rude to the actors and staff, some are already rude before they come in and it's just how they are. The problem is often twofold because these people will frustrate scare actors and staff in addition to being a general nuisance to other guests.  Sadly, there is enough of these common complaints that I was able to compile a list of the most common offenders and how to deal with them. Rather than create a novel so long that Stephen King would be impressed, I'm going to do a series of posts on the different types of guests and how to respond accordingly. This is the s...

One thing you can count on every year (sometimes every night) is the problematic guests that will come through your haunt. Talk to any veteran scare actor and they will immediately give you a list of people that have ticked them off, and they have some very colorful language to describe them. Not surprisingly the stories are often similar too. Some people think that spending money at a haunt gives them license to be rude to the actors and staff, some are already rude before they come in and it's just how they are. The problem is often twofold because these people will frustrate scare actors and other staff in addition to being a general nuisance to other guests.  Sadly, there is enough of these common complaints that I was able to compile a list of the most common offenders and how to deal with them. Rather than create a novel so long that Stephen King would be impressed, I'm going to do a series of posts on the different types of guests and how to respond accordingly. This is...

Working in a haunt is incredibly fun, it's also incredibly exhausting. It's perfectly reasonable to expect the first person passing through the door to get the same show as the last group through at the end of the night. They all pay the same amount of money after all. This simply won't happen if all the scare actors are completely exhausted before the night is over. There are more than a few suggestions on how to make it through the night and/or through the season. Unfortunately some of the advice out there is horribly, horribly wrong and even good advice is often debated. I have compiled a list of techniques used by the pros, and some are based on actual Doctor's medical advice. So please give them all serious consideration since Doctors have years of schooling to educate them on how to keep you from dying, and your buddy handing you an energy drink probably doesn't. Bruh, we were totally fierce for that first hour. Don't Stay Thirsty my friends ...

Auditioning for a scare actor position at your favorite haunt is exciting but can also be an anxiety producing experience.  Having nerves before an audition is perfectly normal, even for experienced pros. The best way to avoid the nerves is to be prepared. I've compiled a list of suggestions that will help increase your odds of getting the part with the least amount of stress. 1. Dress appropriately  - Seems like a basic idea, but for a scare actor audition it can be critical to dress appropriately. Most auditions will have you moving around and clothing that is restrictive can really work against you. Wear clothing and shoes that are comfortable and allow you to have a full range of movement. A lot of people will show up to auditions in costume, which is typically fine because it shows enthusiasm. But you probably shouldn't do it unless they specifically ask for it. Plus you don't want to go overboard and give the impression that you would creep out your fellow scare act...

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 hum...

We get a lot of new scare actors every year at  A Petrified Forest  and a good percentage of them pick it up quickly and do a great job. Unfortunately you can't always train people to the extent you want in the time you have allotted to train them. This is where many haunters discover that people don't all have the common sense you expect them to have and realize too late that some things (they didn't think they needed to teach) should have been taught. Here is a list of do's and don'ts that most Haunts follow. Some are from personal experience and some I've learned from others in the industry. Some will not apply based on the Haunt you are working in, but most are generally expected wherever you work. I'm going to list the Don'ts first because they're more important in my opinion. It's my blog don't judge me. Don'ts NEVER say "get out" or anything similar to a guest. It sounds incredibly unprofessional. If they aren...

Why am I a scare actor? I love doing it and it's changed my life in a very real and literal sense. The funny thing is that I happened into it entirely by accident, or divine intervention. This is a long story and I've tried to shorten it, but you can't just jump into it without a little background information. I may joke around a lot, and I know I will never be accused of being the quiet one at my haunt, but when it comes to sharing my feelings, it’s actually quite difficult for me. The humor is more of a self-defense than a need to be comical; I’m very apprehensive about sharing my feelings and always afraid I’ll be hurt if I let people know my weaknesses and fears. Being funny relaxes people and it also keeps them at a safe distance too. That's why showing my honest feelings about scare acting is actually quite difficult. I intentionally don’t tell people at A Petrified Forest my story for quite some time, because I wanted them to see me as I am now, not what...