Practical and Theatrical Scare Acting

One thing that's important to scare acting is understanding your part in the bigger picture. Some actors don't want to look beyond their own role, or worse consider themselves the "stars" of the haunt. The thing they're lacking is a proper perspective on the haunt and the actor's role in it.  So here we go with a valuable lesson on perspective: Haunts are about the guests Some actors think of their character and their set and don't care about anything going on around them. They want to have their character perform their way, regardless of what they've been told. The term that is often used in the industry for these people is a "boo". This is not a term of endearment like "bae", it's intent is to point out that the scare actor will never be more than someone who just jumps out and goes "boo". My point here is not to make fun of them. In fact, I firmly believe that most scare actors can do a great job if properly tra...

Scare acting, just like any job, is something that most people will want to get better at every year.  When I first got into scare acting I started doing research on scare acting techniques, haunted attractions, why people go to them, and how the brain actually reacts to being scared.  If you're the type of person that can't drive a fast car without wanting to look under the hood, to see what makes it run so fast, then you'll understand where I'm coming from.  I'm sharing what I have learned and experienced because I hope it will be interesting and helpful to other haunt addicts like myself. So here we go: Brain Matters The thing that really piqued my interest early into my scare acting career is how the brain actually handles fear. There are many different reactions people get when they're scared. Some people scream or run, others seem ready to take a swing at you and some just freeze in their tracks. This is a result of the fight or flight reflex.  But it also...

As with most lists, for every ten items that you think of someone else will think of another completely different set of items. After my last Do's and Don'ts  list I kept running into situations, and given suggestions, where I realized there was more than enough material for a second list. It's a sad fact that common sense is not as  common as you would expect, and sometimes things haunts didn't think they needed to teach, should have been taught. Here is a list of additional Do's and Don'ts that are common to most Haunts. Some are from personal experience and some I've learned from my peers in the haunt industry. Some will not apply based on the Haunt you are working in or the role you play, but most are generally expected wherever you work. Don't trust a Mime. It's the quiet ones you've got to watch. Don'ts Don't Scream in someone's ear - Any loud noise, screaming, whistles or horns next to a guest's ear is not scary, it'...

One of the first and most important steps when becoming a scare actor is determining what type of role works best for you. Typically, the haunt runner or cast director will actually determine what role is the right fit, sometimes as early as when you audition for the part. Actors will typically be drawn to certain types of role and are better at some than others. Knowing what works best for you is important, both for you and the haunt (or haunts) you work for. As far as the actor training aspect goes, the actor's role is also important to distinguish. For example, advice for someone who works a queue line might be of no use to someone who is scaring on a set.  Sadly, Teen Vogue doesn't have a quiz for this one. There is an abundance of good information scattered around the internet  about scare acting . Unfortunately, one of the most frustrating issues is how often the terminology is different depending on the author of the site. Specifically, there is no universally accept...

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 ...

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...