I’ve never been through a haunted house. The scariest movie I’ve ever watched is The Ring from 2002. I do enjoy a good thriller novel, but I’m quick to scream when someone appears around a corner too quickly.
You might think that’s pretty normal—except that every October my friends and family know I disappear into haunt season to run spooky experiences for scare-lovers. I’ve worked in haunts that run through greenhouses, shipping containers, actual corn mazes, forests, and fields. Each one is different, but the goal is always the same: to bring guests into a different world, just for a little while.
It’s been a decade (plus) since someone first asked me to manage a haunted experience, and I’m still doing it, having carved a niche out in a small industry full of weirdos like me. I’ve managed hundreds of haunt staff and watched thousands of guests scream and then laugh at themselves. I’ve painted dozens of tombstones, lost too many pairs of pants to fake blood spills to count, and spent a lot of time in strobe lights.
Here’s what I’ve learned along the way and the most common questions I get, answered.
How do you design the scariest ones? Are there storylines to the haunts, and if so, who writes them?
When people ask us this as they enter or exit, my quick answer is that usually I don’t sleep much, or I have a lot of nightmares. While both those things are true, it’s actually from thinking about what’s classically scary—and using that theme to inspire a cohesive story. Yes, the best haunts have storylines! You might not engage with the whole tale, or even catch that parts of it exist, but a more cohesive experience comes from a narrative. From character names (even though they never introduce themselves) to easter eggs in scenes or sets, we use the storyline to pull guests into the peaks and valleys that come with being terrified.
I’ve worked at three different outdoor haunts, all with completely different styles of collaboration when it comes to how the stories are written. In my current haunt, we discuss themes and stories as a small group of four, and then the actual characters and scenes are written and designed by our lead storyteller.
How does a haunt being outdoors play a role in how it operates?
Being outdoors adds a lot of complexity to the behind-the-scenes operations—we have to account for weather (yes, we run rain or shine or snow!), we get to take real fields, trees, and raccoon pals into account, and our actors might need to wear a lot of layers to stay warm. In my current haunt, we also have to handle getting power to our props, lights, and sound systems. We usually do this with car batteries or banked solar power connections.
From a guest perspective, being outdoors adds a level of “creep” that I don’t think can be truly replicated indoors. Are those shadows being cast by the real wind through the trees, or is there someone lurking there? Is that noise in the field a raccoon, or a zombie waiting to pop out and scare you?
While it’s certainly more challenging, I’ve been “Team Outside” for more than a decade—I wouldn’t want to run an indoor haunt!
How long does it take the average performer to get into costume and makeup?
The perception that makeup has to be intricate for haunt actors is actually a misconception. Remember, most haunts take place in near-darkness, so fine details on makeup won’t show up well. The best haunt makeup I’ve seen uses dark smudges to portray dirt or dishevelment, or spots of fake blood highlighted to really bring an actor’s features into the story. On average, I’d say it’s maybe a 15-minute job to get makeup-ready. For us, our actors might also need multiple layers to stay warm, rain gear to stay somewhat dry, boots for the dirt and mud paths in the spaces we use, or even hats and gloves! Being outside means the costume doesn’t matter nearly as much as how an actor can make you feel when you interact with them.
How scripted is everything?
If you’re familiar with theater at all, haunt acting is like performing the same show every 12 minutes for 4 hours, to an entirely new audience every time. Plus, the audience might be cold, obnoxious, scared, intoxicated, and overwhelmed (some of those things are the goal!). Because the interaction with the people in front of you can be different from group to group, or because you’re only interacting with them for anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, we rely heavily on suggestive scripting rather than set dialogue. Actors might be given key words to share or use, like “They’re coming …” or “Can you see him?” rather than a direct line to include.
What are the rules around actor-visitor interaction? Like, can they touch you?
This will depend on your region, but where I work in Ontario, Canada, our actors can’t touch the guests. I actually tell my teams to make sure they stay “punching distance away” from the customers—when people are scared, they might react chaotically, and we don’t want anyone to get hurt. There are some haunts that rely on touch scares, but you can do so much more to be scary without actually touching someone.
For our guests, we ask visitors not to touch our actors. I’ve been with some haunts that encourage filming, and some that don’t, so cell phone use varies. It’s the same with flashlight use. Wherever you go, follow the instructions given to you before you enter the experience.
Where do you manage from while the haunt is in action?
One of my favorite set-ups was a haunt made from a series of shipping containers. One container was designed like a master control—night vision security cameras, override triggers for lights and sound—it was a good way to puppeteer the magic that happens.
Oftentimes I manage from hidden staff “hallways,” tucked behind hay bales or strategically placed fences, or from corners in the shadows. Guests almost never see me, but the actors know I’m always watching!
Do they remove the chains from chainsaws?
Always! At least in Ontario, this is a must. Who doesn’t love a good chainsaw scare? You don’t need the actual chains to make the terrifying noise; it’s all about how the actor handles the chainsaw, using it to be threatening and loud while still being safe. The same logic applies to anything you might see like machetes, axes, or pipes: while they might be real, they would typically have dulled blades or be used by well-trained actors who make sure our guests could never come into real harm.
Have you ever snuck in a stint as a performer?
Heck no! I’m a stage manager and storyteller, not a performer. In ten years, I’ve only been caught “on stage” a handful of times and typically just played dead or pulled all my hair down in front of my face and groaned.
Do you have different versions for audiences of different ages?
Most haunts are short-term setups, with limited resources. We need dozens of actors to really do a great job, and because of that speed-show mindset (remember, every 12 minutes!), we’re limited in how much we can expect a team to adjust to a younger audience. It would also be next to impossible to change our lighting, sets, or special effects to be less scary. Amusement parks have started to use a “don’t scare me” light-up wand or necklace to give the actors an indication to bring down the intensity level, but this can make it very challenging for mixed groups or for less experienced actors to adjust to in the moment.
I have, however, seen some success in operating a few pre-opening time slots, where it might be daylight and without actors, so the scaredy-cats could venture through and enjoy the scenes, lights, and effects.
Do you ever have to stop a haunt because someone gets too scared? Is there a protocol to escort people “to safety?”
I’ve (knock on wood) never had to stop a haunt outright for safety purposes, but I have had to escort folks out for any number of reasons. Either they got too scared, or they were too unruly and our team asked us to remove them. I’ve also “followed” a lot of groups through haunts, as a sort of warning level before removing them from the experience outright.
When people get too scared—we’re talking full panic attacks, meltdowns, or frozen-in-fear reactions—I’ve always trained actors to stop their scare immediately. They know to go from “Zombie One” to “Joe” quickly, remove all indications of threat or fear, and introduce themselves as a real person. This helps the terrified customer know that they’re in a safe place. Teams will typically then radio for assistance, and I get the fun job of calming folks down and making them laugh as I walk them back to the real world. Sometimes this walk back is just as terrifying for the customer, since we’re still outdoors in the haunt environment.
Why won’t you visit haunts for fun yourself?
I’m too terrified! I love the immersive experience a haunt brings, but I hate being startled or scared. It’s a running joke that my teams know not to spook me when I’m out in the experience checking on them.
Happy haunt season, everyone! Go find a spooky spot near you and do what I’m too afraid to do … get scared!
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