Haunted house acting tips

Haunted house acting tips

You may know them as the deranged clown, the mad scientist, or that guy with the chainsaw who won’t stop chasing gaggles of shrieking girls down a dimly lit hallway. But behind the fake blood spatters and caked-on makeup. They’re just regular people trying to have some fun while making money. To find out what it takes to be professionally terrifying. We spoke with three people who served as “scare-actors” and lived to tell the tale. Here are some tips for people with little or no acting experience who find themselves with responsibility for playing parts in them. Haunted house acting tips

1) Know your part

Many small haunts do not have professional actors. Here are some tips for people with little or no acting experience who find themselves with responsibility for playing parts in them.

2) Stay in character

Your haunt may or may not have a script, and your director may or may not need you to stick closely to it. There is usually room for ad-lib, in fact, it almost always necessary to deviate a little from the written lines as you react to guests who may talk back to you or move slower or faster than you expect through your room. Spend some time thinking about your character, and contemplating how you need to act to be convincing in that role

3) Timing is everything

You have an important job to do. Your job is to scare people. Your job is to make grown men cry and teach little kids that haunted houses are not for bedwetters. Nothing ruins a good scare faster than having an actor “drop character” and suddenly be a smiling, good-natured, oh-sorry-I-startled-you guy in a rubber mask. Remember, these people came here to be scared, and if you don’t scare them you aren’t doing your job and they aren’t getting what they paid for.

4) Stay in your room

If you need to pop out of a corner and yell to give people a scare. It’s not going to work if they’re still coming in the door at the other end of the room or if they’ve already moved on to the next. Understand what you need to do and be sure to do it at the right time to get the biggest scare.

5) Don’t touch the guests

You don’t know the people who are coming through your haunt and they don’t know you. Even if they do. They will high on adrenaline and (if you are doing your job) more than a little freaked out. An unexpected grab or touch can result in a fight-or-flight reaction that can endanger yours and the guest’s safety. Also, if you grab or touch someone the wrong way. There can be legal implications of assault. Your attraction should have signs posted advising the quests not to touch the actors, and the actors should all understand not to touch the guests.