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This Halloween season I had the opportunity to work as an actor at Burial Chambers Haunted House Complex in Neenah, WI. In previous years, I’ve volunteered at a local haunted hayride; however, I never committed to working every weekend. This past season I worked from the last weekend of September until the first weekend of November.
Believe it or not, I don’t celebrate Halloween (except going to the store on November 1st to get the discounted candy)! I rarely watch scary movies. At this point, you’re probably thinking, “If you don’t celebrate the holiday, why would you dress up every weekend to scare people?” Honestly, I don’t know why I choose to be an actor, but as I look back, I don’t regret one moment of it!
For that reason, I would tell anyone to work at a haunted house, even if it’s just for one season.
Here are 6 reasons why you should consider working at a haunted house:
Learn how to play a character or a specified role.
Implement creativity.
This comes into play while designing a costume.
Understand people.
You have to evaluate and understand the movement and actions of people in order to scare them.
Be flexible.
You must utilize instant customer feedback to tailor your acting to customers. Depending on the time of day and weekend you experience different groups of people that you must read properly and adjust to.
Understand your limits and how to pace yourself.
If you have to scare three days in a row, what are you going to do on the first day, so you don’t lose your voice by the third day?
Develop another family.
Even if you don’t like scary movies or Halloween, you’ll still find common interests between you and your coworkers.
Consequently, I encourage you to work at a haunted house because it will help you grow as an individual and team member. You’ll work on pushing your limits in a fast-paced fun work environment. You never know what’ll jump out at you when you’re an actor at a haunted house!
Acknowledgements:
- The makeup artists, for doing a fantastic job
- Brody Frost, my fantastic co-worker
- Carolann Workentine, my amazing team lead
Enjoy these images of my costume from each night.
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