As most of you know from a couple of my posts from last year, I am an actor/breaker at the Factory of Terror Haunted House in Canton, Ohio. I looove my job there! I get paid to scare people all night! It's a complete blast.
The Factory of Terror in Canton, Ohio holds the 2010-2011 Guiness Book of World Records for the longest Haunted House in the World!
This is my third year working at the Factory of Terror (F.O.T), so I've spent a lot of hours (over 250 actually!) inside the haunt, a lot of time scaring people, and a lot of time observing the people who walk through. It is because of all this observing, and knowing how a haunted house works, that I decided to write; "How to Make the Most of the Haunted House Experience!" How to have a great time, be safe, and not bother other customers!
Me at this year's Factory of Terror Haunted House
#1. Go into it with the right mindset.
I can definitely tell the difference between a group of people who are coming through with the mindset, "This isn't real, it's not scary, I'm not scared." And the group of people who get all excited, even though they know it's not real (obviously!), and come through with a good, and excited attitude. The good attitude group has SO much more fun than the other group! Even if they're not terrified, if I scare them, they'll jump or scream, then they'll smile and say "That was awesome!" and continue on their way! The group with the bad attitude, just walks through not even trying to get in the spirit of things, and gets mad when they do get scared!
Just go into it with the right mindset. You came here to have a good time didn't you? So don't go into it as a grumpy pants!
#2. Don't walk too fast.
Sometimes I'll have people walk through my room so fast, that I don't even have a chance to jump out and scare them! If you're walking so fast that you can't even see the different set-up of the rooms (which are AWESOME!), or get scared in every room, that's no fun!
#3. Don't walk too slow.
I know we've all had the experience of going to a Haunted House, and halfway through, getting stuck behind a slow group. It's the worst; you're forced to walk super slow behind a group of people that you don't know, and worst of all, they get all the scares!
So be courteous and don't walk so slow that you back up the whole house.
#4. Get lost in your imagination!
When you go to a haunted house, you will have a much more enjoyable experience if you let your imagination go wild! Really get lost in your imagination, and the scenes created for you in the haunt! It really is a whole experience, so get into it! It is SO much more fun!
and finally
#5. Don't be rude.
To the groups in front of you, the groups behind you, or the actors! You are paying us to scare you, so why would you get angry at us when we do our job?! Most nights we see over 2,000 people walk through, so trust me, we have heard every obnoxious, rude, and disgusting comment you could think of. Just play nice, we're all trying to have a good time! (:
I can definitely tell the difference between a group of people who are coming through with the mindset, "This isn't real, it's not scary, I'm not scared." And the group of people who get all excited, even though they know it's not real (obviously!), and come through with a good, and excited attitude. The good attitude group has SO much more fun than the other group! Even if they're not terrified, if I scare them, they'll jump or scream, then they'll smile and say "That was awesome!" and continue on their way! The group with the bad attitude, just walks through not even trying to get in the spirit of things, and gets mad when they do get scared!
Just go into it with the right mindset. You came here to have a good time didn't you? So don't go into it as a grumpy pants!
#2. Don't walk too fast.
Sometimes I'll have people walk through my room so fast, that I don't even have a chance to jump out and scare them! If you're walking so fast that you can't even see the different set-up of the rooms (which are AWESOME!), or get scared in every room, that's no fun!
#3. Don't walk too slow.
I know we've all had the experience of going to a Haunted House, and halfway through, getting stuck behind a slow group. It's the worst; you're forced to walk super slow behind a group of people that you don't know, and worst of all, they get all the scares!
So be courteous and don't walk so slow that you back up the whole house.
#4. Get lost in your imagination!
When you go to a haunted house, you will have a much more enjoyable experience if you let your imagination go wild! Really get lost in your imagination, and the scenes created for you in the haunt! It really is a whole experience, so get into it! It is SO much more fun!
and finally
#5. Don't be rude.
To the groups in front of you, the groups behind you, or the actors! You are paying us to scare you, so why would you get angry at us when we do our job?! Most nights we see over 2,000 people walk through, so trust me, we have heard every obnoxious, rude, and disgusting comment you could think of. Just play nice, we're all trying to have a good time! (:
I know that this is the 2012 trailer, but it is so awesome! Check it out and see how amazing F.O.T is! You can see me at :56, and 1:26, and above!
Peace Love and Haunted Houses
Jess <3
