I Was A Haunted House Actor

[@hootsyoutube]

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[@Ancusohm]

Oh, this looks interesting. Thank you.

[@Whosaskin]

you send abroad?

[@Somebodyherefornow]

i can comment for the algorithm

[@MrPiccoloku]

McKamey "Manor" sounds like something it's run by and for people who wanted to be police officers but couldn't hold a gun properly tbh. "Your job is to T-word people who don't know who you are and can't legally fight back, because we schmoozed them into agreeing to it" The fact that enough people know about this that there's mainstream news articles talking about him (And he doesn't have a v-word monopoly) makes me wonder how he isn't doing life or in an unmarked grave somewhere. Has he at least been successfully sued?

[@ajplays-gamesandmusic4568]

"If you wouldn't do it to a barista, don't do it to a mask wearing chainsaw operator". TBH, the kind of person who would assault a haunted house actor, would probably assault a barista.

[@drrydog]

I do a lot of things.. with this barista I know

[@katiek2615]

As someone who has had both jobs you are pretty on the money.

[@fenrir3934]

Yeahhhh. I actually got punched in the face by another actor first(total accident, they messed up on their choreography), then nearly assaulted by a guest the same night. Then I became a barista and it's about the same experience lmfaoo.

[@newst1179]

I am both a barista AND a scare actor and this is accurate.

[@Ketutar]

If you wouldn't do it to the President, to your parent, to your teacher, to your doctor, to your boss, to your [insert anyone you respect], don't do it to anyone else either. Unless you have a clear, explicit understanding and consent of all parts included.

[@aurafluff]

I'm a person who hates being startled and feeling like a stranger is going to touch me so I never go to haunts, it makes me wish that there was more of a "cowards tour" kinda option where you could walk through the themed environments and see the actors costumes and ask them about the inspiration for their characters without getting jumped out at or like purposefully scared. ^^" I really respect all the work and passion that goes into scare attractions though! (Even if I'm not built for them haha)

[@hootsyoutube]

Honestly Halloween events like hay rides and corn mazes might be better for you!!

[@aurafluff]

@@hootsyoutube I'm planning on going to some corn mazes this fall, I'm so excited for that! :) (I'm a big haunted mansion fan as well so I loved that you mentioned it, I also get startled by the tombstone zombies lol)

[@sorryoutlandish]

i felt ya. i have some heavy trauma from my past that’s made real-life horror experiences almost unbearable. i can’t do events like halloween horror nights or even haunted houses. even though i know i’m not in any real danger, it’s like my brain refuses to believe it. my bf taking me to halloween horror nights when we first started dating… did not end pretty. we’re still together btw but let me just say that i was a sobbing hyperventilating mess. i can do horror movies and digital horror, i actually love this medium. i just can’t do real-life stuff, and i wish just walking through a haunted house without scares was an option lol. that actually sounds like a fun idea

[@UsenameTakenWasTaken]

Saaaaaaaame. It doesn't help that literally every single haunted house I was dragged into had actors break the rule of not touching the tourists. Bweh. Just super not for me.

[@nathanrohde3440]

@@sorryoutlandish Hopefully at a later point in your life you can experience it. Reducing the intensity of triggers is a tricky individualized process, but it is feasible.

[@littlestacy]

Went to a spook house type attraction here in the UK once with my friend Jimbo. Two rooms in we knew we'd made a huge mistake. We loved scary movies but the jump scares were too much. First time an actual actor came shambling past my cave brain kicked in and I just thought "this is a person" and I asked him if there was a way we could just leave. He dropped character and showed us out of a side door for staff straight to the exit and we pretended to everyone we'd been through the whole thing. That guy was nice.

[@Vahktang]

Undoubtedly instructed to do so in training, but, still good that is prepared for.

[@mattiasmoller]

Haunt actors are instructed to always break character and check if you want to continue in case the guest panics or if it's too much like your case.

[@Vahktang]

@@mattiasmoller My Niece's buddy, 16 at the time, was bad off in a Haunt and had to be led out. The actors were very concerned for her, of course.

[@mattiasmoller]

@@Vahktang For us it was depending on what scene you were in. If there was a scene where the haunt actor couldn't get out we'd just break character and tell the guest to go to the next scene. Then over the radio we'd inform the next scene to help the guest out. I usually told guests ''Next year you'll manage and we might be scared of you instead''.

[@quinzequinze]

My roommate had to get a guy kicked out of the haunt we work for last year because he legitimately was trying to see how many actors he could punch in the back of the head while maintaining plausible deniability 🙃

[@invaderhorizongreen8168]

you can kill people by doing that,

[@Redem10]

I never really went to a haunt, but working at a job where 90% of positive interaction are ruined by an absolutely miserable 10% is relatable.

[@KriusAerion]

I work in a sex store. This is exactly my experience.

[@kropotkinnie]

starbucks

[@fpedrosa2076]

From the comments above mine, sounds like starbucks and sex stores have more in common than I thought.

[@GatenGraver]

Reckless Ben is doing a great series on mckamey manor. It’s pretty much all a scam. Nothing more than a yard, a cage and a water hose. Plus some people making you do exercises and torturing you. There is no manor.

[@williamtatum2147]

I was hoping someone was gonna mention this, great series and great channel. It really sucks how KZbin keeps demonetizing and removing his videos for no reason

[@Eidlones]

Haven't heard of Reckless Ben, but he's doing god's work. It's literally just unprofessional boot camp with a HEAVING dose of scare tactics.

[@BerryCherryPudding]

literally just some guys weird humiliation kink that you can volunteer to be part of

[@salvie777]

Warning anyone watching his series some are deleted (idk if they still are but were for a while) so you might have to look for reuploads but theyre easy to find on youtube

[@salvie777]

​@@Eidlonesand a weird old dude w a fetish for watching people crawl around covered in goop and degrading them to get his rocks off on later

[@rcbridii]

I worked for one day in a haunted house. I was the guy wearing all black and making noise in a dark room to scare people. Some big dude started punching the wall right over my head and I went silent until he left. Also pretty much every woman working there was sexually harassed by customers. The customers are the true horror of a haunted house.

[@theswissmiss69]

Wtf?!? That‘s so fuckin messed up!

[@stonks3507]

Holy shit, that’s so scary.

[@mattiasmoller]

Oh i know the feeling. God knows how many times i've had to put up with people who always try to scare you and harass you. Then we have those types of people that acts tough but wants to fight you to save face when they get scared. I've even been kicked and shoved and when you confront them about it they go ''But i thought it was okay to do so since you're playing a character''

[@Mjester12]

Probably a black person's thing.

[@ulfberht4431]

And they say the customer’s always right! Yeah, no! Not when they think they can sexually harass a female actor in a haunted attraction! Such scumbags

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

Video ain't out yet but CAN CONFIRM DO NOT GO INTO HAUNTED HOUSES IF YOUR FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE TENDS TOWARDS FIGHT! These people are NOT HERE to get punched in the face, and chosing to do a haunted house when you know you take swings when you're scared is like riding a rollercoaster while pregnant; YOU MADE A CHOICE AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY HARM THAT OCCURS. It's not funny, and you should apologize and be ready to pay medical bills and get banned from the location. Those people are freakin amazing, I've been through many haunted houses as a way to get thrills out of my own anxiety. Sometimes I've had panic attacks, and every time an actor has led me out of the experience and made sure my group found me after. It's better to panic and become a ball than to panic and run or hit. It gives you a chance to try the experience again and make it through this time. Edit now that the video is out; loved this deep dive! Never heard about the torture mansion before and that is a big boat load of Y I K E S. Also holy ballz I knew some insecure doofs tried to pick fights with scare actors but DAYMN that's not okay. As said above, don't do haunts if you're prone to violence. Also, don't do haunts to pick fights with people who are working; it's the subtext of hitting on a cashier made text, that you'll take ANY excuse to initiate unwanted contact. And that's fucking gross as well as unacceptable.

[@Owesomasaurus]

The torture House is literally just a guy who discovered he liked doing torture in the Iraq War and devised a whole business where he gets to torture people stateside and get away with it.

[@asafoetidajones8181]

So, I agree with this, but I only found out that I wouldn't be able to handle it and would in fact straight up punch a teenager, *during* the haunted event. It's like being allergic to bees.

[@RevShifty]

My default mode is to swing at anything jumping in my direction. It's not intentional, it's just as natural as blinking for me. I don't do haunted house tours because of that. I'm not looking to harm anyone, least of all someone just trying to be entertaining for a paycheck during my favorite holiday/time of year. Some haunted houses offer people like me glowing green bracelets so the actors know not to jump out at or surprise touch us. I'm not enough of a fan of most haunted houses to bother, but for anyone wired like me who is, just ask them if they offer those bracelets for people who don't react well to being jumped at. Many places will happily comply, because they don't want their employees or coworkers hurt.

[@Vahktang]

Agreed and good post. I have had to walk through such places with my hands in my pockets at times.

[@asafoetidajones8181]

@@girlofthealpines you think all the people this happens to are lying for some reason? Why? That's not a sensible conclusion to draw. It's absolutely a known and documented phenomenon that people can hit reflexively.

[@babyrodent]

I got the chance to go to Halloween Horror Nights in 2014 and 2015 with my older sister, who had previously visited in either 2012 or 2013. The irony about me going is that I'm autistic and easily startled by jumpscares. But since my older sister had auditioned to be a scare actor (didn't get picked, but she was provided pointers for what scare actors should or shouldn't do), she would make sure to help me feel at ease by assuring me that the scare actors are people underneath the masks, makeup, and prosthetics, but also prioritized making sure that I was doing okay. The one time where the scare got too much-- it was a chainsaw scare from behind in 2014-- she immediately led me to a quiet area where I can decompress and feel safe. Then when I said that I wanted to leave, she made sure to have my head down facing the ground before leading me out. 2015, when we were leaving, she made sure that I stayed close with my head down before we hurried to the exit. She can attest that one scareactor with a chainsaw did start revving up when he saw us, but immediately backed off. Point is is that my older sister was protective of me without having to physically attack scare actors.

[@dawnviola3258]

Thank you for your service. I grew up a goth girl with a birthday on Halloween. I went to my local haunt in an old abandoned casino this year and just, the love you can see from the local artists. Wanna know what makes it a real nightmare? It's a small town and I'm one of the only theater techs. All these people in masks in the dark know my name. It's a social anxiety nightmare. 👻

[@GuardianSpirits13]

Well, happy early birthday!!!!

[@MrMRMONKEY232]

Last year I worked a haunted house it ended in an asylum. Right before the door to leave there were to windows were people jumped up to get cheap jump scares. Last night I worked someone jumped up, girl screamed and the guy she was with decked the actor and bolted out the door. If they didn't have to shuttle back to their car because of how lobby the walk through was he would have gotten away but with all the people we had walking through and the travel time he got arrested at his car before he could bail.

[@vampirechick1159]

Oh that is so satisfying that they got him 🤣

[@Loch1210]

Maybe he got scared I almost hit one of those ppl people too by mistake

[@vampirechick1159]

@Loch1210 If you're at risk of injuring someone because they made you flinch, do not go to these places. It is not real and if you can't keep that in mind, you are not welcome.

[@Loch1210]

@@vampirechick1159 reflexes

[@vampirechick1159]

@@Loch1210 Again. Just don't go if you can't control yourself. I don't believe you can't, but if you can't, don't go. Now please be quiet.

[@Alexander_Stern1]

When my daughter was little, we used to go to the local haunted houses and she always preferred to get the scary experience rather than the “monsters be nice” version. As a former fearful child, I was super proud of her!

[@NinjaRodent]

When I was 15 I was a scare actor in a big haunted corn maze that also had a few small haunted houses. I only had that job because it was basically the only job I could get at that age. No one informed me that I, a scrawny 100 pound teenager, was going to be slapped and smacked around by so many easily startled, full-sized drunk adults. On top of that the management also treated all the actors, guides, concession workers, and all the other staff like absolute shit. The whole experience turned me off of corn mazes and haunted houses forever.

[@ruthspanos2532]

There’s a local haunt near us that has lots of outdoor areas with employees. They remained open in spite of HAIL! Probably because they had busloads of haunt enthusiasts coming that night. Maybe these same enthusiasts could have checked the weather and rescheduled? People don’t seem to care about the workers and their survival.

[@ObieGoth]

I don't go to haunts (I'm definitely a panic-puncher) but I love hearing about them! Great video and awesome history tour, too. 👻

[@lizzie7585]

I can't help but giggle in haunted houses. Don't understand it myself. I know I'm scared, but I'm totally laughing and then wanting to high five the person who scared me.

[@katiek2615]

As a former Haunt actor I absolutely adored this kind of interaction. You're probably making those scare actors very happy when you walk through! 😊

[@karmasauce6288]

I have the same reaction.

[@permafrost7875]

Laughter is a known stress/fear response so that might be why

[@lizzie7585]

@@permafrost7875 I don't think I ever actually delved into it too much. I just have fun. Scary movies are by far worse experiences for me than a good haunt.

[@RevanPorkins]

I laugh too because ive seen so many of them its just cool to me now. Seeing other people get scared too is funny looking back at how i used to be going through

[@RevNoch]

I'm a bit of a haunt enthusiast myself. I currently have a fairly large home haunt. I also used to be the guy who setup and maintained the animatronics at one of the larger pro-haunts in my area (I truly miss this). For a handful of years, I even was a Haunt Critic for a local website. We would visit every haunt in about a 100 mile radius and write our reviews. So I very much appreciate this video from every aspect. Thank you!

[@kezzie1834]

media.tenor.com/Bw2qkdJPzykAAAAM/dance-halloween.gif

[@tin4079]

I finally worked up the courage to go to a haunted house last year. Turns out I have very good low light-vision so nothing was scary to me, but I really was delighted at all the work the actors were doing and how cool the props and set design were. Hopefully I didn't ruin any actors' expectations with my "Hello, love the costumes!" and "Oh cool!"s

[@Vahktang]

I’m sure you didn’t. They get all kinds. They are also performers and strokes are appreciated.

[@Affexion_99]

I always feel bad, I'm not the "I'm too tough to be scared" people, but I do tend to just be excited about the production. It's hard to even pretend to be scared when I'm just like "holy crap that was awesome!" Also, as a tangential side note to a fellow haunt lover, I'm doing my wedding photos at Trimper's Haunted House in Ocean City, MD. It's a classic dark ride that still has some of the original Bill Tracy gags in it.

[@princessodyssey]

I’m like this, too! I’m so impressed by the artistry that I want to slow down and look at everything. I need to be more aware of how that affects the actors.

[@katiek2615]

I worked a haunt before and I loved those people who came through and geeked out about the props and costumes and sets. Y'all are my favorites.

[@RevanPorkins]

That really old ride on haunted house? Man thats been there forever ! Rode it with my dad when i was a kid and several times over the years

[@soniaiboyako4023]

The types that she's talking about aren't those that don't get scared but still marvel at what's being offered, they're those that would go "holy crap this sucks" or say you'd have to be a toddler to be scared etc. more than anything else. I doubt anyone would take issue with you appreciating the craft dw

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

I imagine my big reactions at haunted houses has made many a scare actor very proud. I'm a person who jumps a foot in the air when a door slams, and when I'm all amped for a haunt I'm the person letting out yelps every other corner XDDD

[@queztocoaxial]

Ugh, I knew that there was a danger of getting punched by someone who didn't mean it, but I had no idea that people will assault haunted house actors on purpose. That's super fucked up 😣

[@theflowerhead]

"Please sign this waver that we might sacrifice your child to our leader." It's 0 art, it's torture porn and I'm sad people want to torture. Torture is easy, it's not something to be proud of. No one wins because who would get their nails torn and waterboarded for money? I love Halloween and that is NOT a cute or scary Halloween trip. I agree with you, I love your Halloween vibe!

[@dinosaysrawr]

One of my favorite "haunted" memories: I was walking through a haunted corn maze attraction with a friend at night, autistically explaining the psychology of haunted mazes and houses and their various design elements as we walked. I was SO involved in my little lecture that I didn't react when this kid jumped out of the corn with a "Ghostface" mask, and just calmly said, "Oh, like that." The kid exclaimed "OH, CRAP!" turned around, and stomped back into the corn. I think the best scare I ever sustained at a haunted house was when a just-fine haunted house directed us to a table to fill out surveys about our experience, and a dude popped out from behind the table and yelled, "BOO!" Cheap, but effective. Re: 27:09, my beef with Fear Factor was always that the show didn't appreciate the critical difference between fear and revulsion, and McKamey Manor doesn't seem to understand (or want to understand) the difference between fear and trauma. Also, I know nothing of Ross McKamey's actual religious beliefs, but I feel most American fundagelicals are exactly the types to recoil at swearing while subjecting people to upside-down Chinese water torture with Moray eels. ("When the drops hit your eye/And you wish you could die/That's a moray!") I once knew an evangelical who got one of those special movie-censoring devices so that she and her husband could watch their favorite war movies without swearing or nudity. (Incidentally, you know who would be the perfect candidate for McKamey Manor? Ron DeSantis! Given his familiarity with Guantanamo, surely, he has what it takes to at least last for nine minutes!) Re: 19:50, I am immensely sorry about what happened to your friend---and also, yes, absolutely, speaking as a fursuiter and cosplayer, there are people who are perfectly willing, and even, horrifyingly eager to harass or assault someone if they can't see their face.

[@skylarjohnson7779]

I once went on a spooky tour of a historical site, did not realise there would be ghost actors. One jumped out at us and I screamed so much that I scared the ghost and I think we stood there for a minute just screaming at each other.

[@Nabooru]

Haunted house acting is some of the *hardest* and most *rewarding* work I've ever done, even if it pays low. It was my first job, and I've been returning to it seasonally since 2005, acting and managing one of several haunts at a local amusement park. I'm 36, arthritis has settled in early, but I still look forward to it every year. It's sad thinking that our 2023 season has already ended! Thank you for speaking out about nightmare guests. It shocks me, sometimes even children (with their parents present!) will say things to us that kids should not be saying. And from anyone, assault -- especially SA -- is the absolute worst. And it's not always just physical -- we get "fans" who stalk us and try to get too friendly because they know we'll be there -- as they might to people working other jobs, but they feel they have more "license" with us because they're interacting with a "character." We're entertainers! We want to startle the guests because they're there to be startled. We're not there for a fight (OR a date) and neither should they. Even when I tell people I work in a haunted house, sometimes, they'll instantly launch into an imagined scenario about if they went to a haunted house and someone "tried to scare them," they'd do something to badly injure that person. WHY? WHY fantasize about assaulting an actor? Just don't go, if you know you're going to react like that! Say, "I have a bad startle reflex so those aren't good places for me," not "oh that ghoul would never see the light of day" like you're somehow proud of your fight-or-flight response against an imagined threat. That being said, the 90/10 ratio is pretty accurate. Most of our guests are amazing, and there are some I see almost every night who just MAKE my year! Come, be entertained, chat with us in character and out (when necessary,) we love it! Just respect us as you would any other person at their job! And the whole McKamey Manor rabbit hole! I love haunted attractions, but WHAT a scam! It's become my hyperfixation again since Reckless Ben started exposing it. Apparently, he now has Russ's hard drive and MM might be closer than ever to being taken down. Great series if you haven't checked it out!

[@ulawan5]

I LOVE hearing people talk about haunts and adore seeing well produced environments and costumes. Unfortunately (or fortunately for y'all?) I startle SUPER easily and default to friendliness when I'm scared. The last time I went to a haunt, I reflexively waved and said hi to most of the performers and the amount of them that kept character (or even waved or responded in character!) was truly admirable. My weirdo horror fan friends and I loved playing along with everyone's schticks and complimenting everyone, and I hope we made their night more fun too. I accidentally told the Freddy Kreuger performer out loud that he was beautiful and to this day I wonder how he felt about it Thank you for the wonderful video and all the insight on the passion that goes into these things!!! You definitely have a new subscriber, I wish you luck and happiness in all things!

[@nightwingphd8580]

This was a another (slightly lighter) banger. Some heavy stuff toward the end but it was worth the whole discussion. Clearly the most important lesson: Don't date anyone trying to prove themselves as tough at haunts!

[@rocyrino]

I agree with you

[@mal3diction]

I mean, Jenny Nicholson put out a 4 hour video about a theme part with almost 7 million views. And haunted houses are cooler. I believe in you!

[@chrisblake4198]

One of the funniest things I've ever seen is when they filmed Critical Role's Travis Willingham going through a scare. He. Cannot. Handle. It. I hope the actors and his friends (and ultimately him) had a blast, because it looked like they did.

[@KrazyKuno]

I am so sad that the Halloween season is over. I had a season pass for Halloween Haunt at Knott's and I made serious use of it. Toward the end of the month I made sure to tell the scare actors (away from the guests) thank you for all of the hard work and they are very much appreciated. I had one almost break character as they got choked up, I could really tell that I made his night. I've had numerous friends who were monsters, and outside of "work" I tell them what a great job they do. When the clock struck 1am on Halloween night everyone got emotional. Some retire while others come in, and while those shoes are never quite filled others make their own reputation and bring us so much fright and joy. I did get to visit Universal last year and I had a great time as well. They had a lot to work with. But as you said there are also the "home haunts" that are on par with some of the big names, and those create some great memories. At the end of the night they're actors who are trying to entertain the public, and I'm glad that they do what they do.

[@vaan3639]

i remember first hearing about mckamey manor a few years ago. the one good thing i got out of it was learning how kind normal haunt actors are. i've always avoided haunted houses because i have really bad anxiety but it's comforting to know that typical haunts have safety measures in place for people like me, should i choose to go to one in the future :) thanks so much for sharing your experiences! other than the bad stuff that goes down, being a scare actor sounds like a really fun way to express your creativity. happy halloween!! 🧡🖤

[@ChristopherHallett]

"Let me tear out your fingernails and teeth without anaesthetic for $20k" - I wouldn't let medical professionals do that WITH anaesthetic for less than multiple millions of dollars.

[@Travelenthusiastrk28]

Thank you little hoot for this haunting video. I love going to haunted houses so it's good others are talking about it!

[@discrot8568]

I've been to one haunt, mostly because haunts aren't normal in the country I live in, and it was a lot of fun. Would do it again if it didn't cost so much money.

[@bish_puddin]

I make sure to scream and run away every time I go. I know it pleases the actors and it’s fun to be chased or stalked by them

[@it_stimefortea]

"Nobody gives a shit about haunted houses but me" AND AND AND fellow haunt actors! I absolutely loved my 2 seasons working at a haunt and I wish I had the time now 😢

[@SamuraiMujuru]

Can confirm, dropping someone is the best. Thousands of years ago in the future I would regularly volunteer at the Haunted Trail (a haunt at the local scout camp), myself and a friend of mine figured out a tactic to both pretty regularly drop people, but also scare the crap out of the guides until they had come through a couple times and figured out what we were up to.

[@angelreader4564]

You made me feel so much better about being an easy scare at haunts! I got “dropped” by one of those roller skating guys with the knee pads they slide on. I was already low to the ground laughing at my friend, and he came at me. I absolutely collapsed into a screaming ball on the ground, no fight or flight, my body gave up. Hopefully I made his night cuz he got me so fucking good.

[@HannahTheHorrible]

I love going to haunts every year and I always going in allowing myself to be scared. It’s so much more fun that way. And I know it’s more fun for the actors. It’s ok to be scared in a haunt- it’s literally the point and what you pay for!

[@cjam9457]

someday i want to open a year-round haunt that changes the scares seasonally. i've been collecting ideas for it for years. loved this video.

[@insertfunnynamehere1673]

so excited to see this! haunts are a special interest of mine, and videos are basically the only way I can enjoy them. my fight or flight instincts are STRONG and I would never want to hurt anyone, so no in person visits for me. happy halloween! 👻

[@armorclasshero2103]

You can't even sign away most of those rights, so his 'waiver' is mostly illegal and void.

[@jamesoniris2647]

Hi- scare actor here- I really do wish that there was a lot more informational videos for the general public about what not to do at a haunted house. I have seen people- usually drunk or high- think they can do anything in a haunted house.

[@angelthedemon666]

Im glad you mentioned your perspective on the people who make a big show out of not being scared. Its something i try not to be. I love anything to do with halloween including haunted houses, but i have no reaction to jump scares (so im the designated person in front that others can grab on to at haunts). At a small town haunted barn last year, i wasnt scared at all. The low budget decorations and set ups made me laugh, and that was fun but i sorta felt bad for the actors, i didnt want to seem rude. I think the actors wanted to see if they could scare me so at one point a guy dressed as a warewolf ran at me full speed. He came like an inch away from me before stopping and screaming. A quietly took a step back but said "thats a good one!" Cause like if i wont scream i wanna give them some way of telling them theyre doing a good job and i enjoy it.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

I think i remember watching a storytime animator say that if you don't scream at the actors the mood quickly turns awkward..... Your comment just reminded me of that.

[@leighwoosey]

Love this video. And even if no-one else is as into American Haunts as you are, there is a genuine joy to be experienced by listening to someone talk about something that personally enthuses them (especially by us neuro-divergent viewers).

[@sonjahorne4805]

Despite my love of all things creepy (and the last quarter of the year in general) I know my startle response is 100% incompatable with the health and safety of folks working in haunts. Thanks for making this vid. Amazing effort in putting together all of that history, it was fascinating.

[@ywntmha]

My fawning response embarrasses me so much at haunted houses! I smile and compliment the scare actors when they startle me and the mortification of knowing deep down inside I'm a huge dork instead of the badass I think I am is such salt on the wound.

[@deathtales2100]

Fun fact the Madame Tussauds in Paris is called Musée Grevin. Now I wonder if that name difference comes from her being a noble during the revolution.

[@SofieKingdom]

Netherworld is so much fun. We brought our youngest to it this year, and she absolutely loved it. And seriously, people. Be nice to the actors! I had a zombie accidentally step on my foot, and poor guy apologized probably 10 times in a matter of 2 seconds. They just want everyone to have a good time!

[@redblaquegolden]

That's utterly horrifying 20:08 ... im so sorry to see that. This is why I don't go to haunts. I don't know if someone is going to run up on me and get in my face that I won't punch someone as a reflex. Like, to be clear, I don't want to but the fear response is bizarre. The last time i went to a haunt, i was like 9 years old and I punched a grown man in the balls (again, I was a tiny autistic child there against my will) and i still feel bad about it honestly... (admittedly, i knew that guy and he wound up being an abuser, so i feel justified now) anyway, god bless you for being a performer! 🎃

[@daniellewhite9398]

As someone who very much prefers her scares on a screen where I can rationalize away the danger, I still find the concept really cool. Thanks for the video.

[@OverAnalyst]

Awesome vid! My parents' church did a haunted house, showing actors being "punished" in Hell for lust or ab*rtion etc. JFC 9yo me needed therapy after that. Anyhow thanks for the history & actor's perspective! Sorry y'all have to deal with some ppl at their worst. Glad it's still mostly fun 🖤

[@Rhaifha]

FundieFridays did a video about those "biblical" hell houses recently. Absolutely wild stuff

[@frozenraspberries1552]

Oh damn your church bought one of those Hell House programs. That's a lotta trauma

[@rockstars4715]

Gods I loved being a haunt actor, the particular environment I was in was not regulated enough but I do miss it

[@Nojintt]

Thank you for this video! I loved my time as a Scareactor (5 x HHN USF). But I i agree, it's ridiculous how many people think they can grab your butt, intimidate you, or just generally be a complete a-hole.

[@cyanosis8520]

Hi, I'm also a scare actor (4th year) and lead at my local haunt. The amount of bullshit we deal with is just crazy. Just this Saturday I had this drunk couple come in and try to crawl into a facade. I told them in character "stop" giving them the benefit of the doubt. Well, then they decided to crawl into the back of a bus which mind you is covered in black mold and is not part of the walk through trail. I broke character finally and was like "dude get the hell out of the bus, it's not safe and has mold in it". They told me and my bud who was helping me to get out of costume and fight them, and I just got their names out of them and called my boss lol. They ended up getting kicked out, but wow was it bulllshit for the people behind them that had to witness that.

[@JdeeGeekyGao]

I'm not American and this popped up as a recommended vid. So Halloween haunted houses aren't a thing in my city. But we had a horror run like maybe 10 years ago and I took a mate with me because another mate was part of the "military" section of the haunt/run. What my mate didn't realize was there were going to be zombie actors. I didn't know she had a fear of zombies like as in crippling fear drop into a ball crying kind. The actors bless them saw this and three of them showed her under the masks and make up to remind her that she was okay and she was safe. Since then I have had a huge respect for haunt actors to make sure everyone has fun and to make sure it can be scary, silly but also safe.

[@goodpuppii]

I loved this video (even though I do not enjoy haunts at all). One of my favorite quotes was “I’m not really there for the thanksgiving, but I’m grateful that some thanksgiving is available when I need it” 😂

[@calvinware7957]

I had a date with a girl who worked at a haunt and she explained to me that at her particular haunt everyone had a person that they would basically hook up with after work. You were both covered in makeup, looking like a literal monster, and getting off work super late so everyone basically paired off like a budy system and would go get food and then fuck because who else would understand the situation.

[@Vahktang]

One of my favorites: A woman walking on her hands and feet but upside down, with her stomach in the air. I stood there and applauded.

[@nonameronin1]

"What if I love Santa *and* Satan?" I'm calling it. Hoots is Krampus.

[@swamplinglvr]

I concur that the last quarter of the year is the best. Halloween and Christmas are awesome, and Thanksgiving is a great excuse to eat a bunch of yummy seasonal food (despite it's horrible history).

[@onbearfeet]

Thanks for this, Hoot. I love hearing about these events because so much artistry goes into them, but I can't usually attend myself due to PTSD. (Not from haunts--from life.) I would be appalled if I accidentally hit a performer during a freakout, and there are just too many potential triggers in those environments. But if you're on my screen, we can both be safe and I can enjoy your stories. So thank you for giving me a glimpse into a fascinating world that I can't experience for myself. Happy Halloween. :)

[@RiotEXE]

Oh damn, you just showed up on my home page at random. This was a cool video, and big ups to the Nightmare on Film Street shoutout!

[@BJWolfe]

I’ve been a scare actor for nine seasons. Everything you said is exactly right. I’ve done theme park haunts, extreme haunts (not McKamey. Gross.), COVID safe haunt and now doing family friendly. I love working them all. It’s fun and made so many friends I’d never really would make friends with outside my bubble. I know how taxing it is on my body, but when it gets close to Halloween season, I cannot wait for it to begin. Have a Happy Halloween!

[@koga711]

I'm someone who used to startle very hard and fling my limbs around a lot but I also had a friend who loved haunted houses (which I now also love because of her). I was always scared I was gonna hit someone (and I grew up surrounded by a lot of people who worked at haunts so I never wanted to accidentally cause any harm) so I, to this day, always keep my hands in my pockets and my friend usually holds onto my dominant arm. It's helped me a lot and I'm much better than I used to be with jump scares lol. All the people I know who have and still do work haunts are some of the sweetest weirdos and I love them. I really enjoyed your video, too! Learning more about the history was super interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@breegrimm7142]

🧛‍♀🕸🦇🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN HOOTS! Thanks for this awesome video! I adore Haunted Houses and have friends who participate in one down here in Austin, TX every year. I wore a brand new, white Camp Crystal Lake shirt to the haunt this year because of the gore cannons and an going to wear it to a showing of Friday the 13th tonight, totally covered in blood!

[@chiaralocatelli7678]

Glad to see someone enjoy working as a performer so much. I did some acting for a local haunted house a few years ago, and had to quit because the working conditions were insanely unsafe and I got hurt in ways that were unwarranted. But there was definitely some fun in interacting with the audience.

[@Matthew.E.Kelly.]

🌒🌕🌘 Never went to one of the Halloween/harvest attraction haunted houses but I've been to tons of (allegedly) haunted places, such as the women's prison in Delaware (can't remember the name) & some old plantations in Louisiana, a couple places in Salem, etc. They're about what you'd expect: tired, scenic, campy tourist traps. Except that women's prison, that shit was intensely claustrophobic. Oh, yeah, & the Haunted Mansion at Disney is cool 👍 the great Jack'O'Lantern Blaze in upstate NY is very nice, I wanna go back again.

[@MareaRayneOleander]

I absolutely LOVE being an attendee at haunts! I love getting the pants scared off me! I try to go to a different haunt every friday, saturday, and sunday throughout october as well as on halloween night! It's soooo much fun! I usually go alone because all the people i know just don't like those sorts of things.

[@jecicox7605]

I LOVED this one! Worked as an actor for the haunted castle here for a while. It was SO much fun! But for all the fun I had scaring people, I knew myself well enough to not go as a visitor with anyone I knew. I'm a pretty instinctively protective person, so the only way I can have fun visiting is if I literally do not know anyone around me. Know yourself, know your limits and boundaries. If you are able to suspend all that and enjoy, more power to you! But if you can't, find other ways to get your Halloween entertainment. That being said, I think many of us would love more posts like this during spooky season.🎃

[@gallaetha_matt]

I'm one of those people who gets really angry when something jumps out at me. It never makes me violent or anything, but it just makes me really stressed out. That being said, I enjoy the aesthetics, the hard work, and the stories behind different haunted houses so I really enjoyed this video. Would love to see more stuff like this on the channel!

[@flexiblenerd]

Love that circlet. And yeah, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love horror movies as well, though it's hard to get a really good scare when you see the same things over and over. Something that slowly builds tension as opposed to just relying on jump scares is great, though. The Shining is actually a really good example of this, and Insidious is also really good because there are little things you miss if you're not paying attention and when you notice them...holy shit. Like this one scene where there's legit a boy dancing in the corner of a room and I didn't notice it until someone pointed it out in KZbin video, and because I didn't notice it until then, it's the creepiest fucking thing. I love it. It's so subtle but it's THERE. But jump scares can also be good in moderation when you've built up that tension, and Insidious does this fairly well. The Grudge, especially the Japanese version, is MASTERFUL at this.

[@zeedon]

I have a very aggressive reaction to fear (and tickling), and that has always fully prevented me from going to haunts.

[@dalantemaes3277]

Worked at a cornfield haunt once and had such a good time that I didn't even care that I had lost my phone there and had to go 6+ months without one afterward. It was still worth it to meet cool folks and see the different ways people deal with panic and/or fear.

[@edt49er]

been a haunt actor for over 10 years, seeing the different kinds of people that come through is always interesting. the one downside of working smaller and more localized haunts is that it can be much harder to guarentee actor safety, leaving ituations to he said/she said things. we dont touch you, you dont touch us, bottom line. as a slighty larger guy ive had ore flirting and harassment done whilst in constume than anywhere else but damn do i love the job

[@maisieavis2712]

I remember when I first learned about McKamey Manor. I got so angry, and my heart was beating so fast I nearly gave myself a panic attack. It feels kinda like a microcosm of being thrown into the military. Dangle a prize that will entice the poor, give your body to the "cause," leave with PTSD.

[@ArrowOdenn]

We have something similar here in the UK to a haunted house thing. It's a local farm and one of the biggest Halloween events in Europe. The only time I went I was not in a good place mental-health wise. When one of the actors jumped out at me, I screamed and reflexively punched him in the shoulder. He assured me that he was fine and I peaced out then and there. I let my friends go on without me and went and had a cup of tea. I still feel bad about punching that poor guy.

[@SkeledroMan]

idk if you've heard about it already, but there's a scare house at Walibi Holland in the netherlands where you have to be strapped down to a hospital bed to go through it. Not only does it make the experience psychologically terrifying unlike any other scare house, but it means there's no chance of the actors being hurt by the guests, even by accident.

[@ard4461]

Working for HHN was the most fun Ive ever had at a job. I was just in house operations but I got a kick out of staring at people creepily and startling them if they happened to notice me in a dark corner. But damn, I'm realizing my house was very lucky to not have had a guest like that. We definitely had some incidents but nothing that outwardly violent. It boiled my blood to see guests disrespecting our actors. I think if I saw something like that I'd be sobbing too.

[@brookswift]

my friends call the time around halloween the high holy days. I've never really gotten into the whole "haunt" thing, but every year we have at least 4-8 weird high concept art/costume/immersive theater parties/events. Everything from the annual vampire ball to an intense art party where we had what can only be described as a "blood orgy".

[@charlotteroberts]

Went to Shocktober Fest in the south of England yesterday and I was telling my husband all about the things you share in this video. All the haunts felt extra special this year. Thank you!

[@charlottesellars1348]

As a UK scare actor who has been scaring for the past 3 seasons its so unsettling to think about how used we are to getting physically/sexually assaulted or sexually harassed. I started when I was 16 years old and a lot of my memories of scare acting is customers being like that to me or to people I know and I hate to say it but its gotten to the point where I'm used to that sort of stuff happening to me. I've also never had a season as bad as this year's one, customers seem to be getting worse each year sadly

[@Fintago]

People being "The Tough Guy" TM at haunted houses is so incredibly cringe. I go to a haunt every few years and there is always a hand full of people trying to threaten or joke about everything and it just kinda ruins it for me. I did have one bad experience where I almost hurt an actress at a fantastic haunted house, but it was mostly poor planning on the houses part. It was a room themed of creepy children's bed room and she pops out from under the bed on one of those rollers people use to get under cars. I was mid step and I got spooked and kinda stomped my foot down because it knocked me off balance. We both had eyes the size of dinner plates and she slowly rolled back under the bed. I felt so bad.

[@thecheat1312]

"the lines are the scariest thing here!" -_- heard that "joke" about 20,000 times when I was working the lines at Knott's.

[@hootsyoutube]

lmao knotts lines are nothing compared to hhn

[@blupunk01]

I've never acted in one professionally, but I've had the opportunity to oversee the building of and performing in some haunted houses to benefit some local charitable organizations. For my favorite one ever we were granted the use of the ground floor of an abandoned hospital. This wasn't like a modern hospital. It was one of those big old creepy rectangular buildings you see in old movies built out of limestone back in the 20s. The setting already was so spooky that I had people on the crew getting freaked out after dark during construction. The scares were pretty standard local-community-level stuff, but we still put in a couple of easy early exits for people who were getting too freaked out. Doing the zombie head on the covered platter bit has a different vibe in an old tiled echoey hospital cafeteria.

[@Pippis78]

Don't these violent people somehow know it's pretend? Have they no grip of reality? My brain hurts from trying to understand!?? Do they go there thinking they are a hero in a movie and are supposed to "win" the actors? Or does it hurt their fragile male ego so much if they get visibly scared that they just feel compelled to take "revenge"? And/or proove they are infact manly and brave by beating the scarer up? My head started literally hurting.

[@mylifeisaparty]

2:07 the picture of you as grandpa should be a meme

[@h00pla434]

"I'm only a minute in and I'm already going off on a tangent." I'll have you know you were an entire minute and twenty seconds in! That's 33% better than you thought you did!

[@morganqorishchi8181]

I love this comment. It has the energy of my mom putting a hand on my shoulder and telling me how I did great, actually. It's so wholesome

[@weaverliss7522]

Lol glad to hear my startle response of simply ~ collapsing~ to the ground isn’t completely uncommon 😂 I don’t think I have the constitution for haunted events, but I absolutely love the showmanship/special effects that go into them- it’s so cool!

[@VinceWhitacre]

Holy shit this is the best video concept you've ever had.

[@missamyw3806]

I absolutely love this! Thank you for sharing some of the behind the scenes. Absolutely respect the actors and have fun....I know I'm personally such a wuss in haunted houses but I love them.

[@joyofcookies]

I was always too scared to go to haunted houses in my younger years. I finally tried a couple in my mid-thirties, by this point I’ve realized none of it is really that scary to me. I have no aversion to clowns or fake body parts or people with “safe” chainsaws. But I can be startled, even when I know it’s coming! I’ll scream and then laugh and be on my merry way. I’m down for the fun and the enjoyment of the elaborate setups and costumes people create. The one time I was actually creeped out at a haunted house was in a room full of dolls and mannequins. None of that bothered me, but in a cluster of them stood a girl, stock still. To this day I’m still not sure if she was real or not and I got within 4ft of her! Whoever she was, she did a fantastic job and I’m still thinking about her 5 years later!

[@RedGeist]

Terrific video! Thank you for your contribution as both a haunt actor and video essayist. At the end of it, I couldn't help but come up with the terrible thought of some overly creative zoomer trying to make the Backrooms into a haunted house. I would not be surprised if thats a thing one day, and I do not know if I want to embrace that or not, lol

[@criswoessner926]

I haven't been to a haunt since I was little, and back then I was TERRIFIED of anything remotely scary. Now, my favorite genre is horror and i love everything creepy and halloween themed. I'd love to gather a group of friends and have a scream filled night of fun.

[@ismathers]

I love the idea of halloween haunts but I also am one of those flinchy, reactive people and I'm terrified I might unthinkingly slap someone if they startle me, so I don't go to them! Hearing that there are people who straight up go to get plausible deniability to attack someone else is both sadly unsurprising but also makes me kinda indignant that some of the people who _can_ go to them would do that shit.

[@mollietenpenny4093]

I remember going to a haunted woods with a group from my church college group. One of the girls in my group would sing the song Stacy's Mom whenever she got scared. 😂

[@chrisnelson6663]

I still wish I could apologize to all the actors I hurt at a scare house. A friend convinced me to go and didn’t tell me that it was live actors who could get in your face. I learned from that experience that I had PTSD. I think the actors or security, knew I dissociated because they didn’t kick us out till I was taking breaths and could talk back to them.

[@Cephaelopod]

Thank you for covering this topic! As a former haunter, I really appreciated the reminder around this time of year for people to be kind to one another.

[@caitlinhiggins2927]

Loved the topic, and the condemnation of McKamey Manor. Would’ve loved a quick shout out to Reckless Ben and his ongoing series even more! (The climax to his exposé should be uploaded October 15th if anyone’s interested)

[@carter.6166]

i work at a haunted house called The Cobb Factory and this year someone who went through actually ended up going to jail with two charges of assault and one charge of child endangerment because he injured one actor and sent another to a hospital. he had actually pushed me and all the other actors that he came across before getting caught, but since i was in a strobe light room, i just thought he was trying to feel his way out, just thankful that all the actors turned out fine and this guys gonna be rotting in jail for a lil while.