Halloween-attraction suck. Long-ish.

[RebeccaOTool]

For the last few years I've worked at an otudoor 'Haunted Forest' attraction. It's good work, if you don't mind freezing in a bush for a few hours, low pay, and the SC's...

"Mrs. Helpful"
One year , it was my job to jump from behind a bale of hay and yell "Welcome to the haunted forrest!" as the haywagon went by. Not once, but twice in the same hour, the same women yelled 'helpful' advice to me as the truck went past. 'Speak up, dear! 'You're not scary!' and 'That's a MASK!' Gee, thanks for pointing that out. This is an attraction meant for grade school and up--if you're not scared, don't ruin it for the kids.

"Skull Head Grabby-Hands"
In the 'station' in front of mine, a young teenage friend was playing a screaming ghost (Important plot point). She was our cue to get ready; We hear her scream, and get in place. I'm turned toward a tree, (made up in gore), and then get spun around by my BF to shock the passersby. OR so says the script. I wait for my usual cue, and--
A patron grabbed me! I screamed and jumped, completly breaking character. It was a teenager/twentysomething guy, who procceded to laugh his ass off. (My BF almost went after him, but we had another group coming thru and couldn't leave). After his group goes by, my friend from the other station comes and tells us the same guy groped her breasts! When asked why she didn't try to get help, she replies:
"I screamed!"
There are explicit rules about not touching the actors, and the actors not touching you. We had more than a few people ignore this. A few groups got held up at the end of the tour and talked to by a local cop, but most got away with it.

Sweet Revenge
It wasn't all bad. The punks who made fun of our 'lame' station got a shock. Hiding in the trees beyond us was a Jason-type, with a REALLY loud chainsaw. We'd hear the giggle, mocking comments, and take it in stride. Then, we'd wait for about two minutes until they hit his path, and... We'd have 'em screaming for Mommy every time.

[MTNLaurelPoacher]

"Mrs. Helpful"
One year , it was my job to jump from behind a bale of hay and yell "Welcome to the haunted forrest!" as the haywagon went by. Not once, but twice in the same hour, the same women yelled 'helpful' advice to me as the truck went past. 'Speak up, dear! 'You're not scary!' and 'That's a MASK!' Gee, thanks for pointing that out. This is an attraction meant for grade school and up--if you're not scared, don't ruin it for the kids.

Next time jump out with an IRS Audit letter. That will scare the devil out of anyone.

[AdminAssistant]

Probably about...8 years ago, I went with my then BF to a Halloween ride-through. Basically, riding through the country in a modified cotton trailer (this)

*MOD EDIT - Picture added as an attachment due to size.

I was really freaking scared. A guy came out with a chainsaw and ran it across the metal parts of the trailer. They staged actors on the trailer who would get pulled off at certain points. BF thought it was hilarious - but it scared me half to death. There's a reason why every Halloween I usually stick to a classic horror movie or The Nightmare Before Christmas. I don't like being scared!

[Mamadrae]

For the good of people like you, who do these things to entertain the rest of us. I banned myself from said things.

Mind you, since I hit puberty I've only ever gone to 2. There's a reason for that. When I hit middle school my brother's taught me how to punch. They taught me to well...

First incident was actually Halloween. I was dressed up as a devil (with pitchfork) and went with friends. A guys popped out of a window esk place by me and got a pitchfork shoved in his face. I'm sure he was happy I got the cheap plastic one instead of the metal ones the costume shop was selling.

That was when I realized that me knowing how to inflict bodily harm was probably not good. My parents however did not believe me.

So a couple years later they took us kids to a different haunted house. Ignored my warnings and my brother's that I would wind up hurting someone.

Sure enough. Some girl popped out as a dead bride and startled me. I just reacted and cracked her in the face. I felt terrible, specially when I heard a female voice behind me go "%*^# I'm bleeding!"

Thankfully, my parents never dragged me through another haunted thing again and I stay away so as not to injure people.

[tamezin]

There are explicit rules about not touching the actors, and the actors not touching you. We had more than a few people ignore this. A few groups got held up at the end of the tour and talked to by a local cop, but most got away with it.

I used to love to take my kids to the haunted houses, but the last few years I have found there are just as many Actors with groping problems as there are customers. Twice last year (two different haunts), I was backed into a corner and groped inappropriately. I know I won't be going back to those two places again. My daughter wants to try for the Haunts in a nearby large city. She is just old enough this year, so we might go that route.

[Imogene]

Twice last year (two different haunts), I was backed into a corner and groped inappropriately.

Hmmm... retaliate with knees to the crotch? "You want inappropriate touch?"

And Mamadrae: I've only ever been to two haunted whatevers, ever, as far as I can remember. In one of them, we walked into a room with glow in the dark dots spread across the walls/curtains, and some guy in a dotted suit 'jumped out'... not particularly scary... and then warned us about the guy in the next room.
The other place was a haunted forest, that our host worked at at the time, as a werewolf. The only part I distinctly remember about that is the low ceiling/fog-filled hallway... where someone came up right beside me, and I saw her get close, and then screeched at a pitch I thought only dogs could hear. I jumped cause I wasn't expecting that... saw her, couldn't see her mouth.
Of course, I was fully expecting the scene in Resident Evil the movie where the zombie suddenly wakes up in the flooded room... and jumped then anyway.

[karma_gypsy]

Gah! Just leave it to a few perverts to ruin it for everyone else ....


We used to have a corn maze here in town. A resident would create a maze in his cornfield and charge people to walk through it. He did it every year for probably the last five years or so. I've never gone, but heard it was great fun and can be quite a challenge, especially at night when your only light is a lantern.



Then, of course, some kids thought it would be funny just to "walk" through the corn stalks, or take the ears of corn and start fights with them (throw them around).


The town doesn't have it's Halloween corn maze anymore ...

[Lace Neil Singer]

Round where I am, that kind of thing never happens; however, I can remember one winter evening, myself and a couple of other kids were walking thru the local graveyard. Nothing sinister; there was a drama club that met in the village hall and we often took a short cut thru the graveyard. This particular time, one girl had brought her cousin who had annoyed her that day; she didn't really want to bring him along but her mother had insisted. So, in order to get her revenge, the girl asked some of us to cut along round the side and hide behind gravestones near the exit, and then jump out screaming loudly. Cousin nearly wet his pants in fear and only the hysterical laughter by the rest of us stopped him from running back home. I still look back on the memory and chuckle; tho, said cousin is now over six feet tall so would not be a good idea to repeat the incident.

[Aethian]

With Mom's sewing skill (I tried and failed at making the costume) I was hired in for a couple nights at a haunted house. I was to deliver the 'guests' to the fist stop on the haunted tour. Imagine my surprise when the first ones I'm delivering were my boss and his wife and kids.

[radiocerk]

We used to hold a small haunted house in our front yard. I don't usually care for the really scary, but I was always outvoted. The neighborhood kids would be afraid to come up the driveway for candy.

One year we did a fun show though, it was a blast to build a pirate ship in the front yard. We also sing the theme to Gilligan's Island, and danced the Time Warp.

[Kaylyn]

We used to hold a small haunted house in our front yard. I don't usually care for the really scary, but I was always outvoted. The neighborhood kids would be afraid to come up the driveway for candy.

This isn't a bad thing you know...more candy for you after it's over with!

[Sharsarannon]

For the good of people like you, who do these things to entertain the rest of us. I banned myself from said things.
.... and I stay away so as not to injure people.

Same! My first reaction to something coming at me is to scream and hit or kick it. I don't do haunted houses.