A Night At The Haunt

[Voldine]

BG: I'm currently working at a certain amusement park in the New England portion of the US that belongs to a larger company of similarly-named parks. They're currently in Fright Fest mode, their name for the Halloween season.

I work in the Western-themed section of the park, right down the hill from one of the haunted attractions, and right on the main 'Freak Walk Route' where our entertainment ghouls will wander to get guests to shriek.

I'm also able to change my voice on a whim. /bg

A group of teenage girls run shrieking past me at the side service window at the barbecue restaurant I work at in the park. They stop and all cluster back against the counter in the bright light to let the 'zombie' walk past. I start giggling and they all glare at me.

So what would any sensible person do in that situation? Start speaking in a perfectly normal tone. "Sorry ladies, but it just makes me laugh when I see people get so scared of the dead. After all, {shift voice to a deep and nearly-demonic tone} it's not the DEAD that you should be afraid of!"

Cue four of the girls shrieking again and running away from my counter so I can serve people that actually want food and are now laughing themselves.

[dragon_wings]

BG: I'm currently working at a certain amusement park in the New England portion of the US that belongs to a larger company of similarly-named parks. They're currently in Fright Fest mode, their name for the Halloween season.

I know where you work! My sister and I went last weekend with my niece and her friend (both 7). We left just after the 'Awakening' started and a zombie with a chainsaw chased us. My niece and her friend were a little freaked but we had just talked earlier that these people were just employees in costume. As we left we saw several more costumed people and my niece commented to me that she wasn't scared.
Granted it was still light out (one of the reasons we left when we did) but if it had been dark it probably would have scared them more.

[Voldine]

I know where you work! My sister and I went last weekend with my niece and her friend (both 7). We left just after the 'Awakening' started and a zombie with a chainsaw chased us. My niece and her friend were a little freaked but we had just talked earlier that these people were just employees in costume. As we left we saw several more costumed people and my niece commented to me that she wasn't scared.
Granted it was still light out (one of the reasons we left when we did) but if it had been dark it probably would have scared them more.

I see your location given as Maryland. Were you at the one in Mass or the one south of New England in Jersey?

I work at the one just north of Suffield, CT.

[dragon_wings]

I see your location given as Maryland. Were you at the one in Mass or the one south of New England in Jersey?

I work at the one just north of Suffield, CT.

We went to the one outside D.C. All I know is it was a 30-45 minute drive from my sister's house.

[Mystic]

Update: I've just invited my partner in clown to this site so expect more great stories.

I do have a big story to tell as well which I hope to get up tonight or tomorrow. Someone always ruins the fun for everyone...

[AlmightyALT]

I also am working at a Haunted Trail here in East Texas.

The little Renaissance Faire near me goes into Haunts mode every October with three events at their location: Haunted Hay Ride, Haunted House, and Haunted Trail.

The Trail theme is Dark Fae Court and I am Queen Maab. I greet guests coming off of the hayride and if I have him, My Puppet takes the tickets. I split them into groups, check foot ware (Trail is outside in the woods and gets a bit rough towards the end). If it's a busy night I'll do that while My Raven lets guests in and out of the Trail. Sometimes we have a guest scarers help us. And if a family comes up with Little Ones I'll ask if they want the Little Scare and if they do I'll announce it to the trail and instead of trying to be Truely Terrifying they'll work on being Vaguely Menacing.

Funny story from a Little Scare group with lots of kids: Apparently the troll was laying out on the trail and complaining about a tummy ache! When the group came out the parents complemented us heartily about accomodating for their kids and the kids yelled back down the trail that they hope the troll feels better!

Bad Things: Among the guests we have the usual can't be scared and kinda ruins it for their group, but no one truely horrible. It's the non-guests that suck!

There are a couple of punks that drive by the woods where the Trails at and will shine SPOTLIGHT into it and yell inappropriate things! We have make, model, and color now. There's discussion of using the Master Trail Guru's paint ball gun on the last night of the Trail to make it easier for the cops to find them. We don't know if they're the same punks who cut down and knocked about parts of the trail last weekend. They didn't take or destroy anything but it seriously cheesed us off.

If any more funny stories or an update on the punks come around I'll let ya'll know!

Oh! And My Dog. Literally. My husband runs a line between two trees in the middle between two trail sections and shortens his rope on it so he doesn't get near the trail sections.

[Elspeth]

You mean there are more people like my hubby?! AAAHHHHH

The last time we did Halloween right, the hubby took over our computer room. Had a fog machine and lights and what not. He had a costume that would cover his face and a black robe and he stood very still. We had covered the front door with cobwebs so you couldn't get to it. He stood in the window and when the kids would try and get to the door he would go in a very deep creepy voice "what are you doing" Yeah there were a lot of screams. Of course the parents are in our driveway cracking up. We have had kids start to come up to the house the next year and the parents would remind them of what happen and they always turn away. The hubby scared his former boss's daughter so much she ran to the car and locked herself in. We had to bribe her out with Pokemon cards.

You people are crazy :P in a good way of course.

[Mytical]

I love Halloween, my favorite holiday. I've never been able to decorate or anything (as much as I want to), because of money..but I love things like haunted houses and hay rides, and all that.