Favorite tactic

What is your most enjoyable tactic for scaring the guests?

I'm a big fan of the subtle scare that requires no screaming, words, or jumping out.

One of my favorites is sliding out from behind a wall already walking at the pace of the group and merging in behind someone and getting real close as they start talking and finally turn around and screammmmmmmmmmmmm.

Its usually funny because the people behind me are getting a great view of the scare and they are cracking up knowing what's going to happen to their friend when they realize its not one of them.

I also love the loyal husband / Boyfriend who sees me coming, doesn't say anything but steps out of the way so I can slide right up behind their girl.

Showing a button to a scared little kid, convincing them to actually push the button(on a remote control) then something happens in the next room, all controlled by that small hand-held single button.
I see the "lights" go on in their head as a new realization dawns there, "They can have some of this fun too!"
The next button they push scares their family members but not them.
This is a very popular experience for the child. I just made a future haunter!
Or at the very least a future haunt customer.
Most of these formerly scared little kids then remain in the tour......this is how you "grow" your spooky business.
It feels great to me!

My personal preference? Well it depends on the group, since im usually a rover in the maze i can take about a room and a half to decide what i want to do. For example for the jackass groups who arent scared of anything il either be really subtle so they would be like "Wh...what .....go away man!" or il go absolutely crazy. I remember this one group came in about 4 sailors they were boasting about how they werent scared. But first let me describe this room to you its kind of like an operating room and theres like a metal gurney/table thing in the middle of the room and im the doctor..doctor giggles...laughter is the best medicine after all. So they come in all bravado. And im just leaning against a wall smiling all creepy like, when one of them looks me in the eye and says your not scary...i looked him back in the eye...started mumbling to myself...and let the smile slide of my face.. I am about 6'5 or 6'6 so i was about a head taller then this boastfull fellow so it was pretty intimidating i assume. Then when he backs off a little bit and his friends finally notice whats going on around them i assume my full height leap up onto the table on all fours and crawl across it to his friends barking and growling like a dog and they flipped out. I stood up on the edge of the table and launched myself over their heads, clearing it and landing once again on all fours by their feet. So i then i tore around the corner and i waited...once they recovered they made their way around the corder and i just stepped out and whispered. "Why...hello!" with the most malicious grin i could muster and they freaked out took off back through the maze and refused to come back in so they left the haunt. 8)

That is amazing all that successfull leaping around. I used to be a quicker person but 20 years later....
I amaze some people by being "everywhere" at once (at least it seems like it to them)
Many years ago I knew I would be eventually losing the battle of age so I built myself a fireman's pole, hidden, just for my use.
Of course since I have built everything here I also have numerous hidden doors that give me quick access to where they are soon going to be, which also helps amaze them.
The best way to get ahead of them is to turn the lights up and give them things to look at along their path.
I might have the most illuminated haunted house that anyone has ever ran!
Having the lights basically "ON" also calms them, resets them and lulls them into thinking that they can't be scared ....(insert evil laugh here~)

I wear knee pads and elbow pads i jump around so much, i go crazy.(Knee Pads and Elbow pads at the suggestion of my boss) But yeah the maze has secret doors as well. I often get the comment "How the #@*% do you keep popping up like that!" too which i usually respond "Im like a cold sore...you cant get rid of me...( Insert generic crazy clown laugh here ) "

Boni,

Years ago, I was helping the Ft Wayne Jaycees on the Haunted Train Station. Baker Street Station has since been restored. It was one of the best I have ever seen.

Anyways, I was in a room that had a stub wall to hide behind and played a character with a huge head. I approached from behind and the boyfriend stopped. As he did their hands came aprt and I immediately put my hend into hers and she never looked back. Not for a few seceonds anyways.

She then turned her head slightly and realied a big headed monster was holding her hand and jumped screaming. The boyfriend laughed , but was chastised slightly by the girl for being in on it. Worked great. Oh, those good old days when some touch was ok.

My Dad was sitting in the theater when my Uncle, my Mother's- brother-uncle, walked in with his girlfriend (later Wife) and sat down a few aisles infront of my Dad.
Part way through the movie Dad saw his Brother-in-law excuse himself , leaving her alone, watching the big screen.
My Dad waited a few minutes then walked down, sat down next the Uncle's girlfriend, put his arm around her back just like my Uncle had been sitting, all was going well so far, she was hypnotised by the movie....
Then Dad went to complete the posture my Uncle had by putting his other arm across infront of her and locking his fingers with his other hand on her opposite shoulder...
After my Dad's third attempt to make his arm magically stretch so he could lock those fingers, the girlfriend turned her head finally and the joke was over!
If only my Dad had slightly longer arms.....

Hahahahahahah Oh Jim, you really should suggest some of these to readers digest. You have some of the most amusing stories. Its like they happen...just so you can tell them. Ah well another tactic i prefer to do is just get inside their head. I know theirs a school around my neighborhood and i recognized these people that live about a block from me. They are nice people but everyones fair game when they enter the haunt. So i go "STOP! I...I...know you....iv been watching you!" I smiled big at this part. "Your kid goes to Hawthorne elementary!" which is the name of the school thats only a few blocks away and i happen to know this is a fact because i am close with the kids uncle who is a top notch make up artist if i do say so myself. He found out i was a haunt actor and always asks me over so he can try new stuff its pretty cool. The father of the kid wasnt scared until up to this point. His laugh immediatly stopped "H...h...how do you know that?!?!?!" he asked his voice cracking. "Tee hee....." i giggled and i got in really close putting my mouth right by his ear "Iv been watching little Jack" which isnt his name but im censoring for story purposes, but i did say his reall name and the dad just backed up on the verge of tears, the mom however was just flabberghasted...i think it was the chainsaw i had in my left hand. It was a big saw too. It was l a 20 inch blade i think im not sure but as soon as he was begging for mercy against a wall. I said "Fine John il let you go" Which was his name i found out from his wife who was freaking out. Then as he had his back to me "HEY JOHN!" i shouted, he stopped and turned. "W...hat now?" I saw that he was actually crying at this point. "I LIED!!!" i shouted with as much force as i could, i started up the chainsaw and lunged forward dropping into a crouch like i was going for his legs, he took off through the emergeny exit with his wife. And judging by the smell afterward im pretty sure he shat himself.
That was probably the most fun i had all season. Not counting the groups of teenage girls i get that i can really mess with.

35 years ago I worked in a two-aisle grocery store in a village of 400 people.
The owner and his son were characters as were many of our customers.
I would go home at the end of the day with a stomach ache from laughing So Much!
A young mother would bring her precocious son in the store , she pushing the cart behind him as he would walk down the first aisle holding his arm out, knocking everything off the shelf as he walked!?
"Now Elliot, stop that." (notice there is no exclamation point after this sentence because the Mother never raised her voice or seemed to think this was a big deal!? (We got to pick everything up and put them back on the shelf!?)
One fine day the boss'es son got a hairy gorilla mask from UPS.
The Bosse's son was sort of built like a gorilla, sized impressively. He put on the new mask as Elliot and mom entered the store....as Elliot rounded that corner at the end of aisle (after clearing the shelves AGAIN!) he came face to face with a "Gorilla", 6 foot tall, 290 pounds, wearing a white butcher'a apron with a huge blood stain down the middle, "Gorilla" holding a curved boning knofe in one hand!!! Growling and threatening at Elliot!
That kid's head wobbled back and forth So Quickly as his eyes bugged out!
"Priceless!"
A few years later Elliot and his sister were 7 miles from their village in my village scared and quivvering in the JC haunted house.
I was wearing the silliest duck mask ever made, yet they were terrorifed!
As I escourted them prematurely out I said, (from behind the duck bill) "You wounldn't be so scared Elliot, if you were a better kid."
He had no clue who I was. I hope it added to his level of fear.
If a parent doesn't do their job with the kid, then the "village" must....

It often takes a village to raise a child....or something like that. Hahahahaha. Mmmm yeah, that reminds me of a story. You probably wont believe this Jim but they all think im crazy in my neighborhood. So i have one character iv developed called Chuck. Me and my girlfriend on halloween before we went to the haunt ((Because kids trick or treat early because the parents dont want them out at night by themselves)) My girlfriend walked around in a doll costume with a baby with a chain wrapped around its neck. And i would hide inbetween the houses. This gaggle of teenage girls dressed like whores, forgive me for by horrid language on that part but seriously those skirts were ridiculously tiny. But yeah my girlfriend walks up and slams the baby on a chain into a trash can upon which the babies head flew off and landed in a girls arm she scream and dropped it. So one of the girls made a snide remark which was along the lines of "Wow....your a bad mom!" and my girlfriend turns to her immdiatly looks her in the eye and says "Oh yeah? My son beggs to differ. CHUCK, CHUCK GET OUT HERE NOW AND SHOW THIS GIRL HOW GOOD OF A MOM I CAN BE!" She was looking in my direction so i got the hint that she was talking to me. I lumbered out with my 20 inch homelight chainsaw in hand. I was wearing huge combat boots, camoflage pants, a bloody (WHITE)tanktop, and a bloody(white) labcoat that was open. I keep my head shaved just for convenience purposes and i had a big bloody hand print on the top of my head and a slit across one eye and i looked pretty gruesome. Now this may not sound very scary but im a big fellow. Im about 6'8 and 300 pounds so im a BIG guy by most peoples standards. And these girls came up to my waist roughly. So i replied in my best hick accent "Whats the matter momma these girlee's giving you trouble" When i said the word girly i made my voice crack. The girls just looked up at me like there was no way a person could be that tall. I said "Dont worry momma, they can feed Junior.." i said glancing at the baby, upon which i noticed the head was missing so i freaked out. "MOMMA WHAT HAPPENED TO JUNIOR HE IS HURTED!!!" so my Girlfriend ((WHO was playing my mom, id appreciate it if their were no incest jokes hahaha)) "She calmly looked up and smiled at me patting me on the arm as it was the only place she could reach and almost whispered "They did it Chuck......they hurt junior." so i shoot the most malicious look i can at them and they are backing up. "N...no...shes lying it wasnt us!" they almost said in unison stuttering and falling overrthemeselves as they backed up. I just smiled and said "You calling my mom a liar" in a hoarse voice. One of them said "Yeah we are!" it was the smartass girl who said that my girlfriend was a bad mother. And as luck would have it the smarty party pants girl fell over, and landed on her but. I wakl up with her, "Time to teach you some respect GIRLEEE!" And as i shouted that i started my chainsaw. Then just needled her mercilessly. VERBALLY i did not needle her with the chainsaw. Her friends got over their fear but she didnt, she was crying and im pretty sure she peed herselv, and shat herself. Point being that since that year she never came back down my street.