best/funniest reactions from a scare

[Jim Warfield]

Scaring someone who is concentrating on scaring someone else is always alot of FUN!
(Maybe that's why I seem to build those many hiding places here?)
"Dropped him to the floor by just turning your head?" I love the quieter scares that often achieve reactions more extreme than a big loud monsterous ones.
Subtle is scary.
At least it is if the customer is paying attention to their surroundings. (Versus hiding their eyes in their friend's back)
Of course not running 80 MPH through the place and providing enough light to see something have to be in place too....but I love those quiet, minimal movement acts that send people screaming and jerking, quite a power trip!
I have a video of me slightly gesturing as I am calmly, normally talking in the front room and this movement scared the crap out of this one young woman standing infront of me, a few seconds later during the bogus "Supernatural Experiment" she was minorly participating in, she ran screaming to the back of the room saying, to her friends, "You Lied to Me! you lied to me!!" (That it wouldn't be scary??)
She really responded to my mere floating up through the ceiling and dissappearing...for some reason?
(It's a realy high ceiling too)

[newhorror2010]

My very first season with Death Row back in 01 at the former 100 year old prison, I was working in the alien room, we were slammed on this particular night. This group has no choice but to stop in my scene. They were in there with me for what seemed to me like forever. They all had a chance to do what most don't, REALLY stop & stare at EVERYTHING! This little boy eyeballs me, he was about 7, maybe 8 years young, about 4 ft tall, he proceeds to walk up to me & just stare at my mask. I still believe he was trying to see if he could past my plastic mirror reflectioned eyes to see my real eyes. He finally gives up & walks back to his group & stands in line again. Minutes later he tests me again, stares at me again, then the little f'er stomps on my foot as hard as he can. I say nothing & don't move. He looks up at me again, starring. Next thing I know he hits me in my stomach, this of course knocks me backwards a little bit as it would've a static prop. I still say nothing & continue to watch. Again he gives up & finally returns to his group.
For what seems like forever once again, the group doesn't move. I finally make my move, convinced that as far as this group is concerned I'm just another prop in the room. I WAS RIGHT! I lunged forward, uncrossed my arms from my chest & screamed as loud as I could through my mask. EVERY SINGLE PERSON either jumped backwards, fell to the floor, or held their chest! I had punked everyone! What about the little boy? Let's just say I'm willing to bet he'll never touch another prop ever again!

Ya never know when those little suckers will come to life!

[Jim Warfield]

And similair but with a different ending for my first employee I ever had here.

my man was already retired around late 50's and not the brightest, shall I say?

I gave him a oversized mask to wear and told him to sit on a couch that was in the middle of a maze and not to let anyone punch or kick him. React first, move, growl, something...
At the end of the night he came to me huffing and puffing, mad and began telling how a woman had said to her friends:"I bet he's real,."
Then kicked him hard in the shins, not once but numerous times!
He said, "Said to myself, To Heck with YOU! I'm not going to move or anything and you will never find out if I'm real or not!"

I try to design my scares so is is very difficult if not impossible for the customers to reach the one whose job it is to scare them.
I also stress to employees not to get close enough to get punched but if they are advancing to do this run away after you temporarilly blind them with your bright flashlight..go get help.

One time an employee just vanished during a tour. He finally crawled up out of an open grave, he was wearing a mask and someone punched him, knocking him out!
By the time we found him the tour was long gone, and out of the house.
He got too close.
He suffered no perminent injury.

At a house not far from mine an employee showed up late, the owner threw him an old furr coat and a werewolf mask and since this employee was a short guy was told to just crawl around and scare people...15 minutes later the short, crawling werewolf was sporting some freshly broken ribs.
Is is very easy to kick someone in their ribs if they are crawling infront of you....DUH?

[bamasmith]

We had a girl sh!et herself at Graystone in'08.And of all places it was in the maze.And her group of friends could'nt get out quick enough...

[TaylorSGilman]

Best reaction that I still don't understand HOW?! There were these 2 guys both around their 20s making the usual,"not scary, won't get me;" this is when me (the chainsaw guy) smiles and bursts through a side door in one swift pull got saw at full throttle....I swear like scooby doo one guy jumps straight up and just lands into the other guys arms.........I just turned off my saw and burst out laughing as the 2 guys stood there white and shaking, then I turned away to go into the shack then quickly turn around start saw and chase them into the next trail. I still to this day wondered how the hell does that happen?!

[Jim Warfield]

As the members of a college basketbal team were leaving the room (a very well lit room) my Step-son stood up he had been sitting beside a manniquin with a 89cent mask on, the basketball player who was a very tall, thin black man jumped straight up and seemed as if he might hit his head on the 9 foot high ceiling!
Somehow in mid-air he moved sideways, came down and sprung right back up like a Po-Go stick! He did this in succession about 3 or 4 times.
It was physically amazing to me!
Another time a man visiting from Germany was so scared when I opened the front door that he ran straight back about 15 feet, turned a sharp, crisp 90 degrees, ran a few more feet, all in about 2 seconds! No more than that.
There was some loose grave underfoot but you would have never guessed that it was there seeing him put on such a show.
I suggested that he should investigate trying out for his country's Olympic team..."in some capacity?"

[Damien Warwick]

Well so far my personal favorite reaction would have to be the girl who I caused to loose all faith in human kindness lol.

This past year I played a carny/sideshow ringleader as a distraction for the clowns. I would do a usual carny spheel, distract them, clown would strike from the sides or behind...basic setup

This group of teenage girls walked in and the one in the front instantly started crying about how much she hated clowns. I very cooly, and with all of my southern charm, told her not to worry "why would there be clowns in a side how? that just dont make no sense darlin. you can trust me." She proceeded to tell me how she had so many trust issues from this that and the other...after 10 seconds I had her trusting me lol. And as soon as she says "well you seem nice I guess I can..." my clown decided to make his appearance...she fell to the floor, peed herself, and cried so hard that I actually felt guilty...for a few moments. God I'm a bad person :P

[newhorror2010]

Well so far my personal favorite reaction would have to be the girl who I caused to loose all faith in human kindness lol.

This past year I played a carny/sideshow ringleader as a distraction for the clowns. I would do a usual carny spheel, distract them, clown would strike from the sides or behind...basic setup

This group of teenage girls walked in and the one in the front instantly started crying about how much she hated clowns. I very cooly, and with all of my southern charm, told her not to worry "why would there be clowns in a side how? that just dont make no sense darlin. you can trust me." She proceeded to tell me how she had so many trust issues from this that and the other...after 10 seconds I had her trusting me lol. And as soon as she says "well you seem nice I guess I can..." my clown decided to make his appearance...she fell to the floor, peed herself, and cried so hard that I actually felt guilty...for a few moments. God I'm a bad person :P

LOL, I love it!

[sLiTwRiSt ThE cLoWn]

My first year at Hotel Fear in Las Vegas i was on chainsaw. the 3rd week in we had a guy and girl (couple im assuming) come through. I am 6ft. 1 in. and 220 pounds running a chainsaw in a white/black striped hallway with 2 strobes. they walk in my room, shes behind him pushing, i start the saw and come out of hiding and they ran smack into the wall and literally took the wall down! a reinforced plywood wall came down. i would normally break character but i could clearly see they were both okay so i kept the saw going, went in after them, chased them out to find she had peed herself. i could have sworn the owner would be pissed but they put the wall back up and gave me congrats!!! great night that was!!

[Warren Vanderdark]

A great one that I still remember to this day happened when I used to play the Wolf Man for the Louisville Jaycees. I jumped out a guy, giving my most ominous growl, he screamed and suddenly, ala' Lou Costello, ran directly into the wall BEHIND him (thankfully, the only thing hurt was his pride) ...