Punched and Kicked

[AnandaHexen]

While we all have war stories to tell, if you have more than one or two instances of being injured by a customer then you need to adjust something in your "acting" style. It is NOT something to be proud of.

Are you really scaring them or are you pretty much just bullying them and making them uncomfortable by violating their personal space? Do you consider that to be a creative way to scare people?

The hardcore and "in your face" haunts and the actors that are proud of their bruises and continue to put themselves and customers in a situation that begs for an injury are creating the exact kind of situation that keeps the haunt industry from progressing forward.

[BruiseMuse]

I think most of us have been injured by a customer, whether on purpose or an accident, at one point or another. However, the important issue is not the injury, but whether you learned from the situation.

Have I ever been hit? Yes, I've had the distinct pleasure of having a grown man's fist come in contact with my face because I stopped him from grabbing a student actor. Was that the smartest move? Not necessasrily, but I'd rather take the blow then a 15 year old girl who was volunteering as an actor for the first time. I think each problematic situation teaches us to be more aware of our situations and how to difuse the problematic customers before they become full-blown problems.

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to exchange "war stories" and "battle scares," it's a common bond the majority of us share. I think we all have at least one painful learning situation, and it is up to us as actors to learn and grow from that injury. I think that it is possible to have the hardcore "in your face" style of acting and still be safe, it is simply a matter of being able to judge the customers. As experienced actors, most of us can tell right away if a person if a "fight" or "flight" scenario and we must decide how to scare accordingly.

[AnandaHexen]

I didn't say there was anything wrong with exchanging war stories.

I said that those who are proud of putting themselves or others in harm's way are projecting an incorrect image onto those who do learn from their mistakes.

[machetemachine]

I can honestly say in 10 years I have never been closed fist swung on, insert comments of me doing something wrong here.

[Jim Warfield]

I think that when considering haunted entertaining that there are a whole lot more "right" ways to get this done than usually "wrong" ways, when those things are within reason of course and not from DeSade's cookbook or something like that.
That final vote will be made with dollars coming into your "ballot box".
The scary part for haunt owners and the haunt's planners is the lag time of how long it takes to build and try versus counting those "ballots" every October night and wondering what is going on? The weather? The Competition? Your signage? Your Price?

The amount of work that goes into building any haunt is considerable by most common standards of effort and the amount of that effort is probably closer to equal between haunts whether the ticket buying public rates the haunt high or low, excellant or a rip-off.
There should be more compassion for all of the haunt builders/owners and it should be coming first from those other people engaged in doing the same type of projects . If anyone can have understanding of this time and money put out there, gambled upon the public's whims and perceptions, then it sure should be "US".

[EngineerofFear]

I know this is a stereotype, but honestly most of our problems don't come from the drunks ... they come from the overly-testosteroned teenage boys in ball caps.

They'll get startled or scared - which offends their thin-skinned machismo - so they feel the need to retaliate by confronting the actors ... or they think it would be fun to try and smash as much stuff as possible ... or they will yell all kinds of profanity at the actors (with no regard for anyone else in their group)

I've had friends who were/are bouncers at local bars and they have all said that you'll see much more fights, aggression, and destruction at the non-alcoholic "under 21" nights and clubs than at most adult bars.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to buy a infra-red video surveillance system. Before people even buy a ticket, they see the monitor showing 13 camera views through-out the entire attraction (and have likely seen our police and security presence outside) and it greatly reduces the amount of incidents.

As a rule of thumb our outside actors and entertainers both entertain the lines as well as spot out trouble customers by their interaction as they wait. This allows us to keep tabs on the trouble customers and ensure actor safety. In the event someone is touched, they are warned. After the first warning they are escorted out. Hitting is a different offense and should be judged depending on the situation. An all out attack on an actor should be immediately stopped to ensure the safety of the customer acting, their group, and any other actors in the scene.

[BruiseMuse]

As a rule of thumb our outside actors and entertainers both entertain the lines as well as spot out trouble customers by their interaction as they wait. This allows us to keep tabs on the trouble customers and ensure actor safety. In the event someone is touched, they are warned. After the first warning they are escorted out. Hitting is a different offense and should be judged depending on the situation. An all out attack on an actor should be immediately stopped to ensure the safety of the customer acting, their group, and any other actors in the scene.

We also use our outside actors to keep an eye on the situation; typically if someone is already acting up in the que line then they will become a bigger problem as they go through the attractions. We will also place staff that aren't acting within problematic groups to make sure their rowdiness does not escalate once they get inside.

We maintain police on site to deal with aggressive customer issues. If a customer hitting an actor was intentional (as opposed to an accident or a fight or flight mechanism), then they get escorted out to the Boys in Blue.

[Jim Warfield]

He left here hours ago, he said he wasn't feeling well, maybe he had a stomach ache or something?"
"That has to be the most realistic looking bloody skeleton I have ever seen in a haunted house, where do you get such props, if I might ask?"
"Asking professionally, Officer?"
"No, I just am curious."
"Sorry I am not at liberty to tell you or the haunt guild would kill me."
"Mmm, looks so real!"


there are a myriad of ways to deal with aggressive patrons.

[Badger]

Unfortunately, there are people who go to haunts JUST to cause trouble. There's almost nothing you can do if you're moving along an area and someone jumps you or kicks you from behind.

This past year I was walking though a crowd when a woman lunged out of the line and struck me full in the chest. I had no time to react. she and her friends thought it was funny until I told her I was calling security and haivng her tossed. I made her and her friends stand off to the side while my partner went to get security and had to explain to them that thereere was no touching the actors. they got all huffy and said they didn't know that (even though there were HUGE signs at every entrance). I allowed them to stay in the park after security gave them a stern warning about doing it again.

That same night we had a co-worker assaulted with a laser pointer from a girl and her boyfriend who wouldn't stop shining it in his eyes. Security had them thrown out but not before they raised a HUGE fuss and threatened to come back and beat the guy up after the night was over.

Two years ago I was standing on a planter when someone from 20 feet away threw a basketball at my head. I caught it and had him thrown out. The park had been open 15 minutes and he was upset he couldn't get a refund.

It only takes a couple bad apples to ruin an otherwise great night. Thank goodness we have plenty of security although they can't be everywhere.

[SHELDON]

Having the disadvantage of size by scaring from a wheelchair, I get my share of patrons who insist on grabbing the handles and taking me for a ride of their own. This was curtailed by spreading Cinema Secrets blood gel (ya know, the thick stuff) all over the handles. When Johnny Badass comes out of line to mess with me and show off for his lady and friends, ewww... instant cockblock! You know she doesn't want him touching her later with bloody hands. Sorry Johnny. There have been many who have taken things much further. That's where sheer size has it's perks. Many have been bold enough to step to a guy in a wheelchair with violent and malicious intentions. That is, of course, until the guy in the wheelchair stands up and suddenly there's a 6'4", 220 lb wall in your way that knows how to push back. I don't condone getting physical with your patrons but sometimes the rules get thrown out the window and Sheldon goes from Feature to Teacher.