Do Funny Characters belong in your Haunted House?

[Tater]

Ok yall heres a simple question thats going to have many complicated answers im sure.

Do the Funny Characters have a place in a haunted house?

While some of you know my character Granny is not really a scary person. Shes mean yes, but shes mainly there to get the customers mind off of the fact that they are entering a Haunted House. She also sets up for other actors to come and scare while herself is getting some of the action. So to answer this I say YES! they do belong

[Motograter]

I have been to a haunted house where they had Micheal Jackson dancing around. The room was filled with fog with a giant crystal ball in the center playing a Micheal Jackson song. It was different, kinda caught me off guard saying, wtf? The rest of the house was scary.

[Motograter]

By the way Tater this is off topic but I just went to add you on my myspace page. Your granny pictures are f****ing HILARIOUS!

[Boni]

I think, properly placed, especially if they fit the theme, they provide a great breather for the guests that sets them at easy, they think they are off the hook and then they turn the corner.

In my haunted hospital, we had the mad pharmisist, poppin pills, breathing some laughing gas, just a little change of pace.

[Tater]

haha thanks Bill!

you going to transworld, if so I will see you there

[Darkangel]

IT'S a HAUNTED house or attraction, I think they are there and paid to be scared, that is what they want and payed for. The guests will get more laughs from watching each other get scared. Unless you can book a real comedian to do standup, possibly horror related would be ideal, to do a set for the que, it's out of place IMO....

Darkangel

[BruiseMuse]

I think humorous and quirky characters work well in a haunt. If the customers see one bloody maniac after another, they become numb to the scare factor. Encountering some random humorous character that engages and entertains them will cause there guard to go down again and allow for some great scares.

I think the point of an actor is to be entertaining; whether that be in a scary, gross, creepy, or comical sense.

[Haunted Illinois]

If the customers see one bloody maniac after another, they become numb to the scare factor. Encountering some random humorous character that engages and entertains them will cause there guard to go down again and allow for some great scares.

Quite true. There is one attraction in Illinois that is like that. They try too hard to make their haunt the "most intense" by bombarding your senses with tons of strobe lights, loud sounds and characters constantly screaming in your ear. By the time you are halfway through it, you're numb to their attacks and become bored with the whole thing. Customers need a break between scares to cool down... then anticipation rises and the following scare attempts are more successful.

I think humorous and quirky characters work well in a haunt... ...I think the point of an actor is to be entertaining; whether that be in a scary, gross, creepy, or comical sense.

Way too many attractions focus their efforts on being the "scariest" or most "intense" and I think that is a mistake. Keep in mind that there are just some people you won't be able to scare, no matter what you do. For those less timid patrons, you need to provide some level of entertainment if you want them to come back. Just my two cents.

[Spookyfinder]

I think some comedic characters are a good thing... When used right, they can actually provide the BIGGEST scares! Remember, in it's most basic form... we are NOT in the haunt industry, we work in the ENTERTAINMENT industry! It's WAY more than just scaring people... you've got to entertain them! -Tyler

[gadget-evilusions]

I agree 1300% with Katie

[Jim Warfield]

Very well known, successfull entertainers (who make more money in one week than the rest of us see in a year) have been quoted as saying humor is tougher than mere acting.
Humor is "Risk", you risk not being funny, you risk possibly offending someone.
Many years ago, almost from "Day -One", I took this challenge on and it is very gratifying to successfully control people in a room having them laugh then scream then laugh again, then scream and until someone has tried this and succeed, you will never know how incredible this personally feels, unless you are Adolf Hitler reincarnated.
Everyone starts somewhere and far be it from me to be critical of what others want to to do or need to be doing and being critical of what works for them is a huge waste of time and energy.
A much more personalized entertainment situation does enthrall people , makes them wonder? Brings them back to buy another ticket, gives them an experience more noteworthy, maybe more valuable?
Upon enterting a haunted attraction a gauntlet has been thrown down in which many customers are already mentally saying:"You can't scare me, I will not respond to idiots screaming in my face, everything is fake."
An excellant way to overcome this shield they put up is to catch them off their game by playing the game differently and humor and a true roller coaster ride of the trully unexpected, punctuated by normal speech, dress, humor will set up anything with almost anybody, once you engage their mind in a more normal, everyday plain.
If your audience is mostly young teens who have a very short attention span..scream in their face and be done with them although I am seldom dissappointed when I offer more , metally to an audience. They will respond moreso than not going toward the intellectual.
Acting this way, talking, adding humor or attempted humor will slow down the throughput.
I have found that doing a job well but seeing fewer customers will sustain the haunt. Seeing many more but rushing the dollar from their pocket often leaves an "injury" they don't heal quickly from.
People like to be treated as a person rather than like a mere number, this takes time.
(Disclaimer: No, I do not know everything, I have just tried to find and do what works here for me..and it has. Your results may vary especially if you are that reincarnated hitler-guy)

[Jordan24]

Directly after someone is scared or startled in an environment they know is safe, typically the first thing they do is laugh. So I think a little bit of comedy associated with an overall 'scary' show can be a good thing.

[Howie Slobber Erlich]

We attempt to be the most intense, scary haunt around every year. However, we have at least one or two things in the haunt that are purposely funny. It give the customers a chance to laugh and catch their breathe. By the way, I am the haunt that Bill was talking about with the MJ room. The actor did a great job in that room and was funny as hell. We had a DJ light, MJ songs blasting and pictures of McCauley Caulklin, Emanuel Stewart, Brook Shields, Bubbles the chimp and Mj record sleves all over the walls. Our actor did his best impersonation of MJ and most of our crowd loved the humor of that room.

Howie "Slobber" Erlich
Deadly Intentions Haunted House
www.deadlyintentionshaunt.com

[Motograter]

We attempt to be the most intense, scary haunt around every year. However, we have at least one or two things in the haunt that are purposely funny. It give the customers a chance to laugh and catch their breathe. By the way, I am the haunt that Bill was talking about with the MJ room. The actor did a great job in that room and was funny as hell. We had a DJ light, MJ songs blasting and pictures of McCauley Caulklin, Emanuel Stewart, Brook Shields, Bubbles the chimp and Mj record sleves all over the walls. Our actor did his best impersonation of MJ and most of our crowd loved the humor of that room.

Howie "Slobber" Erlich
Deadly Intentions Haunted House
www.deadlyintentionshaunt.com

I must admit Howie it was pretty funny thing to do. I remember It put a smile on my face when I walked in that room. It totally caught me off guard something I would never expect to see inside a haunt.

[Dr. Giggles]

I think one or two funny characters are just as nessecary as the scary characters. Not everyones going to be scared by the haunt, you gotta keep them entertained somehow dont you? If you cant make em cry make em laugh till they die!