Touching!

[Gman035t]

I believe touching is completely necessary for an intense haunt. Dead Acres Haunted Hoochie does it, and I loved it.

[Jim Warfield]

Touching might be effective because all physical torture begins with a touch.
What may come next is always where the worriment lives.
Of course the brain is where most scary things transpire and will also cause the most memorable incidents whether they were real or imagined.
Case-in-point, hypnotism.

[scattered screams]

Tic tac

I understand no touching!! What about a clean mouth I hate it when a actor gets in your face and screams yell whatever, and Wow (you need a tic tac)

I just hate it they smell like an ashtray, or just yuk mouth.

[badass]

sometimes i even touch myself....




.

[Jim Warfield]

Practice!

Practice touching yourself so you can get better at it for when you will be touching others?
Better not.

[Terrorknight]

No Touching

I think if you need to touch someone to be scare, your not being scary. We never let our actors touch people at all, no bottom of there legs or tapping there shoulders or even the scary fingers in the hair. Half of our actors jump out at people and the other half you can see coming and trust me we have no problem scaring the shit out of the people that come thru.

[freak 'n' stein]

We don't allow touching. Last week at Necropolis was the first time I've ever been to a haunt that made it a point to let us know as customers that we WILL be touched. I wasn't sure it was a good idea at first, but it was done in a rather tasteful way...if that makes sense. They stuck to the "above the shoulders, below the knees" rule. One girl was rubbing my head which was a little odd, but for the most part it was just people in your face and grabbing your legs. Like I said, we don't do it and never will, but if it's done right I guess it can be effective. Actor safety and customer lawsuits is what we're trying to avoid.

[jakprintsHAUNT]

My opinion on this is that as long as it is done tastefully and by a seasoned actor, there is no problem with it. Grabbing or shoving is definitely a no no as that can always become an issue of safety concern. A shoulder tap, hair brush, or similar touching as Katie said staying out of the "danger grope zone" should not be any issue...all about common sense by the actor. I also feel the idea of having cameras through your haunt for protection are a great idea, like Fearfest did...then if you get a claim by a customer...review the tape...and if something inappropriate did occur, you have grounds to discipline the actor, and if not, its your ammo against a bogus claim.

Someone also had a comment about actors with bad breath...that they need a tic tac or something...Monsters should not have minty breath! Same reason monsters should not have white sneakers! It ruins the atmosphere, and adds too much human element to the character that gives the customer a false sense of security. Anything that can put the "normal human" element back into the actor will work against your favor in even the subconscious thoughts of the patron. You want them afraid and a bit uncomfortable to a degree. In this same respect I agree they shouldnt smell of cigarette after a break or something like that for the same reason...unless it went with the character. Most people know that it is all fake, but the less comfort zones you forcefully provide, the more questions it leaves in their brains, and the more on edge they will be.

Thats just my opinion.


Mike "Pogo" Hach

[wickedfarmer]

'... Do not touch actors or you will be removed. Sppoks will not grab you but understand masks are hard to see out of and might bump into you. You might be touched with a large pair of fake hands. (monster comes out of pit and lunges hands towards feet) I MYSELF will do the tap on shoulder when following a group through corn WHEN GUYS know I am behind them to slip around them up to their girlfriend. Many times have had a girl reach back to take hand of her male friend and end up with my bone gloved hand and scream like Death himself just touched them.

[Jim Warfield]

"Is anybody going to touch me when I'm in There?"

"Well, maybe? I can't speak for the people you came here with, you know, the people in your group? They might touch you?"
This gets them all looking at each other..checking out the possibilitys....expands to the entertainment parameters..with no cost to me!

[cheeseboy33]

"Well, maybe? I can't speak for the people you came here with, you know, the people in your group? They might touch you?"
This gets them all looking at each other..checking out the possibilitys....expands to the entertainment parameters..with no cost to me!

That is a really amazing idea. So simple but very very effective. Because then they no longer trust eachother the whole time they are in your haunt.

[annarchy]

It's only going to take a couple "idiots" that take the touching too far and the media is going to run with it. These are topics that HHA should address and begin forming some type of {industry guidelines} for the well being of all haunted attractions and protection of the industries reputation.

[rip-saw]

We have touched clients but only in a manner by putting hands on their shoulder or touching their hands that they have on the side of the wagon...we only do this with a few older veteran actors we would not and will not let a younger actors do this because of liabilities. Our veterans only do this to those who appear to be tolerant of this ,not touching big burley guys that may knock your block off or a female that may climb over another custumer or fall off the wagon and injuring themselves....but that is my take , I actually get onto the wagon get the crowd seperated and may sit down next to someone which inturn may have incidental contact...it comes with the deal alot of people love it and some don't but it can put on a good show.....rip

[tonguesandwich]

No intentional touching. An extreme thought... I did a short term as a cop and rape was the unauthorized touching.... you can see where that can lead. Penetration is not necessary and even though this may seem as an extreme example you would be amazed at the claims. So you may want to consider state laws and whats happens when you allow touching and your actor misses the target and touches the wrong spot. Just a thought.
Grabbing a minor accidentally in the wrong spot....yikes!
I guess I would say whats it worth? Extreme -Jail time or probable lawsuit? Does it make your haunt that much better?

How about projectiles? I liked the Darkness this year even though we were told not to go because a friend of ours was sprayed in the eye with a water bottle at close range. Her eye was pretty red the next day. We thought it was a fluke and went anyway. Low and behold The same thing happened to my wife who has sensitive eyes from surgery.... if she hadn't recovered as much as she did she would had definitely been in the hospital. She cried a little and complained to the walkie talkie attendant and he said it was just water. Water from a inch to the eye out a spray bottle isn't fun!
I was in front of her so I missed it....good thing.
Her eye was pretty red the next day. No harm but it definitely ruined the haunt for her. All that money on a haunt that most dream of ruined with a dollar spray bottle. I doubt she would go back.

So whats touching worth?

[Jim Warfield]

Know who your employees are.
In Illinois you now have to have criminal backround checks on all owners and employees..except if you have a charity haunt...? (So where will all them haunt perverts end up now?)
Coming up with some spur of the moment hired help will now be legally impossible, which may create situations where unruly customers have more accidental freedom to mess with the other customers if you come up short of help.....
In a perfect world.......
I guess a lights on, "museum" tour with surveilence cameras on could solve all of these potential problems.
People still want to be entertained for their money.
I spend alot of time personally entertaining them in the first room, of course I love doing this.
In a perfect world.