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How To Avoid Ticking Off The Actors In A Haunted House

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  • How To Avoid Ticking Off The Actors In A Haunted House

    Darkwood Manor posted this on FB last night. I think most of it is spot on and should be posted in front of EVERY haunt in the country...




    How To Avoid Ticking Off The Actors In A Haunted House

    1. Be sure you really want to go through the house- there's nothing worse than a customer who keeps their eyes and ears covered, or runs.

    2. Make sure you won't react poorly to the environment. Fog machines and strobe lights are often used. Keep this and any medical conditions that could be aggravated by this in mind.

    3. Do not come if you are drunk or high. You won't have fun, your friends won't have fun, and the actors won't have fun.

    4. If there are rules, listen to them.

    5. Even if it is not explicitly mentioned, do NOT touch the actors. This is liable to get you thrown out.

    6. Unless they are unprofessional, actors are unlikely to break character, regardless of how many devastatingly witty one-liners you come up with. You might think it's hilarious to ask for an actor's phone number, or to comment on how hot they are. Trust me, it's not.

    7. Stating that you aren't frightened indicates to the actors that you are. If you see an actor peeking out from behind a curtain, it is probably because they WANTED to be seen. Saying "ha, I can see you!" doesn't prove that you're clever.

    8. Pushing aside curtains in search of actors waiting to scare you ruins the scare. Do not do this.

    9. It's not your job to scare people, it's the actor's. Let them do their jobs.

    10. Do not try to scare the actors. This will almost certainly not work, and you'll look like a prat.

    11. Do not touch props. Do not play with props. Do not move props. Do not attempt to steal props.

    12. If you find yourself too afraid to continue, request to be taken out. Do not ask to be taken out unless you genuinely want to leave the house. A false chicken out will only irritate actors who have to break character to escort you out.

    13. Asking an actor to not scare you will often not work. In fact, it will only encourage them to scare you more. If you are truly frightened, chicken out.

    14. Do not force your companions to stay if they are frightened.

    15. Try to have some fun when you walk through. Having no fun ruins the experience for everyone.

    16. Running in a haunted house can be dangerous and destructive. Try to avoid it

    17. Do not walk slowly or dawdle. Try to keep an average walking pace. This will ensure that you won't clump up into big groups with the people behind you, which leads to less scares for everyone.

    18. Come in smaller groups (2-4 is usually good). This makes you more manageable and easier to keep track of in the house.

    19. The longer you wait at the end of a hallway or in a doorway being frightened or debating about who goes first, the more time the actors have to prepare to scare you.

    20. When you leave the house don't warn waiting customers about what it might hold. That's kind of like telling people the end of a movie that they're waiting in line to see.

    * A haunted house is usually only as scary as the surprises that it holds. Going through more than once can ruin the experience for you and the actors.

    * If you do go through more than once, don't be obnoxious about how much you now know about the house. Try to enjoy it as you would a new house.

    * Making fun of actors or attempting to break their character is neither witty nor amusing.

    * If an actor tells you something, such as "Wait", "Move faster", "Wrong way" etc., listen to them.

    * Be aware of when a house closes. If it closes at, say, midnight, do not show up at midnight. The actors will be preparing to leave, and the house will probably already be shut down.

    * As stated above, do not touch the actors. Do not hit the actors. Do not kick, push, bite, slap, scratch or otherwise assault actors. The same goes for mannequins, which could be an actor pretending to be fake.

    * Do not run. You could destroy the house or hurt yourself and others.

    Copyright (c) www.wikihow.com
    http://www.bigscaryshow.com
    http://www.rabidbadger.org

  • #2
    This seems like a BAD idea to me... and here's why. You won't stop people from doing everything you don't want them to do, there's no way. I see this list as giving those people new ideas to cause trouble... so why feed temptation?

    Just say one thing... "Touch ANYTHING, get thrown out without refund!"

    That works well! -Tyler
    Chris Riehl
    Sales@spookyfinder.com
    (586)209-6935
    www.spookyfinder.com

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    • #3
      I also think its a bad idea to post this. It also point out alot of bad actor behavior, Like chasing and getting caught peeking.

      * If an actor tells you something, such as "Wait", "Move faster", "Wrong way" etc., listen to them.
      One of the things I hate to hear the most in a haunt is "get out!, Get out of my room!" A good actor can scare them out, if the clog problem is beyond a good actor then a ste or lighting change is in order there.
      This listing can be called "the devils we know" knowing what the patrons will do is our advantage, each time someone new does one of these things they think they are the first one, to post the list would cause erratic behavior from the patrons.
      Allen H
      www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
      http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

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      • #4
        Don't do it

        I 100% agree with Tyler and Allen. It only invites the guests who are seeking to start trouble to do just that!
        O'Shawn McClendon
        Creative Chair -- Operator: Cayce-West Columbia Hall of Horrors

        One mans junk is another mans kick-ass new prop...

        http://www.hallofhorrors.com

        http://twitter.com/hallofhorrors

        http://cwchallofhorrors.blogspot.com

        http://www.youtube.com/hallofhorrors

        http://www.myspace.com/cwcjc_hallofhorrors

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        • #5
          Some of them are pretty good, but many of them come across as snotty or sarcastic.

          Anyone drunk, high or obnoxious is not going to read that list, no matter how boring the que area is.

          Bad title as well. It sets the snotty tone. It also dares patrons to try to tick off the actors, even if they hadn't thought about doing it to begin with. And you just gave them a couple of dozen ways to do it. In my area someone would come up to me afterwards holding the sign and ask if they won something by having broke every rule when they went through.
          Last edited by shawnc; 06-23-2009, 04:14 AM.

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          • #6
            I also agree that it seems like a bad idea and may encourage more bad behavior. I think the basics of "No touching and no running!" should be listed.

            Issues like drunk/high patrons should be dealt with by security or police and not the actors inside. It comes off as a light issue on the list (you won't have fun) and it downplays the serious issues that a drunk can cause.
            Katie Lane
            Partner/VP
            Raven's Wolf Art Productions (www.ravens-wolf.com)
            sigpic

            Bansheette Morningstar (www.bansheette.com)

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            • #7
              I think that lists acts as a great resource for actors more than customers. I say less is more with information like this, at Disney World they don't really tell you what to do or not do with their characters, they come out and entertain/get photos taken then go back in.

              I like this list as a good list to show actors what to expect.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Nightgore View Post
                This seems like a BAD idea to me... and here's why. You won't stop people from doing everything you don't want them to do, there's no way. I see this list as giving those people new ideas to cause trouble... so why feed temptation?

                Just say one thing... "Touch ANYTHING, get thrown out without refund!"

                That works well! -Tyler

                This

                Posting a list like this is more of a challenge to those who would maliciously attack your set or your actors. All you're doing is taunting those that enjoy causing trouble.

                Also, and this is an objective observation, one that I would make if I were purely a consumer and have no knowledge of the workings or challenges facing a haunter - If I read this as written, I'd say, "who gives a flip if I "tick off" your actors, your management, or you. I'm here to enjoy myself, not try to process some laundry list of gripes by your, 'too into it' staff"

                Commercial ventures are about the guest, the consumer, not the employee or employer of the business.

                I spent my college summers in the National Park Service, at first as an interp ranger, later as a visitor protection ranger. I had the chance to participate in Disney's Legendary Service training twice. When you're part of an attraction you're focused on the visitor experience, not on the lowest common denominator, problem guest. Leadership of your staff includes keeping them focused, professional, and having fun and the primary aspect of that is arming them with the tools to deal with 'issue visitors' not to dwell on them. This type of obsessive list sets actors up to fail by focusing on the negative.

                A mature, intelligent guest that reads this would laugh, and expectations of professionalism would be lowered.


                EDIT-

                For anyone that may appreciate it, I wanted to throw out some of the classic comments and experiences of a Park Ranger. In my tenure I was stationed at Rocky Mtn NP, Mammoth Cave NP, and Grand Canyon NP. Interp rangers are the people that guide you on walks, answer questions, and do presentations or re-enactments in the parks. I did this for five summers of college and two years full time right after college. This is the best gig in America if you are a purist and willing to be poor your entire life, wearing the flat hat and being the primary resource to visitors in Americas greatest parks is like being micky or minnie at the big D's. You take photos with kids all day and get to help people experience what they came for. It's very rewarding and fulfilling but at the end of the day it's a low budget venture.

                These are some of the classic questions - some are a bit dry, you have to think about them for a sec. [disclaimer - We never made fun of people for asking questions, I firmly believe there are no dumb questions, we are all tourists, or not in the know somewhere sometime]

                "Is all the cave underground?"

                "can we still get tickets for the sold out tour?"

                "how much of the cave is undiscovered"

                "can a helicoptor pick us up at the top of Long's peak?"

                "has this part of the cave ever caved in?"

                "what time does the 10 o'clock tour leave?"

                "what do they mean by afternoon lightning likely on the mountain?"

                "how long did it take to dig the cave out?"

                sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread, just thought a few of you could appreciate this kind of stuff.
                Last edited by Twin Locusts; 06-26-2009, 10:32 AM.

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                • #9
                  A posting like this seems to promote an "us vs. them" attitude toward your customers.

                  "If you come through our haunt, you'd better behave yourselves... we can't control our actors!"

                  Not really smart, business wise.
                  Last edited by haunter112; 06-26-2009, 02:10 PM.
                  Guerilla Haunter

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                  • #10
                    Attitude and atmosphere are a huge factor in the security issues a haunt will face. haunter112 is dead on with with his comment. I bring this up because on another thread we were discussing security issues and it was brought up there.
                    Allen H
                    www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
                    http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      give them candy!!!!
                      it's ok... the dark has many faces you can't see..

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