Actor Handbook

HAUNTED HOORAH ACTOR HANDBOOK

OVERVIEW / INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Haunted Hoorah, A Professional Haunted Halloween Attraction owned and operated by The Home Transformers, LLC.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

There was a time when Halloween (October 31) and Mischief Night (October 30) meant trick or treating, and egg throwing. Costumed gangs roamed the streets looking for someone or something to hit and toilet paper hung from the trees like tinsel on a Christmas tree. That was a long time ago. With trick or treating all but a fond memory, parents closely watching their kids’ activities, and the authorities strictly enforcing curfews, the face of Halloween has been changed forever.

This however, is not necessarily a bad thing. The Halloween season is now a billion dollar industry and is already America’s second most popular holiday. People today are more sophisticated than ever and they’re no longer satisfied staying home Halloween night watching reruns of Halloween, or Friday the 13th on TV. They crave professional state of the art entertainment. In other words . . . they want to get scared! They want to leave the safety of their homes, go to a controlled professional environment and see strange, unusual, bloody, disgusting, and scary things. They want to see real live Vampires and Graveyard Ghouls. They want to come face to face with the Living Dead; be startled by Killer Klowns; be chased by a chainsaw killer; and maybe even get slimed by Slimeman. Our goal is to provide that entertainment!!!!!

Haunted Hoorah has been specially designed to give our thrill seeking customer’s maximum scare in a creepy environment. There is interaction with the Doctor, Nurse Gertrude, and the deranged experiments in a Haunted Halloween atmosphere with waiting lines as short as possible. We feel there is nobody better qualified to bring quality Halloween entertainment to the Marion, Ohio area.

HAPPY HAUNTING

SO YOU WANT TO WORK IN A HAUNTED HOUSE

It’s a lot different than you think it is . . . Guaranteed!!! To the average customer, a trip through Haunted Hoorah may look like total chaos . . . Failed experiments, Super soldiers, and the crazed medical staff all jumping out at them when they least expect it . . . Flashing lights, fog, smoke, blaring soundtracks, and blood curdling screams . . .it seems like all hell is breaking loose!!!

That is no accident. Haunted Hoorah is a tightly choreographed show with each actor / actress doing their part, much like the individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle coming together to create the big picture.

It’s not easy to do!!! It’s physically demanding and mentally exhausting. It requires focus, timing, concentration, self-discipline, commitment and the ability to take direction. Although our customers are having a blast, you may well be assigned to play the same part night after night. Chances are that you’ll be in some weird costume, wearing special make-up, covered with some combination of blood, slime, and oozing guts. Remember . . . this is show business.

Look at it this way . . . think of your favorite entertainer. It doesn’t matter, when you go to see them in concert, you expect to see a good show. It doesn’t matter to you if it’s the last stop on a year-long world tour. You want your favorite songs played fresh, with energy and excitement as though it were the first night of the tour, not the last. It doesn’t matter if that band played that song 1,000 times before, you want it played the right way . . . don’t you? Well guess what? Haunted House customers feel the same way about their scare. They don’t care if this is the 100th time you’re jumping out of that trap door, or if you’ve pulled the door 700 times over the last four nights; they deserve a great show!!! That’s what they’re there for and why they are paying their money.

However, if you understand all this “show biz stuff” going in, if you have the qualities we just talked about, if you want to act, if you like Halloween and the Horror genre, and most of all if you’re young at heart and want to entertain and scare people . . . then you will hardly believe that you are actually being paid for having so much fun. As with most things, this job is what you make it and many people have had a great time doing it.

Your RESPONSIBILITIES

Haunted Hoorah opens promptly at 8:00pm and that is when you are officially on the clock. Everyone is expected to arrive at 6:00pm. This is so you can put on your make-up and get into costumes. When you arrive, check in so that we know you’re here. After you’ve been checked in, you’ll be given your costume and any props you will need for the night. Take your costume to the Dressing area and get changed. Wait for makeup to call you in, please stay close or let someone know where you are going.

You are responsible for your costume and any props we issue you.

You will be required to sign for them at the beginning of each night, and we will sign off on them when you return them at the end of the night. Any props, costumes, or masks that don’t come back, or come damaged beyond what is considered reasonable wear & tear, will be deducted from your paychecks.

A LABOR OF FEAR OR LOVE OR INSANITY

The Haunted Hoorah pays at the rate of $40.00 per night. You will be paid at the completion of the season, for all full shifts worked. If you leave early that night’s pay is forfeited; you are only paid for the full nights you are here and working. As an independent contractor you are paid for completing your work—scaring guests. If you don’t complete the night, then you have failed to complete your work and will not be paid for that night. 

If you are a minor and are leaving early from a shift a member of leadership will communicate with a parent or guardian to inform them that you are leaving from the shift early. This is for several reasons. The first and most important is your safety. If you are feeling ill and are driving home we want to ensure that you make it home safe and someone knows that you are heading home and to be looking for you. 

ALL PERSONNEL MUST BE IN THEIR SPOTS WHEN PLACES OUR CALLED!!!!!

This is so we can do our final pre-opening check. We will not go running around trying to find you. If you are not in your spot as required, you will be replaced for the shift. We do our best to run a professional operation at all times. Making sure the scenes and scares are properly staffed is one of the basics, so please make sure you’re where you are supposed to be on time.

MANAGEMENT, ZONE CAPTAINS & SECURITY

Management & Security will be constantly patrolling the attraction. They work for us . . . not you. We have hired them to do a very specific job . . . to keep the attraction safe and running smoothly. They are not there to run errands for you. This includes getting you food or drinks, calling home for you, or filling in for you if you need a break. Technical problems such as burned out lights, running low on blood or slime, a fog machine that isn’t working should be reported to us. Any customer problems such as accidents, customers smoking, touching, damaging, stealing props, verbally or physically abusing the acting staff should be reported immediately as well. We will prosecute anyone who intentionally hurt one of our staff. Sometimes people get really scared when you jump out at them and may hit your (or try to) in self defense. You will have to decide whether or not the incident in question was an accident or done on purpose to hurt you. You are required to not only stay in your spot, but also stay in character during hours of operation . . . However . . . if a customer has acted inappropriately, there are several things you should do. If you decide that the incident in question was an accident, you are to break character and remind the customer that touching the actors or props are not allowed. If you think the customer has purposely hurt you (or tried to), you should leave your spot, walk with that customer and point them out to management, zone captain, or security. We will know how to best handle things from there. It is important to use common sense. Stay a safe distance away from the person who hurt you . . . keep them in sight but don’t engage them in conversation about the incident. In a situation like this, it is important to keep your cool and stay alert. Pick out something (an article of clothing, a hairstyle) that will help both you and us identify the customer in question.

BREAKS

In the course of the night breaks are a source of a major challenge, with a nightly staff of over 60 it is a massive undertaking to ensure that every guest has the best experience while at the exact same time every haunter here has what they need to deliver that experience. When you are out of your scene for any reason the experience that our guests have is diminished tha much by not interacting with you and the character you are bringing to life. The biggest reason an actor is out of their scene and not scaring guests, is to use the restroom.  We will be using a rolling break time plan to allow everyone to use the restroom while providing the best possible experience for our guests. At designated times leadership team members will start the rolling break period in the haunt, you will have 3 minutes to quickly go and use the restroom and get back to your scene. The haunt will pause but not stop admitting guests to accommodate this which means you will need to move quickly and with purpose. Then once that brief pause is over there and guests are admitted into the haunt again you must keep the rolling break moving and ahead of the group of guests. You don’t want to be the person that causes others later in the haunt to be unable to get a break.

ATTENDANCE

If you are going to be late or if you are not coming in on a particular night, you are expected to call ahead of time and let us know so we can find someone to cover your scene. Text (567) 233-2905, with your name and if you are running late or not coming in. What generally happens is that you think that you are the only one calling in sick (so you can go to your friend’s party) and therefore, won’t be missed. The reality is that it is more like 10 or 12 of you that have called in, and that places a huge burden on the show. As you can imagine, being down that many actors makes a big difference in the quality of the show. This is truly an example of where you can make a big difference by doing the right thing and honoring the commitment you have made to the show. We are only open for 16 nights so please don’t call in if you are not really sick. Although this is a fairly unusual job, the same common sense rules that apply to any other job apply here as well so remember to call in (EARLY) if you are going to be late or not coming in at all.

STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK

I’m not really sure why it works this way, but it does seem as if those that want to go out and party will call in sick, while those of you that are really sick feel an obligation to come in. As much as we respect and admire your desire to not let the show down, you are doing far more harm than good by coming in when you really are sick. The last thing the show needs is to have 1/3 of its staff struck down with the flu, a virus, or some rare intestinal disease that will no doubt disappear on November 1st. If you are REALLY SICK, please stay home so the rest of the staff does not get sick as well.

MAKEUP ROOM

Once you have signed-in please stay in the general area of the make-up room. This makes the artist’s job easier and time usage more efficient. The make-up artists will call you into the room when they are ready for you, if you are going to leave the area to go for a smoke break, the restroom, ect. let leadership know so they can call for you quickly when you are needed. We do not have time to run all over the 10 acres here at Haunted Hoorah looking for you. Do not crowd into the make-up area asking when your makeup will be done, or wait in the room. There are a lot of actors to get through in a relatively short amount of time and extra bodies in the room will slow the process down. Please listen to instructions given to you while you are having your makeup done. We use alcohol makeup and airbrushes that require you to be aware when they are being applied.  Once your makeup is done please exit and finish getting ready for the show. We can not guarantee your safety should you be in the makeup room when you are not needed.

STAYING IN CHARACTER

This is an important part of the job. People come here not only to be scared, but to be entertained. One of the things we do for our customers is to help them suspend their belief in reality. We want them to think that anything is possible at our attraction. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to always remain in character. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a vampire smoking a cigarette or a Graveyard Ghoul eating a tuna sandwich. When customers see that sort of thing, it takes away from the whole experience. We may not be as big as Disney, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be as professional as Disney. This means not only staying in character between groups but staying in character and getting the scares on your way to the bathroom. Staying in character is one way to ensure that our customers are having an enjoyable and frightening time.

LOVE YOUR POSITION

The scares are not always better on the other side!!! All too often, at the start of the night, we are bombarded by you guys requesting….. Almost demanding… a change of position. This does not really work for us for a number of reasons. It takes a really long time to figure out how to properly assign an average staff of 50 actors or more. Five minutes prior to opening is no time to be requesting any form of change. In addition, the way you guys get not just good, but REALLY good at your scares is to STAY in your assigned spots until you have mastered them. REMEMBER, practice really does make perfect and in this case we are looking for PERFECT SCARES.

MAKEUP REMOVAL

 At the end of the night there is nothing that we all want more than to get our makeup off fast and get out the door and home to find some sleep. The last thing that leadership and the team that comes back the following day wants to find is sweaty foam latex thrown on the floor. First, if you seem to be having a reaction to the latex or the Prosaid it might actually be you  just deeply exfoliated your face by ripping the prosthetic off your face. Doing this several nights in a row will leave you skin raw and very angry. Do not rip the appliance from your face, we have removers that will dissolve the glue and help prevent the skin irritation. If you are given a compliance chip the insert needs to be returned every night so that it can be cleaned, disinfected, and made ready for the next night. 

SMOKING AND VAPING

THIS IS A NON-SMOKING OPERATION AND FACILITY!!!!

There are a number of important reasons why:

  1. Fire Marshals prohibit smoking in the attraction and are likely to fine any offenders.
  2. The Clean Air Act . . . The law states that people have the right to breathe smoke free air.
  3. If you’re smoking, you’re not scaring people and that’s what you’re here for.

As we mentioned in the above paragraph . . . Super Soldier Experiments DON’T SMOKE!!!! An Experiment who is hanging out smoking is an Experiment who is definitely out of character!!!!

Here at HAUNTED HOORAH, we maintain a “ZERO TOLERANCE” attitude towards smoking. Anyone caught smoking or vaping is endangering our customers, our haunt family, and putting the entire attraction at risk. For these reasons anyone caught smoking will be terminated immediately with no warning or second chance given. Any customer caught smoking must be asked to extinguish the cigarette immediately, and that customer must be reported to management or security ASAP. Obviously this is an issue we take very seriously . . . and you should too!!!! If you can’t go several hours without a cigarette, then perhaps this is not the job for you. Please consider this point carefully. Smoking is permitted during breaks, but you must be out of costume and away from the attraction. You must be out of costume because we don’t want you returning to work with your props and costume reeking of second hand smoke. This will only serve as a distraction to the customers. Smoking must be done out of sight of the customer. This includes the customers who are waiting on line to get in. We will have Ghouls “working the line” outside. This helps set the tone for what the customers will see on the inside. If customers see our Ghouls doing “human” things like eating or smoking it takes away from the experience they want to have once they get inside. Remember . . . our customers want to believe we are real . . . let’s help them to believe. All cigarette butts must be properly discarded. Don’t throw them on the ground as it creates an unsightly mess.

DRUGS & ALCOHOL

It should be fairly obvious that there is no room for substance abuse. This is an attraction where you are constantly interacting with the public. In order to do so successfully, you need a clear head. Evidence of substance abuse will result in immediate termination. Let’s face it . . . this is a pretty unusual job. You’re working in an environment full of interesting, cool and unusual things trying your best to scare people to death. If you need drugs or alcohol to work here, you probably have bigger problems than you know . . . or care to deal with.

Food

Scaring people all night can take its toll on you. After hours of jumping out at people, screaming and trying to scare them, your energy level tends to drop. We don’t have a problem with you bringing snacks for a quick pick me up, or drinks to keep you going . . . as long as you follow a few common sense rules. All food and drink must be hidden completely out of sight of the customers. Try to bring only “passive foods”. No customer is going to smell a can of Pepsi, but a thermos of Hazelnut Coffee will act as a major distraction for customers going through the attraction. Never let the customers see you eating or drinking anything (other than blood or body parts). Remember . . . you’re an Experiment and Experiments don’t eat or drink. Remember . . . in order to maximize the scares each customer experiences, we must take all five of their senses into account. Just because a scene looks good doesn’t mean the scare can’t be ruined by the customer seeing, smelling or hearing something they were not meant to experience. Never forget . . . the scare comes first. Don’t miss scaring a group because you’ve got a turkey sandwich in your mouth. Like we said . . . use common sense!!!

AT THE END OF THE NIGHT

Because you have no idea when the last group of customers is coming through and exiting the attraction, it is important that you stay in your spot until you are officially relieved of duty for the night. This can only come from us. We will come around with a garbage bag so you can clean up any mess you might have made during the night. You are responsible for cleaning up your own garbage at the end of the night. All costumes and props will be inspected at this time and we will sign off on them indicating that they have been returned to us in good condition. Take this time to tell us if your costume is in need of repair, or if a particular prop needs to be fixed. Remember, you are responsible for props issued to you. You will only be released for the night after the last customer has left the attraction. A customer who is being followed out by Actors who are laughing, talking, taking off their masks and costumes . . . or just generally being out of character . . . is a customer who is not having a good time.

SETS AND SCENES

We have worked hard putting HAUNTED HOORAH together. We have spent months designing the sets, scares and the maze itself. We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on the props and displays that you see in each individual room / scare. For that reason, you will be expected to adhere to the following policy . . . Props, displays and set dressings are not to be touched. Every scene has been painstakingly designed to produce a desired reaction from our customers. The props, what they are, where they are and how they are situated have all been thought out and you should not take it upon yourself to change things. Any prop you need to enhance your skit will be issued to you at the beginning of the night. If you think a particular prop or piece will have a greater impact in a different area, all you have to do is ask us and we will consider your suggestion on the spot. However, the final decision is ours to make . . . not yours.

PROPS AND DISPLAYS

On a busy night, you might end up using the same prop or accessory over 100 times. As a result, things sometimes need preventative maintenance or actual fixing / replacing. Things like a coffin lid becoming loose or a fog machine not working are things that many times can be fixed quickly in between groups. Any problems or this nature should be brought to our attention ASAP. If it turns out to be a big job, at least we can work all night to get it fixed, which is a lot better than finding out about a broken prop 15 minutes prior to opening. Never leave for the night without notifying someone that there is a problem with a particular prop, set or display. These problems also include simple, easy to fix things such as a burned out light or an extension cord that hasn’t been plugged in. Since management can’t be everywhere at once, we depend on you to help keep us informed of any problems

HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN WEEKEND

This is a Haunted Halloween Attraction . . . We provide entertainment for people who are looking for Halloween fun. We are all expected to work on Halloween & Halloween Weekend. Going to a party or to Rocky Horror is not an excuse. If you can’t make the commitment . . . don’t work here!!!! Besides . . . You’ll never find a Halloween party that’s as much fun as being here.

IMPROVISATION

Don’t do it. We have written skits for your scenes and characters that we believe will work. It is not up to you to change these skits because you want to. The fact is that we have been scaring people for a really long time now, so we have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t. We will decide whether or not a scare is working and take action accordingly . . . HOWEVER . . . We are not perfect . . . If you think your scare is not working . . . let us know. We will check it out immediately and if necessary change things around until they are working. Nothing is written in stone. An attraction like this is a living, breathing thing with a life of its own. Things are always changing . . . but that’s our call . . . not yours. Your responsibility is to carry out the scene or scare the way we have trained you to do it.

REMEMBER . . . ALWAYS STAY IN

CHARACTER!!!

If you have an idea for a skit, or a way you think will make your room scene better, tell us, we’d love to hear it. The time to tell us is at the end of the night or come in early the following day and we can discuss your idea then. Generally speaking, one hour prior to opening is not a good time to want to talk about a new concept because there is so much to do before opening for the night. Remember . . . never take it upon yourself to just change your room scene. Your idea might be a good one, but we need to carefully consider any changes made.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

There are a number of things to consider here and they are all really important, so do your best to act appropriately at all times. First of all, you are not to make advances to your fellow workers. You are here to work, not socialize. If someone is making unwanted advances toward you, don’t sit back and do nothing!!! All you have to do is come to us and we will make sure the situation is resolved. We take all claims of sexual harassment seriously, as such we will review all issues brought to our attention the situation will be resolved. This could mean removal from the scene or termination of your employment with Haunted Hoorah. But that is just the beginning. These days it seems that almost any physical contact can be considered sexual in nature so our hard and fast is . . . Don’t Touch Anybody . . . But it doesn’t stop there. You have to be just as careful about what you say because the spoken word can also be considered a form of sexual harassment. Something simple like a Zombie with a severed arm saying to someone, “Hey . . . Wanna See My Bone?” or a ghoul with a bloody head saying to a woman, “You Want Some Head?” can get you into big trouble. That’s just one more reason why we have gone to such great lengths designing every room, scene, and scare.

ALWAYS WEAR BLACK

Shirts, pants, socks, and shoes . . . besides helping you to hide throughout the attraction, it helps you fulfill the customers’ expectations. One of the reasons they come to a Haunted Attraction is to see the strange and unusual. A Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt and Reebok sneakers may be fine casual wear but it’s far from “strange and unusual”. Dressing appropriately helps give our customers value for their dollar which is super important because they are in the attraction for such a short time.

WHAT HAPPENS IF ...

YOU ACCIDENTALLY GRAB SOMEONE?

TRUST ME, as luck will have it the person you grab will almost always be a woman… and you can probably guess EXACTLY where you will grab her. It never fails. First of all….. Stay calm and most importantly don’t panic. Although you may think that the best thing to do is ignore the incident and go on to the next scare, I can assure you that the woman you just grabbed will not be as anxious to forget the incident as you are. The best and ONLY way to handle the situation is to break character, leave your position and address the woman in question. Explain to her that it was unintentional, APOLOGIZE, and explain that it was simply an accident. Tell her that if she likes, you would be happy to bring her to the manager, a.k.a ME, to assure her that it was not done intentionally. It is important to do this immediately and professionally. In addition, notice something about her to help you identify her later on. If she says, “It’s ok, don’t worry about it.”, let her continue through the rest of the house but leave your spot and get me immediately. You will need to point this woman out AS SOON AS SHE EXITS the show. At this point, I will approach her and once again make sure she is OK… probably offering her some kind of freebie just to help put the incident to bed once and for all. In all likelihood, I will ask you to write a brief statement as to what happened and how the entire situation played out.

THERE'S A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?

With exception of helping out terrorized children and dealing with inappropriate customers, the only other time you can break character is during a medical emergency. During a medical emergency, your first and only response is to contact management or security. They both have radio contact with the office and appropriate action will then be taken. Medical emergencies are best left to medical professionals, so unless you are one, you run the risk of doing more harm than good by trying to help. Contact management/security and return at once to your position. The area needs to be clear so EMTs can get in and if you’re not in your position, you’re in the way. You can do the most good by not being in the way.

THERE'S A FIRE?

In case of a fire, your only responsibility is to exit the building. There are emergency exits throughout the maze. You should familiarize yourself with these emergency exits. If, as you are exiting the building you should come across other people, you may instruct them to follow you to a safe exit. This is not the same as waiting around looking for people to take out with you. Your only responsibility should be to leave the attraction. DO NOT YELL “FIRE”. Once you are out of the building, do not go back for any reason. It is the job of professional firefighters to put out fires and save lives . . . not yours. By returning to a burning building  you run the risk of serious injury or worse . . . so don’t do it. Upon exiting the building, go directly to the “Emergency Employee HeadCount Area”. This special area will be located away from the attraction in a specially designated area. By going there we can get an accurate headcount of our nightly staff, while at the same time staying out of the way of emergency personnel.