PSA to anyone going to a haunted trail/house/corn maze/what ever from your friendly neighborhood scare actor of 5 years:
WE HAVE RULES FOR A REASON, PLEASE FOLLOW THEM
I know, rules, they suck, but what ever, right? No, these rules are here to help everyone. Our goal as a scary attraction is to scare people and to provide a fun experience for all of our guests and patrons. I am a volunteer scare actor for a fundraiser haunted trail and I am going to explain some things that many people don't care about. The rules. Rules are put in place to help things run smoothly and so that everyone has a good time, both staff and guests. Here are some common ones that I've seen and here is why we have them:
(disclaimer: each attraction is different and some may not have these rules and that is totally fine, these are just rules that the haunter trail that I work at uses and ones that I've seen others use)
Don't run- it is dark out and the path can be obstructed, slippery, or even uneven. If you are running, you could fall and get hurt. Just this past two nights I've seen three people run out and slip in mud and hit the ground. It is for your safety, don't run.
No phones- we don't want people on their phones because it is a distraction. If you are on your phone and not paying attention, you could trip, bump into someone/thing, or even get hurt. On top of that, it can be distracting to other people in your group or the scare actors.
No camera- we don't want people taking pictures because some of us don't consent to our photo taken and again, it is a distraction. On top of that, in total darkness, a sudden flash of light can actually disorient someone. As someone with an astigmatism, when you shine light into my eyes and it is dark, it hurts and I become blinded. That can become dangerous especially when handling things like heavy props, machinery, or being somewhere high up.
No lights- if there is a sign that says no lights, it is for good reason! We use the darkness to cover a lot of things and even use it to our advantage when hiding or setting up a scare. When someone just shine their light around as they please, it can give away scare actors positions, hidden props and so much more and generally takes away from the experience for everyone.
Don't curse at/harass the scare actors- even though we are dressed up as creatures and horrors of the night, we are still human beings. Human beings with feelings. Human beings deserving of respect and kindness. We are here to scare you and provide a fun experience. We are not here for you to abuse.
Do not touch the actors/props- again, we are human beings deserving of respect and kindness. We are not here for you to grasp hit, or push. Our props can be expensive or hand made. The props that are hand made can take hours and hours to make. On prop that one of the people in my scene used took them a few months to build. We do not want our props broken or destroyed. These are things that cost us money or time so that you can have a nice experience.
Don't curse/swear/cuss- more often than not, there are people of all ages at these attractions and we want all of them to be able to enjoy themselves. If people are cursing up a storm or using foul/offensive language, then it can cause people to be offended, have to remove their children, or not enjoy the trail.
Don't sneak in/ sneak around to go again- many of these attractions cost money. Can some of them be over priced? In my opinion yes, yes they can be. Either way, you should not sneak in. A lot of these places are either there to make money to pay the staff or as a fundraiser/charity. You sneaking in does not help us at all. Sneaking in is not only a matter of money but a matter of safety. There are people whose jobs are litterally to know how many people are there and where they are in case something happens. If something happens that we need to get everyone out, and we don't know that you are in there, you could end up getting left behind.
Stay with the guide- the guides are there the do a few things. Keep track of their group, to pace the group, to help the actors, and to keep everyone on track and safe. When you stray away from your guide, not only does that put the guide in a position where they have to look for you, but it also causes the group along with any others behind your group to now be held back.
All of these rules are here to help protect everyone and ensure a good time for all involved. The staff puts in a lot of hard work and effort to make everything the best we can and make it an enjoyable experience for all. These rules help us provide the experience for everyone and we would appreciate it if more people would follow these rules. We want everyone to walk away with a good experience. Here are things we heavily encourage people to do
Scream/laugh/cry/do what ever you need to do to emotionally regulate
Take pictures BEFORE ENTERING the attraction or AFTER YOU LEAVE
Interact with the staff respectfully
And most importantly of all, Have fun
