Little haunted house PSA for y’all
You like haunted houses, right? Of course you do, it’s October.
So here’s a little (semi-wordy) PSA for you all, from an actor working at one:
LISTEN TO THE RULES
They are there for a reason.
TIE. YOUR. FUCKING. SHOES.
I can’t tell you the amount of times people lose these goddamn things while running, which brings me to my next point:
DON’T FUCKING RUN.
I know we trigger fight/flight response, and it’s better to choose flight. However, it makes it dangerous for both you, and us actors. You can break props, damage the structure itself, as well as hurt yourself or someone else.
LISTEN TO THE FUCKING ACTORS
If we tell you not to do something, don’t fucking do it.
If we have to break character in order to tell you something, you fucked up, and you’ve ruined the scare for both parties.
KEEP MOVING
You can’t “stop to catch your breath” or “chill with us” in an actor room. If you seriously can’t breathe and need to catch your breath, tell us. We will break character and escort you out. If you are too scared to keep moving, we will escort you out. If you just stand there, you cause traffic and ruin the scare for the next people.
IF YOU ARE HAVING A SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUE (INJURY, ASTHMA ATTACK, PANIC ATTACK, ETC) TELL US.
We will break character and escort you out the nearest exit.
DO NOT TOUCH THE ACTORS
We can’t touch you, you can’t touch us.
IF YOU SWING AT US WITH INTENT, YOU WILL BE ESCORTED OUT
We can tell the difference. If you accidentally hit us, it’s understandable and usually forgiven. I’ve been hit numerous times, but nearly every single one of them apologized.
DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE
If you’re under the influence, don’t come in. If you’re a massive asshat, you will ruin the scares and piss off the actors.
DO NOT USE FLASHLIGHTS
If the area is dark, it’s dark for a reason. If there is an actual power outage/fried breaker the actors themselves will have lights and guide you into the next area. If you use lights, you can blind the actors. The only exception to this rule is if you are handicapped.
DO NOT TAKE PICTURES/VIDEO
This falls under the “you can blind the actors” category, as well as ruin the scare for people. If they want to see the actors, they can walk through themselves.
IF YOU LOSE SOMETHING AND CAN’T FIND IT IMMEDIATELY, KEEP MOVING. We will find it for you and give it to security. Some things, like earrings, can’t be found until after the lights come on. If you stay and look for it, you ruin the scare for others.
Feel free to add more, I probably missed some.
I’m not writing this to be an asshole, it’s just some things people seem to forget while walking through a haunt. Haunted houses are supposed to be fun, let’s keep it that way.