Thread: Haunted House Acting

Tweet

I am 14,

I really really want to act in a professional haunted attraction, the thing is, No haunted attraction around my area (orange county, CA) hire people under 18. I was wondering if i get a work permit from my school, and an entertainers permit from the State of California. If a haunted attraction would let me act and take part in their haunt. I have a huge passion for this business, and i don't care how hard i have to work to achieve the certain goals needed to take part in a haunted attraction. I act very mature when it comes to this subject, i do not mess around and do exactly what everybody tells me to do. I have researched the hard work, long hours, and devotion needed to take part in these events. I'm going to train myself so i have the stamina for my age to take part in the event. I can not really explain how much i want this or how much i have a passion for this business. So i am just looking for any advice or suggestions from people to help me get what i need to act in a professional haunted house. I am hoping that if people see how much of a passion i have, and how much work i will put into it, maybe they will hire me, but i'm not sure.

Thank you for listening,

Gorelust13

Hello there GoreLust13.

I've been working in a haunted house since I was 12, and to be honest- I started out small. I started working in a Non-Profit Haunt run by my friend's youth organization. The best thing that came out of that place was the talent I found that I had, and it wasn't in just acting. I did costuming, I was the head makeup person, and I also helped do set and room design.

Well, last year- I started working in a Haunted House called Dream Reapers, It's rated number 1 Scariest in Illinois, and it's basically a pretty big thing for me to be doing with my life.
I'm currently mentoring under one of the lead makeup artists, and plan on becoming one there.
And I'm only 16.

If you set your sights high, granted- you may not find what your looking for just yet. But if you start out small, and work your way up- you'll be able to train yourself better and receive better credit and talent when it's due, and comes to you.

I started working at Dream Reapers because it was a sequence of events, I didn't just show up there one day- I was asked to by the managers OF Dream Reapers. They saw I could be doing so much more, and using my talent wisely.

So, My advice to you is to set your sights a little lower- you may never know what will happen. Fate is a remarkable thing. :]

Take care, and Good luck
-Anthony

Thank you bud,

I did forget to mention that i worked in a haunted house when i was 12 and 13, And i designed/built/acted a whole entire home haunted house. It was a very successful haunted house, and i was excited that all my work in designing, building, and acting had paid off in the end. I am just trying to go one step further.

I have also taken and currently in drama classes at my school to learn more about acting.

Thank you for taking a quick look,

Gorelust13

ur in luck if you dont mind a bit of a drive...

the haunt i run with my parents is about 25 min away from orange county.

ur more than welcome to help us out if u really want. we dont pay though, were just a non-profit deal and we donate proceeds to a local hospital.

but we need more people. click on the link in my signature if ur interested it shows a map and a video to show you wat its like

We could use you here in Ohio....ha. I've been using boys from 10 to 14 for 4 years now. Some under act and some over act of which neither is very good. I have a few good ones who stay in their scare zone's and I have one adult is is very good along with myself. It takes a certain temperment to do it well and don't break character when friends come in to heckle you. The best places to go to study good actors are you local hayrides,houses and amusement parks but keep in mine these are older bigger teens 16-25 who are more imposing in height and statue so their scares can be more effective. Its an art that takes good pratice. last year I handed out ribbon awards for best costumes and acting and to my surprise my smallest youngest and totally new to scaring folks did one of the best jobs. His dad came by to see him in action and told me later on that he would not say hi or break character what-so-ever. He was into it and made his dad proud because he had never done anything like that before and didn't know he could !

I would definitely try to apply to a non-profit haunt instead of a professional one. Non profit haunts seem to be more accepting of age. I'm 16, and I worked at a non-profit haunt when I was 13 after the professional haunt would only accept 16+ people.

See i can understand why professional haunts might not want kids under 18 because of the maturity level...but

I think they should atleast take applicants for younger ages to see if they HAVE the maturity level, or have the passion that it takes to work these haunts.

I agree completetly that younger kids can be pains in the ***, trust me i ran my own haunt.

But i think they should take more interviews from younger people. Because i think younger people have the potential to be VERY scare if they can act...especially little girls...creepy little girls creep the heck outa me! LOL

Lemme know if you agree

-Gorelust13

It all comes down to one thing.....insurability. When it comes to running a professional haunt, you need to have insurance.....really GOOD insurance. Most companies are hesitant to provide insurance to professional haunts whose actors are under the age of 18, as the liability factor involved. In some rare cases, they will grant a waiver for a haunt that employs individuals at least 16 years old. In that instance it is up to the haunt owner to decide if they want to risk hiring someone so young. Yes, a waiver is granted, but it can cost the owner extra $ on their insurance premium/payment.

Although you may be a good haunter.....are you worth a professional haunt spending the extra money to cover you...?

I know but, if i get a workers permit from school, and an entertainers permit of the state of California it grants the waiver and covers if i accidentally hurt somebody that's why professional haunts require these if they even consider hiring a person under the age of 18.

But, i think it IS worth the extra money if the young kids will be reliable, and if they will do whatever it takes to be a good actor. I really think it's worth it...

I went though a pro haunt last season (2008) that the pro haunter had teamed with the local boy scouts and the entire staff of actors were boy scouts. it was neat to see and was the setup for quite a few scares, as you would think that there is no way that could be a person it must just be a small prop and then SCARE!

I guess what I am saying is don't give up, keep trying and somebody will eventually hire you.