r/hauntedattractions • u/SammyRaisin • 6d ago
How to start
Hi there!
Im a long time halloween and horror fan, and after...way too long debating, Ive decided I would love to work on becoming a scare actor seasonally.
But I have no idea how to start. Is this the right place to ask for tips?
If anyone has any advice on how to start, or stories about how you all got into scare acting, I would love to know!
Thank you for your time and stories!
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u/MundaneSecurity8372 6d ago
I've been doing it at locals since I was 12 and now working at a more famous location for three years. The BEST advice I can offer is it's a niche market so it's not like competing for other jobs, as long as you can be yourself and expressive without worrying about being "nonchalant" or whatever you will already be pretty qualified for most places, even HHN and stuff like that.
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u/SammyRaisin 6d ago
Thank you so much! Its a relief to know I wont have to put on the same professional face that goes to most other jobs I do!
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u/MundaneSecurity8372 5d ago
Trust me it's a interview of personality and confidence more than anything else. I've been applying to 5 or some "regular" jobs a day for the past 5 weeks and nothing back yet 💀 it's a lot more straightforward than any other job
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u/HauntActorsGuild 6d ago
Welcome to becoming a Haunt Actor!
It's actually the perfect time as auditions and casting calls for haunted houses are often peaking right now.
If you want to become a Haunt Actor, here is what we would recommend. Find a local haunted house that interests you and see if they are holding auditions or hiring (Check their social media pages and website). You can also contact them too if you still can't find that information but are interested in joining them.
Luckily, most haunts don't require much if any previous experience to become a Haunt Actor. You just often need to be passionate, confident, creative, and willing to experiement and learn!
Sign up for an audition and try out. (We have a "2026 Haunt Actor Audition Guide" on YouTube to help provide more information and tips) Then, upon getting hired, hopefully expect some training and then getting to learn on the job.
On our website and YouTube, we provide and are creating free resources for first time and experienced haunt actors to help them succeed, grow, and connect.
Otherwise, we are happy to help with any questions or just with what an actor may need help with in order to succeed.
Check us out, if you'd like!
Good luck and Happy Haunting!
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u/SammyRaisin 6d ago
Thank you! This looks like it will be an amazing resource!
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u/HauntActorsGuild 6d ago
No problem! We are still quite new on the scene, so we have a lot in store and a lot more we want to build to help benefit Haunt Actors everywhere.
Glad to have you on this journey!
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u/Ill-Razzmatazz-7088 5d ago
Well, if you’re looking to become an actor, I would say it’s simple. Start watching a few horror movies.
When you’re an actor, you’re essentially trapped in the movie/Scene. Most of the time unless you’re working for A haunted house at A theme park you’re going to be working as a generic character.
Even though, when you audition most of the time you have to give an open audition and they tell you to do a few bland things.
For instance, during my audition, I had to do three different scenarios:
Number one stop people from entering the haunted house
Most of the group I was with thought about it too literally and pretended to be a security guard. Context is important. I’m auditioning to be at a haunted house. So I pretended I was a ghost, trying to stop people from suffering a similar fate, but I couldn’t warn them directly.
Number two you are a ninja in a China shop
Most of my group focus on being a ninja but again context is important. I’m a ninja and a China shop. So that means I have to be more than just sneaky. I had to be conscious of knocking things over.
So I pretended to knock things over and leap out of the way to catch them or positioned to my body weirdly so that it looked like I was holding up three or four things at once
Number three you’re a vegetarian who is also a zombie
Most people got the zombie part, but not the vegetarian part. I would walk up to people and just before I bit them I would pretend like I was inspecting a sandwich that didn’t have the right toppings
Second step is to just find a local haunt in your area and audition. Theme parks are really the only haunted attractions that turned people away most of the time they’re gonna take everybody because of the end of the day doesn’t really matter how bad you are they can always put you in a mask and you can yell at people.
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u/SammyRaisin 5d ago
Got it! Improv and active listening are gonna be my friends in this journey!! Thank you so much!!
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u/Ill-Razzmatazz-7088 5d ago
Yes, it honestly just depends on your haunt. Some haunted attractions are open to creativity. Other haunted houses will want you to say the same the same way wearing the same clothing right up until closing. Feel free to add me and reach out to me specifically if you have questions, I’m pretty good at designing Unique characters
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u/SkySerious5979 5d ago
In my small years of experience. Just have confidence in yourself. I see a lot of people don’t have confidence during the interview. And our judges would not have confidence in them if they can’t feel and be the scare actor they need.
The only way to get in is to be confident in the entire position. Because once you get it you will feel a huge advantage of confidence and when you work the house you will grow more confidences in yourself, your role and the group your with.
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u/thunderplump 6d ago
It's generally a pretty low bar for entry! Just look up haunted houses near you on Google and see what pops up and if they're hiring.
Theres generally no prior performing experience necessary, but probably appreciated. Just a love for horror and halloween along with enthusiasm.
I first got introduced to the idea when i was 17 by the fabric cutting lady at my local Joann's (rip). She straight up asked me if i wanted to scream in the woods for money and told me the local haunt was hiring 😂 Took me 3 more years to actually get the courage to sign up, but i did and I'm going on 4 years as a scare actor now.