Alarmed screams fill the woods. The guests have widened eyes as the masked gravedigger lunges for them and fog covers the forest floor.
The guests are expected to go into the woods for the next haunted attraction. Tombstones and jack-o-lanterns are scattered around them as the gravedigger brings them to the next location.
But who’s behind the mask?
Senior Kenneth Foxworthy is a scare actor for the haunted house Nightmare on Edgewood. Foxworthy finds that becoming an employee at a haunted house is thrilling and lets him take on a different identity.
“You get the makeup, you get the outfit and you get to be someone else,” Foxworthy said. “You get to have human interaction … it’s good to get out of yourself sometimes.”
Foxworthy has worked at Nightmare on Edgewood for two years, and he first found the opportunity through his family. His mom’s friend recommended the job to him, and he’s been enjoying it ever since.
When he first started, he had to adapt to the eerie atmosphere and environment of his workplace. With time, he was able to adjust to the dim lights and gravestones.
Not only did he have to adjust to the ambience, but he also had to learn how to scare. Foxworthy got inspiration on scaring techniques from horror movies such as “Leatherface” and “Dawn of the Dead.”
On the other side of the mask, he has witnessed some of the struggles of working at a haunted house.
“People are crazy,” Foxworthy said. “Sometimes people will literally try to punch you.”
Along with the attempted violence, he also deals with a recurring problem of guests accidentally running backstage.
For the guests who run to the wrong locations, Foxworthy has to escort them back to the expected sites.
Aside from these struggles, Foxworthy finds ways to keep his guests interested.
To stay motivated to entertain the guests and maintain his role, he changes parts of his character.
The scared reactions that Foxworthy receives drives him towards continuing to do his job. He thrives off of the funny responses guests give him.
“(I like) coming up with new things to work with,” Foxworthy said. “I like to change the character the next night for new people because I used a bit too much (and) I need to change it a little bit.”
Foxworthy isn’t the only student at SHS who is working at a haunted house this Halloween season. Freshman Jackson Short has been a scare actor at Hanna Haunted Acres for a year. Both Short and Foxworthy find a thrill through the screams.
“It’s fun and exciting,” Short said. “It’s not boring … sometimes my friends go there and I get to scare them, so that’s always exciting.”
Even though jack-o-lanterns and costumes aren’t a part of a typical job, Foxworthy and Short find their jobs full of excitement, especially through the scares.
