They walk among us. Seemingly ordinary, everyday people who, through some twist of biology, actually look forward to scaring the bejeezus out of people for 19 spooktacular days in October.
We鈥檙e talking about the performers of 鈥� the shuffling, oozing, creeping talent that bring Playland鈥檚 answer to our deepest fears to life.
This year, a record eight unique haunted houses have sprung up out of the asphalt of the East 麻豆传媒映画amusement park like so many rotten, decrepit zombies to fill the night sky with screams of terror-filled delight. Some of the professional scare people are based inside the haunted houses, while others approach you on the pavement outside as you try to catch your breath.
But who the heck actually signs up to chase complete strangers around in the dark?
The answer? Actors, haunted-house enthusiasts, high school students. Anyone who can handle hours upon hours of improv, on top of seeing their audience run away from them screaming.
鈥淚 think it comes more naturally than people think,鈥� says Terrance Fraser, a fourth-year Fright Nights 鈥渞oamer,鈥� while chatting with the Westender at a picnic table outside The Bloodshed, Fright Nights鈥� newest haunted house.聽
鈥淓verybody, I think, sort of has that in them, because you know what scares you, so it鈥檚 not that hard to translate that into scaring someone else.鈥�
As one of Fright Nights鈥� roughly 150 cast members, it鈥檚 Fraser鈥檚 job to assess the packs of people passing through the nearby Car-N-Evil clown house territory and deliver his playful dose of thrills and chills as they try to decide whether to face their fears and go inside.
Fraser plays Frank Jr., who, in Fright Nights canon, is the son of a fairly well known, musically inclined former Fright Nights clown. In addition to capitalizing on his acting background and some basic ukelele skills, the tall, husky former 麻豆传媒映画Islander delivers a character who loves stealing people鈥檚 phones and taking Snapchats and selfies.
鈥淓ven in the couple of nights so far this year, I鈥檝e had like four or five people show me selfies from previous years,鈥� he laughs.
But, if you ask us, you鈥檙e a brave soul if you actually let a clown that close to you. And if it feels like performers like Fraser are always picking on you, it鈥檚 probably because they are. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really all about observation of, like, body language. Everyone鈥檚 different,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome people you can get really well with a little bounce scare or distraction and stuff. Some people, you can just stare at them from across the parking lot and make a weird face and they鈥檒l run screaming.鈥�
It鈥檚 something Fraser, who studied acting and musical theatre (and generally avoids horror movies and the like), admits he looks forward to doing every year.
鈥淸Fright Nights] is the one place where people go to be scared,鈥� he explains. 鈥�...When you come to Fright Nights, as soon as you pay your ticket at the door, that鈥檚 the thing that says, 鈥業 would like you to scare me, please.鈥� And it sort of gives us carte blanche to go crazy and have fun.鈥�
But not too crazy. Fright Nights season starts with a screening and audition process for performers, and then a round of training around safe scares and knowing the audience鈥檚 boundaries that takes place before anyone dons a costume and starts lurking next to rides.
After that, though? It鈥檚 up to them as soon as they leave the makeup chair.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be be different for all the characters,鈥� says Fraser, 鈥渂ut, especially for the clowns, like, you start to walk weird. I鈥檓 not fully method, but I do tend to drop into the voice as soon as the makeup is on and everything.鈥�
It鈥檚 an improv marathon 鈥� an exhausting stretch of immersive creativity that tends to leave Fraser totally wiped at the end of scare season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 six hours, seven hours of improv 鈥� 360 degrees. You can鈥檛 really drop character. You can鈥檛 ask for a suggestion or whatever and start a new scene,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always people around and you always have to be on.鈥� 聽
鈥� runs until Oct. 31 at Playland (2901 E Hastings St.). Admission includes unlimited access to all eight haunted houses, shows and 20 rides. (There is an additional charge for the Revelation and Drop Zone.) Tickets from $32.聽
