Walking through a haunted house is a frightening experience for most, but to some students, it’s just their job.
A majority of students that work in a haunted house are oftentimes involved in a theater program and have a passion for acting.
“To work at a haunted house, you should be able to put your all into it,” said freshman Sal Morrison, who’s been working at Shadow’s Edge near Mangelsen’s for two years.
There is a big community of workers at these places that have the same hobbies and interests. They all care about and support everyone.
“I love interacting with the customers and the other employees,” said sophomore Leela Mukerjee who’s been working at Haunted Hollow on 125th and Giles for one year. “The community is so kind and fun.”
There are a few reasons why these students got into this job, with one being service learning hours. Eventually, they can switch to getting paid instead of earning hours. These places are helpful for students because they can volunteer for service learning hours, and pick up a fun part time job.
“It all started off as volunteering because of theater and I ended up loving it and started to work there as an employee,” Mukurjee said.
One day of working at Haunted Hollow is filled with a variety of reactions. Some might leave with a blank face, but others leave screaming.
“My favorite story is when I made a teenage girl cry and she had to have her mom hold her and she kept having to turn her away from me since she was screaming every time she saw me,” said sophomore Daemon Robertson who’s been working at Haunted Hollow for one year.
The workers spend a lot of time together and build close relationships, which can lead to fun memories together.
“When I started working, one of my friends who went to college last year got on top of the roof of one of the houses and started yelling at people which was hilarious,” said Mukerjee.
The element of surprise plays a big role in haunted houses, and the boiler room is one of the many different rooms that plays into this. The actor hides under a light and jumps out to scare people while trying to remain in character. Staying in character is a difficult task when a hilarious reaction happens.
“There was a grown man, full beard, total redneck guy, who shouted in my face, ‘I just peed myself’,” Morrison said. “I tried so hard to keep character but I ended up giggling as he was walking out.”
Haunted house fans will want to experience Shadow’s Edge this year, as it will be closing after 20 years in business.
