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2. The scare actors are allowed to think on their feet and go above and beyond

Image © ScareHouseImage © ScareHouse

Is there any kind of special training that the scare actors who work the Basement go through? I imagine it'd be difficult to "restrain" guests without hurting them, for instance.

The Basement is a totally separate cast from the main haunts. We hire actors who have experience in improv and immersive theater, and they are trained separately.

We know that our actors in the Basement are in a very unique position, and we want our customers to know they are working with professionals with experience and training, and everyone (in the main haunts and the Basement both) goes through a background check before working at ScareHouse.

How many guests scream "bunny"?

We did keep a tally last year, but it wasn’t as high as you might think. We don’t want people to use the safety word; we want them to stay in and complete the experience. Our actors are really good at sensing when someone is to that point of being too scared, and they back off. We want people to have a good experience – it’s all for the customer, so we want them to stick around!

Is there a high incident ratio with the Basement? I imagine for a large number of people, not being allowed to touch the scare actors back would run counter to their fight/flight instinct.

Nope – we haven’t had to remove anyone from the Basement, and we’ve had no incidents with customers or actors. We do a really good job of explaining what’s going to happen and what the rules are, and, honestly, people who come through the Basement want to be there and know what they’re getting into.

ScareHouse and the Basement have never had a problem with rowdy customers; we tend to attract an older crowd.

3. Being hooded is just over-the-top intense

Image © ScareHouseImage © ScareHouse

How did you all strike upon the idea of doing a hooded variation of the Basement?

This is actually pretty interesting: Boy Scouts used to do blindfolded activities to achieve all kinds of things – trust, exploration, confidence, resilience – so it is coming from that, and then also the almost universal fear of being completely in the dark.

Our sense of sight is so powerful and we depend on it to tell us about our environment, so when you take that away, the unknown and the uncertainty of what is going to happen goes through the roof.

And fear is all about the unknown.

How popular is the Basement – and how popular are these special one-night occurrences?

The Basement is very popular. It sold out almost every night last year, and our off-season events both sold out, as well. These experiences aren’t for everyone, but for those who are looking for something different, challenging, scary, and exciting, it’s great.

Are these extreme attractions – particularly these special, one-off variations like being hooded – the wave of the future for the haunted house industry?

I think that there will always be a place for the traditional haunted attractions – each generation needs to experience the thrill and fun of walking through a haunted house. These other types of events will always be evolving with the time and responding to what customers want.

What do you think the next generation of haunts will look/work like?

I think the public is coming to have higher expectations about what a good haunt should look like; plastic bats and cheap masks no longer are enough. But along with that is the more important point that haunts need to be safe, they need to be professional, and they need to take everything very seriously.

“Hooded in the Basement” is one of the most serious experiences you can have in the themed industry. It is available for one night only, on Saturday, July 19, 2014, from 7:00 pm to midnight. Tickets are $19.99 and are available here.

If you’re brave enough to try it out, let the rest of us know what you thought of the event in the comments section below.

Happy hunting!

 
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