I got to meet Dusty Sage from Mice Chat!!!

Norm's favorite part of the evening was the anal probe! *kinky* =)

Doug was like "You know, I do the anal probe at home every night...I'm used to it!"

Me and Jeff Tucker! This night was full of celebrity sightings! When I get to one, I'll point them out! ;)

Ok, you had me at "breast."

"Grarmmphul mufffliaammpppggg gahhhnarfllfnnnn!!!!"

Daniel Miller, Tood Faux, and Brooke Walters - they are like the Manny, Moe, and Jack...the Snap, Crackle, and Pop of SCARING THE OMG LIVING FECES OUT OF YOU!!!!

Doug did this really weird podcast where we all talked about our thumbs. Not sure I quite get it, but it's a really good podcast. You should check it out at www.seasonpasspodcast.com

Then came the most amazing part of the night, I was supposed to dress up to be a Haunt character but Tim told me I was way to fat to be anything but the Stay Puft Marshmallow man or Dan Akroyd, and they didn't have a Ghostbusters maze. I was bummed...but then I did 20 laps around Buena Park to work off that chicken dinner, and was able to squeeze into a costume! Hooray!

"Wow, that's a really lifelike mask!"

Oh, this is much prettier! =)

Four of us got to dress up, and be put into a Knott's Haunt maze, and it really was quite an amazing experience. Here we are all ready to go! They told us we would be put into the "Terror of London", so we brushed up on our British accent... "Jolly, Jolly, Jolly!" (how's that?)

The other guys would go into Lock Down! James kinda looks like a CalTrans worker!

Yes, you guys are cute...very good...now go scare some people!

That's MUCH better! (ok, I'll be honest, I can't actually tell the difference....)

Ok, so like, we might not look THAT scary, just randomly outside (I'm the fat one on the right, BTW), but once you get into the maze, with the low lighting, a bit of fog, some ambient sounds, and a waves of people who are already a bit "heightened" and nervous, the whole experience really begins to unfold....

Here I am actually in the maze...you are automatically blurry once you get inside. Now, just being serious for a moment here, it's really impossible to fully describe what it's like being a "Scare Actor", other than it's a lot more work than you would think! Now, yes, it's totally true that you can make some cowardly people drop to the floor just by staring at them weirdly or shouting something non-nonsensical at them. BUT... the job of working a haunted house is actually very high-paced, frantic, and you have to be on your toes at all times! A very natural reaction whens someone jumps out at you...is to fight back! Now, fortunately, for an event like this. most people know they are going to get scared and startled, so that kind of thing doesn't happen too often....

Being inside the maze, and especially behind a mask also gives you a sense of empowerment. They can still see your eyes, even though it's dark, so you can stare them down. Body movement is was also key. Last year, they put me in full face make-up so the guests could actually see my full face, but this was a very different experience. Beyond making eye contact, that wasn't any other facial expressions you could send, so how you scared people was all from body language. Either a quick, sudden movement...banging your hand against a wall, following someone creepily through the area I was in, all of these proved to be very effective on the right people. I only wish I could have stayed in the maze a little bit longer to get better at it! Seriously though, it's hard work, but it is an AMAZING amount of fun! If you have an interest in being a scare actor, give it a try! Get with your local park or haunted attraction (most major areas now have something every season), and audition and go for it! I'll will be one of the "best times of your life!" I promise!

Click here for Page 4 of Knott's Halloween Haunt 2011 Photos

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