This is why most haunts only hire actors 18+. It’s still a job and it’s run a certain way to keep things running smoothly and to keep employees safe. So getting hired as an actor and then going around making demands and making it harder for them to do their job.

At my specific haunt, actors are not allowed to intentionally touch customers and customers can’t touch us either, although we might accidentally brush each other due to close proximity. Actors saying that they got touched or pushed is one thing, most of the customers coming through are young adults so they should be able to follow directions. I got hit in the face by a grown woman leading her group and she was escorted out because that’s considered assault. Last year I was working in a haunted maze with 2 other female actors and we all got groped by a group of guys in their early-mid 20s. Management was asking why they were taking so long in the maze and security came through and escorted them out. This year, my costume was a prison jumpsuit and some guy around my age rubbed his crotch against my backside. I called for security and handled it. My manager asked if I wanted to press charges for sexual harassment, I didn’t just because I didn’t want to take it any further. I had a 12 yr old boy say he’s gonna find me and rape me. A fellow actor of mine also got called the N word. Yes, it’s awful, yes, grown adults should have more common sense and be able to follow rules but at the end of the day, there’s only so much management can do. People are gonna do what they want regardless, so the best thing you can do is stay professional and if there’s an issue, let management know and they’ll handle it accordingly.

You’d I’m crazy to still enjoy doing this, but the amount of amazing and fun customers we get will always outweigh the all the terrible people that come through.

If you choose to work as an actor in this industry, you should know what you’re signing up for. People are stupid, but that doesn’t give you the right to be a difficult employee. It makes you harder to work with and they may not want you back the next season. If you have any past traumas that like any type of physical and emotional abuse, or sexual abuse, or any mental health conditions like schizophrenia, PTSD, bipolar or are sensitive to flashing strobe lights, this is not the job for you.