Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, and it’s the first time the full moon will be visible in the U.S. on Friday the 13th since the year 2000. It’s also the opening date of The Darkness, the St. Louis haunted house celebrating its 26th year in business.
On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske was joined by Richard Ivey and Bailey Gettemeier, the actor managers of The Darkness and Creepyworld, respectively. They talked about running haunted houses, getting punched in the face on the job, and what it means to work as a scare actor.
“It’s an honor for us to make somebody soil themselves,” says Ivey. He says it in jest, but it’s a commitment the actors take seriously.
“We always tell people to check their embarrassment at the door,” said Gettemeier. “You just have to kind of embrace it. If you’re confident in whatever you do, it’ll translate well.”
The actors for The Darkness and Creepyworld go through “Ghoul School” to prepare for the job and explore the craft of scaring. Actors range in age from their late teens to those in their fifties, and for them, scaring is not about making someone truly uncomfortable. In the class, participants get a mini-crash course in combining creativity and awareness.
“As people come through the haunt, we’re not going to treat them differently because of their race, or gender, or perceived sexuality,” says Ivey.” You can be scary without insulting people.”
Listen to the full discussion here:
The Darkness opens Friday, September 13th, at the Lemp Brewery. Creepyworld opens September 20th in Fenton, Mo.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Alexis Moore. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.
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