Prepare to Scare
As Halloween approaches, the dead rise, and opportunities to become a scare actor at local haunted houses and mazes crop up across Butler County.
Venues such as the Beacon Hotel in Renfrew and Zombies of the Corn in Freedom both employ large numbers of performers for their Halloween season to frighten visitors with their special makeup, costuming and performances.
At Zombies of the Corn, actors prepare to scare with extensive special effects makeup routines. Their makeup artist of nine years, Alyssa Stamback, said she can spend up to half an hour on one actor's look, depending on its intricacy.
Stamback uses materials such as liquid latex, theatrical blood, glow-in-the-dark spray and face paint nightly. The blood can be used on the clothes and body to complete an actor's look.
For a clown character, Stamback will use the latex to create facial scar tissue, then add blood, a red nose, and red and blue creme to the eyes. This process takes her about 15 minutes per actor.
“The girls take it better than the guys ... latex can feel weird on the face,” Stamback said. “Everyone has fun doing it.”
Getting in characterShane Calderone of Ambridge, an actor at Zombies for three years, says it can take him 45 minutes to prepare for a night of scaring. His character, Mr. Wilson, is his own creation and has evolved significantly over the years.“He started out with no name, just a bunch of blood splatters and a weird voice,” Calderone said. “Then a kid asked me what my name was and I said 'Mr. Wilson' on the spot. Now he's just Mr. Wilson.”Calderone enjoys the freedom of the role, taking time to experiment with makeup and costuming.“I switch it up every day,” Calderone said. “My makeup is usually a white base with some weird red and black markings mixed in.”According to Calderone, Mr. Wilson started as a stylish dresser and has become more rundown each year. Currently, the character involves less talking and more frightening noises than his first year.When he started, Calderone said he would repeatedly yell “banana pudding” at customers to mess with them. Due to COVID restrictions, last year's act evolved to include banging loudly on nearby barrels.“(Mr. Wilson) is an unpredictable guy,” Calderone said. “All who experience him will get a different experience every night.”At the Beacon, Gabe Drane has been dedicated to scaring since age 14.
Drane's character, known as “The Corn Man,” was inspired by his boss saying Drane should wear something to blend into the maze. Drane constructed his own costume — a coat with corn leaves — and Corn Man was born.“The idea just came to me,” Drane said. “I can stand anywhere and (scare) anyone.”Drane has since updated his costume to include a face mask and full body suit.Every night he heads into the maze and stakes out a path where customers walk. He said he usually chooses customers who seem the easiest or hardest to scare, depending on his mood. When they approach, Drane shakes the corn and screams.“Most (people) aren't ready for someone to be a few inches away,” Drane said. “The best part is (scaring) every customer, sometimes twice.”Wearing masksBrian Brown, the “chain saw man” at the Beacon, has developed his character over 10 years. His routine is to hide behind trees as the haunted wagon goes by, then start the chain saw as he boards it.“If people are squealing, you know it's a good wagon. You could stay on there for a few minutes at a time,” Brown said.
Brown is accustomed to doing his own makeup in preparation for his role. His typical regimen takes a total of 20 minutes and includes an assortment of colored face paint and theatrical blood.This year, Brown has taken to wearing a mask in place of makeup. Many actors have opted to wear horrifying full-face masks to ensure the safety and health of guests in the haunts.“It's a little harder to see stepping on the wagon (with the mask)” Brown said. “I would rather wear the makeup.”
Brown said the best feedback he's received is from parents with younger kids experiencing the attractions.“Parents have said we're very courteous,” Brown said. “Actors have taken their masks off for (a) 5-year-old who's scared to death, to show it's not scary.”Deb Krelow, whose family owns and operates the Beacon Hotel, stressed the extreme commitment of the actors during her years running the haunts.“Some of our scarers make their own scenes and props weeks before,” Krelow said. “Most of our actors are teenagers ... we have some whole families who participate.”
According to Jamie Weaver, character supervisor at the Beacon, some scarers are as young as 5 years old. He said they teach all actors to scare low and from the side should a customer react physically to a jump scare.“The main goal is to keep the actors and customers safe,” Weaver said.Krelow alluded to the fact that the Beacon Hotel has its own ghost stories, adding fright to their Halloween season.“The spirits of the Beacon are not all in bottles,” Krelow said. “They're very active this time of year.”The Beacon haunted maze runs all remaining Friday and Saturday evenings in October. The first wagon leaves at dusk and the last one runs at 10 p.m.Zombies of the Corn runs all remaining weekends in October.
