Hello there! My name is Zack and I am entering my second year as an actor at the Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride at Arasapha Farms.
For those who do not know, the Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride is a haunted attraction located in Gradyville, Pennsylvania. There are three separate attractions on the farm. One is the Haunted Hayride in which the victims sit on a tractor-pulled, hay-filled wagon that navigates through black woods, where monsters and animatronics remain hidden in different frightening scenes waiting to jump out when the wagon rolls by. Another is the Haunted Corn Maze where the victims walk through just that - a corn maze, trying to find the way out through different sights and ghouls that want you to lose your way! The last one is the Bates Motel where the victims walk through a good old fashioned haunted house, getting up close and personal with the infrastructure and the inhabitants. Even if you do not get scared easily, the sets are amazing to witness and the ambiance of the farm gives you that perfect Halloween season's greetings! For more information on the actual attraction, visit http://www.thebatesmotel.com/
Last year was my first year as an actor. For many years before, I had gone to this attraction and wondered what it would be like to be a part of it. My best bud and confidant in haunted affairs, Colin, and I decided to ask what we had to do to become monsters ourselves. We scheduled auditions and we received the positions. Last year, we were in the Bates Motel, but this year we are on the Haunted Hayride. This year I have decided to keep a blog, recollecting all of my stories soon to come and to maintain some sanity along the way through writing. Working every night, scaring the beejeezus out of people can be extremely exhausting, but it is all well worth it. From the welcoming arms of the Bates family into their haunt family to the adrenaline rush of not only scaring, but entertaining folks, I must say, I love this place and cannot wait for a great season!
- zack
