My apologies

I'm sorry for not updating this blog in the past week, but I have encountered too much this month, so I will unfortunately not be updating the blog for the rest of the season.  My nightly activities have affected me too much this season to the point where I cannot write quickly and well, so updating a blog every night would be extremely frustrating and difficult.  Thank you for those who have read and I'll see you next season!

She just sat on his head!

Makeup by Nicole

It was a rather lovely day.  I spent it lounging, stretching, and resting up for the night.  My cold was still all present and accounted for.  I took the precautions that would not kill myself.  I knew it would not be as busy as the night before, but it still had a potential to become hectic for a Sunday night.

The farm was beautiful.  The sun was out.  It wasn't too chilly.  There was a slight breeze.  The members of staff (who showed up) seemed to just be content that last night was over.  You could tell it was going to be an easy-going night.

About a half hour into the night, a rather large, older lady was entering the room as I was peaking around the corner.  Either she didn't know I was there or didn't care if I was real.  When the Chuckie doll came out of the closet, she freaked out, with a horrified look upon her face.  Mouth agape.  Wide eyes.  No sound emanating from her at all.  Then, she proceeded to walk backwards, placing her buttocks upon my head.  She did not stop walking even when she made contact with my head, putting tons of pressure on it, smearing my nose against the wall.  Immediately, I shot up for fear of my head exploding.  I stared directly at her and she wouldn't budge, so I shoved her in and went back to scare the rest.  A few minutes later, a kid karate chopped my neck just because he saw me peaking around the corner.  I spose it was my night to get hit.

If it was my night to get hit, then it was my scenemate, Jess' night to get called names.  There's an emergency light that goes on when she comes out of the boo-box too hard.  All you have to do to turn it off is basically tap it.  When it's a slower night, like tonight, she waits for groups to go by, remaining in character, to turn off the light.  Tonight, there was a lady who was walking slowly and staring at Jess, whom was just waiting for her to go by, so she could turn off the light.  But the lady was staring at her and saying, "Come on, bitch, come on," as the lady's boyfriend egged her on.  For some seriously demented reason, this isn't uncommon.

About an hour or so later, my cousin, Paige, came through.  I was all contorted when she walked by, so I did not recognize her until she said my name.  When she did, I acted quickly and ran up and grabbed her.  Luckily, there was a lot of people around to see me pick her up and pull her into the back.  The looks on the faces of the people walking by were wonderful.  I hope it sent a thought into their heads that that might happen to them, sending chills down their spine ;)

Makeup by Nicole

After that, I took it pretty easy for the rest of this easy night.  It was still nice out when we were done at 10ish.  I came home and rested up before watching the season opener of Walking Dead!  Whoa, is all I can say about that episode.

(End of 8th evening).

Well that was terrible!

Makeup by Georgi.  Snot by Zack.

Congestion was the theme of the day today!  My cold has gotten worse, and it was only going to get worse as the night progressed.  And it was a night of activity with all of the people packed into each attraction.

Our boss sent us to our spots early tonight and hoped that it would be long and late night.  I just hoped I would come out of it alive.

I started sweating profusely pretty early.  There's a little problem with the house.  If you wear too much clothing, you will be warm for the beginning of the night, but then you will sweat quicker, leaving your clothes all damp and disgusting.  However, if you wear little clothing, you risk being cold until you start sweating.  It got so bad tonight that sweat got into both my eyes, not allowing me to keep them open for too long.  I had to hide away for a few minutes just to get my bearings again.  I started to worry that all my makeup would come off and started coming up with what I could do if that indeed happened.  I came up with the idea that I would tie myself up and sit at the dining room table and just act as if I had been tortured.  Luckily, the makeup didn't come off completely.

At one point, I started contorting my body in a way that was not really that difficult, but everyone coming by either thought I was a mannequin or fascinated that I could bend like that.  Then, I would swing my entire body around to stand straight up and spooked a bunch of people.  I got called a contortionist and gymnast.  Some nice compliments for something I just figured out tonight!  I only had one complaint from a little child who said, "You're not scary!" to which I twisted around and had him jump back :).  I would say well worth the sore back, feet, legs, hands, arms, and neck!

There was some difficulty in the first room tonight, so there were a few lulls in the comings and goings of the patrons.  It was nice at one point when we had a ten minute wait, but it was unfortunate to have a continuous stream of people.  It got so packed at some points that an entire line of people would just have to stop because there was too many people walking around.

I have not had a night this enduring and exhausting since my first year at Bates.  Having a cold was worse than the actual physical ailments.  I completely lost my voice towards the end of the night and I was not even talking.  I kept clicking and flicking my body around.  I got home and could not stop shaking.  I downed some cold medicine and curled up in my bed, hoping I would wake up with no physical memory of this night.

(End of 7th evening).

Chills & chills

Makeup by Tom

Last Sunday evening, I had the night off because I had to see a play for one of my classes.  But at night, I went to Eastern State Penitentiary's Terror Behind the Walls.  Eastern State will always have a little place in my heart because it was the first haunted attraction I went to on my own and went with my good friend, Colin, whom also works at Bates with me.  The anticipation of waiting to actually get into the attraction frightened me.  Then, when we were going through, I couldn't believe the sets and how intricate they were.  The actors all made me smile because they were so silly with all their characters and schticks.  The longer I went into it, the more I fell in love with it.  Thus my fascination with haunted attractions began.

I try to tell myself anytime that I'm not happy with going to work at night that I get to scare people at night and that I have one of the greatest jobs.  Yet, I woke up this morning with some congestion that transitioned into a head cold during the night.  YAY!  I tried not to pay attention to it, but boy, is it cold out there on the farm, and especially when you're not feeling well, it all seems magnified.  As soon as I got my makeup tonight, I went to my car and grabbed my clothes and changed in the house because the wind was just a nuisance.

I don't think I spoke any words at all tonight.  I just growled and laughed and moaned and hacked up nasty stuff.  I had not scared people for six days straight, so I was definitely out of it.  I wasn't even ready for the first patrons, I kinda just looked at them as they walked by.  Was not looking like it was going to be a good night.  Then, Jess, my scenemate, informed me her family was coming through tonight.  So, there was at least something to look forward to!  Unfortunately though, they did not come until later and we're in the middle of a group.  I didn't even get a chance to spook them!

I've started reaching out behind the corner of the wall and putting my hand in front of people's faces to get them unexpectedly because a lot of people like to point my little head out creeping around the corner.  There was a particular scare tonight, which was fun.  Three ladies were entering my room and one of them entered with the other two cowering behind.  But there was a gap between the one lady and the two others, so I separated them even more and had the one lady walk to the other scene as I stalked her the whole way.  Good times.

There are a bunch of little kids who come through and either imitate my actions or say "Are you eating the wall?!?  You're a dumbass!"  Do your hear yourself, kid?  I got very fired up at one of these kids tonight and wanted to stalk him out, but he was already scurrying out of the scene like the little squirrel he was.  So, I had the skull in my hand and I just started laughing and banging it against the wall.  I didn't realize how disturbing this image was until someone pointed it out later in the night.  Hooray!  Unfortunately though, the skull's jaw fell of and there's a big dent in the top.  I don't know how much longer she'll last.

Makeup by Tom

I don't know if it was the cold or the cold that affected my head, but I had no concept of time tonight.  So, when Joe came around and told me it was 9 o'clock, I was delighted!  Much later than I expected.  It was yet another early evening for a weekend at Bates.  No complaining there!

(End of 6th evening).

Back in action!

Makeup by Jenna

During the day, it was my hometown's celebration for being a town.  Congratulations Havertown!  I went to the festivities for just a brief moment.  It's always odd going out in public when you know you're going back to the farm at night to act ridiculous.  And then, especially when you look a little off with a mohawk.

The mohawk has no other significance for my scene other than it makes me look a little more absurd than I already do with all the makeup on my face.  Yet, I'm not the only one at the farm to have done it this year.  It helps a little with the insanity factor.

Another swift start tonight.  This time, we were informed that the French nannies would be coming through.  They come through every year and also come dressed in Halloween outfits.  They're always fun to scare and well, fun to look at, as well ;)

French nannies aside, it was actually a nice night for frights.  Before tonight, it had felt a little uncomfortable and more like a job, but now, it's feeling more like an opportunity to act, to go crazy, to let out all of the negative feelings anyone can feel in a day through creeping and crawling around people.  At one point, my scene partner, Jess, turned to me and said, "I love this job."  When the activity started to pick up a bit more, someone got so scared that they knocked one of the skulls down from the wall.  Immediately, I picked it up because I didn't want anyone tripping over it, but then it became a nice prop and now I talk like pubescent British mama's boy to most people entering the room.  Also, I found out I can only maniacally laugh like either Voldemort after he announces he's killed Harry or Bubble Bass, the food critic from Spongebob.  I think I'll stick to the talking.

I'll try to recount some of the memorable quotes that patrons like to share with me.  It's amazing what people do and say when they think no one is watching.  One nice gentleman of about 40 years said, "You're not scary.  You suck at this.  You should get a new career."  I apologize, brave sir, I am just not good enough for you, but let me educate you a little bit.  Yes, we try to be the scariest possible haunted attraction, but we are limited by the regulations set forth due to the sue-happy American public.  And we are also human.  We can't be there at the right moment to frighten or entertain each and every individual.  If you really want to be terrified for your life, then invite one of the actors into your home after hours.

Makeup by Jenna

Nearing the end of the night, I just wanted to be done.  I was getting cold because all of the sweat had stuck to my clothes and the two places I hide are right next to open doors that let all that cool air in.  And surprisingly, one of the break actresses came around and say last wagon was already in the woods.  I'm starting to like the earlier endings, but I know for sure this will not always be the case.

(End of 5th evening).

Hot in hurr

Makeup by Amy

It has been an odd week temperature-wise.  It's October, yet it was T-shirt weather the past few days. Not sweater weather, not cool.  I was already sweating a little bit on the way to the farm tonight.  I'm already a sweat hog to begin with, so it was not going to be a comfortable night of frights.

Latex on mah face tonight!  Check it out.  I only had latex done once last year and it was smaller and less obtrusive.  When Amy was applying the adhesive tonight, my eyes started watering like a little batch.  I don't know what particularly made them water, but as you can see, it was all over the one side of my face.

We started just on time tonight.  I brought jerky and an energy drink with me.  We started with the sun still out.  Which isn't ideal, at all, but understandable for running a business.  It just makes it all less frightening when you can actually see everyone creeping around corners.  It's as if the patrons feel comfortable, and who wants that?

I've gotten this contortion mannerism down where I hold my head upside down around the corner of a wall, so the patrons only see half of my face.  As they come in, I turn my head, so I'm watching them and suddenly, twist my head around and stand as tall as I possibly can.  It's either scared the crap out of people or just unnerved people.  It's quite fun, but I will be needing a neck massage every few days or so.

Between 7 and 8, Joe came around asked how I was doing, but then told me to pace myself because it is going to be a long night.  But, I didn't want to pace myself!  So, I kept going for it and we got one taste of the congo line tonight.  That's when the person at the door just opens the front door and lets everyone in line file through.  It's extremely exhausting and not entirely enjoyable for anybody, but it kills the line and saves us some time.  Other times, we just get lines due to one group that waits before entering every room because they're too frightened.  Lines suck.

There were some nice scares with the contortion action this evening.  There was one particular scare that just confused me.  There was this semi-big guy at the door to my room.  I was peeking around the corner.  He was yelling, "I see you, I see you" at me.  Then, he had his hand on the door knob and was making the move as if he was going to jump in.  He proceeded to come in, I started to twist my head.  I jolted up and then, he came right in as I came up, grabbing my head and pulling me around a little bit.  He let go and I stared at him.    And that was that.  It was an odd interaction.  He wasn't a dick.  He was probably drunk, but not looking for a fight.  I had no idea what to make of it.

Makeup by Amy

When the ticket shed closed, everyone could tell it was dead and it was going to be an early night.  Nice little surprise.  I had still downed half of that energy drink.  A lot of energy.  Dumb idea, I just wanted to get my sweaty clothes off.  So, I just drove straight home, ripped my latex off, and got into my comfy clothes.

(End of 4th evening).  

Home

Makeup by Rob

I got to the farm with plenty time to spare today.  My makeup just keeps getting better and better.  I got mud in my hair tonight and blacked my stupid teeth.  I didn't realize how creepy I looked until I got home at the end of the night.

I changed my wardrobe in my scene because we have two mirrors in our hallway.  It's starting to feel a little like a home.  I've got a creepy little brother in the closet with a butcher knife and chopped up rabbit.  My darling partner in scares comes out of the wall.  There's a quaint dining room table that I like to sit at and just rock back and forth.  Also, the motel itself is very intimate.  You come to know the people in the scenes around you better, as opposed to the other attractions, and there are always break actors and pushers coming through to check up on you.  Oddly enough, in a house of horrors, you feel loved.  The only drawback is the fact that we are the first attraction to open at the farm and then the last to close.  If anything, this makes us closer.  We're all agonizing together.

Tonight was a slow, but decent night.  We had a little bit of each stereotypical person that comes through tonight.  The moms, the little kids, the big, black guys, the group of gay guys, the drunken fools, and as always, the jerks.  The actors coming through our scene always had a person set up to scare for us.  It was like a little gift every time!  Sometimes, they'd know their name.  Other times, they just knew they would flip out.  But by the end of the night, there were very few people trickling through and it started to be absolutely dead.  When a group would come in, I would want to follow them all the way to the next scene, just to keep myself from dying of boredom.

After work tonight, I stopped by the local Wawa to get some gas.  Apparently, one of the workers there did not know about us.  So, one of the other actors had come up to the register, with makeup still on.  The cashier had her back turned to him and then she turned around and was frightened.  I don't know exactly how the cashier reacted, but even when I was being helped by her, you could sense her uncomfortable demeanor.

I returned home and got into my comfy clothes.  One of the best feelings in the world, and I truly mean it, is washing your makeup off, drying your face and head, getting into comfy clothes and just relaxing.  And  luckily for me, Gladiator was on.  Perfect end to this frights-full evening.

Well, I would say opening weekend went pretty well!  See you next weekend!

(End of 3rd evening).

Already?

Makeup by Natalie

The entire time before work today was odd.  I didn't feel right.  I just didn't feel like smiling that much.  When people would talk to me, I found myself not wanting to be engaged in conversation as much.  I took a bath and stared right at one bubble the entire time.  Before I knew it though, it was time to depart for the farm again.

I was about halfway when I realized I forgot my black dress shoes and all I had on were these moccasin-looking shoes.  They would surely not work.  I drove back to the house, which caused me to be later than I had anticipated, and I don't like being late.

However, I got in line and got my makeup done.  I'm liking how the makeup is looking this year with the more canvas on my head.  It creates a more realistic display of brutality.  The bruised or burned scalp looks mighty nice.

The night started pretty swiftly.  There was still sunlight outside when the first patrons came through.  Then, it started to pickup.  I only hung out in the boo-box for the first couple hours, and spent the rest of the night at the entrance to the room.  It's always nice to pop out and scare, but it is much more of a reward when you can stare right at somebody and see them quiver.  I don't think I'm going to hide anymore.

Towards the middle of the night, it started to drag on.  Patrons were more difficult to scare, while those who weren't scared tended to be dicks.  There was a bit of a taste of the little ones that do nothing, but pester you tonight.  I didn't have any tolerance for these ones.  I'll have to figure out something eventually to get them because they will, for sure, be back.

Makeup by Natalie

Already, I am feeling the effects of running around everywhere like a damned fool.  Already, I am pacing back and forth in impatience.  Already, I have a deep scratch in my voice.  If I don't change my act soon, then there will be much discomfort for the rest of the month.  It should be an interesting season.

(End of 2nd evening).

Opening Night

Makeup by Jenna

Well, it's good to be back at the farm.

Almost immediately when I got there, I had one of my fellow monsters, Nic, shave my hair.  Earlier in the day, I had gone to a hair cutter and she took more off than I expected.  So, I had to adjust to the new circumstances and just decided to get a short mohawk.

There's a lot of new people this year.  New actors and actresses.  Some new make-up artists.  The family just keeps expanding.  The past two years, everyone's been getting makeup done in the shed or right outside the shed.  This year, they added a tent with plenty of makeup artists, so there's never a long wait in line for makeup!  Yay!

The house has changed a lot this year.  Newer and cooler rooms.  New layout.  New animatronics.  They outdid themselves on the house this year.

It was, yet again, another awkward first evening at the Bates Motel.  For my scene, there's this darned contraption called a boo-box.  A boo-box can be anything, but in my scene, it's some sort of shelf cabinet that is split down the middle.  I hide behind it and hold the handles that are placed in the middle of each side and slide it to pop out.  People don't expect anything of it because it looks like a china cabinet and has various dishes and cups on it.  It can be a very great scare, if it works appropriately.  However, first scare of the night, I came out of the boo-box and it fell of its wheel, not allowing me to roll it back into place.

After spending the first couple hours behind the boo-box and getting the hang of it, things started rolling into place and ideas started rolling in my head and things started clicking again.  There are tally marks on the one side of the boo-box that say "Asses on the floor" which refers to how many people (in years past) have fallen to the floor.  It is a very useful contraption when used appropriately ;)

But after the first couple hours, I wanted to move around the scene a little more, so I started getting into some sort of whimpering, frightened character at the dining room table, which spooked some people, but it still needs work.

Nothing too major to report on.  There were some good scares and some not so good scares, but overall, pretty slow.  It was opening night.  You can't expect it to be the best night of the season!  Hopefully tomorrow night will be a little more active.

(End of 1st evening).

WE'RE BACK!

Welcome back!

For those who do not know what this is about and are too lazy to go back to the beginning posts of this blog, this is about my job as an actor at the Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride (http://www.thebatesmotel.com/).  It's not one of those "I'm Johnny Slasher and I like to eat little children :)" blogs, where someone might post completely in character.  That's corny and not realistic at all.  It's more of a tale of my time as an actor at a haunted attraction, showing you that there's a lot more to this job than just putting makeup on and screaming.

I will be entering my third year tomorrow night and I have returned to the Bates Motel, the dining room, to be specific.  I am looking forward to being able to sniffing people, whispering in their ears, and just making them as uncomfortable (or comfortable) as possible.  Last year, I was out on the hayride, out of my comfort zone, not being able to invade people's personal spaces as much as I wanted to, so this year shall be a delight.  And I have some surprises up my sleeve this year ;)

Thanks for reading and happy fall!

Zack Connor

Happy Halloween :)

When I was driving to the farm this day, I realized something.  IT WAS HALLOWEEN.  I had been caught up with other things that I completely forgot it was my favorite holiday of the year!  So in the middle of my drive, I tuned into "Spooky Jookie" by Man Man.  Good choice.  And just as I parked my car, I noticed a familiar face to my right.  It was an old friend, Kevin, from last year's season!  He had come to fill in for the night, but boy, it was a blast from the past, and reminded me of last season in comparison to this season (more on that later).

The conditions were still conditions.  Saturated yet freezing.

I'm not entirely sure who would come to a haunted attraction on Halloween night.  I was hoping the answer would be something along the lines of not many at all.  It's a Monday night.  And it's Halloween!  You think people would come to Bates during the weeks before to find excitement and exhilaration with the anticipation of the night of the 31st.  Not to actually celebrate the joyous holiday with us.  People should have their own events at their own locations.  I was a little confused as to why some of our customers were there.  Oh well, it's a business and they are just giving us money.  I just have been exhausted and wanted to go home.  Yet, it was the last night, so that forced me to attempt to freaking enjoy the damned evening in those damned woods.

But at 8 o'clock, I officially declared my resignation from the season.  At least, in my head.  The motivation from it being the last night washed completely away, and every following wagon had a little more nonsensical blabber spewed at their faces.  And to top it off, the wagons were still rolling through well beyond the end of sell time.  My material was used and abused, just like my body and the being trapped inside it.  I had lost my humanity and become a machine for the past couple weeks, but I wanted my being back.  Maybe I'll find it in November.

The last wagon came through, slowly, but surely.  And all of us became revitalized with an energy I had not seen in weeks.  It was the last wagon of the season.  YEEHAW!  And when it came, we did what we could and returned to our scene to wait for that bless-ed pickup wagon.  We were officially done.  Not in our heads, but out in the world again!

Oh!  Exciting news!  I heard word that one of my coworkers was planning a very special moment involving another coworker out in front of the Motel at the end of the night.  They both worked on the hayride that night, so I saw them together after hearing secrets and I don't know if I ever felt so happy.  Being done with the season, hearing some adorable event was about to take place, and looking forward to the rest of the night.  I was not there for the actual event, but apparently he took her out to the Motel, asked one of the most potent questions a human can ask another human, and she accepted.  Although I had not the pleasure of getting to know these two as well as some of my other coworkers, I do know that these two are just flat-out great people and deserve all the best.  I hope someday I can be as "romantic" as Garrett was to Laura on this lovely All Hallow's Eve!

I went to the bar, as it was the final night.  For chicken fingers, mind you. Nothing illegal, I swear!  And to celebrate the night with some very special people.  We got to our table.  And after about 20 minutes, my scene-mate from last year, Chuck, comes up to me and asks me, "Hey, did you see Cole Hamels?"  And I responded with a resounding, "What are you talking about?"  And then he informed me, "He's right behind you!"  So I turned around and sure enough, Cole Hamels was sitting right there on the end of the table, right next to mine.  Chuck didn't want to bother him, but I assured Chuck that he should definitely do it because Chuck is the coolest person I know and if anyone deserves to converse with him, it's definitely Chuck!  So Chuck did.  And he talked to Cole for probably 15 minutes.  Turns out Cole Hamels is a super duper nice guy and very gracious towards phans!

But once the word got around, it got a little too crazy and he eventually left.  No matter, I get to say I spent my Halloween a few feet away from a Phillies ace!  And I'm kinda glad it toned down a little bit because I got to spend some quality time with my coworkers, especially this adorable girl named Summer, whom I'm glad to have met this season.  There are so many great people you meet over the course of this month, but some of those people turn out to be some really special people!

I think it's safe to say that this Halloween ended up being a very nice holiday, indeed.

(End of 23rd evening).

SUN?DAY.

For the first time in Bates history, the attraction was closed due to snow (on Saturday).  Snow.  I believe if this evening were not the 2nd to last night and if it was not a weekend night, the farm would be closed.  Because let's just say, the farm was not in the best condition.

The employee parking lot was almost completely saturated and mucky, making it difficult to enter and leave at the end of the night.  The outside attractions were all seemingly a mess.  But I give the grounds crews credit, because they took care of what they could take care of and it seemed half A-O-KAY.  Probably A-O then.  But that still didn't stop from making our jobs a tad bit more difficult for the night.  And I forgot to mention the cold!  Boy howdy was it cold... I would definitely say it was the coldest it has ever been this season.  Maybe in the 30s.  And that makes for a hard times moving limbs and vibrating the vocal cords. 
Yet surprisingly, the frights were nice.  Due to the conditions, we were told to be careful and cautious with the customers and ourselves.  So when I would jump down at the wagon, I would just walk (as creepily as I could, of course) along side it, hoping to find some frightened individual.  I would also use the wagon a lot more tonight.  Grabbing the side and heaving myself up on it to amplify my voice over the wagon.  It was a subdued and easy-going night.  Even some odd characters on the wagons themselves!  There was a knight with epaules and red cape (must have been the medieval scene), there were a pletheroa of ugly face folk (some of which I weren't sure if they were actually wearing masks...), and even Thing 1 and Thing 2 complete with blue hair!  These characters gave me some good spirits for the rest of the night.

But then...
Right around 9:30PM (when ticket sales are supposed to close and we should be getting the heck out of there) is right when things started to oddly pick up.  The wagons coming were slow yet constant and still full of folks.  Well... I'll tell ya!  I never hated some strangers so much in my life!  Making me stay outside in these blistering temperatures.  Forcing me to entertain youse when all I want to do is steal the warmth right from your throats.  Are you really at a haunted hayride when it is 30 degrees out?!  And there's no source of warmth around?!  On a Sunday night?!  The night before Halloween?!  IT'S MISCHIEF NIGHT!  Go TP your neighbor's house or something!

Luckily, we weren't there for too much longer.  And I bring my sleeping bag on these brisk nights.  So I certainly had that on the pickup wagon.  And a snuggle buddy! ;)

(End of 22nd evening).

TGITLF.

Thank goodness it's the last Friday...

It was another early starting night.  I rushed out to my scene without even my overalls over my shoulders.  Yet I still had plenty of time at my scene.  Preemptive maneuvers for an anticipated busy night were to be unjustified by the night's activity.  Oh well!

It was the coldest evening we've had all season, I believe.  I certainly felt it too.  Whenever it's cold on the hayride, we, actors, tend to move around a bit more; to stay warm and to keep our mind off the temperatures.  This can be a good thing, yet the more you move around, the more you sweat.  And when it's cold outside, and there are no wagons around, this makes it all the much colder.  We have an option to either go crazy for the wagons when they come through to stay warm while risking getting colder on breaks or just get used to the cold and suffer through it.  So, pretty much, being out in the woods these nights is a lose/lose situation...

My friend came through tonight, though!  And I do believe I got him!  So that kept me alive for a little longer than I thought I would be tonight.  I also jumped up a lot on the wagon to talk to the entire peoples on the wagon.  It makes for a much more explosive performance.  Sometimes, I feel like I am starring in a miniature theater performance...

Yet, that machine mentality came into my head.  I can only change up my scene or my lines so much before it starts to get repetitive.  But when you find something that works well, and the higher-ups like it, it's hard to ever deter from that.  And I like to try to give every wagon the similar experience.  Obviously, if I find it's a wagon full of little monsters or douches, then that will change my mood, but for the most part, every wagon gets the same exact lines, same actions, and same scene.  That can really mess with your sanity.  Saying the same thing.  For 5 to 7 hours.  In the same spot.  Especially when they are lines about cannibalism or kidnapping people.

I'm not sure if it was a change of scenery this year or the vacancy of Phillies post-season baseball increasing patronage, but this season has tuckered me out much more than last season.  We still have two days left to go, yet I am already done.  I've been done since those busy nights, weeks ago.

It's time for me to get back to life of the living, rather than the life of the living dead!

(End of 21st evening).

We have work today?

It was our first Wednesday of the season... and also our last Wednesday of the season.  Due to the wet weather of the month, Bates has been closed the past two Wednesdays.  It felt odd to be there on this past evening.  Granted, the Wet Wednesdays were a nice break, but it certainly threw me off when I set foot on the farm.  Do I still get makeup or should I just sit there and look purdy?  Do I still act like a sick hick or should be a hospitable southern man?  Do I still speak in that twang or should I speak like an Australian?  Many confusing questions I had in my head, but turns out Wednesday is just like any other day.  Who knew?!

Also, tonight was the last night for our weekday saw-bed victim, Janet.  I will miss seeing her around the farm these next few days!  We had been singing wonderful Disney tunes in between wagons that sure got me through the past couple nights.

When you sacrifice your social life and your sanity for the sake of this job, the people you work with on these nights become your family.  They become the only people you truly converse with for the month because you're either sleeping or just too drained whenever you have contact with other human beings.  And what a family!  Any folk who work at a haunted attraction are a special breed, but I feel as if the ones at Bates are a very particular breed.  You could spend each evening talking to somebody new and still become fascinated or mesmerized by each one of their personalities and their lives.  And the whole experience of scaring folk every night for a month.  You learn things about people you would not normally learn about someone you just met a month ago.  You learn what makes them tick.  You learn what issues they have going on with them in their lives.  You learn about how they truly are.  The farm is an escape.  From your life at school.  From your work.  From your loved ones.  Even from any issues you have going on in your life.  For just one month, those issues get put on hold if you want them on hold.  Or the family takes care of them for you.  Either way, the farm is a nice getaway.

Anyways...

The night was yet another night at the sawmill for myself and Colin.  I believe I am pushing my feet a little too far.  My right foot is acting up and now I have a temporary zombie walk for a couple weeks to come.  This is all, of course, my fault because I don't pay heed to my body when I am in character.  The whole scare for my scene involves myself posing as a mannequin on a giant spool.  I jump, sometimes clicking my heels, laughing or barking like a dog, as my feet in my boots meet the dirt ground.  It has taken a toll most on my feet, my knees, and my back.  But no matter, I say, I'm young, I'll recover!  However, tonight, every jump was felt in the SOULS of my feet, as I would sometimes yelp at the patrons; not out for fright's sake, but for pain's sake.  Oh well!  November is for recovery.  It's still October!

Due to the closures of the Wet Wednesday, our family night and military appreciation night were rescheduled for this evening.  Tonight would call for a much more respectful and respectable crowd.  Tonight involved a lot of laughs.  Good-hearted laughs, if I may add.  I had a lot of enjoyment just conversing with the folk tonight.  In my hillbilly hootinany, of course!  There were a few scaredy cats on the back of the wagon tonight.  I'm not sure if I told you how Colin and I like to follow folks out of our scene, but we sure got some good screams and laughs tonight out of that.

Later in the evening, Colin's brothers came through.  We weren't entirely sure what wagon he'd be on, so we just had to keep an eye out.  We knew we couldn't really scare them on account of them being brothers and not a mother (moms are always easy to scare, yet I don't feel right scaring my mom...), so we tried for the whole let's-make-them-uncomfortable-and-create-a-show-out-of-it.  So a few wagons went by when I got word they were in the woods.  I jumped down and they were immediately there.  Perfect timing, maybe.  I grabbed on to the one.  And Colin snorted into the other's ears.  It's always rough scaring somebody you know.  If they have no idea where you are and what you do, it's easier, but if they do know that fact, then you have to get creative with the scares.  And the hayride is extremely difficult to get creative.

After that wagon went through, Colin and I both just wanted to be done, for it was past sell time.  And soon enough, we were.  The end to our first and last Wednesday of the season!

(End of 20th evening).

Terri-tiring.

It felt like any other Tuesday.  Slow, dull, and mediocre.  Nothing too exciting.  Nothing exciting ever happens on a Tuesday.  I mean, it's Tuesday.  Come on.  Yet it was the last Tuesday of the season!

It's bittersweet.  Bitter, for where else can you take all of the demons inside of you and use them for a job?!  Sweet, for it is an absolute drainer of your whole self and you cannot keep doing this for much longer.  I can remember the first night when Colin and I had NO IDEAR what to do for our scene and for some screams.  And the Weather Channel passing through.  Very awkward and very uncomfortable.  But this night, it was just another night at the job.  We had our frights down to a science.  And soon the experiment will be over!

But then.  It finally arrived.  The month's arduous work caught up with my essence and my being.  I had felt it all just dragging me down.  My scene mates were just having usual conversations about Disney movies and delectable food, but I could not partake because of the fatigue.  The fatigue of all the days before had finally gotten to me.  Every wagon was tougher to scare.  The only way to keep doing it was because I was used to it.  And for a Tuesday, it was tough.  There was a consistent activity of wagons coming on through.  But eventually, it ended.

ooo-wee.

(End of 19th evening).

Okay... Okay...

I showed up a wee early today to get latex on mah face!  Never had latex on before, so I figured what the HAY!  And I must say.  I do think Mike did a mighty fine job with the makeup tonight.

Another late start to an early night.  Super duper nice.  Especially after the long weekend and the strained beings of us all.  I was not entirely pumped up to scare tonight but then I recalled that all of my parents were coming!  I wasn't sure if my primary parents were coming, but I knew my other parents were...

So the first wagon rolled through.  Scared some folks.  Made others laugh.  Then, the next one came through.  Repeat.  Except Colin came over to me after this one had passed and said, "I think I scared your mom."  And by the time he informed, they had already passed on through.  Aw shucks!  This made me want to get my other parents in some way or form.  (My other parents = Colin's parents).  The next wagon came.  Repeat.  Colin came over to me and said, "My parents are on that wagon!"  So we chased them down and hopefully got MA-MUH.  And then the next one came through.  Repeat.  Colin comes over again and says, "Joe is on that one!"  So, we chase them down again!

By the time those three wagons came through, surges of energy had just coursed through my whole entire body that the rest of the night seemed to go so smoothly.  Even though my knee was a bum.  And my voice was lost.  I said to myself, "alright... okay... this isn't so bad anymore."  I even had a lot of energy to just start punching stuff!  I enclosed my hand in a fist and punched a mannequin right near my spot.  Except I forgot it was hard plastic.  But surprisingly, I didn't feel anything!  WOOHOO FOR CRAZIES.

So the night went on a little longer, but ended soon enough.  I got in a lot people's faces tonight on account of the whole not-having-a-voice-so-have-to-converse-face-to-face-with-the-folk thing.  Those three early wagons were pretty much the highlight of the night.  I feel absolutely drained.  Yet I've learned to deal with it and am just happy to be scaring peoples!

(End of 18th evening).

We have to do this again?!

I arrived at the farm at approximately 5:15 in the evenin'.  I was completely feeling last night, yet I was somehow rejuvinated.  Maybe it was just the camaraderie of everyone and our understanding of each other's well-being (or not-so-well-being).  Or maybe it is that farm's damn magical revival powers.  Who knows?  At least when I arrived I felt half somewhat okay decent, yup.

But then, we got to our scene.  It was already pretty nippy.  And my voice had not recovered whatsoever.  And then I realized we had to do what we did last night all over again.  And I just got so put off.  I realized the night was not going to be that enjoyable at all.  And I felt sorry for the customers because I just could not do my usual nonsense by putting on a decent show for them.

At first, it seemed like it was going to be a relatively simple night.  The wagons came through with breaks in between.  There was not a steady pace of the busy bodies yet.  We didn't start in the daylight.  It was already an hour later when we started the night before.  All is well, right?

Not right.

It started to pick up when we had nothing left in our essence.  Hillary had absolutely no voice to scream.  Colin had no energy to crawl around.  And I had no knee to skip nor any voice to be hyper hillbilly.  Just not good.

When the last wagons were coming through Hillary (the victim for the night and famous celebrity) and I both reached our own stages of delirium.  There was one time when we just both started laughing as a wagon was coming around the corner and we were getting ready.  Then we just started blabbering away.  I cannot even remember what we were saying, but it was definitely not English at some points.  I even had a customer ask me, "Man, what are you saying?"

I hope this week is super duper easy cos I'm spent, my dear!

(End of 17th evening).

Can't even... Not even try... Ow...

If last Saturday was any sign of how this evening would go, we knew we were in for a rough evening.  And boy, what a crazy evening.

We were in our scene and scaring the first wagon at 6:20PM.  Typically, we would not even be in our scene then, for it would still be light out.  We were scaring people when the sun was just still faintly awake.  And that was odd.  Being able to see people's faces.  And them seeing mine.  It made for a very awkward first few scares.  But sooner than later it got dark again and we were back to the whole creepy, dark backwoods.  Ah, how comforting!

Half way through the night, a manager came by and told us that they were going to start sending wagons through every 90 seconds.  He told us to take it easy and save our breath.  I believe Colin and I were too tired to even bitch or complain.  We just had to accept the fact and that was that.

The woods were certainly cursed tonight.  A customer was hurt pretty bad.  A tractor malfunctioned in a scene making for a steady train of 4 or 5 wagons.  A few customers jumped off the wagon and into the woods.  Maybe that last one was another night.  Anyways, the night was just not the best for hayride folk.  Especially for few actors in particular.  Because this all happened in one scene.  The medieval scene!  I guess that's what sorcery and the plague will give you.

It felt like we were machines.  Or as our one coworker, Emily, described it, like ghosts.  She said it would suck to be a ghost because that's basically what we are.  And I had never thought about it like that before, but we very much are like residual spirits.  Destined to haunt a particular location when visitors come and bother our shtuff.  So yes, it would suck to be a ghost.

At around 11 o'clock in the evening or so is right about when I lost it.  "It" entailing everything I possessed.  My physical possessions such as my voice, my legs, my back, my hands, just my entire body was yelling at me for some relief.  My mental sanity certainly drove off.  I would stand upon my spool, swaying from left to right, muttering something, not even sure what I was muttering, no hint of a smile on my face, eyes crazy with the intent of "up-to-no-good".  My acting became reality.  I became the insane hick, living in the sawmill.  I could not do my hillbilly yelp, so my voice would just be yelling.  HOLLERING.  Like a damned fool!  I had a lot of people look back at me because my speech mannerisms were not exactly right.  Not that I was not saying the right lines.  The way I was saying them became very odd.  Loud as possible.  I'm not sure if it was scary, but maybe more an unnerving factor.  The only thing that kept me through the night was a comment my buddy Colin made about our work in June (overnight flooring work in department stores).  He said, "Well, at least we won't be here when the sun comes up."  That's about the only thing that kept me from getting a little too nuts with any customers in the hopes that I could leave.

This was the busiest night the Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride has ever had, at least for the hayride attraction.  It's nice to be a part of that history, but it wears on our already weak human structure.  And it will take all week to recover.

(End of 16th evening).

That wasn't too bad...

We were told the day before to arrive a half hour earlier than our allotted call times.  The ambiance on the farm was of a dreaded anticipation.  The anticipation for the long weekend ahead.

Even with the lingering feeling of "oh boy", we didn't want to let up.  It was a good night for scares.  Colin and I killed it tonight.  And maybe a few people as well.  We perfected our stalking of the wagon really well.  Every wagon that came through was pretty much followed until the wagon reached the next scene.  I'd say it was a good night.

For some reasons, the Friday evenings have all let out relatively early (knock on wood, still one more Friday...). You would think Fridays and Saturdays would be the equally busiest nights, but Saturdays are significantly busier than Friday.  I spose folk don't like to venture out to a farm after work!

By the end of the night, we had realized we may have done a little too much.  For the next two days would be torture.

(End of 15th evening).

Thursday?

So, honestly, I do not remember that much from Thursday.  It is Monday today and I had 3 days in between Thursday and Monday to take the place of those Thursday memories.

I believe it was a night like any other night of fright.  Screams.  Laughter.  

The night was not that long.  I recall it ending semi decent for a Thursday evening, in which ticket sales close at 10:30PM.

My apologies for such a lame post, but this weekend was rough.

P.S.  I think this might be my favorite makeup of the season.  Or at least one of my favorite makeups of the season.  There's too many to choose from!

(End of 14th evening).