Working in a haunted house?

[65]

Let me know if I am posting this in the wrong category, I'm new to theory11 and I'm not necessarily new to magic but I couldn't find another category that's for seeking advice.
For the past 4 or 5 years or so, ive been doing magic on and off, mainly cards and geek magic.
Last halloween season, while in line for a haunted house, I got an idea.
How cool would it be to work as a magician for people waiting in a line for a haunted house?
It would be geek/scary magic.
It would be a great way to past time for the people waiting.
I thought maybe, if I focus more on geek/scary magic until next halloween season, I could perhaps land a job working in a haunted house doing magic.
I already have some tricks lined up.
Thread by Wayne Houchin
All 3 of the tricks from sean fields sickness trilogy.
Swallowing razor blades and thread from thomas medinas geek magic DVD.
I also bought some realistic but fake cockaroaches on amazon, I could probably do something fun with that.
But I have never heard of something like this before, a haunted house magician.
Has there been any work like this before? Ive only heard of restaurant and close up and parlour and stage magicians.
Do you guys think it would be possible to get a job like this?
If so, how much should I charge? How should I bring up my profession?
I plan on visiting multiple haunted houses it this all works out, and try to pick one based on how far away it is/pay.
What do you guys think?

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Have you tried performing in this kind of environment? The first thing you need to think of when the thought, "How could would this be?" is the counter-thought, "How much could this suck?" Because it's easy to get sucked into the fantasy of what something could be and have that shattered by what it actually is.

So, when performing for a haunted house you're generally looking at one of three options, in my experience.

1) Inline Entertaiment - This is basically what you're thinking about. Performing for the people who are waiting in line to get into the haunts themselves. At the place I worked, we had three haunts, two of which were scary. The scary ones were separated from the other so that families wouldn't get scared by the actors. I had a booth where I did readings, and when it was slow I walked around and did magic for people in lines. For this you'll want tricks that are fairly quick (people are already in a bored mind frame if they're waiting in line), easy to reset and not hard enough on the body that you won't be able to do them repeatedly all night.

2) A Scene Actor - You'll be in the haunt and be one of the scenes the people are going to see while they go through. You'll probably only be able to do one trick, and that trick will be done over and over all night. A busy haunted house will push people through at 30 or 60 second intervals. So you'll only have about thirty seconds to reset, if that. Whatever trick you do has be fast (the scene will probably only last about 30 seconds if that) and it will have to be very easy to reset and not hard on the body, and involve NO spectators.

3) An Attraction - This would be a full show. However, in order to make it financially appealing to the house, it would have to be a show that is fairly short (So it can be repeated many times throughout the night) and it has to reset quickly. 15 or 20 minutes is a reasonable expectation, with maybe 10 minutes to reset. Depending on how many seats they have available, this is what it takes to make it profitable.

Now, when I did it, I was basically an independent contractor. I had a little booth, and I kept all the money I charged people for readings. Otherwise I would have been an inline actor and gotten paid CA min. wage ($8 usd an hour). I've talked to the owner about doing my own show for them next Halloween, but we haven't worked out any details. I would get a cut of the ticket sales, but that's as far as we've taken it thus far.

So, you have to figure out what you're looking for out of it. You have to decide if you're doing this to make money, or just to gain performance experience, etc. Don't let yourself be fooled into thinking that it's going to be easy, or super fun. Parts of it will be really fun, some of it will suck, much of it will be somewhere in between.

 

[Steerpike]

Do you guys think it would be possible to get a job like this?
If so, how much should I charge? How should I bring up my profession?
I plan on visiting multiple haunted houses it this all works out, and try to pick one based on how far away it is/pay.
What do you guys think?

It's not unheard of, but also not that common. More often, theme parks having a Halloween event will hire magicians to do stage/platform shows or work the crowds. I actually worked Kennywood Park's Phantom Fright Nights in 2007 myself. I learned from that a hard lesson: be very careful who you deal with. The event organizer the park hired who subsequently hired me didn't get around to paying me until about a week before Christmas, so I haven't done that particular event since. There are a number of haunted houses in the Pittsburgh area that pop up for a year and are never heard from again because the guy running it is a tool who treats his employees poorly. This is equally true across the country.

The first thing you need to keep in mind that haunted houses take a lot of work to put together. They start hiring talent as early as June or July. Everything is booked, insured, and ready to roll by August at the absolute latest. So if you want to get in on this market, there is no such thing as "too soon."

There are online networks of haunted attraction managers, talent, and producers. Ingratiating yourself there is a good way to start making connections and networking, but ultimately you're going to have to talk to local events planners to see what's currently in the works, what properties are already rented/reserved, that sort of thing. The sheer amount of behind-the-scenes work is enough to make your head spin, so you need to find the people who are in charge of actually getting the location in order to figure out what's going on, when and where.

As for pay, don't count on making more than a couple hundred dollars initially, if that. It depends largely on who you talk to. Some event planners are accustomed to working with performance artists and know what rates are like. More likely, you'll get someone trying to lowball you because he doesn't see much value in what you do and trying to make him see it is like trying to describe the color red to a blind man.

If you want to look professional, busk. Get videos. Have something to show potential clients so they're more inclined to give you an audition. Your handicap is that geek magic can work in a busking setting, but you really have to read your audience to see if this is something they'd actually want to see. It's not for everybody. Regardless, get some cheap business cards printed at Office Depot. Dress nice. You don't need a suit, but a navy blazer with some nice slacks, loafers, and a button-down shirt would certainly help.

 

[RickEverhart]

I hate to be the one who sounds negative, but you are NOT going to be able to perform Thread or any of Sean Fields effects over and over and over again during the course of a night. If you are performing strolling magic or inline magic for spectators, instant reset effects are a must. You aren't going to be able to go reset rubber cement every 10 minutes nor are you going to be able to keep cramming thread into your eye. It's just not practical.

Also, think about your lighting limitations. Most haunted houses have lines that are outside in the dark or in buildings that are pretty dark as well to start setting the mood / atmosphere. You wouldn't be able to see much of a performance.

I worked in a haunted house one weekend for a fundraiser up at Cedar Point in Ohio. I was a gorilla behind these bars / cage. As the spectators walked by I would pound on the bars and scream like an ape. Then...there were two bars that were gaffed or rubber that I could spread open, jump out onto the walkway and chase people. It was a blast.

 

[65]

Have you tried performing in this kind of environment? The first thing you need to think of when the thought, "How could would this be?" is the counter-thought, "How much could this suck?" Because it's easy to get sucked into the fantasy of what something could be and have that shattered by what it actually is.

So, when performing for a haunted house you're generally looking at one of three options, in my experience.

1) Inline Entertaiment - This is basically what you're thinking about. Performing for the people who are waiting in line to get into the haunts themselves. At the place I worked, we had three haunts, two of which were scary. The scary ones were separated from the other so that families wouldn't get scared by the actors. I had a booth where I did readings, and when it was slow I walked around and did magic for people in lines. For this you'll want tricks that are fairly quick (people are already in a bored mind frame if they're waiting in line), easy to reset and not hard enough on the body that you won't be able to do them repeatedly all night.

2) A Scene Actor - You'll be in the haunt and be one of the scenes the people are going to see while they go through. You'll probably only be able to do one trick, and that trick will be done over and over all night. A busy haunted house will push people through at 30 or 60 second intervals. So you'll only have about thirty seconds to reset, if that. Whatever trick you do has be fast (the scene will probably only last about 30 seconds if that) and it will have to be very easy to reset and not hard on the body, and involve NO spectators.

3) An Attraction - This would be a full show. However, in order to make it financially appealing to the house, it would have to be a show that is fairly short (So it can be repeated many times throughout the night) and it has to reset quickly. 15 or 20 minutes is a reasonable expectation, with maybe 10 minutes to reset. Depending on how many seats they have available, this is what it takes to make it profitable.

Now, when I did it, I was basically an independent contractor. I had a little booth, and I kept all the money I charged people for readings. Otherwise I would have been an inline actor and gotten paid CA min. wage ($8 usd an hour). I've talked to the owner about doing my own show for them next Halloween, but we haven't worked out any details. I would get a cut of the ticket sales, but that's as far as we've taken it thus far.

So, you have to figure out what you're looking for out of it. You have to decide if you're doing this to make money, or just to gain performance experience, etc. Don't let yourself be fooled into thinking that it's going to be easy, or super fun. Parts of it will be really fun, some of it will suck, much of it will be somewhere in between.

Honestly, im doing it mostly for the money. But I really do enjoy performing in general. I'd like to be either an attraction or an inline entertainer. I also understand that a job is a job, and that I can't expect to have the time of my life while doing this several nights a week.

It's not unheard of, but also not that common. More often, theme parks having a Halloween event will hire magicians to do stage/platform shows or work the crowds. I actually worked Kennywood Park's Phantom Fright Nights in 2007 myself. I learned from that a hard lesson: be very careful who you deal with. The event organizer the park hired who subsequently hired me didn't get around to paying me until about a week before Christmas, so I haven't done that particular event since. There are a number of haunted houses in the Pittsburgh area that pop up for a year and are never heard from again because the guy running it is a tool who treats his employees poorly. This is equally true across the country.

The first thing you need to keep in mind that haunted houses take a lot of work to put together. They start hiring talent as early as June or July. Everything is booked, insured, and ready to roll by August at the absolute latest. So if you want to get in on this market, there is no such thing as "too soon."

There are online networks of haunted attraction managers, talent, and producers. Ingratiating yourself there is a good way to start making connections and networking, but ultimately you're going to have to talk to local events planners to see what's currently in the works, what properties are already rented/reserved, that sort of thing. The sheer amount of behind-the-scenes work is enough to make your head spin, so you need to find the people who are in charge of actually getting the location in order to figure out what's going on, when and where.

As for pay, don't count on making more than a couple hundred dollars initially, if that. It depends largely on who you talk to. Some event planners are accustomed to working with performance artists and know what rates are like. More likely, you'll get someone trying to lowball you because he doesn't see much value in what you do and trying to make him see it is like trying to describe the color red to a blind man.

If you want to look professional, busk. Get videos. Have something to show potential clients so they're more inclined to give you an audition. Your handicap is that geek magic can work in a busking setting, but you really have to read your audience to see if this is something they'd actually want to see. It's not for everybody. Regardless, get some cheap business cards printed at Office Depot. Dress nice. You don't need a suit, but a navy blazer with some nice slacks, loafers, and a button-down shirt would certainly help.

Believe me, I've had my fair share of cheap and ignorant bosses, I know when to quit if it seems fishy. As for the advice of starting of as early as possible, that will come in useful a lot, thank you a lot. I'll try to have some videos done in two months tops. Ill try to get payed a little more than the other workers just for the magic supplies I have to get. what do you mean a couple hundred dollars? daily? weekly? bi-weekly? for the entire halloween season? And as for them trying to low-ball me, I think it would be a good idea if I gave them a free "trial night", that I could perform, and see if he likes what he sees. Ill definitely get some buisness cards as the time comes sooner, and of course I'll dress nicely, thank you for the advice.

I hate to be the one who sounds negative, but you are NOT going to be able to perform Thread or any of Sean Fields effects over and over and over again during the course of a night. If you are performing strolling magic or inline magic for spectators, instant reset effects are a must. You aren't going to be able to go reset rubber cement every 10 minutes nor are you going to be able to keep cramming thread into your eye. It's just not practical.

Also, think about your lighting limitations. Most haunted houses have lines that are outside in the dark or in buildings that are pretty dark as well to start setting the mood / atmosphere. You wouldn't be able to see much of a performance.

I worked in a haunted house one weekend for a fundraiser up at Cedar Point in Ohio. I was a gorilla behind these bars / cage. As the spectators walked by I would pound on the bars and scream like an ape. Then...there were two bars that were gaffed or rubber that I could spread open, jump out onto the walkway and chase people. It was a blast.

I understand that, after I saw the methods, I knew that this is something that would take a lot of prep, and not something I can perform all the time. Im looking to perform those specific effects once per hour MAX, probably less often than that. Im still looking for other stuff to fill in the gaps. Any suggestions are highly encouraged . And yes, unfortunately many haunted houses have poor lighting. Perhaps I can ask for an area with more light, or perform things that are easily seen. That sounds fun as a gorilla, I would've loved it.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I made about $300 or $350 for about 14 days of 'performance'. I was not aiming to make a lot of money, so I didn't hustle like I could have. The first year you do it, probably won't make much money. If you're doing inline acting, you'll probably make minimum wage. They might allow you to take tips as well.

There's a good chance you won't make any more than anyone else until you prove to them you're worth it. Remember, they're probably doing just fine without a magician, so it's up to you to prove that it's worth any extra cost associated with it.

They may give you a scene with brighter lighting, but then you're in the situation I mentioned earlier where you will only be doing one trick dozens of times a night. Maybe a hundred or two.

 

[eostresh]

I LOVE Halloween shows. I used to do a parlor gig for all the classes at a school I worked at. That said...The type of magic that is great for Halloween often requires set up. Therefore a short parlor set, as Chris T mentioned, is great if you can score a gig like that. If you do get a walk around deal then there are some neat tricks out there but they also tend to be more in the "fun" category than the scary category. The web is a Halloween classic and I also like haunted hands. Both of those are better for a good chuckle than a true spook out but in truth, if you have only five minuted in a walk around set you will have more luck connecting with an audience in a fun way than in a "disturb my mind" kind of way. Save the real freak out for the guys doing the seance shows. They have the time to set the mood and build the tension required for the scary pay-offs.

 

[William Draven]

You'll want to start approaching houses around March if you want to work them this year. Most places are done planning by the mid to end of July.

Asking them for a brighter performance space can work against you depending on how early in their planning stages you get them to book you. IF they book you while their plans are still liquid you might be able to make a few "suggestions" that would greatly increase your impact on their audiences. Brighter rooms, a little stage or dedicated performing area, etc. But if you start booking them after they've already built the attraction then chances are you'll have to work with what ever they give you.

You should certainly do this for money. Don't give anything away for free, otherwise you take the value away from what it is that you do. Maybe offer them a night free to try you on, but have contracts signed ahead of time for pay and go into it with an assumption that they'll be using you a lot.

 

[KeoSilver]

I am not good at expressing my thoughts through text, stand by for a video.

 

[Craig Browning]

Keo. . . you're f.o.s. I've seen some excellent posts come from you.

Line work is not that unheard of; I've done it at carnivals, street fairs, for comedy clubs and (wait for it) Haunted Attractions. Others from the Bizarre Magick community work such attractions regularly. In fact, the six weeks (from late September into early November) is where a lot of us generate at least 35% of our annual income, a lot of them do so by working the lines. BUT, they approach it as a business, which means they have learned how to approach things as a business.

Pardon my bluntness here, I'm not working on all cylinders today, but hopefully you can get the gist of things