Haunted House Etiquette.

[Thipu1]

Threads on this topic have surfaced in prior years.  It might be useful to start a new one for 2012.

In the past, actors have reported being hit by visitors and hearing snide remarks about the 'scariness' of the entertainment.

Visitors have reported being annoyed by other visitors or touched     

Halloween Haunted House installations are, by nature, places of high emotion.  What's the line between good fun and too much?

[RingTailedLemur]

I was halfway round a ghost train alone in Canada before I remembered that American (and therefore possibly Canadian) haunted rides often have people leap out and touch riders.  The thought of that really scared me, far more than the ride, as I was afraid of reacting badly to being touched and getting thrown out of the country forever!

I think that if you are likely to be touched by an actor, or even if just there are going to be live actors, there should be a warning sign outside because some people just can't handle it (I almost whacked a Cyberman once...).  Anyone who does freak out and hit an actor should then have to accept any consequences of doing so.

No visitors should ever touch other visitors they do not know.

I think being snide is just mean.

[VorFemme]

Threads on this topic have surfaced in prior years.  It might be useful to start a new one for 2012.

In the past, actors have reported being hit by visitors and hearing snide remarks about the 'scariness' of the entertainment.

Visitors have reported being annoyed by other visitors or touched     

Halloween Haunted House installations are, by nature, places of high emotion.  What's the line between good fun and too much?

Being groped around the primary or secondary s3xual characteristics by anyone other than my SO comes to mind as taking the fun out of a situation. 

Being in pain from someone hitting me, pulling my hair to see if its "real", or similar reactions from someone assuming that I am a life sized DOLL dressed up instead of a live person in a costume also come to mind (haven't been in a haunted house - have sat on the steps of my own house in costume and been treated....oddly...by the older TOT or their parents).  I wasn't hurt - but I was startled!  (Two year old wasn't trying to hurt me - just poking the "hippie doll", I think.)

[FoxPaws]

Rule #1 - Know thyself (and thy triggers).

I don't do haunted houses. I am a big ol' scaredy cat and I know I will overreact badly and possible inappropriately to the least little fright, so I keep myself and everyone else out of harm's way. I don't see scary/horror movies in theaters for the same reason. It would be rude of me to ruin everyone else's fun by putting myself in a situation where I'm likely - even unintentionally - to behave poorly.

Rule #1a - Respect your friends. If someone says they aren't into haunted houses, let it go. Don't cajole them into going; don't soft pedal the scare level; don't guilt them into thinking they're a party pooper for waiting outside.

[Pioneer]

A cautionary warning of Too Many Flashy Blinky Lights would be helpful for anyone who has a condition such as epilepsy or migraines.

A cautionary warning of Too Many Confined Spaces would be helpful for anyone who has claustrophobia.

And "Oh, Come On, Sissy-pants.  You'll Love It" should never be the response to anyone who wants to just hang outside waiting for friends to enjoy the thrilling attraction.

[Sharnita]

I agree with the last two posts

[sourwolf]

I think Rule #1 should be - no one touches anyone else (this applies for both the actors and attendees)
Rule #2 - no one should attempt to coerce someone who doesn't want to go into going to a Haunted House/Haunted Hay ride.  If they say they won't like it, trust them.
Rule #3, like a PP said it would be nice if there was a list of triggers either on the website or when you got there - they do this for flashing (strobe) lights so it wouldn't be hard to add "close spaces" "loud noises" etc. 

[WillyNilly]

I think an important other factor to remember is : its supposed to be scary. And its supposed to be fake.

I've known people who go through haunted houses and then demand a refund "because it looked so fake!" and alternately people who bought admission then their kids got too scared right at the beginning and wanted a refund because they didn't go through the whole thing because "it was too scary!"

[NyaChan]

I don't think people who complain about actors touching them or scaring them have a leg to stand on for the most part.  Every haunted house I have been to has made the boundaries of what will happen clear.  I have always been informed before paying and entering what actors would do, and have even been given the option of going through in a less scary, no touch mode (in fact, one place even recommended it since we had a 10 year old with us).  If a haunted house tells you that actors may jump out at customers or touch customers, getting upset about it after the fact is just silly. 

[snowdragon]

Our Science museum used to have one. Until the year that all the actors went home with injuries ranging from severe bruising to multiple broken ribs.  NONE of the actors were touching anyone, other then the 10 year old who literally jumped onto one of the actors who had been laying down with a glow in the dark skeleton costume on.  ( Hence the broken ribs, he out weighed the 14 year old actor by a good 50 lbs) The woman playing the headless horseman, was hit repeatedly by a child with a sword - she  had 24 bruises that she could count, with out taking off her costume. Others were bitten, kicked, slapped, stomped on and groped. 

  So do everyone a favor, if you can't go to one of these with out assaulting someone - don't go.   If you do go, remember those actors are doing what you asked them to do by walking in the haunted house, and every actor I know, knows not to touch the guests, unless the guest is harming someone. Then we reserve the right to 'escort' said guest out for the safety of all.  Also, it does not matter what the issue is if your child is going to react violently these things, get him the heck out, don't stand at the door as one mother did and watch as your kid repeatedly hits someone and then get mad at the person when they do what you wouldn't and tells the kid to leave.  "He is only having fun" is NOT an excuse to allow assault. No, telling him to stop is neither rude nor child abuse.  Yes, if asking politely the first two times doesn't work ( once to the parent , once to the kid)  we get to raise our voices and tell him to stop, we're people not your kid's punching bag - or stabbing dummy.
 
  Don't take a child to one of these and demand it be toned down for the kid. The rest of the people paid for a certain type of experience, you don't get to steal that from them.

 If this is going to trigger you, for anything, don't go.

 Above all Have FUN!!!

[RegionMom]

I was watching a video of the Ellen show, where she sends one of her reporters to a Haunted House.  The reporter brought what seemed to be a dead pan boring friend along, but within seconds, was in the arms of the reporter, screaming and both were carrying on.

I was debating about taking my teens, since my dad took me when I was a young teen, but unless they specifically ask, I will not mention it to them.  There is no need to scare yourself like that.  Seeing those reactions made me reconsider. 

Plus, my son is a black belt in karate, and just might react without thinking and defend himself if grabbed!  You cannot tell how strong he is by looking.  But he recently broke a car window by palm striking a mosquito in the car.  Yeah, he paid for the replacement!

But, if somehow we did go, I would offer that everyone in our group hold hands, and not let go!!!

[KimberlyM]

When I was in middle school and friend and I went to the local haunted house together.  She walked behind me nearly pushing me through she was so scared.  At one point I noticed there was a guy up a ways who would reach out and grab peoples arms on their way through.  I stopped and warned my obviously freaked out friend.  When we got through the door to that area she immediately stopped and screamed at the top of her lungs "don't you dare touch me! Her dad is a lawyer and I'll make him sue you!".  I just started laughing it was so unexpected...they guy who had been grabbing people just shook his head with a smile on his face (even funnier as he was all done up like a zombie!) and waved us through.  I made fun of her for that for years!  She decided maybe haunted houses weren't for her from then on. 

[EmmaJ.]

My friend's daughter was a volunteer in a "no touch" house.  She jumped into the path of a male customer to frighten him and he cold-cocked her.  Yah, a 30-something-year-old male punched an 18-year-old girl in the face and knocked her unconscious.

I pod the above - know your triggers before entering.  And remember, it's supposed to be scary! 

[lowspark]

I'm not a fan of haunted houses and haven't gone to one in years. They ARE either too fake or too scary (to me), neither of which I find entertaining.

But here are a couple of somewhat related stories.

This dates me but I remember when Astroworld, a Six-Flags* type amusement park, opened in Houston, circa 1968. There was a ride called The Alpine Sleigh Ride which was a sort of mild roller coaster which went through fake mountains. The end of the ride transported you through a cold dark tunnel at the end of which stood an abominable snow man who jumped out just as a strobe light flashed. He didn't touch anyone on the ride, it was just supposed to be a shock to see him there in bright light as you emerged from total darkness.

Well you can guess how long that lasted. That cool feature of the ride was eliminated probably only a couple of months after the park opened. Apparently, once the surprise wore off, people would ride just for the opportunity to throw things at him. I don't know if any abominable snowmen were actually hurt but it couldn't have been pleasant anyway.

As far as knowing your triggers, I agree with that! The Museum of Natural Science here has a Butterfly Exhibit where you are encouraged to allow butterflies to land on you as you walk through the lush vegetation. I have never been. And I will never go. The very idea of an insect, yes, even a beautiful butterfly, lighting on me horrifies me. I am about 99.9% sure I would swat it away at best but more likely I'd swat at it. It would not be something over which I'd have control. It just wouldn't be a good idea for me to go there and I know it.

*It eventually did get bought out by Six Flags but when it first opened, it had nothing to do with that company.

[violinp]

Don't terrorize people who tell you they don't want to go.

I was with my church youth group, and they decided to go to a haunted maze. I declined because, while I can deal with movies, I can't deal with being in a live - action horror movie of my own. So, I decided to take a nap in the van, since they were going to be a while.

I woke up to something beating on the car so hard that it was shaking and I heard roaring. I started screaming, because I was still too groggy to comprehend much of anything. Then, the doors of the van opened, and I saw that it was the youth director's sons, who were helplessly laughing at my fear. I'm ashamed to say that the things I yelled at them were non - Ehell - approved  , but their father was about as amused as I was, and gave them the sternest talking to I'd ever seen him give.