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Question: How do i deal with jerks when running a halloween haunted house?

(Posted by: Sarah D on 2008-11-01 06:27:26)

Hi. Yesterday for the first time my friends and I ran a haunted house. It went pretty good (it was a Sweeney Todd theme), except for a couple groups that were totally filled with a- holes and jerks! They made fun of our accents, refused to play along and were completely rude to us, making commentss about everything. It was very frustrating because we worked hard. We tried to deal with them at first by asking them to leave if they wouldnt be respectful, and they wouldnt, so some of my friends lost thier tempers and stared cursing them out. I couldnt control them even though i was a tour guide. Anyway, we're doing it again next year, and if anyone has any tips on how to control completely rude and rowdy guests, that would be great!Also, if you have any suggestions for the theme next year, that would be awesome. We want to stick to something old- fashioned scary (really scary!) but not cliche. Thanks!

Posted by: Frightmare Mansion on 2008-11-03, 17:55:13

We get this at our haunted house every year. Every place gets these guys, even the professional haunts, but unlike the professional haunts we don't have a team of security to help us. When you do a home haunt, you are inviting people onto your private property and some people think they are entitled to be there. You must let them know that this is your place and you can tell them to leave at any time. Here are a few things we do. We try and have one big older guy hanging out by the exit with a radio. In fact almost all of the rooms have a radio in case of things like this. He would insure that people would not try and sneak back in or get rowdy in line. We had 3 people in costume working the line. Both to get people excited and scared about entering, but also to work out who might be a problem. It's pretty easy to tell who's going to be a jerk. We had someone working the front door of the haunt. She also had a helper who would be her go between so she never had to leave the front. If she saw anyone harassing our actors she would tell them to stop what they were doing, and if they could not they would not be allowed into the haunted house. If they didn't stop (they usually did) she would send our security guy. But say you don't have that big guy, and they don't leave the line, don't let them in. Stop the line and politely tell them to leave. If they still refuse, let everyone behind them in line that you have to stop the haunted house because that group will not leave. That should do it but if not calling the police in front of them is the last resort. You want to find them and stop them from coming inside in the first place. If they are already inside, have a signal or radios so that everyone working can be told about them. Once they are inside getting them out is your priority! Get someone big or any of the other actors to follow them while you escort them from the front. Let your actors know to stop trying to scare them. We had a few jerks doing the same thing and once they started we all stopped what we were doing, and I walked them out and radio'd up ahead and had our guy come and walk them off our property. We did threaten to call the police if they were resistant, but they are on private property. They have no right to be there and they need to be told so. Splitting groups up that may be a problem is also a great way to go. This year we only let 3 people in at a time. It allowed everyone to get scared and when you split up trouble makers they usually get scared, so make your groups small. A group that come in like that is going to say your place wasn't any good anyway so don't be afraid to break character and get them out of your way. Focus on the people who appreciate you! Remember tell your actors to let it go, people are asses! You are there for the people who want to be there and be amused, focus solely on them. Have a meeting with your actors/ friends and let them know who will be in charge of taking care of problems and who they should contact. Let them know how to respond to people by stopping the show or whatever you decide. Having a meeting before also gives you a chance to pump them up and tell them that they are there to have a good time and scare, not to let a few jerks ruin the night. As for the tour guide. I did that a few years and found that we had more scares and less problems because they are walking into the unknown. Although it is easier to police people, it also makes them more comfortable to be jerks instead of being on the defense. And now for your theme. We do scary, not bloody or gory, and have been doing so for 15+ years. We do "nightmare " themes, clowns, ghosts, monsters, and so on. Everything is a Mansion theme so we have rooms set up. Take a look at other haunted house websites and decide what kind of rooms you like best then work from there. Clowns in a bedroom or any clowns always seem to scare people. Going to a haunters convention worked best for us, but if it's not possible, check out the links below for more ideas. I also included some ideas for the inside of your haunt. I have been doing home haunts for the past 15 years and money is always an issue. I got very tired of buying props as they are so expensive, so we started making all of our own props. It's pretty easy to do and there are tons of websites with step by step directions. Start making them through the year, this way you don't spend the saved up money... and save time in October! Here are a few ideas that are cheap to work on the look of your haunted house. Use black painters plastic to make walls or cover walls! It comes in different size rolls for any budget. Hanging that for walls and to make "breaks " between rooms. If anyone will be passing near windows, Paint them with a water based paint. We had an illusion inside one of the windows and made people walk up to look inside. A "peppers ghost " or "flying crank ghost " illusion looks great. If you can't do any

Posted by: Hello on 2008-11-01, 06:33:17

Well If it was your property then they would have to leave. Pretend to call the cops? Lol, I dont know but I hate people like that.

Posted by: Michael S on 2008-11-01, 06:36:32

Well there is not really a solution, tons of people do that because they think its funny, just like how they egg houses and things like that I think a good slug in the face will fix this lol. but seriously i think you should try and either make it at one of your friends house or just ignore it you cant stop them there is the freedom of speech, i know its rude but you will just have to w8 for them to get mature.

Posted by: Rusty on 2008-11-01, 06:36:34

It's a shame some people are just trouble makers, bullies and jerks. Next year maybe one of you can get your father, uncle some male to be there where he can be seen. That's probably enough to scare them off. What would be ideal is to hire an off duty cop ..... that should take care of any troubles. The cops wear their uniforms and carry their guns what they work off duty, but I realize you may not have the money to hire a cop.

Posted by: Mookie on 2008-11-01, 06:37:36

Really call the cops!

Posted by: Suria on 2008-11-01, 07:02:05

Make them have an adult with them...set an age limit, have someone dress as a police officer and escort them off of your property

Posted by: dockbell on 2008-11-01, 12:46:16

Sorry, you can't get around this. Even the pro haunts get the "jerks ". I've had everything from someone shining a flashlight in my face, to dancing to cell phone music, during an act. Usually a person being a jerk is a farce to keep from being scared. So most of the time the jerks are extremely frightened. Best to rush them through and try to catch them off guard. Rushing the jerks lets you get to a better group, and keeps them on edge. They have less time to comment, make "censored " of themselves, and put that jerk facade on. Politeness goes a long way when you have just one jerk in the group. Usually the rest of the group wants the jerk to be quiet so they can enjoy the experience. Never act negatively to the jerks- Cursing, and getting mad at them... That just shows them that they have control over you. And that is exactly what they want. Calling the police on jerks just gives you a bad reputation with both potential guests and the police. Best to only call them if a guest assaults a worker. Then, one must judge if it were intentional or just scare reaction. Police are best if it's real danger or harm.