I recently went to Haunted Overload which is a super awesome, super scary haunted walkthrough in Lee, New Hampshire. It even won the ABC Halloween Fright Fight in 2014. I was thoroughly "spooked", one might say, even causing myself to fall over at one point (slightly embarrassing), but there was one thing that dampened my experience.
You see, when you pay to be scared doesn't it make sense to, I don't know, get what you paid for? And for a moment, you need to suspend your disbelief, or else you seem like a d—k. So, there we were, waiting in line for what some say is the scariest haunted walkthrough in all of New England.
And in front of us, we notice a group of kids, probably high school sophomores. Each boy has a girl on his arm and they're playing their roles perfectly. "I'm scared," one girl said, pouting her lip. Her boyfriend put his arms around her and grabbed her butt saying, "Don't worry baby, I've got you." My friends and I were gagging behind them. But that's not even the weirdest it got. So here are some dos and don'ts of how to behave in a haunted house in order not to ruin everyone else's experience.
author's photo, Haunted Overload
1. Don't make out in dark places.
Like seriously, we could all do without your PDA. Don't touch her butt, don't put your tongue in his mouth. You came to the haunted house to be scared, not have sex. If this is your brilliant idea of a great date, maybe try something a little different.
2. Don't catcall/backtalk the characters.
Photo by Leximphoto on Unsplash
I kid you not, there was a guy who was being so rude to the female characters trying to scare him. He kept mockingly telling her, "You're so beautiful," or, "Would you date me?" or even, "Do you think I'm hot?" Like, dude, they aren't there for that purpose. You acting like a creep, not to mention in front of your girlfriend you're letting hang all over you, is just so not cool. Treat the actors almost like you would a plainclothes person on the street. And by backtalking the characters, you're ruining the experience for yourself and for the other people in your party.
3. Don't touch the characters.
Quite a few times, the people in front of us were reaching out to touch the characters walking by us while we were in line. That's just something you DO NOT do. They aren't going to touch you, and you can't touch them. So, if you find yourself prone to punching or kicking things that scare you, maybe rethink before you go.
4. Don't walk too slow.
Photo by Daniel Gregoire on Unsplash
There are others entering behind you, and if you are standing in one place reacting for too long, then the characters don't have enough time to reset for the next people that come.
5. Allow yourself to be scared!
You paid for this after all! You don't have to act tough, and you don't have to be scared all the time either, it's okay to laugh!
I had a good time overall, but seriously, these kids really bothered all of us. The experience is better for everyone if you act respectful, it ain't that hard. Maybe it was a maturity thing, but those guys needed a serious update on haunted house etiquette. Hopefully, they won't be going to another anytime soon.
I would 10/10 recommend Haunted Overload to anyone looking for a good scare worth the price.
