I work as a scare maze actor – I love the job but you meet very weird people
A WOMAN has revealed what it is really like to be a scare maze actor - and it isn't an easy job.
Niamh, 16, works at a scare maze during Halloween, and revealed the secrets behind the scenes.
She told Sun Online Travel: "You go for a full day of auditions, where you’re basically given separate tasks and certain scenarios and told to scare the other actors who are also auditioning. There’s a lot of screaming in each other's faces.
"We do a character workshop so we get to learn how to do each of the characters even if we don’t end up playing them. So we learn to be a clown or a creature, we learn about the noises to make and movements.
"After auditions, if you’re given the job on a maze, you go through costumes and see which ones are good for you and which ones fit you and you stick with that."
Niamh also revealed the different kind of ways they are taught to scare people, as touching guests is a strict no-no.
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She continued: "One is an Impact scare – say if you're behind the curtains and you see someone coming, you can quickly stick your hand out and make a noise.
"This is supposed to be a really quick scare sort of to have an immediate impact on someone
"There’s also a Lingering scare, where you linger around and stare at someone in the eyes. Then when they least expect it, you jump in their face.
"I've cornered a couple of people before and they were terrified up against the wall."
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While she works short hours - often around 5pm until 11pm - she said not only was it draining, but it can lead to some incidences with guests.
She said: "People are just so scared they involuntarily swear at me.
"Some have hit me by accident and they’ve always said sorry. It's just their reflexes, so people can't help it.
"We have radios so we can report anything verbal, physical or medical, but we are rarely on our own and work in a team.
"I’ve also come back with cuts and bruises - but that’s just because I'm clumsy and it's dark so I walk into things!
Despite all this, she says she loves the job - and has even had some famous guests to add to her list of people she has scared.
Niamh said: "I scared Joey Essex on one of our opening nights. He ran away screaming!"
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