We became "screamsters" for a night at Worlds of Fun's Halloween Haunt
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I think we found our new fall looks. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
Behind every scream in Kansas City's haunted houses are casts of costumed, painted and well-trained ghouls. We slipped into their ranks for one night at Worlds of Fun's Halloween Haunt to find out how the scares are made.
Why it matters: Mid-September marks the opening of KC's legendary haunted attractions, which draw droves of thrill-seekers and require small armies to pull off.
The big picture: Part theater, part theme park, part madhouse, Halloween Haunt is a monstrous machine of organized chaos where the devil is in the details — like how to move 250 "screamsters" through makeup and how to scare without getting smacked.
Costumes: Racks of every type of clothing combination imaginable fill Worlds of Fun's massive costume warehouse, most pieces custom made by in-house tailors.
- We were presented with outfit options and accessories to help sell the theme of our maze, Blood on the Bayou. Think: pinstripes, a corset, lots of bones and a little black magic.
Makeup: Forty-eight artists airbrush and hand-paint creepy creations, from lifelike wounds and skeletal apparitions to fantasy voodoo witches and mind-bending illusions.
- We were transformed from reporters to undead ghouls in under 30 minutes.
Scare tactics: "Don't say 'Boo!'" staff tell Axios. It's cheap, it's boring and it won't scare anyone. Better to growl, hiss or slam a wall and watch people jump.
- Stay an arm's length away, since you never know how someone will react.
- Experiment, go with what works, and most importantly, have fun! We certainly did.
Behind the scenes: Actors have staggered call times to move them through makeup, and they all do practice runs in the weeks leading up to opening day.
- Mazes all have secret shortcuts and multiple exits for anyone needing a break — plus a room in the back with drinks and snacks to keep the actors fed and hydrated.
What they're saying: "[I] made a lot of memories," makeup artist Morgan Young tells Axios. "The whole studio is like a family."
💭 Travis' thought bubble: We had a good 1, 2, 3 scare combo going in the voodoo hall when people weren't pointing out my New Balance sneakers. It wasn't long before I went barefoot, which is scary in itself.
💭 Abbey's thought bubble: Nothing humbles you faster than putting your whole soul into a scream and getting "Nice try" from a 12-year-old in a Chiefs jersey. I'm sticking to journalism.
Between the lines: Worlds of Fun now requires anyone under 17 to have a chaperone at least 21 years old after fights and an emergency evacuation on the Haunt's opening night.
Zoom out: In addition to Halloween Haunt, KC is known for its massive West Bottoms haunted houses, including The Beast and Edge of Hell.
The bottom line: Whether you're a Halloween fiend or not, KC goes all out for its haunted productions.