Best Scareactor Moments

[NathanC]

Curious what others have experienced.

Last year, my wife and I were surprised by one of the chainsaw horde in San Francisco as they snuck up behind us, revving his chainsaw and screaming. Instead of jumping, we both laughed, he replied "Not even a flinch! Who hurt you?" That had us both laughing pretty hard.

 

[frank_1991_]

Dollhouse of the damned. The guy playing A puppet scared me real good. We ended up meeting a couple months later at Epcot randomly he remembered me and we dated for almost a year.

 

[faceleg]

Dracula house in 19, the mirror room. Knowing there was going to be a surprise scare since they has a distraction actor by the mirrors, I was hugging the wall and there must have been like a secret hole or something cause I SWEAR someone growled into my ear.

 

[truejonas]

Dead Waters, the "chicken box". My fiancé, leading the charge, noticed the man in the box, and pointed at the chicken, then the man. (Allegedly he said "chicken, man" as he did this.) My friend was behind him and didn't hear what he said, so she leaned in to see what was in the box...as the scareactor popped out. It was so solid, I gave him a thumbs up as we passed.

 

[RFRees]

(I'm a former scareactor, performed five years.)

My favorite moment by far was...

Above picture is just a representation, this was not me.
​

I was a 'zombie Ally soldier' in War of The Living Dead scarezone. I was sneaking up to a woman, who was walking through the area. She was walking slowly, cautiously, looked to be pretty scared of traveling through the zone.
She hadn't noticed me sneaking up to her..
as I got closer, she reached out to hold her friend's hand. She instead grabbed my hand, not noticing, and continued walking with me hand in hand.

Finally she turned to her friend to say something, noticed it was instead me, and freaked out. Seeing her face was priceless.

Her friend was laughing, and after the initial shock she laughed as well. I'd like to think she still remembers that moment years later as well.

The scare really reminded me of a scene from Scooby Doo.

 

[MrBlonde]

Dollhouse of the damned. The guy playing A puppet scared me real good. We ended up meeting a couple months later at Epcot randomly he remembered me and we dated for almost a year.

I hope he didn't toy with your emotions. :rimshot:

 

[PenguinCowboy]

Oh man, I've got way too many of these, but here are a few:

Best that didn't happen to me was during American Werewolf in 2013. There was an incredibly timid person in front of me, and as we got to the subway, they noticed the werewolf shadow creeping down the curved wall, and immediately clung to the wall opposite, where the subway business victim scared the daylights out of them, which naturally ping ponged them right into the werewolf scare diagonal from that. I have never seen a scare volley work that perfectly before or since!

Another great one was in 2014's Halloween. My friend's little sister was attending for the first time, and we were in the closet scene where you progress through the multiple versions of the closet, each time with Michael getting closer. The building tension was getting to be too much for her, and so when she finally saw the closet exit, she kind of bolted (as much as you can in a conga). Little did she know there was a Michael immediately upon exiting, and so he lurched forward and I swear it was like a cartoon: her upper torso froze immediately in place, but her legs continued running forward, which resulted in her briefly all but horizontal in the air, before she slammed down on the ground horizontally. She just kind of stared up at him, and the poor Michael didn't know what to do, so I scooped her up and moved her into the next room. (she was fine and laughed about it so hard after, but I can't help but think of Scooby Doo when I think of it!)

For me, that same year my first ever house was American Werewolf, and you never forget your first HHN scares (my brother and I left the house in each other's arms, out of breath, and a little hoarse), but the biggest scare of that event and to this date belongs to the ceiling dwelling zombie in Cabin in the Woods. I was so on edge in that house a pin drop could set me off, and so when the ceiling scare happened, I didn't immediately realize where it was coming from, I only heard the burst of sound. I have no explanation why, but my first instinct was to leap up a tiny bit, and literally mid-air I realized the zombie was above me, so without thinking I tried to redirect my mass downward, which resulted in me SLAMMING myself into the ground with about twice my own body weight, spring boarding into the next room! Fun times, but no sprained ankle at least!

 

[truejonas]

My personal best scare was in Halloween 4 last year. Michael just popped his head out from ahead of us - plain view, nothing frightening, but for whatever reason it was the biggest scare of the night for me.

 

[Joel]

Surprisingly, my best scare came from the Asylum in Wonderland 3D house at HHN 25.

Our group of ~10 people started to walk back to the hotels around 1am; being the HHN nut that I am, I stayed by myself and went through as many houses as I could in those 60 minutes. I ended up hitting Asylum twice because there was no line, and it's the second time through that I get a decently mild scare towards the end.

After scaring me, the actor yelled at me to keep moving (I'm the only one in the house as far as I can tell) and pointed me down a very trippy hallway where you could barely tell where to go. I then got a huge scare from another actor yelling at me I was going the wrong way (I wasn't, didn't know at the time) and told me to turn around. Turned around and another actor was so close to my face and scared the absolute crap outta me to the point where I fell backwards to the ground. The next 5-10 seconds (basically what seemed like an eternity) involved me struggling to stand up while the 3 actors stood there taunting and yelling at me. It's the best interaction I've ever had in a house and I think because they saw me go through alone the first time, then saw me going through again so they knew I was a ripe candidate for that type of thing.

 

[NathanC]

Surprisingly, my best scare came from the Asylum in Wonderland 3D house at HHN 25.

Our group of ~10 people started to walk back to the hotels around 1am; being the HHN nut that I am, I stayed by myself and went through as many houses as I could in those 60 minutes. I ended up hitting Asylum twice because there was no line, and it's the second time through that I get a decently mild scare towards the end.

After scaring me, the actor yelled at me to keep moving (I'm the only one in the house as far as I can tell) and pointed me down a very trippy hallway where you could barely tell where to go. I then got a huge scare from another actor yelling at me I was going the wrong way (I wasn't, didn't know at the time) and told me to turn around. Turned around and another actor was so close to my face and scared the absolute crap outta me to the point where I fell backwards to the ground. The next 5-10 seconds (basically what seemed like an eternity) involved me struggling to stand up while the 3 actors stood there taunting and yelling at me. It's the best interaction I've ever had in a house and I think because they saw me go through alone the first time, then saw me going through again so they knew I was a ripe candidate for that type of thing.

I just have to say, that is a very adorable dog in your profile pic. I had a pit once that looked a lot like that one.

 

[Joel]

I just have to say, that is a very adorable dog in your profile pic. I had a pit once that looked a lot like that one.

Couldn't agree more! That's Bode (pronounced Bodie, spelled like Bode Miller)

shameless plug if you need some more pit pics in your life

Bode the Snaggletooth (@bodethesnaggletooth) • Instagram photos and videos

 

[chaingang000]

I know this is an Orlando thread but it was too good to pass up, last year Stranger Things in Hollywood, there's a scene with Eleven stopping a Demogorgon against the blackboard of the school, in Hollywood you walk right up close to it, in Orlando i believe it was behind 'glass'. Anyway, i'm there walking past filming this all on my phone and i get real up close to the Demogorgon thinking its an animatronic, I'm about 30cm away when it lunges straight at me scaring me half to death! Needless to say, the footage was a bit shaky in that moment!

 

[snayberry]

When I went through the first Halloween house in Orlando. Michael Myers jumped out and scared me so good, I fell to the ground. Oh boy, I’ll never forget that one. :afraid:

 

[faceleg]

Not necessarily the "best", but my first time through the Resident Evil house I got taken by surprise in the room where Nemesis is firing at you and they had the air blast, so I kinda hop-screamed in circle. There was a scareactor on the wall opposite the air blasts that I saw struggling not to laugh and had to walk offstage right after I was able to move on.

 

[hishedale]

My favorite scare I witnessed on someone else was one of the first years I went. It was in a scarezone, and there were these two girls taking a selfie in the middle of the zone, each with a beer in hand. A scareactor saw them, and as they were concentrated on the photo shoot, he crouched and snuck up on them. When he jumped out and screamed, they both screamed and dropped their beers. Funny to watch from far away, but I felt bad because beer isn't cheap.

My worst personal scare was in Texas Chainsaw. I had been going to HHN for a while by then, so I was getting more used to the scares. I went through the entire house without getting spooked, and knew about the scare at the exit because of a TimTracker video. So I was in front of my group, laughing at them getting scared by that exit scare, walking down the exit ramp with my guard down. However, there was a Lady Leatherface hiding off of the ramp in a weird little corner. He let out a scream and hit the rail, and I gave out a bloodcurdling scream and dropped onto the floor. I was really shaken by it, and it didn't help my group saw me drop into a fetal position, which was a taste of my own medicine.

 

[SirAustin77]

So many good moments.

1. Carnival Graveyard (28, my first house!!!)
When that one car before the love tunnel thing honked randomly, my friend fell to the floor before hitting her head. An op asked if she was ok, she was fine and later laughed about it.

2. Scary Tales (28)
So, I'm young and tall and it was dark. The Goldilocks actress was striking a seductive pose in my face with her knife hidden. Upon getting closer, she realized I was a 12 year old and backed up. I said "hey girl!" And she proceeded to stab the bear.

3. Stranger Things (28)
Steve Harrington jumped out with the hair and bat and everything. I recognized him immediately, may friend did not. She screamed "HI JONATHAN!!!" He stared at her like she offended him and she said "Sorry!" And walked away. Priceless.

3. Universal Monsters (29)
So for some reason scareactors really like to target my friend that I keep talking about. The wolf hunter near the beginning started down my friend after the wolfman lunged at us and then burst out into laughter after she passed. I chuckled, gave him a thumbs up, and walked away.

4. Ghostbusters (29)
Stantz gave me a fist bump. 'Nuff said. Also one of the dog statues made me slam against a wall.

5. Stranger Things (29)
My friend is a big fan of Max from the show. The first time we went through, Max was nowhere to be seen. But the second time, we saw her in the Hopper's Cabin scene. We were almost alone in the house since we were one of the last people in for the night, and the actress made sure that she got a memorable experience, getting pretty close to her and also telling her to "Get out of here, it's not safe.

All of the scareactors are amazing.

 

[HHN Maddux]

Oh I've got quite a few.

• HHN 25, my very first year. My first night ever, we told a team member at Stay 'n' Scream this, and I got a pin saying "First HHN!". Let's just say the scareactors immediately had a Target Locked mode on me. Was going through All Nite Die-In and as we're going through the fog we can't see, once we get out of it Freddy is waiting right in front of me with is claws in my face. Soon afterward, two Purgers see me and begin chasing me, chainsaws high in the air. It is still the fastest I've ever ran. Oh, and remember the chainsaw drill team on South Street that year? They all started grouping together and walking towards me until I was backed up into a corner, where they then all revved up their chainsaws at once and sent me running. I look back at it today and have a great laugh, and infinite respect for those scareactors bringing the intensity and terrifying fun they always bring.
  
  
• Also at HHN 25, the Caretaker let me hold his sheers for a photo. That was fun.
  
  
• HHN 26 has some more fun memories. Particularly, in Survive or Die (my all-time favorite scare zone thanks to this memory), I was just running around and having fun getting scared and even roleplaying a little with the group trying to steal the machine. They saw this, and when it was time for them to have the confrontation between the two groups, Mama asked me for my name. When I told her Maddux, she told all the scareactors of the group to follow me and told me to lead them to victory, and they did just that, following me to the other group for the confrontation. They then all revved up their chainsaws and went "FOR MADDUX!" and did their little charge. So so so much fun.
  
  
• On the 'true' final night for 26 (the extra nights they added), I got to do Halloween 2 multiple times alone, and all the Michaels were having fun with me. I asked the Michael dumping the nurse into the bathtub if she was dead, he then lifted her up, took a long look at her, and nodded. And then, for my final run through the house, I made sure to tell all the Michaels thank you and that they've done an amazing job. I gave the final Michael going through a fire a huge applause, and he legit came out of the spot to give me a high five and hand shake as a final goodbye. Gets me a little emotional thinking about it.
  
  
• Another fun memory from 26's extra final night, I was doing my last Ghost Town run and was completely alone. When going through the bar scene, the bartender lady motioned me to come up to the bar stand and asked me what drink I wanted. I told her anything, and she gave me a little smile and said "It's on the house then". I then told her this was one my favorite houses of the year, and she was very happy to hear that. We both gave a playful goodbye wave to each other as I left the bar.
  
  
• Yet another fun memory from 26's extra final night! I got to go through Lunatic's Playground multiple times alone, and man did the scareactors have fun with me. The Chances all gave me high fives and actual playful laughs (not the recording), and I got to stay in the last room and watch the full scene of Chance and the inmate flirting with her. After he got killed, I told them thank you and gave them one last goodbye, and the inmate came out of the crusher to say along with Chance goodbye with a little wave.
  
  
• Throughout the course of 27, the "Great party isn't it?" guy began recognizing me throughout the runs, and whenever I was going through and he saw me, he would come out and we would both jump and say together "GREAT PARTY ISN'T IT!".
  
  
• Not a scareactor moment, but the entirety of the AP show for Bill & Ted. So much fun and very emotional.
  
  
• Throughout the course of 28, Slaughter Sinema was the house I went through the most, in large part thanks to Stay & Scream. Because of this, just about all the scareactors from both casts began recognizing me and would be more interactive with me near the end of the event, especially the barber in Barber Chop. On my last run of the house, he motioned me to come into his boo hole and told me a huge thank you for being such a fun guest for the whole cast... God I need Slaughter Sinema 2 now. HHN 31, pls?
  
  
• Also 28, and another one of my favorite houses that I got to go through a lot: Seeds of Extinction. On the final night, the TM's let me go right back into the entrance of the house since there was no line at all, and I got to go through five times alone. On the last run, I did my tradition of telling all the scareactors thank you and they always do amazing. One of them got me good and I told him great job and thank you, he replied "Of course my man!". And then, something incredible, with zero guests having entered the line, he then followed me through the house, and it took about three scenes for me to realize he was following me, and he scared the living crap out of me. He gave me a high five and we went through the rest of the house together. Lots of fun.
  
  
• Revenge of Chucky... man so much fun. Chucky not holding back with his insults was a delight, and the scareactors in here were just so much fun. No particular memory, just this zone in general. Same with Killer Klownz.
  
  
• Man, Springfield Stay & Scream has given me a lot of good memories. Throughout the course of 29, House of 1000 was the house I went through the most, and I got to do it multiple times alone on so many nights. And just like with tent houses before, the scareactors began recognizing me and having fun with me. On the last night, I did the house 10 times in a row completely alone, and all the scareactors were interacting with me and just havin' fun. Especially the Otis at the beginning and Dr. Satan, with the Otis inviting me to get a quick look around his room as Baby did her little song, and Dr. Satan allowing me to inspect his work in the operating room before giving me a gentleman's bow.
  
  
• Depths of Fear was the other house I went through the most in 29, and man did the Mouthbrooders begin having fun with that, always getting me even when I knew exactly where they were. I fully understand why they did it, but to this day I'm still saddened that a majority of the Mouthbrooders had to be removed from the house.
  
  
• Vanity Ball was my favorite zone of 29, and the surgeons on the stages began recognizing me and began complimenting me if they ever saw me, saying they would love for me to join them since I love the zone so much. And on the last night, I made sure to tell the announcers this was my favorite zone, and they were very delighted to hear that.
  
  
• When we did the R.I.P. tour for 29, I was able to invite two of my best friends along. One of them had never been, and in the scareactor dining before the tour began, all the scareactors were just messin' with them. And this year, I'm inviting a third best friend who's also never been, and I'm very excited for her!

 

[MI1287]

The female MC in Vanity Ball was amazing and had some great quotes throughout my many walks through the zone. My two favorites:

"The world does resolve around you, when you create your own"

(Looking right at me) "Not comfortable in your own skin? Don't worry, we can get you someone elses"