Anyone who’s worked anywhere for more than a week can tell you about their routine of clocking out. For me, working at Six Flags in the midst of Fright Fest, it’s to wrap up my till, set up my replacement, walk past the same mundane faces of gashed and bloodied zombies and large men with chainsaws, and clock out. No big deal.
Working at Six Flags involves as much responsibility and routine as any other job. As of lately, it seems a new element has been introduced — Halloween.
It’s becoming increasingly normal for me to get jump-scared on my way out of work, and yes, that means the workers who scare people don’t get satisfied just by terrorizing the guests — it’s more convincing if they frighten a fellow employee of the park.
They recently opened up a haunted house to the guests that lie right outside the normal park bounds, next to the Employee Services Offices. I remember when they first started setting it up around early September. I had no idea it was intended for guests not until they actually started letting people in.
One day before it had been opened up to guests, I went to ESO for my break and noticed all the scarers, tattered costumes and gnarly faces, standing in a group to the side, evidently on their break as well. A worker noticed me examining the vast white tent that held the hauntings, and just asked, “Would you like to go inside?”
I got a sudden opportunity to experience the haunted house for free, without the fear of being jump-scared by the scarers. It’s really all just mechanics, I realized then, and it seems like pure dumb luck that they always seem to activate when it would scare you most. I was, however, thoroughly impressed with the inner workings- full tile walls, working electricity, separate rooms – when last I’d seen inside, it was the start of a white tent with a small handful of construction workers here and there.
On multiple occasions, I’d be walking through the park after dark, after my shift and get increasingly anxious every time someone runs past me screaming, which happens often.
I see them all behind the scenes as well; making phone calls, smoking, walking in groups, and acting like they aren’t made up to be grisly horror victims.
Prior to Fright Fest, watching all the decorations gradually appear, I was excited- looking for opportunities in my schedule to check it out as a guest. Now that I’ve gotten a taste as an employee, I’m questioning whether I’m cut out for it.
Even as an avid horror fan, I’ve seen and heard real shrieks of terror from all corners of the park, and, shockingly, it doesn’t seem too inviting to visit recreationally. If they’re going to actively scare a fellow employee, I don’t even think I want to know how hard they are on the guests.
Apprehension aside, I’m pretty happy about Fright Fest invading my job, however uninvited. I watch the frozen smile, family-friendly park gradually descend into an urban graveyard, where the screams are louder than the roller coasters, and I end up less worried about a rude customer with three small children and more worried about a man with a chainsaw hiding around the corner.
I don’t know if I’ll get around to visiting Fright Fest on my own time, but in my own way, I am thankful for this family-friendly haunted park.
