Ghastly ghouls and mortifying monsters walk through the fog of the park to scare us once again, but what do the monsters look like behind the mask? Mike Swancer, a returning scare actor at the Kings Island Haunt, tells his behind the scenes story.
Prep Work: How Swancer Becomes a Monster
Swancer worked at Kings Island as a ride operator from 2021-2023, and got to work as a scare actor last year during the 2024 season of the Haunt, which was named the "Best Theme Park Halloween Event" in the country in 2018 as part of a USA Today poll. He played the role of a zombie in the Killmart haunted house/maze, and will be returning this season in the same position.
The specific monster that gets chosen for scare actors is picked by the employers based on measurements and responses to certain interview questions, such as if the scare actor has any makeup allergies or is okay with walking on stilts. And as for where the actor is placed in the park, returners get to choose where they operate, and newcomers have a location in the park selected for them based on their interviews and, more importantly, their auditions, where the actors are asked to do a scream for as long and as loud as they could without hurting their voice.
Swancer states that since his dream had been a very animalistic kind of growl, it was obvious to him going in last season that he would be placed in Killmart, given that it’s a grocery store overrun with zombie workers. A good score of people have been scared by zombie Swancer at Killmart, who boasts that he made about seven people fall over, made someone start going backwards in the maze, and scared a few people so badly that they jumped back and hit a shelf.
His success at scaring people is quite impressive, but how does he transform himself into the living dead? First off is the makeup. Getting the zombie makeup done before each shift is something that he particularly enjoys. “It’s where I would really feel the zombie come to life,” explains Swancer. “You know it’s almost like Slipknot when they wear the masks, you just turn into a different person.”
Multiple different layers of makeup are applied to complete the zombie transformation. The artist applies the base, which is meant to make the skin look rotted and ashy, then the veins are painted with a gritty dirt look. Then, and this is his favorite part, he would have fake scars applied to his face, which “looked good or bad depending on the night.” The final step of makeup is known as “the blood tent,” which, who could ever guess, is a tent where the actors get drenched in fake blood!
The physical transformation into a zombie is one thing, but as Swancer makes clear, he also has to prepare himself to act like a zombie. He enjoys getting into character more than getting the zombie makeup done, and has his own ritual for doing so.
“I blast a playlist of songs that take me to a very dark and animalistic place,” he explains. “Sometimes it looks like I’m abusing myself in my car because I’ll be punching my arms or scratching my arms and legs or beating my chest. I also practice my screams.” Sitting in the car and abusing himself while screaming and blasting his playlist, which consists of heavy metal songs such as “Devil In I” by Slipknot, Swancer completes his transformation into a creature of nightmares.
The Monstrous Challenges of Scare Acting
This preparation ritual might seem like a bit much to some, but after learning about some of the difficulties of being a scare actor at the Haunt, it seems more reasonable. The physical toll is just an accepted consequence of walking around screaming at people and making zombie noises all night, but the absolute hardest part of Haunt, according to Swancer, is dealing with guest harassment. “Me being on a platform, I have too many people trying to reach and touch my hand or arm,” Swancer elaborates. One time, “some sicko,” as he recalls it, grabbed his beard. Recalling one particularly strange instance of guest harassment, he states: “I had a person touching my chest for like ten seconds after I popped out and scared them … which was very weird.” Bottom line, scare actors put up with a lot during their shifts, and it seems that some guests forget that they’re actual humans, and that normal rules about personal space still apply to them. A PSA from Swancer to everyone reading this, “Do not harass the scare actors!”
The Life of a Scare Actor
Being a scare actor at the Haunt takes preparation. Beyond the physical preparation of getting makeup done, scare actors must go through a great deal of mental preparation. They have to get into character, prepare for a long day of scaring the life out of people, and even prepare for guest harassment. But, beyond its challenges, it’s a wonderful experience. Beyond the fun of scaring people and playing into a character, the work atmosphere seems wonderful, with Swancer feeling that his fellow scare actors at Killmart are almost like family.
While Killmart may not be an ideal place to shop, given all of the brain-eating zombies running around, it seems that it, and the Kings Island Haunt in general, is a magically terrifying place for park-goers and scare actors alike. In the end, the man behind the monster is just there to have a good time like everyone else.
Image Credit
The image of zombie Swancer used for this article was taken by @haodtravelwest on Instagram. Check him out for more awesome photos!