What does it take to be a ‘Field of Screams’ actor? See inside the haunted attraction
Just a few years ago, Christian Hurst was a normal college student going to the Field of Screams for a healthy dose of scares during the Halloween season.
Now, he’s the one doing the scaring – wearing bright red contacts and dressed head to toe in a ripped up mechanic uniform and going by the name “Carmack.”
“I came here five or six times throughout my childhood, and then, around college, every year it would sort of come in, and I’d be like, ‘I need to sign up for that next year,’ ” Hurst, or Carmack, said.
That’s a similar story for many of the Field of Screams actors I spoke to on Oct. 11, which happened to be National Haunted House Day. Many of the actors had acting experience but all agreed that acting in a haunted attraction is an experience like no other, specifically because of the interaction with the attendees.
“You’ll get groups that come through that really want to have fun, and if they’re having fun, then I have fun,” Hurst said. “I’ll be standing around my corner ready to scare the next group, and I’ll hear them get scared by an animatronic or something. And I’m like, ‘This is gonna be a good one.’”
The conversations you overhear in the Field of Screams greenroom – an outdoor area about a 5-minute walk away from the attraction’s parking lot – are normal talk you would overhear anywhere.
But when you look around you’ll notice the experience is not normal at all – with everyone dressed in costumes that could keep you up at night – torn and bloody clothes, clown outfits, baring teeth and more.
But when you remember these are all actors in one of the top haunted attractions in the state, it just makes sense that the sight of them cause shivers.
The actors aren’t the only people involved in putting on the attraction. Director Kip Scott said that it takes about 120 people per night.
“Once we open, we’re still here on a weekly basis, fixing things, adding new props,” Scott said. “On a daily basis, we’re out here early morning, filling up fog machines, making sure the pyrotechnics are working, working on broken props.”
It takes all year to prepare for the Field of Screams’ fall season, but it really amps up starting around July 4, when people are out at Prairie Pines seven days a week.
While the Field of Screams’ storyline is the same every year, Scott said the team still feels pressure to make sure there’s something bringing people back.
“We do have some pressure, trying to put on a good show every year, trying to change it up,” Scott said. “Every year I think of us as the new kids starting out, so we’re just trying to put on a good show.”
Scott said the retention of Field of Screams actors is good, as well. This year, there were about 60 actors returning from previous years and 52 first-timers. While that’s over 100 actors, it takes about 75 per night.
What it takes to become a Field of Screams actor
Acting in a haunted attraction versus on stage or film is very different, so while most actors have stage experience, the process to getting booked at the Field of Screams is different than an average role.
A Field of Screams audition not only looks out for acting abilities, but also other factors that aren’t usual for a normal audition.
“We’re kind of screening people to see if this is something that’s really good fit for them, if they have the right temperament for it,” Scott said. “We don’t want people that are quick to anger [and] people that get offended too easily, because the crowds are going to be a little rough at times.”
Once the actors get the part, they are put through what Scott calls “scare school.”
“We have a workshop on actor safety, we have a workshop on costuming, we have a workshop on building a character and working as an actor in a haunted attraction,” Scott said. “Then we have a kind of free for all, where we just talk about what’s going to happen, especially for the new actors, what to expect out in the field.”
Every actor is in charge of their own costumes, which have to be approved.
“We used to provide costumes, but what we found is that the actors kept wanting to bring their own costumes in … it gives them a sense of ownership,” Scott said. “They have their own actor thread online, where they start to pass around ideas.”
Just like costumes, every actor is in charge of creating their character.
Take first-year Field of Screams actress Emma Schinstock for instance, whose character’s name is Chem the Clown.
“She was a scientist studying why the fields were sick, and she was mysteriously … murdered and pushed into a bunch of fertilizer, which is why her name is Chem,” Schinstock explained.
Or fifth-year Michela Gray, who actually plays five different characters, but on that specific Friday was Rosie Spurlock, who was kidnapped and had her vocal cords ripped out. So instead of using her voice to scare people, Gray uses other tactics.
“She’s extremely angry, she wants people off the land,” Gray explained. “She’s prone to protect what is left.”
When asked their favorite way to scare people, actors all had different answers – staring closely, jumping in front of people, screeching – and one even said simply blowing raspberries causes screams.
At the end of the day, every actor comes up with their own ways to enjoy the experience themselves and make sure customers get the most out of their money – which in this case, means getting the most goosebumps possible.
McKenna Bathgate has acted with the Field of Screams since 2018 and has experience with stage acting.
“[Field of Screams is] a lot of improv. You get to run up and say lines and stuff with people or and, you know, there’s parts where, we actually have places where we hide and pop out and scare people,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Michael Valentine has been acting with Field of Screams for nine years. He said the best part is being able to experiment with his acting and characterization.
“It allows me to be a little bit more of myself where the society won’t allow,” Valentine said.
An actor for Field of Screams usually arrives between 5 and 6 p.m., before the attraction opens at 7 p.m. every night.
Every actor gets their makeup done by one of the attraction’s three makeup artists. Once the first group of ticket buyers enter the attraction, the scaring begins.
How to plan your haunted visit
Field of Screams is open for three more weekends this year – Oct. 17-20, Oct. 24-26 and Oct.31-Nov. 2.
Tickets must be purchased online and are $25 for Friday and Saturdays and $20 for Thursdays and Sundays. Prairie Pines is located at 4055 N. Tyler.
You can find more information for planning your trip on the website, scaryprairiepines.com.
