tafaba wrote:Not that I make a habit of this but I have had two people ejected from the park already for fighting with the characters. Then of course they were sorry and didn't want to leave. They were lucky they weren't arrested. It isn't always the character that starts these things. I am not sticking up for the trolls but in EVERY situation there are two sides of the story and usually you would have to prevoke a character to make them say something rude to you. The trolls are not a scare creature, their job is to be funny and insult people like a troll would. I have said things (nothing that bad) to people but it is all in fun. Some poeple carry it too far though. I have had people get in my face for no reason at all, like yesterday. And yes, they were kicked out of the park. I have people make fun of me, tell me to get a real job(I'm a software Consultant), tell me I'm ugly, thoses are insults...but that's ok? If they dish it out, they are going to get it back, twice as bad. AND we all have some great comebacks.
Like myself, the trolls, the Mayor, we are high profile characters and our job is to meet and greet along with scaring.
Enjoy the park and the characters.
I'm sorry if you posted this, but what creature are you?
I am in Necro at the top of the hill. I play two characters, depends on what I put on for that day. One is a Pumpkin face and the other is a devil(Not Darth Moll) face.
da rcman2001 wrote:Thanks Ruk. BTW, did two radio braudcasters pull a trolls nask off? Were you the troll?
Hey tafaba, I didnt know you were the mullet guy. Your the freakiest guy in necropolis. I know you work all day and pass a lot of people in one day, but if you remember some time on saterday night when you were yelling mullets rule, I passed by with my friend who has a mulet and we were pulling on the back of his hair yelling mullet. Then you said your was better. Later on we came back with another kid and two girls and I was pointing at them for you to scare and i was holding them back so they didnt run and when you started to follow them and I let go they ran 50 feet away.
I rememeber that I love that mullet that I get to wear. BRING BACK THE 80's
Two radio broadcasters did 'attack' us and pull off a mask, but it wasn't my mask. I only heard the tale second hand. Ruk works the bridge with Beef. It was Splenge and Ed that got into it with the radio people.
The medical emergency for the pincushion in the freak show was due to a stunt he did the previous show. He has large gauge piercings in his ears. He puts a carabiner in the piercing and hangs a gallon of water from it. He was swinging it back and forth and eventually physics took over and reminded him that a gallon in motion can provide a greater pull than simple gravity can...
Oh yeah, went out for sushi on Monday night with him, that temple dollar left quite a welt. You should see the look we get from waitresses and managers when we pay for dinners and his bloodied, stapled bills are in the pile...
I went to high school with him and he got me started in Fright Fest about 11 years ago. I think this is his 13th season. He's been a clown for most of his work with us, and you can see a painting of him behind the freak show stage (facing Gates Motel).
I had to register to post today because I agree with a great deal of what Ruk is saying. Being a troll is no picnic. Anyone that hasn't done it simply has no idea. And in that spirit, here is a small primer of what it's like to be a troll at Fright Fest:
Arrive at park at 10:30 a.m.
Spend upwards of an hour strapping yourself into a hot, uncomfortable, itchy, heavy, and expensively homemade costume, including long-wearing, greasy, heavy, black "masking" makeup that runs into your eyes, and is impossible to remove at the end of the day without abusing the daylights out of your face via a variety of harsh, abraisive cleansers.
Then, put on the mask. It has been used for years, and smells like hell. It is hot, tight, lined with felt, and the pressure of it crushes your face. It limits your field of available vision so severely you can't see someone unless they're standing directly in front of you.
Last, head out onto "the street", where the abuse begins immediately. As a troll, you can expect to be hit, shoved, poked, jumped on, kicked, body-checked, slapped, smacked, pinched, punched, spit on, and hit with flying objects. Everything on the list happens in any given weekend. It all happened to me this weekend. And that's just the PHYSICAL abuse. The verbal abuse is tenfold what the physical abuse is. People yell curses at you, call you every name in the book, ask ridiculously disrespectful and inappropriate questions, and generally do everything they can to denigrate you.
So, to recap: Your costume, which you bought, paid for, and BUILT yourself, weighs eighty pounds. It's hot and uncomfortable. You're sweating buckets. You can't see, and all of the muscles in your face hurt. You're on your feet for almost 12 hours straight. And in between the most recent kick in the seat of the pants, and punch in your aching back, seventeen 12-year-olds have called you stupid, told you you smell bad (duh), and made sure you're fully aware that you're just not scary.
And people WONDER why we get just a smidgen crabby from time to time?
Look, we're TROLLS. We're supposed to be rude, objectionable, and offensive! The entire psychological basis of "fear" is attempting to shock the brain into accepting something it finds unacceptable, and to that end, we've created our characters accordingly. Every one of us has been portraying this role for years, and we know what we're doing. We know what works, and what doesn't. And for several seasons, we've endured an ordeal most would give up after a day.
I know what you must be thinking. "If you hate it so much, and it stinks so bad, why do you keep coming back?" It's a valid question...But a flawed one. The fact of the matter is, I DON'T hate it. Nothing could be further from the truth. I ADORE working at Fright Fest. I look forward to it every year. The company we work for are good people, the cast are all lifelong friends, and the extra cash helps pay for Christmas. But all of this pales in comparison to the massive rush it is stepping out of yourself for a few hours, and becoming a fearsome creature people run screaming from. There may be a lot of hardship to doing it, but every time I jump out from behind a tree or fence, and I genuinely scare someone in good fun, I remember why I do this.
SFGAm is a great park. But it's open all year. Folks have plenty of opportunity to ride the Superman or the Raging Bull all summer. If they're coming during Fright Fest, that says something to me: It says that they want to be scared. They want to have a good time being startled, creeped, and freaked out. And my part in the show is to help them experience that through any (safe) means necessary. If that means snarling and chasing them across the bridge, I'm going to ignore how heavy my shoulder pads are, and start runnin'. If it means sneaking up behind someone while they're trying to buy a soda, I'm gonna momentarily forget the pain in my feet, and tiptoe. And if it means jumping out of a tree, I'm going to forget how sore my legs are, and do it. Not only is it what the park guests deserve for the price of their admission, but every time someone screams and runs away from me laughing, I have the satisfaction of a job well done. And that outweighs 100....no, 1,000 wisacre 14-year-olds who smirk just before taking a swing at me.
THAT is why I return. I've been working this event for 10 years, and I hope to for as many more as I can.
So...In order to improve EVERYONE'S experience, here's a list of DO'S AND DON'TS when it comes to the characters at Fright Fest:
DON'T tell the characters "You're not scary!" First, yes we are. We're trained to be. Our costumes, makeup, and training are nationally-recognized and award-winning. And just because YOU might not be scared doesn't mean the next person won't be. It's like saying "Strawberries are disgusting!" The next person might love them. Also, because we hear "You're not scary" literally DOZENS of times in a day, it allows us to immediately assume you're an idiot. It isn't funny, it isn't cute, it isn't original, and we've heard it a hundred times. TODAY. So just don't.
DON'T ask snotty questions. "Is that cosume hot?" "Did you make that mask yourself?" "How much do you get paid?" Again, we hear this garbage constantly. And it's just no fun for anyone. You're not gonna get an answer, we're going to peg you as a moron and walk away from you, and anyone within earshot has just had their suspension of disbelief shattered. Not to mention anyone who needs to ask "is your costume hot?" when it's 70 degrees out (and the costume in question consists of 4 layers of leather and furs) doesn't deserve an answer. They're not asking because they want to know...They're asking so they can look like a snarky jerk and impress their friends. We're there to provide a realistic and scary monster experience, and if you ask snotty little "nuts and bolts" questions, it really pulls the curtain back from the wizard, and wrecks things for everyone.
DON'T complain to us, our staff, or the park when we do our jobs properly. Several times a day, we hear people grousing to our staff personnel, saying things like "He SCARED me!" "That guy was RUDE!" or, "What's his problem? He's scaring people!" Well, DUH! It's called "FRIGHT FEST"! Backstage, people just laugh at you. We are specifically TRAINED to scare people effectively! It's what we were hired, and are being paid for! So, don't expect a lot of sympathy if you're upset when we do our jobs well.
DON'T bring your young children to the park, and then try to make us feel bad when they are scared. Ruk brought this up, but it can't be said enough. Every day, dozens of idiot parents (who KNOW we're people in costumes) try to thrust their children at us for handshakes and/or pictures. Meanwhile, their children are screaming bloody murder and wetting their pants, eyes like tea saucers. "Oh, come on, Courtney! Go hug the scary guy!" If *I* can see sheer terror in your 4-year-old's huge, wet eyes, why can't you? Still, even worse are the parents who stroll boldly into our area, then frown, and say, "Back off, she's really scared. Don't scare my kid." Oh, really? Basically, you're asking me NOT to do my job. You're asking me to get paid for failing to perform my occupation properly. Would you ever dare to barge into McDonald's, and tell the people behind the counter, "Stop making hamburgers. My daughter's a vegetarian. Hey, I said STOP! Don't DO that! You're bothering my kid!" Of course not. So, here's an idea: If you don't like what we're doing, or are afraid your kids won't...THEN COME IN JUNE. Or, better yet, stay home. I'm getting paid to do a job. If that bothers you, and you're going to come anyway, it's called "not my problem". DON'T try to tell me not to do it.
And the last one is the most important:
DON'T TOUCH THE CHARACTERS!!! EVER!!! Even if you remember nothing else, remember this one. Do. Not. Touch. Us. Especially in the case of the trolls. See, we're USED to being hit. Hard. It's old hat. We wear the protective pads and body armor only PARTIALLY for the visual effect. So any tap on the shoulder, yank on the costume, or pat on the back sets off the alarm bells, and we will NEVER react well. We're pummeled so much that ANY contact IMMEDIATELY puts us on the defensive, and someone could easily wind up getting hurt. And, in the event that the character contact is severe enough (which is decided largely at the discretion of the character actor), you run the VERY real risk of being ejected from the park. With the exception of shaking hands and posing for photos, we're NOT allowed to touch YOU. So just....Don't touch us. NO good can come of it. Besides...How smart is it to run up and hug a person covered in spikes?
Now, the DO'S.
DO have a SAFE good time. Realize that the park has gone to great lengths to ensure your safety at Six Flags. This extends from making sure you don't fall off a coaster, to making sure that the people inside the costumes are trained professionals who are there to entertain you. So be respectful of yourself and others.
DO keep your brain in your head when you get your ticket. So many check it at the door. Be smart, be safe. If it wouldn't fly at the mall up the road, it ain't gonna fly here. You wouldn't just run up and punch the guy working at the Cinnabon in the food court, so don't do it to someone working at Six Flags. It's not brain surgery.
DO realize that there are real people inside the costumes. We're here to entertain and frighten, and when people forget that we're human, and do something stupid, it ruins the actor's mood, it ruins the bystanders' show, and it could ruin your day at the park...By getting you escorted out of it.
DO appreciate what the park has done. Six Flags and the production company that hires the Fright Fest performers go to GREAT effort and expense to put on a good show for one reason and one reason only: TO ENTERTAIN YOU. So, if you plan on coming to the park for ANY reason other than to enjoy yourself, do EVERYONE a favor and stay home. Perhaps only 3%-5% of the patrons on any given day are there specifically to scoff, mock, and sneer, and they do a LOT to ruin it for the rest of us.
Above all, be smart, be respectful, and be safe. You keep coming back to be entertained, and no matter how hot and uncomfortable the costumes get, we'll be there to entertain you.
Last edited by Beef on October 13th, 2004, 5:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
VERY VERY well spoken Beef! I completely agree with everything you say 110%. I have noticed year after year the crowds that come to Fright Fest just getting worse and worse. In that I mean I see them grab the charcters, yell out stupid stuff, annoy and follow the charcters all the time being right in their faces, trip the charcters, spit at the charcters and just be down right rude and that's just while I am there for the day! I could not imagine having to work there and take this abuse every weekend for a month! But yet I am glad that all of you come back for the love of Fright Fest! I know that I personally thank you and all of the monsters for making everlasting memories for me!
Thanks. I don't mean to be unnecessarily grouchy...And I expect to be disagreed with here and there, but I assure you I speak from experience. And I appreciate that you're one of the good ones. Thanks for "getting it."
beef, me and my brother are the twin zombies. i hate it that every1 thinks that they can touch us and we cant do anything about it. i also play the hunchback puppet in the mornings from 10 till 1 and ppl kick me and poke me and it seems like every day it gets worse. my brother already got two ppl ejected cause the girl graded his butt and kept poking him and then her boy friend told security that my brother came on to her first. so they got ejected. i never heard about the radio ppl. that sux. but yea ppl suck cause they touch us to much and then they get really mad. if we r scaring some guys girlfriend, he gets pissed. but they paid to get scared. some1 called the docter with the wheelchair a f**king prick. ppl pay for this and the get mad. and they touch us
Yeah, I have this theory. Have had for years. The people that just feel like they can run up and shove us are likely the same people who talk to the television. "No, Detective Sipowicz! Don't go in there! He has a gun!" They're people who can't separate fantasy from reality. They don't realize that there are PEOPLE in there. People who would rather not get the tar beaten out of them while they're just doing their jobs.
My first year, my troll costume didn't have much in the way of padding, or spikes. I learned fast and hard that pads and spikes achieve the dual goals of looking scary...And being a good deterrent to getting touched. My costume's gotten just a little more spiky each year. So have the others'. And still people touch.
One of the leads had to yell at some lady the other day who yanked on the sleeve of one of the werewolves from Orleans Place. She wanted a picture, so she yanked on his sleeve. Hard. And the werewolves are on pneumatic, spring-loaded stilts! The poor guy almost went down. And the moron lady who was getting yelled at just couldn't understand the problem. She WANTED a PICTURE. And it was all about HER. Never mind the fact that the dude 9 feet in the air almost spilled onto the blacktop.
We respect the patrons enough to come back every year, give up our weekends, wear uncomfortable costumes and makeup, and stand on our feet all day to entertain them...Why can't they respect us enough to just not HIT us? I've never understood. Granted, it's not all of them, but the ones that do really do their best to ruin it for everyone. Until you've been spit on for absolutely no reason (as I was on Sunday), you probably don't get it.
was that u who got spit on by the cheerleader for saying she had enough junk in the trunk to store an antique shop and then when she spit on u you said something like, "now i can really tell ur a cheerleader cause that was the stupidist thing i have ever seen." nice
I agree with you all the way through Beef. I've been coming to Fright Fest since it started and I totally love the trolls! I respect all that you guys and gals do all day long. I go home from watching you guys, still laughing hard. When I think about what the trolls and other Characters do, It makes me smile and laugh all over agian..lol. Keep up the good work and I hope to see you all next year! I almost bought each of you a coke, but I didn't know if would be a good idea. Also, Twins, You guys were great! My fiance and I were walking down the Necro path and one of you was chasing her daughter, Chelsea..lol. The other twin came up to us and asked which one is Chelsea because my finace was calling out her name. We told him and he went after her too! I had such a great laugh over it! I just want to say thanks!
Candy: What you lookin' at? Otis B. Driftwood: I'm lookin' at you, mama. Candy: Yeah, you see something you like? Otis B. Driftwood: Maybe. I set my standards pretty low, so I'm never disappointed.
^You're right, there are a lot of Fright Festers here. And about thatose things people do to cretures, they should hire some undercover security to protect the creatures because that's not cool. I can't beleive those idiots. And those people who say you're not scary are just stupid. I just freak out of a character even comes toward me! You are so right.
I think it's awesome that when they are not at the park they come on here to talk to us. I get to see my favorite time of the year in a totally different perspective. Everyday that I come on here and read more and more about Fright Fest I get just as excited to go again as the 1st time. Friday will be my 3rd time already this season! I love it!
3rd time? Cool! I hope I get to go again this year! Fright Fest and Halloween are my favorite times of the year. Christmas runs a close 2nd..lol.
Candy: What you lookin' at? Otis B. Driftwood: I'm lookin' at you, mama. Candy: Yeah, you see something you like? Otis B. Driftwood: Maybe. I set my standards pretty low, so I'm never disappointed.
yea i joined this yesterday along with a couple other actors from fright fest. i just like hering about how much u guys like the show we put on. thank u for respecting us
Binks Drake wrote:And about thatose things people do to cretures, they should hire some undercover security to protect the creatures because that's not cool. I can't beleive those idiots.
Thanks for the concern...It's really appreciated.
We actually do have some "undercover" security. In each area, there's a "lead" (they're usually wearing black polos, and have radios). It's their job to keep us safe by watching our backs...And they have a difficult job, because we run around a lot. The troll lead this year is great...He's a fantastic guy, and he really keeps a close eye on us. Not much gets by him. He's the guy that runs up behind people and says "Don't touch the characters!" if we get poked. And his radio is wired to our office and park security...So, if we have a situation, it can be handled.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone. It's encouragement like this that keeps me coming back to help make everyone's FF experience a good one. I can tell none of you cats are part of the problem. If you weren't enthusiastic about the park an all it has to offer, you wouldn't be here. And I know I speak for everyone when I say how much we appreciate that. Without you, there is no show.
Go Beef. Wow there alot of Creatures here now.. Who all works for FF and what area? lol I know Ruk, Beef, Mike, Ive seen and know who the twins are, Scott.. anyone else im forgettin? You all ready for another weekend?
Last edited by FrightFestChica on October 25th, 2004, 4:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Security: I think it was on Saturday, we had the undercover guys from the park's loss prevention group covering us for a time. They nailed a guest in the act, spitting or hitting a troll and she got ejected.
I've been passing around the word for actors to come see this site and join. For one thing, we can find pictures here. We are not allowed cameras backstage, and onstage we wouldn't look right using them, so sometimes sites like this are the only way to see ourselves in action.
Beef, nice recap of the tolling experience.
Chica, I think you named all the actors I've run into on the boards. If there are more, they will need to speak up, or continue lurking.
Rc, despite our "explanations" of the troll rudeness act, I still believe that Filth and CadunkaDunk (trolls) were out of line last weekend.
No matter how many times people explain what characters go through no one will really understand it until they become one. I couldnt handle being a character at all.. it was soo much fun, but im too sensitive to get beat on.
