The monsters of Howl-O-Scream await guests every year to scare and haunt them. These monsters are a select few chosen by a staff of fear-loving visionaries who work year-round to showcase Busch Garden’s dark side. This year Howl-O-Scream celebrates its thirteenth year of fear with new and returning characters. The chilling characters are placed all throughout the park to give guests a truly terrifying experience.

Many people assume the monsters are professional actors, but that is not the case. In fact anyone eighteen and older can audition. The judges of the auditions look for people who enjoy scaring.

“I like scaring people, I think it’s funny,” says Alex Crow, who is in charge of the audition process.

Scott Swenson, the Director of Production for the event has a similar take on what it is like to frighten park guests and anyone in general.

“The adrenaline rush of scaring is almost addicting,” Swenson said.

The audition process is fairly simple. About ten people are asked to perform basic tasks, like digging a grave, but are told to   impersonate certain monsters while doing that task. The judges also ask the performers to use trick doors, to see if they can operate them to successfully scare guests. Groups of ten performers are judged for about ten minutes each. The main skill judges look for in actors is the ability to triumphantly execute a startle scare. Crow jokes, “If somebody scares you so bad that you fall down and go into a fetal position, you will remember that, and we want you to remember that.”

Robinson senior Cheyenne Bennett-Ramos caught the attention of Crow during this process and was offered a job for the event. Her thoughts on the audition process? “If you don’t feel stupid, you’re not doing it right,” Bennerr-Ramos said.

The journalism staff sat down with Bennett-Ramos after she had worked the event to find out more about what it is like being a sub-actor for Howl-O-Scream. Click here to find out what she said.

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