Haunted Overload employs a great variety of different characters. They have not always been the same or had the same function from year to year. But, one thing that has been relatively consistent is the fact that each character is unique.
I can remember one of the more respectable attributes about Haunted Overload in the beginning was when they admitted that everything they had was hand made by them. Any mask, costume, or props were all designed for a character and this obviously lent itself to better character development. I remember a howling werewolf lurking in the woods that year, and it really creeped me out. As the years went on, I saw new actors come in. Obviously the attraction became bigger and, therefore, more actors were added. While I can say that there are always a few actors at this haunt that I really enjoy, no matter what year it is, as a whole, the cast plays more into the spectacle of what Haunted Overload is. Once in a while, someone pops out from behind a structure. But, for the most part, they lend themselves to the overall masterpiece of art that makes Haunted Overload so incredible.
When we went through their haunted mansion set, we were delighted to talk with the few actresses inside. With us complimenting almost everything we saw, they had to tell us about the back story of everything we were looking at (More on this in “Theme” below)
Once she finished the story my eyes were wide opened thinking to myself two things; That’s an awesome back story and this place just got so much cooler, and wait a minute how the heck was I supposed to pick up on any of that as I came through? When I mentioned how people couldn’t possibly read into that stuff when they pass through this haunted mansion she told me what the real deal was. When they tried to tell the story, all it did was back up the guests and made a huge line of people again, they didn’t really have a choice but to just let people go through. They even once had a projection of a mother and her baby right over their dead bodies to show they were ghosts in one of the previous years. But they needed the projector for something else.
So we learned that the dedication to the characters are there, they just don’t always project what they are about.
Although the majority of the actors were stationed where they stood for the evening, there were a few who made the most out of roaming the whole attraction. We were rather creeped out by one in particular that seemed to be around every corner. A black-cloaked deer skull demon with red glowing eyes. We made our way all through the woods and could see him popping up in random locations… sometimes not in our immediate area, but on the other side of a fence or a box entertaining an early group. Another guy we really liked was acting like just another decoration hanging out on the side of a fence.
Many of the queue line actors move around quite a bit too, naturally. Again though, for the most part, they tend to walk around and stare at the guests and pose for pictures. But, they are a lot of fun to look at. Sometimes, if a guest is not paying attention, the actors will make their way behind them and frighten their whole group. Or, they might lunge at the guests if they are staring too long. But, we did find a few that were made for creating their own dialogue: the witches (who are always fun), the clown on the tricycle as we entered the tent, and I can’t ever forget the redneck playing the banjo made out of human remains!
Yes, the majority of the actors at Haunted Overload seem more like they are displaying their own costumes more than trying to scare the guests. But, pay attention, because there are some awesome actors lurking in those woods and you don’t want to miss them.
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