Howl-O-Scream Hypothetical 18+ House Thread

[Zachary]

I was asked to post the following by someone who has worked Howl-O-Scream in the past:

I'm pretty sure I saw security in every maze last year. Which i'm perfectly fine with. It lets people know they are being watched.

Park Ops are the ones who stand in the maze. Each of them have a radio and are in direct contact with security. There are at least three representatives from security around the maze and occasionally in the maze. A certain maze had a problem area that was "high risk" because of the scare level last year. A security guard wanted to see why it kept happening so she stood in the maze. Within five minutes of being in the maze the guard was punched when the actor did his job.

It doesn't matter if they can see the guard or not. They are told not to hit, touch, etc on the actors but they still do it. The signs and verbal warnings are nothing more than a mere warning. It allows the park to say they were warned when they go to kick them out. A flyer will not do the job. Kids do not listen to their parents.

 

[David]

haha well damn. That's interesting to hear.

Guess the next option would be to allow the actors to punch people back. I think this would also deter people from touching them...

But really, I know the touching actors is an issue. Though I only saw it once myself last year, I heard of it happening way too often.
I wonder if people realize doing things like this causes us to not have nice things in the world?

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

I think that problem kids will be problems with or without parents. They're the type of people who don't really think, "Will my actions cause repercussions for others?"

I have a question for swift's friend if he doesn't mind, are there factors in houses that cause problem places?

 

[Youhow2]

If it doesnt matter if they can see the guard or not, why have the guards been so visible in the mazes?

 

[Zachary]

Here you go:

I have a question for swift's friend if he doesn't mind, are there factors in houses that cause problem places?

The biggest factor are the actors. One who has energy and gets into their role will be at a higher risk. If someone stands there obviously and says "boo" then that isn't really going to catch you off guard. Now take the same area and put an energetic actor in it who will do a TON more than "boo" like moving around, gestures, statements, etc then that will cause the startle factor to go through the roof.

It can great be enhanced if said actor is in what is perceived to be a mellow zone. The houses themselves do not cause the issue. The actors doing the job to their utmost potential are what provokes them. Any and all haunted attractions experience the same problem. Intensity provokes people to react with violence; it is just the nature of the beast.

Busch handles the situations tremendously. There is nothing more that I feel having worked HoS that Busch could do to prevent altercations. The only way to prevent them is to isolate the actors completely which is not feasible.

Numerous Park Operations staff is littered through the maze. They are littered for the actors safety. Whether people complain about them or not they will always be there. They MUST be visible to the actors AND guest. Operations has a great reputation for spotting potentially rowdy guests and pulling them out or having them calm. Some instances they will walk with the guest to ensure the actor's safety. Busch Gardens is beyond outstanding with handling altercations. In order to understand that then you would have to be an actor or the family/friend of an actor. They protect them to the best that they can. Having been in the situation I applaud them to a great extent on this matter.

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

That's some great information, thanks! It's great that there's somebody in here who knows BG's official policies. I also didn't realize that they will walk with problem people to the end of the maze.

Another question if you don't mind, does the park staff (either actors, park ops, or security) do anything in regards to small children that have gotten inside the maze and have started crying?