Dorney Park will once again release its annual Halloween Haunt terrorizing visitors. One such menace spreading fear senior Skyler Thompson shares her experience as a scare actor of two years.

Thompson now inhabits The Hollow for her second year: an eerie, foggy town accompanied by dead trees. The actors, werewolves and their victims, enhance the 1700s theme. Being one of the victims, Thompson’s costume resembles colonial attire; her face covered in slashes and cuts.

Before being unleashed into the night, scare actors go through articulate makeup and costume processes.

“They’ll [makeup artists] make my face more pale and [draw on] cuts [through airbrushing], [which would have] fake blood on them,” Thompson said.

The training process detailed by Thompson includes multiple factors ranging from interactions with visitors to collaboration with other scare actors.

“You learn what each person likes to do to scare people, and you work with them,” Thompson said. “You also try not to steal scares from other people… You learn cues from each other.” Hiding within the fog, Thompson and her dead colonial crew wait to frighten those who dare to enter. One of her most memorable scares: accidentally startling an already crying little girl.

“It’s a bad memory,” Thompson said. “I accidentally scared a little girl. I didn’t even realize she was already crying, and she cried more. I felt so bad. [On the other hand], my favorite scares are the ones where I get to chase people around.”

She never originally considered becoming a scare actor, this unplanned opportunity has become extremely valuable.

She plans to return as a scare actor in the future, continuing to spread fear among the masses.