'We're human too': Halloween Horror Nights scare actor says visitor screamed in her face non-stop, urges others to be kind

It's understandable that many thrill-seekers are pumped to visit Universal Studios Singapore's (USS) Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) after its two-year hiatus. 

But some over-enthusiastic visitors may be crossing the line with the event's scare actors. 

One scare actor, only wishes to be identified as Terr, brought this issue up in a TikTok video uploaded yesterday (Oct 8).

She's currently a scare actor at the event's The Hunt for Pontianak scare zone.

"The more years I work as a scare actor for HHN, the more I realise how much people dehumanise us and forget that under all the makeup and costumes, we're human too," the 21-year-old said in her video, which has since accumulated over 13,600 views. 

"Every single person working as a scare actor has definitely experienced some form of harassment."

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@pr00tpr00t/video/7151621919719050497?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1[/embed]

Some examples she brought up include visitors shoving them, shouting at their faces and saying intentionally mean things. 

Terr also cited an example that happened to her just last weekend, where a woman stood around 5cm away from her face and screamed at her non-stop. This went on even after she walked away from the woman, she said. 

Additionally, she pointed out that scare actors can tell if visitors are genuinely screaming out of fear or doing so in a mocking manner. 

"As much as you want to enjoy the whole HHN experience and have fun with your friends, please don't forget that everyone working there [is] all human as well. We all have feelings," she shared. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Terr, who has participated in three editions of HHN, shared that in her first year of being a scare actor, she did report these incidents to the management. 

Unfortunately, after a while, she got used to it. 

"It happens pretty often to the point [where] we've got very used to it and there's also no way we can report every single incident. [It's] quite a hassle to report as well," Terr elaborated. 

Don't spoil the fun

Aside from scare actors getting harassed, Terr brought up the topic of visitors exposing scare actors when they catch sight of them in hiding. 

"Good job for spotting us but please don't spoil the fun for those who aren't as observant. Let them experience the scare," she said. 

She also urged guests to not pull a reverse card on the scare actors instead. 

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"Please don't try to 'scare' us by creeping up behind us and shouting 'boo' or even [trying] to block our path. It's not that funny and it's low key annoying because we just want to do our job and scare people," she elaborated. 

Additionally, she reassured visitors that they need not be afraid when scare actors come too close as they are not allowed to touch visitors in the first place. 

On a brighter note, Terr thanked visitors who sang praises about the scare actors' efforts. 

"To those that commend us for giving you a good scare, thank you for that! We appreciate it so so much when our efforts have been acknowledged." 

She also thanked "mindful" visitors who "don't get too close" to the scare actors when they enter the haunted houses and zones. 

AsiaOne has reached out to USS for comment. 

Since the video was posted, multiple netizens have flocked to the comments section to sympathise with Terr and urge her to stay safe. 

melissateo@asiaone.com

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