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Stories About People Freaking Out at the Best Haunted Houses on Groupon

BY: Groupon Editors |Oct 12, 2017

Every person has that one thing that terrifies them most: killer clowns, small spaces, committment. We tend to keep these fears to ourselves. Until Halloween, that is, when they all come spilling out into the open.

This is the only time of year when people actually seek out what scares them, so it makes sense haunted house actors have a unique window into what we look like at our most terrified. Below, we asked actors from some of the best haunted houses on Groupon to share their top "behind-the-scenes" stories. Turns out, some of the scariest haunted house moments are completely unintentional!

Scared Sick at House of Torment in Austin, TX

By actor Brandon Lejeune:

"We had a girl who actually threw up in each of our first three rooms and had to be escorted out of the attraction … we train our actors for over-the-top intensity, so I'm sure that's what pushed her over the edge. She was fine after a bottle of water and some fresh air, but the volume of vomit was impressive. Needless to say, she opted out of the other two attractions."

Fear of the Dark at Scream Hollow in Smithville, TX

By actor Norm Glenn:

"One season, we had a large room that [was] flat black. Once you entered the room, there was no light whatsoever. I put an actor, dressed in black, in the middle of the room with a long-handled feather duster. That was one of the best scares ever. Once a patron was touched with a feather duster, they would scream, which cascaded to everyone in the group screaming … It was a really simple effect, but it played on your imagination."

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Not-So-Funhouse at Field of Screams in Olney, MD

By actor Michael Lado:

"We had a group that was not fond of clowns come to the funhouse. At this time, the clowns were rounding up the last group who were exiting and left the front hall unattended. So the group entered a cold, dark funhouse and began creeping along the halls. The clowns returned to their post, realized the group had silently entered, snuck up behind them, and just followed.

When the group opened the door, a clown popped up and they turned to run, only to come face-to-face with the clown that had been stalking them. [They] turned back … only to see a line of clowns waiting."

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Turning the Tables at Nightmare Manor in Boyds, MD

By actor Kirk Davis:

"I have this one prop that I use called the 'boomstick.' You press a button on it, and it creates a loud sound and a flash of light. It's pretty startling. I did it to this old man, and as soon as I did, he fell over backwards and started writhing on the ground! I lost it, broke character, dropped everything, went down to help him, and about five seconds later, he sits up and says, 'Gotcha!'"

Even Statues Feel Pain at Chambers of Terror in Salem, MA

By actor Skip Dylen:

"I decided to [dress up like an armored statue], and I scared somebody so badly that their fight-or-flight response was to grab me and bite me. They bit me hard on the arm … and it almost broke the skin. I will never forget that."

Human Shield at Reindeer Manor in Red Oak, TX

By actor Alex Lohmann:

"I scared a guy so badly once, he picked his girlfriend up off the ground and threw her at me! While I was, of course, surprised, she was furious like I've never seen a person before."

Click here for deals at Reindeer Manor!