Why do you do what you do...?

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

Ok, I will start, Why do I do what I do in the Haunt industry..
Easy... I like attention.. I love art and Effects, mix those and you get me. I love makeup (monster stuff not the beauty kind) and being able to transform yourself into something that people can't tell if it is real or not. (which always baffles me, I can't recall ever meeting a real zombie)
So Why do you do what you do in the haunt industry?

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

I totally agree with you, I love this industry and it is great to have a forum where we all can not just learn from each other, but build off each others experience and excitement about the industry.. great to have you on board !!!!
keith

[Killer Katie]

I was raised on horror movies and all things wicked. I was born the year the Exorcist came out (my mom read the book while I was still in the womb) and EVERY sat night was homemade pizzas and Elvira. I have loved the idea of becoming whomever you wanted to be for that one night a year, and I planned all year for my costume. It's also a nice diversion from my everyday customer service job (where I have to be nice). I love getting bloody and disgusting as well as making others bloody and disgusting and watching the actors I lead, get that first scare and feel the same passion I feel. I'm also in this buisness, because it has given me some of the best friends a person could ever ask for. I mean, who else could I discuss dismemberment and beheadings with, while eating at Denny's at 3am?

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

HAHAHAHA.... so true... I remember going to Denny's after a costume party, my brother went at Pinhead and couldn't eat, so he peeled his face off right there at the table... the looks were great...
keith

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

Hey Killer K,
Are you going to be at MHC Friday night or going to the Vampire party??? I am helping out with the Fantasy show... Just checking..
K

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

Check out the Group by Sinister "Creating a character". I posted a Character Development list on there for anyone to use to define and improve your character. Please add to it if you like..
keith

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

In stead of having to jump around here it is... I will be sharing this with my feature creature group later on this year, but I figure we can all use something close to this to help in a small way with our characters... Hey add to it if needed, lets share info to make us even better at what we do..

Fill it, Print it, live it


Character Development

Personal Stuff
Name:
Alias:
Bio: Does your character have one? If no, why?
Male or Female?
What was family and childhood like?
What is your character?
Big question… Why?
What Kind of ….clown, zombie, pirate, insane, etc?
Born or Created?
Living, dead or rose from dead?
How did character die/come back to life?

Brief description of character
Face or features:
Clothes:
Hair:
Shoes:
Body:
Color:

Background on character
How does your character…
Walk:
Run:
Move:
Stand:
Eat (What or who does it like to eat):
Talk/grunt:
Express it’s self:
Sleep:
Big Question again… Why??

Body Language
What does your characters body language say?
Does it say I’m Bored, Excited, Friendly, Mad, Crazy, Sad, Downtrodden, Beaten, Bound, Etc. What your characters body language says is its background and all the above.

When in character, NEVER BREAK CHARACTER!!! If you are at a haunt, doing a show, walking down the street or even eating in front of people, stay in character.
For all the others you work with, it affects them as well. No one wants to be working on getting ready for the next scare and slow Joe walks up to them and starts a conversation. Save the talk for after the event or tell them to go back to their scene. Be professional, set and example and be the example!!!

Remember, “The absence of ones character affects the character of all who participate.”
Quote by Keith Newsome 2008

[Damien Reaper]

Hem ,Well For me It's my DNA really Both of my parents are into Haunting and Paranormal
My Dad at the age of 18 built a coffin and scared local kids on the street. Both parents love horror movies.
I grew up on horror movies and shock rock (KISS,Alice Cooper and Ozzy) and wwf/e Undertaker,Mankind,Kane . Then when I went to Dungeons of Delhi (which was my 1st haunt) I layed in a coffin and rose up with the eyes back and the girls that walked in the room as i did it sceams and almost knock the casket over and freaked out. thats when i fell in love with it.
Then the 2nd year came a haunt reviewer by the name of Randy Schadel,Saw me and became a fan,
I not sure what he saw in me but He promoted me alot then and still does to this day.
I promoted DOD but I pushed the Monster out more in everybody face.

I was the biggest thing at DOD,and i was the Icon ,longest running monster in DOD.But then got wore down with the place I hated walking in the damn place between kids working there and no respect from the ones we wore helping run the place ,So I did a cross-promotion with Cincy Haunts 06' which included DOD,USS Nightmare, Sandy Land Haunted Hayride,The Dent School House. And did 3 haunts USSN,DOD and Dent.
Which was my Biggest Year at the time and got resepct for it So It was going to be a Farewell to the bussiness. Then at a meeting the actors that wore my friends decided to switch to DENT school house
Which was Fatso the Clown ,Kate (Tizzy) Schroth and John (Rexxed 18) Colleta.

Dent welcomed us with open arms and give me new life to an old dog, The hardest challage was keeping the engery up there. Over at DOD the biggest crowd was maybe 200-500 a year Over at Dent 1500-2,000 people I was hurting every night but I was happy and laughting at myself in pain. The Damien Reaper Monster is growing in fans everyday and From the Haunt community. I will always be knowen as Damien Reaper i think.I'll prob be buried as the Monster,with make-up and costuem on.

In the future Damien Reaper will come out with movies/music/comics I want to be as Big as Freddy or Jason
or Bigger. I want the to see Haunted House Industry to be huge in America.There are 3 Entertainments
that are truely American .Rock/Metal music and Horror film/Haunted Houses and Stand up Comedy All are very Rebellious by shocking the so called -normal people,you know the ones who say whats bad for you
then in secrect have a double-life of Sex and drugs and God knows what else. I like scaring them the most and pissing people off.

I'm done ranting now. haha

I hope that answers your question + some

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

Great anwser and as an old dog myself (47 years old) hard to keep up the stamina with these young pups, but if we can stick it out and show them by example how it should be done, with a professional attitude, I think that makes it worth it... also why I am back in the gym now...
Pieces...
Zomketh

[Damien Reaper]

, I just turned 25 but I'm 260 of maybe eating all the free pizza we get at night
I got so sore my feet they felt like they wore spliting. 1 hour i'm ok,2 hour in pain,3 hour ow shit 4th year God please kill me lol. So yeah I'm rebuilding my stamina but walking a mile everyday. With The MWC coming to see the show in June,And Haunt Reviews thats been promoting me every year. I want them to say Damien Reaper at his his best. I remember last year I had kids running out of the room and i am the 1st monster anybody sees.I had one kid trying to climb out over the fence the Graveyard. I want to see everybody running when they see me. Thats a goal. 10 Years is a long time and proving it every year it's a pain,
It's worth it,But It's the best job in this world what we do.

[Grendel's Den Design Studio]

I'm pretty much like everyone else thus far. I love horror, Halloween and haunted house attractions. Have all my life. I've also been an artist all of my life. So in makes sence that everything would meld together at some point. But more to the point though... I love creeping the hell out of people. Love it, love it, love it.

I now run my own company, Grendel's Den Design Studio, creating creepy art, websites and graphic design. And organize a few Halloween and Haunt events, specifically the Philly Zombie Crawl and Zombie Prom.

So I'm pretty lucky that I can actually make a living from the things I love.

[Keith "Zomketh" Newsome]

I think this is where we can let the real us come out sometimes.. and your right, it is a blast to be able to do what you love and make money, even more, have fun while doing it... where else can you get paid to make people scream... in horror that is.. not like a dentist... well a bad dentist... (umm. you dentist.... your ok in my book...)
Pieces..
keith

[ylbissop]

i'm possibly backwards... deffinatly twisted.. i see freak as a compliment. I take a love of all things strange to a more severe level than most. I guess because I love people and how they tick. I attract and am attracted to free thinkers(haunters, magicians, hackers) but people able to deal with the reality that although I think for myself I have some ideas that don't necesaraly contradict 'the norm' although some do. I like people who are strong in conviction or lack thereof but who know how not to preach while still asking me to believe. I find allot of that in people involved in the haunt comunity fit this type of carny mentality. we are all artists in our own way and i like this medium.