For haunted house actors, job’s all in a night’s scare

When Jeff Slagoe feared haunted houses as a child, it was the actors that terrified him…. When Jeff Slagoe feared haunted houses as a child, it was the actors that terrified him.

Finally Slagoe decided enough was enough. He volunteered to do the scaring at Hundred Acres Manor a few years ago, and he has since conquered his fear. In fact, he loved the experience so much that he decided to make it his day job. Now he’s the zone manager and an occasional actor at Hundred Acres Manor, located in Bethel Park, which concludes its scaring season this Sunday.

Slagoe is one of about 150 staffers at Hundred Acres Manor. The volunteers who do the scaring range from 14-year-olds to the middle-aged, and some have been acting for years. The actors take their jobs seriously, putting hours into rehearsing, slathering on makeup and putting on costumes — all to provide seconds of sheer terror for their guests.

Domenick Deutsch, whose mismatched blue and brown eyes glowed eerily from special-effects contacts, started acting at Hundred Acres with his high school drama club to raise money for the charity. After acting with the drama club for several years, Deutsch decided to volunteer on his own. But he said that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still get scared.

“I was walking by one of the actors, and she scared the living hell out of me,” he said.

Deutsch works at the haunted house while attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for digital film and video production.

For Jenna Dobiek, a sophomore in high school, it’s all about transforming into the physical character. She usually dresses up in ragged Victorian attire, but her costume can vary depending on what she is assigned to do that night.

“I absolutely love getting my makeup done. Like when we’re not open on weekdays, I will come down here, and I will have the main director do my makeup personally because I love being scary,” Dobiek said.

But those costumes aren’t always comfortable. Putting on makeup and costumes can take hours because of the details, which range from fake open wounds and blood to intricate costumes.

Giuseppe Capolupo, also known as the Gingerbread Man, has his own gauntlets made out of aluminum sheet, rivets and metal wiring.

He wears a mask that’s hinged at the jaw and moves as he speaks. That mask, a pair of bright special-effects contacts and an ever-changing accent — sometimes Southern, sometimes British, but always deranged — make him a popular character at the attraction, Capolupo said.

Capolupo, 24, began working at the haunted house when he was 13 because of his love for the macabre. He develops his characters from all of the horror movies that he’s watched as a child.

“You get to completely change the ball game, put on completely gory costumes that completely change your personality and morph into this creature from another galaxy and just have an absolute blast with it,” Capolupo said. He said a highlight of the job is triggering visceral emotions from the people who pass through the haunted house by getting inside their heads.

As guests stand in the line, Capolupo gets up close and personal as he creeps around them. When guests reach the door to the haunted house, he turns into a guide. As guests try to find their way through the haunted attraction, Capolupo disappears and reappears whenever he pleases, often singing a slow tune.

He said that he especially pays attention to naughty children who don’t have manners. About two years ago, a little boy dared to use foul language and taunt him. That night, the Gingerbread Man found a target.

By the end of the night, he had found the boy, revved up the fake chainsaw and chased the kid into the corner until he was crying and apologizing.

“Yep, that’s right — payback,” he said jokingly. “Payback always gets them, and I’m sure that little boy will remember me for a couple of years.”

Capolupo said that he doesn’t want to torment people into nightmares, but if they do have nightmares, he’s doing his job.

“I’m actually one of the nicest guys,” Capolupo said.

Hundred Acres Manor’s actors have varying reasons for being there and different stories to tell. Many of them started out as visitors and came back to work for the haunted house, which donates proceeds to the Homeless Children’s Education Fund and Animal Friends.

Ethan Turon, the special effects director and operations manager, feels that the volunteers have to have a passion for the industry and believes that haunted houses have great potential for business. He said that working at a haunted house sets him apart from people.

“You pick up a pen and could write a book, I can pick up a paintbrush and a machete and scare the hell out of people,” Turon said.