Behind the mask, who’s scaring you?

10/4/2023

Whether they’re screaming, shouting, or popping up, down, or from around the corner, someone is behind the costume and makeup of the character that just sent you and your heart rate into orbit.

At The Slaughterhouse Haunted Attraction, one of those scarers is Lydia Polzen. Polzen got into the scaring business seven years ago when her aunt recommended she join in the fun, but scary movies also had an influence on the decision to jump in.

“I’ve always watched scary movies. Those are my favorite, and I love ‘Scream.’ Then my aunt kind of just dove me into this just a little bit more. So, that was really awesome,” said Polzen.

Polzen channels her character, Raven Biggs, when stepping into The Slaughterhouse’s deep background of storytelling and scares.

“I have some cargo pants and a green harness. That gets me into her character, and then I put some makeup on that’s kind of glowy because she’s kind of all over the place. Then, just getting my hair up puts me in that zone to get going,” said Polzen.

Polzen’s character travels all throughout the grounds, which can make her difficult to spot or come across, except when you take into account the makeup she uses to give her character an eerie, glowing effect. 

“You may see her, or you may not see her. For her, she has plenty of brothers and sisters around, too. She likes to mingle with them and really only talks to them,” said Polzen of Raven Biggs.

Haunted house characters tend to follow the tropes of your favorite scary movie and will take inspiration from them. The actor might be looking for a “Jason Vorhees” angle or a “Freddy Krueger”; however, Polzen’s “Biggs” persona has a life of its own.

“The first year I was put into a place, and I’m like, alright, that works. Then I kind of built her off of my ‘Voodoo Princess’ type character from the very first year,” said Polzen.

Polzen does have a few go-to moves to get the best reactions out of people.

“It’s the popping up that really gets them, or if I rush at them. That is really funny because I’ve had a couple of people fall on their butts before,” said Polzen.

However, guests have gotten the best of her as well.

“Sometimes, if I do jump out and they spot me, they’ll say ‘I see you!’ and that can ruin the scare,” said Polzen. 

Horror stories have rung out in previous years where people were frightened so badly they went after a performer. Thankfully, that is something that Polzen and her voodoo princess Biggs haven’t encountered during their time.

“Sometimes it does happen, but it’s very little lately, which has been fantastic throughout the years,” said Polzen.

The style and approach haunted houses take, like most everything, has changed since the pandemic. 

“That was definitely a weird era, because it’s definitely a different dynamic. There’s been more caution with things, more rules,” said Polzen.

Being in a haunted house with so much detail and built-in characters, the “family” inside The Slaughterhouse work together for the best scares possible.

“If I have a group in front of me, I’ll let the other actors scare them first. Then maybe I’ll do a little something with them and collaborate with that scare, too. It just really depends on the group and what’s going on with them at that time,” said Polzen.

Polzen, and, subsequently, Biggs, has an affinity for one room of the haunt in particular. 

“I definitely love the Vortex. That’s where I get to glow. Or it would be the Swamp, which is rooted back into my voodoo era,” said Polzen.

In the end, Polzen does this for the love of the game, while also crafting new characters to get them into the flow of the business. 

“I love to scare people anytime. And just the people you meet here, too, and all their stories and helping them come up with their character is so much fun,” said Polzen.

She added, “Yes, we do get paid, but if it was all volunteer work, I would still do it.” ♦