As owner of the Basement of the Dead haunted house in Aurora, Jason Seneker’s job is to scare the living daylights out of you.
He said his job is to make you scream, jump and clamor with fear.
But haunted house operators say they have another goal, and it’s one that’s paramount to the mission, Seneker said.
“Before I even teach a kid how to scare someone, I teach them everything they need to know about safety,” he said.
There’s fire safety and how to handle the not-so-infrequent customer panic attack, he said. Actors are also schooled on how to handle “handsy” patrons and how to spot those who might have had too much to drink.
Before showtime begins, Seneker said, he teaches his actors, ranging in ages from 16 to 40, about how to run a haunt and how to do it appropriately and safely.
“We do the best we can to make sure everyone who walks through has a good time,” he said. “Even though it seems like chaos is going on around you, it’s always very controlled.”
That’s because Seneker has cameras in every room at his haunt, he said. There are also uniformed and costumed security guards roaming the grounds, making sure everyone is acting appropriately.
At Basement of the Dead, as well as Evil Intentions Haunted House in Elgin, all actors go through background checks and extensive training, their owners said.
“There are a lot of haunts that will just take any actor if they’re short for the night,” Evil Intentions owner Mike Fitzpatrick said. “We don’t just take chances on anybody.”
Fitzpatrick has been running Evil Intentions for seven years at its current location, 900 Grace St.
Like Seneker, he employs security and holds extensive training for about 70 actors.
The crew begins training three months ahead of opening night and continues learning throughout the season’s end. It’s also beneficial that many of his actors are returning employees who have spent years working at the haunt, he said.
“We get to know them really well,” he said.
On top of training, Fitzpatrick said, he is present throughout the evening to tackle any issues that might arise as thousands of guests make their way through the attraction.
“As owner, I walk around constantly all night,” Fitzpatrick said. “If anyone — guest or actor — is doing anything wrong, they’re pulled right away,” he said.
Safety and training became a discussion last year when a 23-year-old actor at the Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery was charged with disorderly conduct and battery after an Oswego mother and her teenage daughter told authorities a haunted house worker assaulted them with an “adult toy” in the parking lot of the attraction.
According to Kane County court records, Robert Keller, of Algonquin, pleaded guilty in August to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 30 hours of community service and 12 months supervision following the Oct. 11, 2014, assault at the haunted house.
In a lawsuit later filed by the Oswego woman, the woman said she, her daughter and three other minor children were walking through the parking lot at Massacre Haunted House when they were approached by two employees.
One actor had an adult toy in his hand that he began waving and poking at the victim’s daughter, the suit said. A second man had a teddy bear, which he had allegedly attached an adult toy to, according to the suit.
Massacre Haunted House owner Ryan Burke declined requests to be interviewed for this article. In previous statements, haunted house operators stressed that was the only time something like that has happened.
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“We make every effort to ensure our Halloween experience is as safe and as scary as possible,” Massacre Haunt Inc. general manager Nic Miele said in a statement in 2014. “We abide by all regulations, take all allegations of misconduct seriously and are cooperating with police.”
In the lawsuit, the woman said she screamed and yelled at the men to leave them alone, but they both refused. The woman said she got the children back inside the car and left the business before contacting police. The second man, identified only as John Doe, was not criminally charged.
The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages. The damages sought are for mental, emotional and psychological suffering on behalf of the woman and her daughter.
“I think when it comes to anything having to do with that industry, there is already a fine line of what’s too far and what’s acceptable,” said Yorkville resident Maya Lichter, who has considered taking her son to a haunted house.
Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli said police haven’t received a criminal call to the Basement of the Dead location in several years.
“We are going to scare you. We are going to say gory things. But we will never insult you. This isn’t an 18-year-old and up attraction. There are 13-year-olds down here. There are lines we just don’t cross,” Seneker said. “We have (actors) we trust down here. We put time into training them, and they understand our philosophy.”