AGAWAM, Mass. — The tradition of Fright Fest at Six Flags New England is now in full swing and, behind the scenes, there is a "dark" art to teaching all the monsters that roam the park each Halloween season.
“Ghoul School” is a day-long class that helps the actors – also known as “Scare-Actors” -- learn the tricks of inciting fear.
"Ghoul school is a thing. These are 100% tricks of the trade and that’s why we have Ghoul School so that we teach those tricks to “Scare-Actors” coming in," said Ray Sciarretta, the marketing manager at Six Flags New England.
This year, Six Flags New England has over 200 scare actors on the roster for Fright Fest, which is bigger in attractions than ever before. Fahad Rahmat, the activation and events coordinator at Six Flags, also teaches some of the actors how to be sinister but safe.
"We give them the tools to become full embodiments of scary characters. We run the gamut from clowns to demons to huntsmen to woodsmen…to bring the scariest experience to the area," said Rahmat, who has a graduate degree in literature.
With fake blood splattered across her face and wearing a tattered doll gown, Willow Farber has returned to for her third season of Fright Fest, she said the scary season is always her favorite.
“Being that character and hearing those screams – it’s my favorite time of year, my favorite thing to do is to get into that character, be that monster to go and scare new people every day, it’s a challenge," said Farber.
Fright Fest at Six Flags New England runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Nov. 5. To learn more, click here.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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