On Friday, Oct. 13, UCF’s Late Knights presented their annual Fright Knight scare trail, a haunting experience where students scream with terror at the monsters lurking around Lake Claire. This year’s theme was “Whispering Woods Summer Camp,” a summer camp taken over by the witches that inhabit the nearby forest. The witches came with a taste for vengeance, leaving chaos and carnage behind.
I volunteered as a scare actor this year as well as the previous year. Around two weeks before the event, Late Knights set out a booth advertising that they needed scare volunteers for the event, and I was immediately interested in this year’s festivities. I had done community haunted houses and had some experience with SFX makeup in the past, so this was right up my alley. Last year, the theme was “Wizard of Oz,” and the trail was littered with demented versions of the beloved characters from the movie.
I signed up with little to no information on a whim. Nevertheless, I was ecstatic. I had never been a part of a large event like Fright Knight before, so I was excited to see how it would be. A week before the big day, we were able to have a sneak peek at each area of the trail and the plans the Late Knight and Campus Activities boards had in mind.
After finding out the theme, I started to get to work figuring out what character I wanted to be. I scoured Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok—anything that would have tutorials or ideas for SFX makeup. After hours of scrolling and scheming, I ended up choosing one of the scarecrows. A few years before, I used makeup, liquid latex, toilet paper, and some fake blood to make it seem like my mouth was shut with baby pins; I replicated this process and made it seem like my mouth was sewn shut with string, morphing myself into a sort of human-scarecrow hybrid.
Before getting to our assigned places, we were shown around the trail and saw the incredible set design inside. I was shocked at how intricate they were, from flying monkeys hanging on trees to Dorothy’s house crushing the Wicked Witch of the East with her tell-tale stockings. The process of getting ready, the set design, and the overall experience were why I definitely knew I wanted to volunteer this year. The minute Late Knights posted the application for scare actors, I immediately signed up.
For this year’s event, I knew I wanted to be a deceased camper for the theme. Having one year of Fright Knight under my belt, I was much less nervous about the job and had a better understanding of the process as a whole.
I started the same process as last year in preparation. I reopened old Pinterest boards and saved Instagram posts. I brought out the box of Halloween makeup supplies shoved in the back of my closet. In the end, I ended up making myself look like an ax victim whose forehead was split in two.
Although getting ready proved to be a great time, it was only half of the experience. The best part was the actual scaring. On the trail, I found an area behind a bright light, so patrons were none the wiser when I was getting ready to jump out.
I decided my tactic was to crawl out on the path and scream for help. The highlight of the night was watching everyone scramble away in surprise and fear when they trekked the path. By the end, I was scraped and bruised from the shrubbery and my voice was gone from screaming bloody murder, but it was one of the best parts of Halloween so far.