ATHOL, Idaho — Over 300 actors converged on Silverwood Theme Park this week to attend Scare School, a boot-camp-style training where they learn the ins and outs of scaring people silly.
This week, Silverwood transforms into Scarywood Haunted Nights, a spooky season experience for thrill-seekers that opened its gates 15 years ago.
But the transformation doesn't happen in just one dark and stormy night. Today is the last day of Silverwood's regular season. Now crews will swoop in to build attraction sets.
“It’s a lot of work,” Scarywood backstage manager RaeAnn Kuykendall said Sept. 13 during a cast training evening. “When the park shuts for the regular season, we shift into Scarywood mode. For our part, we have little time to get all the costumes put up and the makeup stuff installed so we can start training the haunters.”
The actors have been refining their creepy characters to create ghostly guest experiences this season. Some actors have returned for eight years or more.
Sadie Selby is in her fourth year at Scarywood, which is also the fourth haunted attraction where she has worked.
“I’ve been haunting for over a decade,” Selby said.
Her dark clown character, Valentine, is based on her worst fear — sharks.
"If you look up how sharks hunt their prey, they’re like serial killers," Selby said. "They’re quiet, they’re patient and then it’s like a frenzy, and that’s how I haunt. I’m very quiet, I’m very patient, and then all of a sudden I’m right in your face. It’s very quick — we're in and out in three seconds.”
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