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Tickets to Erebus cost the same as last year, $19-$28 depending on the day. The haunted attractions industry includes trade shows, seminars, magazines, suppliers and experts, according to the Haunted Attraction Association. was expected to be $9.1 billion in 2017, up from $8.4 billion in 2016, according to the National Retail Federation. The scare business is lucrative - when it comes around once a year. Terebus said he invests "hundreds of thousands of dollars" each season in the haunted house. With a beefed-up staff, owners plan to have 100 actors working per night and another 30 working security and merchandise. Too many guys with too high of testosterone, especially today with sexual harassment, so we created things to touch people," Terebus said, explaining that this is where the mechanical props come into play. Through past experimentation, the owners found that allowing actors to touch patrons simply does not work.
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"A lot of people when they get scared, they go into that fight or flight mode, and if they go into that fight mode, you want to maintain that arm's length away," Terebus said. His role is to train workers to handle unpredictable behavior by patrons in the haunted house, which can make for interesting - and sometimes dangerous - interactions. Helton has extensive experience in the performing arts and went through Disney's leadership program. "Boo School" is a playful moniker, but training is serious business this time around unlike years past, Terebus said. "People coming here are passionate about scaring people. "If you're coming for the money, that's not what I'm looking for," Terebus said. Pay for the job is minimum wage - $9.25 an hour - and hours are flexible. Those chosen will participate in a two-day unpaid training session called "boo school" with newly hired head of personnel Jerome Helton. Prospective hires are "absolutely encouraged" to wear their scariest garb, according to a news release. Auditions are taking place at the Erebus Escape Room Complex, 34 Oakland Ave., 6-9 p.m. "It's fun being scared, but it's a whole lot more fun scaring people," he said.Įrebus is seeking to hire 250 people who feel the same way. As the 55-year-old put it, the haunted house's new direction is win-win. Patrons want the most scream for their buck and, in a business where nearly all revenue is earned in a two-month span, Terebus feels the pressure to deliver.