What Makes a Monster at Laurel's House of Horror?
LAUREL, MD – Laurel’s House of Horror, Maryland’s largest indoor haunted attraction, invited horror fans back for a chilling off-season experience with their annual Love is Blind Valentine’s Day event. Designed to test visitors’ nerves in a completely darkened environment, Love is Blind transformed the haunt into a ‘blackout’ experience where guests navigated through the attraction with limited visibility, relying only on their senses and the eerie sounds around them. Known for its highly immersive sets and talented scare actors, LHOH delivered a heart-racing, fear-fueled take on Valentine’s Day that proved love and terror go hand in hand.
Of course, what made this particular Valentine’s Day event at LHOH even more special was my long-awaited return to scare acting. In 2023, I got a chance to receive a crash course in scare acting at Field of Screams (PA) and spent the night as part of the “Den Dwellers” inside the Den of Darkness. After such a good experience there, I knew I would want to try it again someday. Since that experience, I’ve twice been able to see Tim take on an acting role at LHOH, and I knew I was overdue to join the ‘Horror Haus’ crew! The fact that this was to be a blackout event made the experience even more intriguing, since guests wouldn’t be able to rely on their sight to detect what lurked ahead - or behind them.
Bringing a monster to life at a haunted attraction like LHOH really takes a village of creative minds. Scare actors put months of effort into developing their own character names, backstories and unique quirks; consequently, the haunt is more dynamic and really feels like a living, breathing nightmare. For the Love is Blind event, I was given the role of “Ms. Petunia”, a character originally created by our friend and fellow haunter Jada Murray and the sassy understudy for house icon “Ms. Laurel”. My costume was an old-fashioned, layered undergarment ensemble (scandalous!), complete with strands of pearls and an air of theatrical drama. With temperatures dipping below freezing outdoors, the secret to staying comfortable indoors turned out to be a pair of fleece leggings that matched my skin tone. These leggings were an absolute lifesaver once they were blended seamlessly into my makeup. After getting into costume with the help of our good friend Bliss, the next step was makeup. Laurel’s House of Horror is known for high-quality character transformations, and I was honored to be in the chair of Mandy Gibson, makeup department head, for my final look.
Once I was fully transformed into the marvelous Ms. Petunia, we debated where I would spend the night in character. We ultimately decided I would begin in the Theatre and eventually move up to the Dressing Room (since I was, after all, an understudy for “Ms. Laurel” herself). The Theatre was a stunning space, with heavy drapery and gothic grandeur - but it was also one of the loudest rooms in the haunt, making it difficult to rely on spoken lines to deliver scares. The key here was subtle movement; gliding, lurking and keeping my presence just unsettling enough to make guests feel like something was watching them. Even in the short time I spent there, I gained a whole new level of respect for the actors who are able to hold down that scene all night long.
Moving into the Dressing Room allowed me to exercise more range in my performance. Unlike the Theatre, this space was a bit quieter, which let me work more with dialogue and unexpected interactions. The Dressing Room itself was eerie - mirrors, vanities, discarded costumes, all giving the sense that something was waiting just out of sight. Having done a paranormal tour at Laurel’s once before, we also remember this particular room as being one of the more haunted in this haunted attraction. Laurel is a “no-contact” haunt, which presented me with a challenge as compared to what I experienced at Field of Screams. At Field, actors can physically interact with guests by grabbing ankles, tussling hair and blocking paths - but at Laurel, a successful scare is rooted in your performance as an actor. It takes skill to perfect the timing and execution necessary for the craft. Some things worked and some things didn’t, but I had a great time experimenting with different tactics. Whether I was whispering unsettling phrases, staring blankly at guests from the shadows, or just letting the environment itself do the work, every moment was a chance to learn. If nothing else, I got plenty of compliments on my fabulous look!
Beyond my own experience, what makes Love is Blind such a thrilling event is the way it transforms LHOH’s already immersive setting into something even more intense. Unlike a traditional haunted house where guests can scan their surroundings for danger, the blackout experience strips away that security, making every footstep uncertain and every noise a potential threat. The attraction’s detailed set design from the eerie doll-filled Voodoo Bayou, to the unsettling Asylum, to the claustrophobic schoolhouse in the heart of the Town - takes on an entirely new level of terror when you can’t see what’s ahead. The actors in these scenes know exactly how to use that fear to their advantage, creating moments where guests genuinely don’t know where to turn. Even for those who have been through the haunt before, Love is Blind makes sure the experience feels fresh and unpredictable.
After more than three consecutive hours of scaring guests, it was finally time to call it a night. The adrenaline rush of haunt acting is like nothing else - the mix of performance, quick thinking, and pure horror energy creates an experience that’s as rewarding as it is exhausting. But despite the long hours, I absolutely loved every second of it. The team at Laurel’s House of Horror is filled with incredible, passionate people who make every event something special, and I was honored to be part of it. I have no doubt I’ll be back for more! If you’re interested in visiting the haunt for future events, be sure to book online using our promo code TIMANDKT to save $5 on your tickets! The formal haunt season begins in September of each year, and the haunt hosts Paranormal Tours, Escape Games and off-season Haunt Events year-round. Visit http://laurelhaunt.com for more information, and be sure to check out our vlog below for a glimpse into our incredible offseason experience with the staff!
