Spooked by job market, more people seek Halloween-related positions
The frightful job market is producing a bumper crop of banshee wannabes.
About 20 percent more job hunters are auditioning for seasonal haunted house jobs this year than last, according to operators of Full Moon Productions in Kansas City.
In fact, Halloween-related businesses around the country are fielding their deepest applicant pools since 2001, indicating that the $4 billion national industry could provide an economic stimulus of its own making.
Among this year’s applicants are more teachers than ever, said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, Full Moon vice president and a member of the family that has operated the Kansas City business since 1975.
“Many have not gotten contracts for this fall and are looking for income,” Arnett-Bequeaith said. “It’s easy to say that we’re getting so many applicants because of the economy and more people being out of work, and that is a large factor. But we’re also taken by surprise by people who have jobs but are looking for a new experience.”
By the time the haunted house season ends, the company will have auditioned more than 500 applicants for about 170 performance roles. They’ll hire an additional 50 to 80 people for nonacting positions such as concession help, hay wagon drivers, parking lot attendants, ticket takers, makeup artists and office workers.
Full Moon operates the Beast, the Edge of Hell, the Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe, Macabre Cinema and a Ghosts and Gangsters Tour.
The haunted houses tend to compete for like-minded seasonal workers with the Renaissance Festival and Worlds of Fun, Arnett-Bequeaith said, so getting the right people on board isn’t a slam dunk.
The company has relied on volunteers to fill about 60 percent of the positions at the Chambers and Macabre venues but is switching to about 60 percent paid staff to help attendance and consistency.
“We have a lot of people who return year after year, but it’s difficult in a seasonal business to hold on to people,” she said.
An unusual feature of the applicant pool this year, she said, is that it’s full of more highly educated people, “which doesn’t necessarily make them more qualified, but it is an indication of the job market.”
Many of the available jobs start at minimum wage — $7.25 an hour — but some “phenomenal seasoned performers” earn more, and money-handling positions start between $10 and $12 an hour, she said.
Interviews and auditions are continuing. Applicants may show up at the Beast, 1401 W. 13th St., at 5:30 p.m., with auditions for performance jobs beginning at 7 p.m., Aug. 24 and 25 and Sept. 1 and 2.
“We’ll continue to audition even after we open,” Arnett-Bequeaith said. The Beast and the Edge of Hell open Aug. 27. The Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe and the Macabre Cinema open Sept. 10.
“We often have to refill spots. People think they can scream over and over again but some find they can’t do the same performance night in and night out,” Arnett-Bequeaith
Applications may be downloaded from www.fullmoonprod.com. Applicants must be at least 16 years old and bring two forms of identification. Background checks will be conducted on all applicants. Questions? Call the Full Moon office at 816-842-4280 or send e-mail to office@fullmoonprod.com.