Actors put on a scary face for Hunt Club's Halloween auditions

An evil energy emanated from Hunt Club Farm’s barn a month ago.

Rays from the setting sun sliced through the bay doors. Creepy creatures lurked –

a zipper-faced female, a blood-covered clown, a melted monster, boogeymen, ghosts, ghouls, vampires, zombies and a “truly” wicked witch were among a hundred hopefuls vying to share in the scare of the farm’s annual Halloween Festival.

Welcome to auditions for those who believe they have a talent for terror. Judges from the farm would choose from the scary bunch to hire about 75 paid actors and 20 volunteers for its Halloween events.

“I honestly enjoy the feeling I get from scaring people,” said Brittni Fields as she caked makeup on her zippered face. “There’s no other feeling like it. Getting in the makeup just makes you feel like a completely different person. ”

The 20-year-old Virginia Beach Tidewater Community College computer science student has haunted the farm’s festival the past two years. She fondly remembers chasing victims through corn stalks.

“Halloween is by far my favorite holiday,” she said. “As a kid I used to have a lot of nightmares, so watching scary movies helped me cope with it and deal with it by becoming a scary person myself.”

Jason Tureman, 27, auditioned as a “kind of a boogeyman,” sporting a torn formal suit and a homemade mask with peeling skin and safety pins through a gash in his forehead. He hoped to make it his fifth year haunting the farm.

“I’ve always had a love for Halloween,” he said. “Getting dressed up and the whole macabre atmosphere that it has, but I come out here mostly for the love of entertaining people.”

Hopefuls screamed, howled and cackled as they faced the handful of judges.

Rhonda Rowe – aka “Mistress of the Grave Yard” – has worked at the farm for 17 years. This night she was judging the monster wanna-bes.

She said judges look for a variety of personalities, such as young girls with long, loud screams, those who project their voices to dominate a scene, and quiet types who can sneak up and get you. Many times a shy person turns out to be a good actor, she said.

“Once they do finally let their guard down and see the lights, the setting and see the group coming in, they are no longer your 9-to-5 personality or mom personality,” she said. “They get to let their alter ego out.”

Rowe has worn a variety of costumes, from pirate gauchos to long silk wedding gowns, but always “knee-high combat boots” as she stalks the Village of the Dead. She said the fright night offers a healthy release.

“You get to come out and you can be sarcastic and you don’t have to smile and you don’t have to be nice,” she said. “I was a preschool teacher for 25 years. Now I’m a special-needs school bus driver as well. So I am chronically nice – except in October.”

Randi Vogel has long been in charge of the monthlong festival. Now in its 23rd year, it offers three attractions: the Haunted Hayride, the Village of the Dead and the Field of Screams. Most folks who come to audition are working for Christmas money, the camaraderie or for fun, she said.

“We have them read lines and scream,” she said. “Some do their own skit, and sometime we say, ‘Hey, we never thought about that. That’s great.’ ”

Her 10-year-old son, Nick, has been acting in scenes since he turned 4. This year he’ll play a mad bow hunter.

“His birthday is Oct. 3,” Vogel said, “so he wasn’t a month old when he rode his first haunted hayride.”

Her 3-year-old son, Taylor, wants to join in.

“He’s trying to convince me,” she said, “but he’s a little young.”

Milan Williams didn’t wear a costume for her audition but belted out a spine-chilling scream from the stage. She hoped to capture a volunteer spot.

“I wanted to do something fun and have something to do on Halloween, because usually I just get to give out candy,” she said. “It looked interesting, so it’s like, ‘I’ll give it a shot.’ I love turning into another person. It’s like taking a break from being a normal person.”

“She had a good scream,” Vogel said. “A real good scream. And she had good movement, too.”

Vogel said the festival “is both exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.” She orders tickets and props, sets up scenes and schedules, and, of course, makes the hires. The festival closes with a big party with a band and bonfire and everyone talking about what can be done better next year.

Vogel looks forward to the days after the festival opens, when her phones stop ringing and people stop asking her what to do. Things start running smoothly.

“That’s when I finally get to walk around and enjoy it.”

Roy A. Bahls, (757) 446-2351, roy.bahls@pilotonline.com