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CK: Have you had any ideas for Fright Nights that haven’t made it to fruition? What were they?

AS: "There have been a few such as “The Alley of Death” which was an idea presented where guests would walk down a long path shrouded by trees using pneumatic scare FX and actors positioned in the darkness.

"We also looked at having Circus of Horrors performing in The Arena and enclosing the park entrance bridge into a tunnel leading into Port Atlantis. There are ideas flowing constantly and we are always looking into new experiences to improve our offer."

We also looked at having Circus of Horrors performing in The Arena

CK: What comes first – keeping the queue moving, or presenting a quality show? How do you keep that balance?

AS: "Quality of show is key, if people have been queuing a long time it is only right we give them an experience second to none.

"We carefully balance the number of people in each group, which is set at eight and a maximum ever of ten and also the spacing between groups in the attraction, which averages 40 seconds. If you make the groups too big you lose the scare factor. We believe we’ve got a perfect balance of group size and timing intervals to allow for the right balance of show versus throughputs.

"Both Hellgate and Se7en will use a triggered cue for sending in the next group this season as opposed to a timed one which should mean Guests are kept a lot more separate and allow us to more efficiently reduce queue times."

CK: What is your role in Fright Nights, and how does it change from when you’re preparing for the event to during the event itself?

AS: "During Fright Nights I am a line manager for a number of the hosts and actors and also, with Laura, take charge of the day to day running of the attractions. We also act as department duty manager in rotation. In the run up to Fright Nights my time is split between recruitment of actors and hosts and physical hands on work in the attractions."

CK: What is the best thing about working in Entertainments?

AS: "The variation of the job, every day is different and every day brings new challenges. We are constantly working on new projects such as Fright Nights and Be Discovered and it’s absolutely fantastic to have so much input in these events. I also work with a fantastic team who make it an absolute joy to come into work every day."

CK: What are some of the funniest things that have happened to you during Fright Nights? 

AS: "I remember walking through The Asylum watching other Guests and then turning too early and walking head first into a wall. I tried to play that one down!"

CK: So, it’s the last day of the event, the final group have gone through the mazes and the park has closed. How do you celebrate?

AS: "We usually have a Halloween party afterwards accompanied by a few beverages into the wee hours of the morning!"

CK: How many people work in the Entertainments department and are there more hands on deck for peak times such as Fright Nights?

AS: "There are usually 3 of us that run the department, then up to 30 Hosts and 50 actors for Fright Nights."

CK: Other than Fright Nights, what other responsibilities does the Entertainments department have?

AS: "We are responsible for our character shows (Top Rockers), summer activities for kids, special events and our stunt show. We also look after park wide sound and provide costume characters for meet and greets on park."

CK: How much time in the year is dedicated to Fright Nights in proportion to everything else?

AS: "We tend to spread our time equally across our projects. For example as soon as the Fright Nights run comes to an end we will immediately focus on our Easter entertainment and commence auditions for our character shows. From there we work on our summer entertainment and then progress on to Fright Nights again. There are always other things that pop up in between such as ride soundtracks and special events so it’s never dull!"