One of the nation’s biggest, top-rated haunted attractions will reopen next month. It’s right here in metro Detroit, and it needs you to help make it a screaming good time.
Erebus, located in downtown Pontiac, will return for its 25th season on Friday, Sept. 13, and it’s currently accepting applications to join its Scare Team.
From 2005-2009, the four-floor mecca of macabre was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest walk-through haunted attraction. Though it no longer holds the title, co-founder Ed Terebus told the Free Press the venue has increased in size since then.
“We’re still one of the largest haunts in the world,” said Terebus. “Now, I think we’re just over 2,600 linear feat, which is equivalent to (about) seven football fields, or just about half a mile.”
While coincidentally similar to the family name of founding brothers Ed and Jim, Erebus happens to be a Greek deity – the son of Chaos – who is identified as the personification of the darkness beneath the earth, or the Underworld itself.
Terebus said that innovation has kept the haunt a must-see attraction each year.
'We ... bury you alive'
“We make a lot of things ourselves,” he said. “We try to come up with new concepts, new ideas. If you’ve ever seen a swamp inside a haunted house, we’re the guys that created that, here. We came up with a lot of the creations you’ve started to see around the country. Right now, we’ve got a ‘buried alive’ feature. Everybody’s dying to figure out how we do it; we haven’t told anybody. We put you in a room, slam the door, fill it up to six-feet-six, bury you alive. How long can you hold your breath?
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“This year, we redid the whole third floor and are going very traditional with it – jack o’lanterns and boogeymen. It’s going to be a very cool, very traditional, very nostalgic feeling of Halloween … but hopefully, we’re going to scare the hell out of you at the same time.”
No training required
Terbus emphasized that individuals applying to be scare actors don’t need any acting training.
“You just have to be somebody who likes Halloween, who can scare somebody and giggle, somebody who’s excited and motivated. If you want to have some fun and meet a lot of people, come on out. This is a place for you.
“We have a wide variety here of people here. Everybody gets along. We do background checks on people, for the safety of everybody. And you got to get along with everybody, too. Here, we have a ‘no drama’ rule. We don’t want that. Now that we’re going at 100%, it’s all about the actors. It’s all about the show.”
Costumes provided
Tryouts are described as “come as you are” – Erebus will provide makeup and costumes. To apply, you must be 18 years or older and have a valid state ID and reliable transportation, and be willing and able to stand for long periods of time. All positions are paid, and offer flexible workdays with some overtime hours.
Most importantly, Erebus says no previous scare actor experience is necessary; successful applicants will be trained in-house.
Erebus is located at 18 South Perry Street in Pontiac. In addition to filling out the online application at hauntedpontiac.com/jobs you can also email jobs@hauntedpontiac.com or call 248-332-7884 for more information.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Erebus, world-renowned Pontiac haunted attraction, seeks scare actors
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