Let's Not Standardize Electrocuting People in Haunted Houses
My girlfriend and I love going to haunted houses and horror attractions during Halloween. However, I've now had two separate experiences where I was shocked without my knowledge or consent, and I am absolutely not okay with that.
The first incident happened at a haunted house. My girlfriend and I entered a completely pitch-black room where we had to feel our way around. When I reached the door and tried to open it, I was suddenly jolted by these coil-like things. I decided to ignore the rules and use my flashlight to see what the hell had just happened. That's when I discovered that the walls were covered in coils designed to shock people. This was advertised as a no-touch haunted attraction. To me, that means I should expect to be scared, not physically touched or electrocuted. I had no reason to expect that trying to open a door would result in getting shocked.
The second incident happened at another haunted house I recently visited, and it was even worse. The pain was x10 worse than the previous haunted house. If you ever had to get tased as part of law enforcement or military training, it felt worse than that IMO.
In one room, an actor instructed us to play Simon Says. When we were told to grab some metal bars hanging from the ceiling, I specifically asked whether they would shock us. I noticed they were metal, and after my previous experience, I made it clear that I did not want to be shocked. The actor told me they wouldn't shock me.
I trusted what the actor told me, grabbed the bars, and immediately received a shock that was significantly worse than previous haunted house. I was pissed and slammed my arms against the floor and cussing up a storm in anger from the pain. Instead of showing any concern, the actor laughed at me, mocked my reaction to the pain, and made some sarcastic comment about how fun playing Simon Says was.
After leaving, I learned that the ticket sellers were supposedly supposed to inform guests about the shocks. Not a single person mentioned it to me. I also reread the rules and policies, and all I found was generic language about standard attraction risks and liability waivers. Nowhere did I see an explicit warning that guests would be subjected to electric shocks.
And honestly, even if there were some obscure reference to it buried in the fine print, I shouldn't have to comb through pages of legal language just to find out whether an attraction intends to shock me with electricity. Something like that deserves a clear, upfront warning. It should never be something guests have to discover the hard way. Getting electrocuted isn't standard in haunted attractions.
I understand that going to a haunted house involves certain risks. For example, if I slip in the darkness and get cut or bruised, for example, and the attraction wasn't negligent, that's a risk I can reasonably understand and accept. Darkness, obstacles, startling actors, and frightening environments are all part of the experience. But there's a difference between accepting the ordinary risks of a haunted house and unknowingly agreeing to be subjected to something that deliberately causes physical pain. I consented to being scared. I did not consent to being shocked or be apart of anything that would deliberately cause me pain.
I understand that extreme haunted attractions exist specifically to push people's limits, and some even advertise themselves as intense, physically demanding experiences. If someone knowingly signs up for one of those attractions after being clearly informed about what it entails, that's their decision. But ordinary haunted houses shouldn't be shocking guests without their explicit, informed consent.
I love horror attractions. I love being startled, chased, intimidated by actors, and immersed in terrifying scenarios. I don't want to see those experiences ruined or eliminated. But there is a fundamental difference between frightening someone and deliberately inflicting pain on them.
Electric shocks should never be sprung on unsuspecting guests. At an absolute minimum, attractions that use them must provide clear, explicit warnings and obtain informed consent beforehand. Guests should have the opportunity to decide whether they're comfortable with that kind of experience before they enter, not discover it only after they've already been hurt.