CHASKA, Minn. — Are that time of year when people like to get scared for fun, and one Twin Cities woman uses her artistic talents to fuel that fun in more ways than one.
WCCO tagged along as she came up with ways to scare people day and night.
Most see a terrifying sight, but some see a canvas. Serena Berg puts the finishing touches to a life-size possessed woman. Using various shades of green and yellow, she paints puke around the fake monster’s face, neck, and shirt.
“I actually just have someone walk by and say ‘yuck,’” she said with a chuckle.
Her technical title is dresser, but she likes to say she makes monsters for a living. She works at Poison Props in Brooklyn Park, where the staff builds and creates ghosts and goblins intended for haunted houses. They are filled with electronic and pneumatic components, which make them come to life as people walk by. Berg is something of a horror artist, a role she was destined to fill.
Her mother was born on Halloweenleading her to a childhood in which the holiday was celebrated in grand style. Berg then married her husband on Halloween, as the two share a passion for October 31st.
“I grew up having a lot of Halloween parties and I always dressed up a lot for them. And then I’m here making scary things,” she said.
As soon as her workday is over, the monster inside her wakes up. Berg is now on her way to her second job. She is a scare actor at Scream Town, a collection of haunted houses in Chaska. The drive helps her get into the mindset for the character she will become, a clown named Mrs. Giggles. It’s the opposite of her actual personality.
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“I’m a very quiet person. I like to be in my own little world, but Mrs. Giggles is very in-your-face, get out of the way,” she described.
Berg is one of the main characters in Scream Town. She has been working there for about twelve years. There she heard about the vacancy at Poison Props. Turning into Mrs. Giggles starts with her makeup routine, which takes about 45 minutes. What starts with a white base layer is then decorated with different colors and shapes, some of which are reactive to black light.
“Just when I go all white, I think, ‘Oh, here she comes,'” she said as she painted her face.
Putting on white contact lenses can cause her eyes to bulge in a scary way. Once done, she turns to her fellow actors. She recently trained in applying makeup with an airbrush and is helping several others learn their character.
According to America Haunts, there are an estimated 1,200 haunted houses in the United States and an average of 8,000 people will visit each one during the Halloween season. At Scream Town, Berg is the head clown of the Psychodelic Circus, a circus-themed venue. Those who enter will receive a surprise greeting from Mrs. Giggles.
“I’m nervous every time. But after that first shock you just go,” she said.
As the terrorized teens make their way through the entrance, Mrs. Giggles jumps through a hidden doorway shouting, “Welcome to the circus!” She walks backwards and closes the door, only to reveal herself behind a casement window. While other actors use noise-making devices, such as swinging a bat against a wall to create jarring sounds, Berg prefers to use just her voice. That could tire most people’s vocal cords after a few hours, but Berg said she rarely loses her voice. That’s surprising to hear, considering she loudly greets a few groups of people every minute for several hours.
Some will scream when they see Berg, others try to be stoic and show no fear. Berg especially enjoys it when she gives someone a good scare.
“You just feel accomplished,” Berg said before laughing again.
Everyone who visits Scream Town will meet a chaotic clown, but they will never get to know the shy artist in her.
