behind-the-screams
What It's Actually Like to Work at a Haunted House
What is it like to work at a haunted house? Inside our makeup chair, a full night on the set, staying in character, and why our cast comes back each fall.
Allen Thompson
Director of Operations
- Haunt Production
- Immersive Attractions
- Seasonal Operations
- Guest Experience
Allen Thompson is the Director of Operations at Scarizona Scaregrounds, the family-owned haunted attraction on Alma School Road in Mesa. Under his direction the haunt has run its October seasons for over two decades, earning a spot on thrill-seekers’ annual tours across the East Valley and greater Phoenix.
He runs the show like a production. The cast, the set, the special-effects makeup, and the intellectual property are all built and staffed in-house: an immersive post-apocalyptic scaregrounds meant to play, in his own framing, like the equivalent of a movie or a TV show you walk straight into.
That approach earned outside recognition in 2024, when The Scare Factor named Scarizona’s cast the Highest Rated Cast in the Southwest, with a 9.0/10 cast score inside an 8.35/10 overall review. It is credit for a real, in-character cast and hand-crafted, single-artist SFX makeup rather than shortcuts.
Every October he and the seasonal Scream Team rebuild and reimagine the attractions, and the door stays open to Arizona locals who want to stop being just ticket buyers and join the cast and crew for the season.
From the Blog
Written by Allen Thompson
haunted-arizona
Corn Mazes in Arizona, by Region
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haunted-arizona
Best Haunted Attractions in Arizona (Ranked)
The best haunted attractions in Arizona, honestly ranked and reviewed, spanning Mesa, Chandler, Phoenix, and Tucson, and yes, including our own haunt.
See the Show They Run
Three haunts on one price, minutes from Phoenix. Pick your night and come walk it.