Behind-the-Scenes of
Horror Haunts with
Sunshine Marie Smith

Halloween is around the corner and like many of you, you’re very excited and yet saddened by what awaits the long-anticipated season due to Covid19. Many of us won’t be able to go-to haunts in the traditional sense as many attractions have transitioned into drive-thru haunts or have canceled altogether. Married to Horror had the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with our friend Sunshine Marie Smith. She’s a long time lover of Halloween and has years of experience in the haunt industry. She gives us an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the haunts and a little insight on what’s to be expected during the wake of the coronavirus.

Married to Horror (MTH): Thank you for joining us today! How did you come to love horror and Halloween?

Sunshine: For me, it started at a young age. I absolutely love dressing up. So, playing dress-up was always a huge deal to me and the fact that I could run around and dress up as a kid and people would pay me in candy was fantastic. I lived in a neighborhood where you would get a pillowcase full of candy. It was go big or go home. So, it was always big extravagant costumes. I always wanted to have the best costume for school. So, when I think about my love of Halloween it’s very the black cats, glitter, and the spider webs. All of that. Never really been into a lot of the gory horror films.

MTH: How did you get into working in the Halloween Haunt field?

Sunshine: So, I got into this fancy college. I was one of 7 admitted worldwide. It was going to cost 50 grand a year twelve years ago…and it was going to be a degree in musical theater and I got a $5,000 scholarship.

MTH: Whaaaaaat?

Sunshine: I did a fundraiser and I had raised some money and everything and they said they were going to find me scholarships and the financial aid lady called and said, “You should be realistic. You can’t afford to come here.” six hours before I was supposed to go on a plane to go there!  So, I was really devastated. I didn’t do anything for a month. I stayed in bed and I cried and then it was kind of like, “You can do nothing or you can do something.” and I thought, “You know what? I like haunted houses.” So, I went to a job interview at Six Flags for Fright Fest. I was always scared. I never went to Knott’s Scary Farm. I never went to Fright Fest. I was always really scared of everything and if I work at it I won’t be scared of it. So, I went. I applied. I was hired on the spot and just working in it was just so exciting and fun. You know being really sad and being really depressed, it was something that took me out of being depressed and so that love of Halloween has just kind of flourished.

Just the idea of scaring people is so exciting to me. It’s this giddy thing and it’s fun to be scared. 

MTH: I love that, because you worked in the field it helped you to overcome certain fears about horror movies because you know how things are made and effects, sets and all of that. Would you tell us all the haunts you’ve worked for?

Sunshine: I worked for Six Flags Fright Fest for three seasons. I was originally hired as a clown. Just as a maze personality and then the next year they were doing a kid’s show. So, and then I was hired for a full-time position. So, I did the Halloween kids show during the day and then at night, I was the assistant for the Wheel of Fright show. So, I fed people bugs and signed people up to do crazy things, and then the following year I stayed on and I did another kid’s show. I was in charge of Scarioake. I got to write, direct and do all the designing for the actual set, pick my own costume and did all the music for it.

Then after that, I always wanted to work at Universal Halloween Horror Nights. I had auditioned for Universal Studios for five years in a row because they were supposed to be the Cadillac of events.  If you worked Halloween Horror Nights it was like you were big time! So, I had friends go with me and all of my friends got hired before me! I always went with people and then I was like, “You know what? Screw it!” So, one year I went alone. I wore dark makeup, a black wig and I went totally goth. I was hired on the spot! They didn’t want to hire me before because literally my name was Sunshine and I had blonde hair.

MTH: (laughter) That is amazing! You know what’s funny is just preconceived notions of you, like your hair, your name, your beautiful smile and laugh they’re probably like, “She can’t possibly be a dark character.”

Sunshine: 100%. I just thought, “Screw it!” This is what I do for musical auditions. I’m going to go dressed as a Halloween character and it worked.