Behind the Scenes at Phantom Fall Fest at Lake Compounce

Phantom Fall Fest is back at Lake Compounce. During the daytime weekend hours that America' s oldest amusement park is open, families come to play in Kiddie Land, this year delightfully branded as “Candy Corn Country.”

When the sun goes down, however, is when the spooky season comes alive for the bravest of guests. With five haunted houses and two scare zones, Phantom Fall Fest is the place for frights and this is where the talented scare actors have their chance to shine.

Lake Compounce begins to advertise the need for scare actors before the summer season is over, holding auditions early and often, and then tacking on additional audition slots to fill remaining roles.

I had the chance to attend the final dress rehearsal of this year’s crop of scare actors and got a behind the scenes look as the cast members prepared to begin their season. Hosts from other departments at Lake Compounce were invited to be their test audience for the final rehearsal before opening night. I was able to speak with a cross section of the mostly young performers that will make up this year’s cast.

Shylee Emigh is a 20-year old performer who travels from Haddam to portray a “slider” in the all-new scare zone called “Atomic Prom.” A slider is a character in an outdoor area who literally slides along the pavement, causing sparks to fly as they scare unsuspecting guests. This is the third year that Ms. Emigh has worked at Phantom Fall Fest as a slider. Last year, she appeared as Glowfish Killer Clown in the Sinister Circus scare zone (which has been replaced by fifties-inspired Atomic Prom.) She worked the prior season as a roaming character called Pumpkin Slice.

For her role this year, the actress relies on her experience in special effects work. Before arriving for her scheduled time in one of the make-up chairs on site, she dyes and styles her own hair in a rainbow of hues and applies part of her glow in the dark make-up. She even got a tongue piercing in order to insert a small, color-changing light inside her mouth that shines eerily through her mouth. You have to see it to believe it.

Ms. Emigh attends classes at various campuses of CT State Community College and works as a professional stage manager with the consistently sold out Essex Stream Train that runs during the Christmas season. She learned about Phantom Fall Fest auditions by keeping an eye open for them online and shared that her twin brother worked as a scare actor last year. During the 2025 season, a guest offered to gift her one of their teeth to add to a necklace that was part of her costume. She told me that her favorite part of the fall is the cooler weather.

Madison Guerrera, 23, returns to Phantom Fall Fest to originate a character in the newest scare zone that is set in the fifties after a prom that has been involved in a nuclear accident. Ms. Guerrera takes on the role of “Withering Waitress” with the improbable perky name of Judy. The actress described her character as a “bloody blonde.” The performer lives in Danbury and is a graduate of WestConn with a degree in professional writing. Her final performance at the VPAC on the Westside campus was in a black box space in the ensemble for a production of “The Donkey Show,” which I got to experience onstage.

For last year’s Phantom Fall Fest the actress took on the role of the first Alice in the indoor mAlice in Wonderland 3D haunted house. Ms. Guerrera spent the summer season at Lake Compounce as an attendant in the water park, but last year learned of scare actor auditions through social media. For this performer, the best part of autumn is Phantom Fall Fest because she loves all things that are horror related and the decade of the fifties holds a place of honor in her heart.

Another well-drawn role in “Atomic Prom” is that of the Prom King, which is strongly played by Denis Bardhi, a 21-year-old performer from Terryville. His character wears formal wear from the fifties that has suffered some sign of the atomic fallout and has the makeup to match. Bardhi is a graduate of Terryville High School and he is a fan of the cooler weather in the fall.

“MediEvil” is the outdoor haunt with a bloody medieval theme. Giovanni Rivera, 17, takes on the role of the messenger in a great costume. He learned about auditions from a poster inside the park when he was on vacation with his family. Rivera, who calls Middletown his home, played super heroes at Vinal Tech High School. The performer chose fall temperatures as the best part of the season.

Because “MediEvil” needs a Jester, David Zaslow, 22, has been cast in this role that brings a fabulous black and white costume and fabulous sprayed-on makeup. This performer who lives in Bristol was on staff at the park for the summer season and 2026 will be his second year as part of Phantom Fall Fest. Zaslow is a graduate of Brookfield High School and also attended the CT School of Broadcasting. To him, the best parts of fall are the slower pace at the park, the cooler days and being part of Phantom Fall Fest.

Mark Driver of Bristol returns to the Phantom Fall Fest cast, but this year he has taken on a new role. The character of Deadpan, the terrifying clown who scared guests in the scare zone “Sinister Circus,” has been retired. Driver, age 40, told me that he proudly displays his costume in a shadow box in his home.

This Phantom Fall Fest veteran now portrays a possessed explorer in the outdoor haunt “Bloodcraft.” Driver has an early call so that his detailed makeup can be applied and he adds very spooky contact lenses to finish the terrifying look.

Mr. Driver is a graduate of Bristol Eastern High School and has no other theatrical credits. During the summer season at Lake Compounce he works as a rides supervisor, and he told me that one of his favorite things about fall is that he is able to have fun trying to scare his fellow supervisors at Phantom Fall Fest. He also looks forward to his fall birthday, the changing leaves and getting to wear a hoody sweatshirt with shorts, no matter the temperature.

Jeinalee “Jelly” Garcia plays the Blood Witch in the very red “Bloodcraft,” a role that requires an early call so that the intricate face makeup that covers her face may be applied by one of the talented makeup artists. Ms. Garcia is 17 years of age and lives in Hartford. She is a full time student at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and this year is her senior year.

The young performer has been dancing onstage for 12 years. At her high school, she performed in an original musical titled “The Borough,” and plays violin in the orchestra. She also performed in “Matilda” with Act of Hartford.

Ms. Garcia learned of scare actor auditions through her sister’s boyfriend and last year was a performer in “Project Nightmare.” Her favorite part of fall is the weather.

Chris Schuler, 21, plays the role of Mannequin Ick in the terrifying “Project Nightmare,” which returns for its second year in Phantom Fall Fest. His costume evokes an all-white mannequin with a leg at an odd angle that is covered in colorful splotches of paint. His character comes alive in a room full of similarly dressed mannequins, so watch out.

Mr. Schuler is a graduate of St. Paul Catholic High School, but was not a “theater kid” and did not participate in the strong theater program at the high school. So this character, which he also played during “Project Nightmare’s” premiere in the 2025 spooky season at Lake Compounce, remains his first role ever.

The young performer learned about scare actors last year on Instagram via the media team. His favorite part of autumn is the overall spooky feeling that takes over and he looks forward to playing his scary role.

I got to speak with Elyse Cain, a 23-year-old Southington resident, who works as a maze host for “Project Nightmare.” The graduate of CCSU, who earned a BA in Social Work, learned of the position through Indeed.com and applied for it. She feels the best part of autumn is the weather.

Ms. Cain explained that her role in the outdoor haunt is all about safety. She manages the extensive lines of guests waiting to enter “Project” and keeps track of the numbers. She is the person who delivers safety speeches, warning guests about the use of strobe lights and fog in the haunt. It is her duty to report any issues to a maze supervisor in an effort to keep everyone safe.

The returning outdoor scare zone is “Sawmill Slashers.” Nicole Westover, 19, plays the role of the Sawmill Warden. Ms. Westover has an early call so that she can have her scary makeup applied, but she said that she looks forward all year to performing in Phantom Fall Fest.

Ms. Westover learned about auditions from her dad who works as a painter at Lake Compounce. (Thanks, Dad!) This is her second year performing in “Sawmill,” which she names as her favorite part of the fall season. The Terryville High School graduate has experience in competitive dance and performed in shows in her middle school in Terryville. She also appeared in “Seussical” with Jonathan Zalaski at Terryville Congregational Church, as well as their production of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

Another character in “Sawmill” is Clyde, who carries a baseball bat around this outdoor scare zone. Archer Dube, a young man who lives in Plainville, has been cast in this scary role. Mr. Dube learned about scare actor auditions through a notice at the exit of the park last year when he was not old enough to hold a job. This year he was able to apply as a 16-year-old.

Mr. Dube is homeschooled and is most interested in chemistry and the sciences. He worked as a volunteer scare actor at Nightmare’s Gate in North Branford. His favorite part of this fall is getting work at Phantom Fall Fest.

My favorite haunt at Lake Compounce is “mAlice in Wonderland 3D” because of the well known characters in “Alice in Wonderland” that have been given a spooky twist and placed in a 3-D colorful and slightly whimsical space. It is all very theatrical and I love it.

Mari Patterson, an 18-year-old performer from Bristol, takes on the role of the Caterpillar for the third year in the Phantom Fall Fest. Last year, she played the Cheshire Cat in this haunt. For her current role, she has an early call to have her makeup applied by airbrush. She originally learned about scare actor auditions through the QR code posted in the park.

Ms. Patterson is in her first year at Manchester Community College. In elementary school, she played a pirate in “Peter Pan, Jr.” and the narrator of “The Wizard of Oz, Jr.” Her favorite things in the fall include pumpkin picking and apple cider.

The White Rabbit in “mAlice” is played this year by Jekyll Connelly in her first job. Her costume includes both makeup and a mask. Ms. Connelly is 18 and lives in Bristol. She learned about auditions from her friend Jonah and went to the Lake Compounce to apply.

The performer's credits include “Beauty and Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Moana, Jr.” Her favorite part of this fall is playing the role of the “White Rabbit.”

Charlie Forte, a professional actor from Wallingford, dons a white coat to take on the role of the Mad Scientist in the outdoor haunt “Malignant Overgrown Evil.” Mr. Forte, 27, learned about auditions from a CT Paid Theater Work social media forum and this is his first season at Phantom Fall Fest. He made a point to credit the makeup artist that airbrushes his face with a leafy theme and acknowledging the great people he has met at Lake Compounce.

The actor is a graduate of Sheehan High School and is so much a fan of the spooky season that he is an early Halloween decorator. His theatrical credits include Patrick in “The Spongebob Musical” with City Youth Theatre and the production of “The Producers” at Connecticut Theatre Company. He also played the role of Dewey Finn in “School of Rock” in Wallingford.

Quinn Monyelle, a 29-year-old living in Southbury, plays the role of the Deranged Gardener “Mavis” in "Malignant,” the first character in the outdoor haunt that takes over the area of Kyle’s Garden in the park.

The performer, who went to school in Georgia, enjoys the lower temperatures of the fall and the changing leaves. She learned of the upcoming scare actor auditions from Lake Compounce website and said that the job is already so much fun.

This year the House Leads include Amanda Noel, Austin Richman, Cameryn Chasse, Devin Mallon, Hailey Bryant, Lillian Burke, Owen Simpson-Mayette, Zachary Oemcke, and Violet Roman. Luis Marrero-Solis and Nicole Gagnon are House Supervisors. Emilie Feivelson is the Hair and Makeup Supervisor and Kevin Roland works as the Costume Supervisor.

All photos of final dress rehearsal by Nancy Sasso Janis