The Time I Was the Grim Reaper (and Got Paid for It)
How a random haunted forest gig taught me the value of saying yes to weird, unexpected opportunities.
The other night I went to a haunted house with my family. ’Tis the season — and yeah, I actually enjoy Halloween.
Walking through that haunted house took me back to one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had: playing the Grim Reaper at a haunted forest during my junior year of high school.
I got paid to dress up in a hooded cloak and guide people down a dark trail through the woods. My job? Distract the guests so they wouldn’t notice my buddy Rex flying toward them on a zipline, fake sword in hand. It was ridiculously fun. Especially for a teenage kid — and even better that I got paid for it. Honestly, I would’ve done it for free.
It all started because I said “yes” to something random. A friend had a connection to the crew running the haunted forest. We were invited to help out, and although I was a little unsure (it involved driving to an abandoned golf lodge in the woods, which sounds like the start of a horror movie), I showed up.
I walked into a room full of people putting on costumes, eating candy, and laughing. I jumped right in. There wasn’t much of a training program — the only real rule was: don’t touch the guests. Got it. Easy. Now let’s go scare some people.
I’d leap out from the trees, spook the guests just enough, then win their trust so they’d follow me deeper into the forest — right to where Rex would swoop in from above and give them a real scare.
Looking back, I’ve had a lot of jobs I’ve forgotten about. But that one — the haunted forest in Sherwood Hills, Utah — sticks with me. It was weird, a little sketchy, and totally unforgettable. And after that, haunted houses never really scared me again. I knew the behind-the-scenes. It was just regular people, doing their best to pull off a show.
Not many people can say they worked at a haunted forest. You can now say you know someone who did.
And while I’m probably past my prime zipline-jumping age, I’ll say this: if a job or opportunity feels uncertain or even a little scary, it might just be the one worth saying yes to.