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Pre-Haunt Days
I was born on March 23, 1983, to a blind woman who nearly lost her life due to blood loss during my birth. I was about a month early and a preemie baby, so my lungs were underdeveloped, and doctors had me on a respirator. I was near death, without a heartbeat—I guess you could say I was undead. My father left us then due to his partying ways, which made him unfit as a parent.
My mother, my grandparents, Uncle Tom, and Uncle Jack raised my younger brother and me. Mom was a huge hard rock and heavy metal fan, and vinyl records sat on her dresser. Seeing them, I was in awe of these records. One caught my six-year-old eyes: I saw four superheroes standing above a destroyed land—a sonic boom of rock. The name of this band was KISS. One superhero looked like a monster; I asked Mom who he was, and she said Gene Simmons. I put on the song "God of Thunder," and a proud soldier of the KISS Army was born.
I then got into Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and many other Gods of rock. But I was also a villain who, as a Halloween junkie even then, loved the Universal Monsters, often through Abbott and Costello. (I am also a huge fan of the Three Stooges, thanks to my Grandpa). Alice Cooper was the villain of rock, with a slightly spooky, manic image of a man with a woman’s name. This interest in horror started to influence me, and I liked it.
Being a huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman, I also had a love for the WWF superheroes like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. In 1990, my hero would come from the shadows: a man who looked grim, with long red hair, powerful and cold icy stares at anyone in his way—The Undertaker with Paul Bearer.
Nicknames and the Field Trip
Around this time, I began playing football with a childhood friend named Andrew Toepfert. We were allowed to give ourselves nicknames; Andy chose War Eagle, and I chose Demon. I noticed my tongue was long and I could roll my eyes back, things that became a part of me, so it felt natural to show this.
In the third grade, I went on a field trip: a camping trip. The trip changed me. Like all field trips, children can't be watched all the time, but the adults would regret not watching a bully who called to me and asked me to come to him. He never mentioned a sewer lid, which I stepped on. The lid broke, and I slid down into the water like Super Mario Brothers. I held myself up in the water by the sides of the rusted metal tube. A kid, Andy Edwards, tried pulling me out as teachers and/or parents helped after hearing his screams for help. I realized I could have drowned if I had been knocked out, or died from the fall if there was no water.
Not a single person called my Mom, Grandparents, or my Uncle Jack or Tom. So, when I came home with scratches and told this story, you saw a blind mother angry as hell, and I feel she should have sued them.
Judgments and Rebellion
I failed the third grade that year. After my creative nickname, Demon, I drew a picture of KISS's Gene Simmons breathing fire in my fourth-grade class. The speech teacher, counselor, and principal came into the class and pulled me out. There was also a cop who patted me down. Someone had lit a match in the boy's room, and they saw my drawing, thinking I was trying to breathe fire in there.
My mom did smoke, but I am personally against smoking, so using matches or lighters wasn't in my wheelhouse. They found nothing. We had a meeting in the Counselor's office, and they pretty much thought I was evil. This experience created a kid who was more withdrawn and who understood that those with authority don't always have the best intentions. Based on whatever religious or political views they held, they seemingly judged a small boy, a single blind mother, and my grandparents.
Later, during Junior High, their counselor told me that notes from my grade school stated my family was a cult. As a teenager, I grew my hair long and wore black KISS shirts, becoming the image I was judged on. Students started calling me The Zombie because I was quiet.
A friend I met in grade school, who had Down syndrome and was being bullied, I defended. Through Junior High, he and I were close friends; his name was Nathan Michealson.
Music and Haunts
I started to learn the bass guitar like my hero, Gene Simmons, and started a band with Andy Toepfert and Chris Palassis called Unleaded in 1997. We played a show called Delhi Lights. We played the BTO classic "Taking Care of Business" but with a punk twist.
We also had another childhood friend named Andy Becker. He was a loud, brash guy, not always liked by classmates. But no one took the time to understand the heart of this "creep," something I learned in grade school when I got to know him. He never understood why I was in learning-disabled classes and felt I was always coddled, not understanding that I have a bit of autism. Like most people in those days, he didn't understand what that was or saw how we were different because we were friends. But we were brothers, and I'd take a punch for anyone, even to this day.
In my early life, I helped the elderly around the neighborhood or a family friend who was blind named Larry Goodall, for whom I worked from 1997 until he passed away in 2009. I had to be available day or night to help him.
My Mom and I had friends named Gary Horn and Steve Harmon. From 1996 onward, they were regularly in my life. Steve was a metal singer and comic book artist for his comic, "Maiden Hell." Gary was a DJ for WVXU; his show was called "Saturday Night Loud," where he interviewed people like Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler, Al Jourgensen (Al Show?), and later, Damien Reaper. He had me at the studio many times.
One night in 1997, the three of us headed to Dungeons of Delhi. It was behind what was then a Thriftway store. I was a horror fan but wasn't used to people being in my face. I had visited a haunted house in the early '90s within an old Swallens, and it had scared me. Dungeons put me in a state of shock. Seeing a guy in an electric chair, for whatever reason, I saw my own face on the dummy in the chair. I’ve never used drugs, so I am still unsure what my younger self saw. Andy Becker, who played a Freddy there at the time, saw as his friend was brought out, shaking and out of his mind.
Dungeons of Delhi:
Rattle the chains
1998: Dungeons of Delhi
One random summer day, Andy Becker came over and said, "Hey, you should act with me." I had always wanted to wear makeup and perform; I thought it would be through music, but this would be at least something. So, we went to Dungeons of Delhi. Although the police employers questioned us, and Sara Osbourne, David Gumz, and Josh Purkey joined us in a room, I wanted a specific room—something was calling me to it: The Funeral Parlor.
I wanted to be like my heroes: The Undertaker, Gene Simmons, and Alice Cooper—a monster. Rising out of a casket and hearing two teenage girls scream was like a fire in my soul. Damien Reaper was the larger-than-life version of Daniel Ruwan. What was hiding behind the shy, quiet kid was a demon waiting to come out.
David Espich and Joe Middendorf, both the owners and co-founders, saw something in me. I hated the idea of being a wannabe like a Freddy or a Dracula, even though they were my favorites; I did not want to dress up as something that was done much better in the films. I also didn’t want to be some random monster or clown. I felt I had a name and personality.
Andy and I went to Josh Purkey's house. As I was obsessed with KISS, Andy was obsessed with Ozzy. We put the intro of "Mr. Crowley" on a loop tape and showed it to Dave, who loved it. It created a different atmosphere. I acted in the parlor all but one time when they needed someone in the kitchen, so it was me, Damien Reaper, acting like I cut myself and using the blood as sauce. I wish I had a photo of it.
I had a thought, thinking of Eddie from Iron Maiden on the album covers: maybe I can still be myself, but as I changed rooms, it could change my look or actions. There were no rules as to what a Haunted House monster could be, so I could evolve what I started. It made the guy underneath an artist and mascot on the outside.
Going into the following year, I was put into the Door Room, where, when you walk into a hallway, one door has a mock dummy and two have actors. The Biker came from looking at a promo picture for an album Alice Cooper was going to release a year later, called Brutal Planet.
My family had a WebTV (which was like a Roku box with a keyboard). I made websites and saw a reviewer named Randy Schadel from The House of Doom. I emailed him about Dungeons of Delhi. He came, reviewed us, and spotlighted me, which made me feel great, and he had me send him a photo with the ax. This opened my eyes to what Haunting could be for actors who felt trapped in a society that looked down on them—they could be who they were inside.
Later, at the Nightmare Estates Haunted House, Brett Ryan would become the legend Bludzo T. Klown, who was also a hybrid of his heroes, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, and as a clown.
My second year was pretty interesting as partners Brad Taylor and Andy Becker didn't really have defined characters, but we would pop out. One night, a group of Asian foreigners came into the room. Brad popped out and ushered them into the door entrance, which was like a closet-sized room, and I heard the door slam. Four grown men screamed to get out. When Brad opened the door, they flew out. I was doubled over laughing behind the door.
The third year was The Graveyard, which was next to the electric chair I was scared of and had avoided. Here I was next to it, and I started to see it was just a prop. Andy Becker and I were joined by my father, whom I finally met in 1996 after I contacted him. He had been a haunted house actor in the '70s with his yard haunt, where he lay in a coffin and popped out at local kids, and at the legendary St. Rita's Haunted House. Kevin Patrick Walker became The Evil One as Becker was Ozwald.
During this time, David Espich told us we had two traveling actors to guest with us named Kevin and Joe who did zombie acts. I feel David Espich is one of the unheard haunt actors and the best showman and magician I've ever known. He once told me, "We don't want to be too big." I never understood what he meant. I later understood it because my roots in charity really made me work harder and stand out. After later being with a haunt that grew to a cosmic level, I saw how it changes people and how the bond of a team can change.
I used to stay long nights to build and create rooms with David Espich; there was no, "I'm the boss, you're my actor." It was two friends working together to do a silly passion we shared, even if I had school. My costume choices were questionable for a few years, but this is where you learn and grow—not trying to be perfect—because if you're at your best acting, the costumes will come to life anyway.
I never felt zombies were interesting in a haunting setting because it's the interaction that can take you to another level. If you growl at someone, oh boy, it may scare the easily scared. But to add a layer of interaction and connection always works better. Even in those later years, when I was forced to be a zombie at Dent Schoolhouse, I never found doing trends based on the film of the year or trends that work in films to be effective in haunted houses. It got in the way of giving what people paid for, and it was a gimmick on top of a gimmick. The Graveyard at Dungeons of Delhi looked cool; there was tons of mulch, and the foam crypts and gravestones looked amazing.
For my fourth year, it was The Wedding Chapel, an idea David Espich really wanted me in. I can't say at the time how weddings could be scary until I was older. Damien Reaper was a minister and symbiote (like Venom from Marvel). So, I wore a robe with red puffy paint and tights, again with puffy paint, so if a pretty lady went by, I was in danger from showing a new pop-out prop.
At the same time, earlier that year, in March of 2002, I would have played in front of my class in High School. Andy Toepfert, Chris Egloff, and Chris Palassis performed four songs as G-12. Although I wasn't allowed to wear makeup, I wore a long black wig because I had cut my hair short, along with leather gloves and a jacket, again showing there was no fakeness between the monster and the man. I graduated in June: cap, gown, and leather gloves.
In 2003, I was set to return to the Funeral Parlor at Dungeons of Delhi; it made sense five years later. So, I used bits of past costumes and painted my face red with a wig and a mask, like Kane the wrestler. I met Ty Jero, who played Michael Myers a year before, and his victim, Robin Dickman. Robin wanted to be a monster, so she joined me for the three years I was in the funeral parlor as The Banshee.
The great Dan Leopold also came in. Although it took playing a few characters like Dr. Giggles and an insane inmate, when he started a pre-Fatso the Clown with a mohawk and polka-dot muumuu, he found something inside of him. Fatso, being a fan of Sid Haig in House of 1,000 Corpses and Clown from Spawn, Dan really redefined this new Fatso that keeps going through Dent Schoolhouse and MAUL. He was the first who really understood that a gimmick is a gimmick, but when you put on the costume, it's the larger-than-life part of you. If you just hang out with Dan, the clown is there under the skin.
The Rouse family came in as well: Cecil (Chainsaw Cec), Mary, Jake (Buddy the Bum), Benny, Ron (Doctor Lector), and Ronny (Hondo) Jr. They brought new ideas, along with John Colletta (Toxic Lou), who was an electrician. New lighting and pro design, like the Monster Garage, and more detail were applied to rooms.
The last few years, from 2003–2005, were magic; we got more notice. When Dan and Tony Wessley (Joker) bonded, magic happened. City Blood, Haunted House Tour, and other reviewers all took notice of us, with House of Doom leading the way. Reviewers are great for a Haunted Attraction; they are the links between us and the outside world, whether it be other haunts or the public. They are true fans and should be treated as such.
But out of nowhere in 2005, Randy from House of Doom sent me an email about new managers of The WEBN Haunted House. The original owner wanted to pass the torch, and Chuck & Bud Stross and Josh Wells wanted to meet with me. John Colletta and Jake Rouse, who was managing Dungeons of Delhi at the time, were there. David Espich and Joe Middendorf were there, but they kind of let us lead the charge of things.
The new owners of what is now The Dent Schoolhouse wanted to do a group ticket with other haunts where, as a customer, if you punched a hole in the tickets, you would win something. So, John put his own money in, got shirts, and put them toward doing this. This group included Dungeons of Delhi, Dent Schoolhouse, USS Nightmare, St. Rita's Haunted House, Mt. Healthy Hall, and Sandy Land Acres. It was the first time I realized there was a community beyond Dungeons.
I can't say exactly how the meetings went, but as someone who was in the room, it was interesting; there was uneasiness between owners. We also had a meeting at the Newport on the Levee where the haunts mingled, and those from The Nightmare Estates were also present, like Brett Ryan, Randy Patterson, and Adam Kassen. Reviewers like City Blood and House of Doom would witness the new icon of The Dent Schoolhouse, Charlie McFree.
2006 came, and I wanted to split my time as an icon as Damien Reaper, a Dungeons of Delhi representative, who acted at USS Nightmare on Wednesdays. Thursdays, I would act at Dent Schoolhouse and on weekends in September. In October, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays were all Dungeons of Delhi.
A few of us—namely myself, Dan Leopold (Fatso), (Madd) Matt, and (Mean) Mark Mateikat (who started that season)—would guest act at Dent Schoolhouse after nights at Dungeons of Delhi that ended at 10 PM. Dent would end at midnight, sometimes later, depending on the crowd. On Halloween night, Dungeons was closed, so we flew to Dent. I remember working three rooms in one night because they were low on actors, so I did The Vampire room, the Mummy room, and the start of a vortex.
This was so exciting, getting to act and link each attraction, helping each other. That was where I saw things going, because our community was so huge—the idea of a shared universe. All of us locally could take Cincinnati and together open the doors for actors young and old to be themselves. Owners—pro and charity—could unite and be stars across the city.
I didn't know that underneath the smiles, business people weren't as open-minded as I was. When money comes into play, being number one seemed to matter more than what I could see benefited everyone. I was starting to see how un-normal of an industry this really was, and as the years carried on, I saw how petty and ugly it can be after I left Dungeons.
Joining the Dent Schoolhouse
2007: The Dent Schoolhouse
I didn't know I would leave Dungeons 100% in 2007. One of the walls in the haunt seemed wobbly, so John Colleta, Dan Leopold, and Jake Rouse rebuilt it. Joe Middendorf, a co-owner of Dungeons of Delhi, came in, saw the work, and told them he wanted it back the way it was. They had to tear it down. I wasn't present, so when the debate to jump to The Dent Schoolhouse was brought to my attention, we held a meeting at Dungeons of Delhi with a small group. I initially wanted to split my time, as I did in 2006, but I also saw Dent as the future.
I bonded quickly with those from Nightmare Estates who had blended with the Dent Schoolhouse originals: Troy Baldock (Baby Zuez), Jeremy Jones, Sam Rehn, Pat Hennessy (Fruit Loop), Kirby Hilyard (Rellik), Ellen Irvine (Emilia Strange), Charlie Geluso (Bus driver Chuck), Maggie Baker (Molly Lovett), Adam Kraus (Bubba Mcfree), Steven Penny (Aagod), Adam's sister Beth Kassen, Donnie Centers, Chris Varin (Boiles), Jimmy Matthews, Keith Peace (Booter), Kaitlen Eagle (Nurse Sputum), and Josh Gentry (Big Jim), to name a few. Many of the core actors made it what it was. I’m unsure if John or Jake called the owners of Dent; I felt it was a natural change. I was older and thought Damien Reaper would evolve and fit into the Schoolhouse. They were welcoming then.
We had to audition in 2007. I wanted to give back to the guy who got me started at Dungeons of Delhi, Andy Becker, after he was kicked out for maybe being too aggressive for a charity haunt. So, I told him he should dress up for his audition; he went as a zombie since Andy loves George A. Romero, Freddy, and Jason. They put him in the Funeral Parlor as The Creep. I would go into the Graveyard, the first room of the attraction. Dan Leopold would join Brett Ryan in the clown room with newcomers Brandon Unthank (Skittles), Greg Bredestege (Ruffels), and Julie Langenderfer (Calliope).
Something was magical about this group. While Dungeons started it off, and the self-created characters there should be remembered, I think the original cast is why The Dent Schoolhouse is where it is today. It was the right cast, right owners, right management, and the right set designer, the master among Gods, Josh Wells, and the Tuesday night crew. They all went overkill to make the magic happen, and it was so positive and warm then. I was happy, especially with my Dad joining in as The Evil One alongside Damien Reaper on nights in the graveyard. We were a force and felt unbreakable.
At MHC 2008, we did two shows on that tour, one at Nightmare (Enter-trainment) Junction and back down to Dent Schoolhouse. Then, a group of us went to MHC in Columbus, Ohio. If you had the Dent logo, everyone approached you and said how great the haunt was. I never had that experience before. As great as Dungeons was and as much light as they got from reviewers, this felt bigger. I saw what networking could be, and the haunt actor could have meaning not just in the haunt community but locally. I did a cameo for Dent and Under the Gun Productions called The Janitor, and we also did the video Thriller. These were things I always wanted.
However, that year, on Christmas Eve, I lost my Grandpa. It was the first real loss directly from my home, my heart. A year later, in 2009, I got a call from Mom after a night haunting that a family friend, the guy I was helping, Larry Goodall, had passed away. In 2010, I lost my Grandmother; I was her favorite. During this time, it was a struggle to balance being there for those loved ones who passed and trying to be Damien Reaper. I was a mess.
At MHC 2009, I was one of the first Scarokee singers with the great Scarlet Angel, singing "Crazy Train," which cemented who I was. Dent was starting to be noticed behind the makeup. Bud Stross and Megan Schmitt were getting really popular with their personas Jasper and Jinx. They were like a team, entertaining more than scary characters, but I'll be honest, that overshadowed Charlie McFree. Why Jasper and Jinx worked was that the actors' real selves shone through the clowns. To me, Bud Stross is the most underrated actor because he could morph into any persona—be it Killjoy, Jasper, Charlie, or VIP—and it worked out well, though he is best known for being the owner and master at marketing.
When Bud started a podcast with Adam Kraus, Beth Kassan, and Jessica Coyle called The Sinister Hour, which Troy Baldock and I called into, Dan Leopold, Troy, and I started Corpse Cast as a parallel. We wanted to interview outside haunters and friends outside the "tribe." We interviewed House of Doom, Tyler and John from Dungeons of Delhi, and USS Nightmare (which sadly got lost). We even had drunk podcasts where I was drunk reading a ghost story at Dan’s farm. The second time, both podcasts joined forces, and it was an amazing time. Though I was drinking a lot, self-medicating, and trying to be liked and social, I was being stupid. I thought I was in control. Dan was the editing guy. I paid for the site. I wanted to do it twice a week and get sponsors as Rotten Flesh Radio. I think Dan liked the recording, but the late-night editing was overkill for him. He and Keith Peace were starting to form a band, so his interests were leaning more toward that. Sinister Hour fizzled out as well.
I was stupid thinking that Corpse Cast could grow that way. Looking at Dan's point of view, he's younger than I am, so he wanted to dip his fingers in many "sauces." He knew he was Fatso the Clown, but he wanted to do things outside of Haunting 24/7. I am more "Hey, we are Haunters, let's embrace everything Haunting." Everything I wanted was Damien: film, art, t-shirts. I wanted to be like KISS with all of us in Dungeons of Delhi and Dent Schoolhouse, where everyone shared the spotlight, shining as a group and shining as an individual, only through this art. It is great that everyone should be passionate about something; I wanted to see everyone get credit, and everyone deserved that.
I think for most people, other than myself, doing the podcasts of both teams felt like too much "Haunt stuff" in their lives. For Dan or Bud or whomever who had other outlets that they had more passion in, or in Bud's case, he is a DJ, the haunt thing that brought you together started becoming a job. When you see each other every week, you start to distance yourselves from one another. Then, those outside our groups started asking themselves why they weren't included, which was starting to happen.
By 2010, I had lost everyone outside my Mom and two Uncles who raised my brother and me. I had a few friends outside of haunting, mostly Wayne Spies, who wanted to do videos and who I met through MySpace. I also met Skare 13 Productions in 2008. We did his 3D zombie videos, Why, another zombie video with Andy Becker called Cold Creek, and a full-length movie where we used the kitchen at The Dent Schoolhouse. Dan Leopold and his cousin Erica played a boss and worker killed by myself, a killer Pizza man. I was also in the majority of the music videos Dan did: Don't Stop Me Now (as Dan, Damien, and other things), Don't Stop Believing (as Blamo), and Call Me Maybe (as Father Damien).
Layered with that was drama. A few members felt I was delusional as my persona. I think they felt I couldn't turn it off—that I didn’t know where Damien or Dan began and ended. Yes, there is a gray area of both, but I wasn't taking people's souls or being a haunter at the store. I would call myself Damien at karaoke or go to meetings in makeup for fun because it was fun. Somehow, it bothered other people at Dent. All at the same time, I was dealing with three losses, and a woman who was a cast mate in her 20s, who was loosely in our circle, after having a fever of 100 degrees, repeatedly texting me, "Do you like me?"—coerced by another person to do this to me. I try to keep any crushes in check when it comes down to Haunting. It's poison in a circle. I was weak and said yes. She made sure I knew there was no chance there could have been "love birds," though I knew there was no chance anyway. But I was weak and needed people to cope with loss and other emotions.
We went to a few events, like a festival with Dent, where she dragged me away from another person who had also harassed her at a party. Then, for a week, she had me stay at her father's place later, coming to my house just to take a shower. She even took me to a convention in 2011, Days of the Dead, just to meet a guy in a band as I stayed in the lobby overnight with the great Sal Lizard. She kept telling me this or that between us in text or on the phone, so I blew up when I heard from other people that I was harassing her. The more I asked why and by whom, she would get threatening and unbearable, blocking me and unblocking me back and forth—nonsense. All at the same time, I was drinking and just trying to escape to some sort of happiness.
At a New Year's Eve party at a haunt friend’s home, I drank ten shots of whiskey in a row in 2012. No one else knew this because they were in the shed playing NES games. I was trying to die. I felt alone, and though I was with the person who slept across from me, who later said I harassed her (and she seemed safe with me in the living room with her), I was also with those who said I was crazy. I remember praying to God to kill me, end my life. And here is the kicker: I blame myself for all these things. I wasn't being true to myself as I was as a kid and teenager—a loner with mental issues. With a drink, I was poisoning the dreamer and letting fools get to me. Circles that party and some, like me, who also have issues, can be a toxic place, especially when you open yourself up to it.
So in 2013, after being pulled over by Terry Rook Jr., the cast manager, about issues with three people, and with the overall concept in the haunt changing, everyone's characters were forced to end—all but a few—for a noir horror theme. Things with Dent were starting to become more serious with point systems, where if you were sick, lost a loved one, or were called into your real job, missing a day could mean being let go. There were contracts that pretty much said, "we own your likeness and you can’t use it in another haunt." They stopped guest actors from coming in.
For years, I made my own videos, did reviews of MHC, and did interviews. Again, with all of it, I felt like everything that was happening to others and myself was due to the owners stripping away the past. The owners, I think, felt the inmates were having too much control over their asylum. Look, it’s their haunt; they can do whatever they want. I think forcing everyone to change and implement corporate-like things, such as punishing or letting someone go because they were sick, lost a loved one, or a real job called them in, was too much.
They are really good people; they came to my Grandma’s funeral, and they let me thank the cast in 2010. Come 2013, I’m not sure how things became as they were between myself, the cast, and the owners—what happened where everyone broke away. Maybe it was being featured in Travel Channel as the Autoshop Satanist in 2011. I do feel that was my fault because I wanted to be more and carry the torch as Damien Reaper and Dungeons of Delhi. So for some reason, it hit a nerve with some or most there. I did an event with them at Fear Fair and wrestled in a match, which reminds me, the girl who said I was harassing her was drunk and came up to me to say good luck.
I knew the day Terry pulled me aside about these issues that I was leaving Dent and the haunt business altogether. Who I was, and am, is Damien Reaper, not a noir detective, which I didn't hate, but it wasn't true to myself. Come that year’s cast party, I didn’t dress up; I didn’t want to be there. I was done. I felt isolated from everyone, which in the end, I needed. But seemingly, I wasn't alone in needing to leave. I think Dent’s strengths are the three owners: Bud Stross, Josh Wells, and Chuck Stross. They could be the greatest masterminds ever in our industry. It was those first five years that took them from a home haunt to where they are today. The 2005–2010 cast members did not deserve for all the characters they built to be forcefully changed. We were close friends starting to drift apart, which I remember telling Bud in 2013 was the case, and people were unhappy. Truthful and God's my witness, I didn't know that M.A.U.L. would be forming. Though I tried to be a friend to The Dent Schoolhouse, I warned them that a lot of folks were unhappy.
On the road with MAUL
Here is the spell-checked and grammatically corrected version of your text about MAUL, with minor adjustments for flow and clarity.
M.A.U.L.
With the slow changes happening in 2012, much of the Dent cast started to disappear. Brett Ryan left, and then Dan Leopold left in 2013. After a night in 2012—listen, we all have our bad days—the cast was told to take a seat. There was no real place to sit, and I kind of stood out of the way. One owner snapped at me to sit down, and I left the room, starting to leave the building. I forgave this person; it was uncharacteristic of this man, who has the biggest heart at Dent. This incident, as far as I know, was a trigger for Jason Henry, Dan Leopold, Kirby Hilyard, Jim Millspaugh, Rebecca Minges, and a few others who felt things were tightening.
The acting manager role was changing hands, and Terry Rook Jr. got the position, which I always respected him for. Before him, the offer had been extended to all actors to try for that role. Jim Millspaugh was one of those who tried. Jim and I have history; I was interviewed on his original podcast, which was part of Rotten Flesh Radio, hosted by Jonathon Johnson, with assistance from Jason Storm, Jerry Vayne, and Drew Badger, who later split from Jonathon to form The Big Scary Show. Jim is well-versed in reading and studying the Haunted Attraction Industry, and he invited me to speak at a class and panel he held. Like Terry, he came from Kings Island’s Haunt. I felt Terry was best for that role. Both men are very good, and I have a lot of respect for both. For what Dent wanted, they needed someone who could be firm, even heavy-handed. Jim wasn’t that guy, and I wouldn't have been either. However, I do think Terry got too much unnecessary hate for those changes, even from me for a short time behind the scenes. I am sorry for it, sir.
A large group leaving The Dent Schoolhouse was gone, regardless of stricter business ways or fighting with three friends. Without Dent, I wouldn't have been on TV, in film, or known these blessed people. I really wanted to mend bridges even after we left. At a mutual friend’s wedding, I approached the Dent Schoolhouse owners and told them this to their faces because I loved them. But my character as a human being and a guy who was behind them at the very beginning was being questioned by people I also tried to build, support, and be a friend to—from them to cast members who needed support with posts of suicide, career goals, or whatever, because a good team leader does this. No friend was ever too busy for me, even when I needed more help. When someone is angry about someone or something, you shouldn't immediately tell them to quit being angry; share in that anger. You can help be a friend, then you can slowly talk them down and get them to calm down. My whole goal in Haunting was to have fun, be myself, and help others find their inner Monstar. No one said people are normally doing it.
Seemingly, M.A.U.L. was going towards a path closer to what I started at Dungeons and what early Dent was going to be, but traveling. After doing a short film with Dan Leopold, Matt Mateikat, Wendy Hubbard Ferris, Ellen and Alex Irvine, Jimmy Matthews, Allison Holdcraft, Zack Haynes, Troy Baldock, Jason Frederick, and Kortney Frederick, I felt better. Even though I had help, and though it wasn’t perfect, I wrote it and felt creative again. I even had a shout-out from Allen Rizzo in USS Nightmare’s ALS challenge. I was slowly feeling better about myself as an Icon of Haunting. Though my personal life was in shambles with a family member using heroin and taking care of my Mom all in one house, and the great Josh “Big Jim” Gentry from the early Dent Schoolhouse passed away in February 2014, I really wanted to go to his funeral but had no car at the time. This was a kick in the gut. My health was slowly declining; my blood pressure became hypertensive. Stress with everything was still present, but I was trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do.
So, I thought, "Well, I’ll try a podcast." Dan Leopold mentioned MAUL, with Jim Millspaugh posting a video they did at Scream Acres Ct, which just gave me chills; though I hated the song, it was a message. I had no real interest in joining right away, but I really wanted to hear from my former castmates: Jim Millspaugh (Meathook Jim) and his future wife Kris (Mysteria), Jason Henry (Chaos), Kirby Hilyard (Rellik), Zach Foster (Slit Castle), Julie Candelaresi (Bonnie Bones), Wendy Smith (Red Sasha), Nate Jennings (ChopChop), Rebecca Minges (Sally the Dolly), Wendy Ferris (makeup artist), and Dan Leopold (Fatso). Later, Julie Langenderfer (Calliope), Lindsey Wagner, Brett Ryan (Bludzo), D-day (Patchwork), Jackie Steinert (Nip), and Teresa Campbell (Banshee) joined the cast. I interviewed most of the group. A part of me kind of wanted to do this again.
A few weeks later, I got a DM from Jason: "Wanna join?" I thought, "OK." I really wanted to do a video for them—or us at the time. Plans on filming a video and talking were so exciting because I finally got to do what I wanted: film the great cast, as I saw everyone as Monstars. I felt the website would gain more attention if we had a dot com and looked more professional, which we did. So later, there were talks about upgrading and having HD photos, not just of each character and headshots. However, it became stressful to get people on board for such things. We had the talent; we just needed focus. But being the first year, it was about figuring things out.
In 2014, eight years after leaving Dungeons of Delhi, Fatso and Damien Reaper returned to guest for a night. House of Doom and City Blood visited to see us, plus those who started at Dent that were in MAUL. All three groups fused that day; it would be one of the greatest moments in my life. Even though most of the old crew and cast left Dungeons of Delhi, (Madd) Matt and (Mean) Mark Mateikat and, though I met him a few times in 2007, a legend would start: New Blood, Jerry Wessler. To me, these three held Dungeons together as long as they could. We tried to reach out to David Espich and many classic Dungeon actors, but many had moved on with their lives.
It felt like time repeated itself. Sadly, we had a visit by a few actors from The Dent Schoolhouse. Mark was told that one guy (no names) was telling young actors, "You should come to a real haunt?" Now, I can’t confirm it, but they did come through the haunt. This person would later in the years do things like leaving on my app where you can write hidden messages, and it said, "MAUL sucks and you are a shell of your former self." I didn’t want to step foot back at Dent Schoolhouse. I understand they may be upset everyone left without saying, "We are doing this," except myself and a few actors who told them to their face, "I’m joining MAUL." But listen, if the owners or actors are reading this, know if there was an option to sit with any of you to hash it out, the same with MAUL before I left them. If there was an open door to communication that didn’t seem like a lost cause, I'm sure we all could have worked out something.
Before Jason Henry died in 2015, the guy who started at Dent in 2011 said he saw me on Halloween Crazy and he wanted to join us. He would growl, "RRRrreeeaapeer," and I'd respond, "Ccccchhhaaaaooos." In his daily job, he was a chef, so he made amazing food. We were at Kirby Hilyard’s birthday party in 2015 when Jason died. Dan Leopold, Kirby, and a friend of Jason’s, Robert Burnham, went to pick him up. I was texting him on the way to Rebecca Minges’s house with Teresa Campbell; he seemed like he was feeling sick. So receiving the news he died felt like a bad joke. I just texted him, and he texted back like 25 minutes before. We all went to the hospital where his body was—his body... I have never... felt that... I can’t describe what was in my head. Jim and Kris Millspaugh joined us at the Hospital because they weren’t at Kirby’s Party, along with Zach Foster, Julie Candelaresi, Matt Godfrey, and others.
We all went to Jason’s funeral from MAUL and Dent Schoolhouse. Everything is foggy that day. I remember sitting there on the bench, just breaking down, crying because Jason Henry had a kid and a wife, and seeing his Mother break. Here I am within a sea of people that we are all connected with because of this man. Josh Gentry from Dent Schoolhouse died a year earlier, but I wasn't present for his funeral. Even those three who said I harassed a girl and had issues with me were there; the girl was there. We all hugged. The guilt of leaving Dent and Dungeons, and the pain of losing my grandparents, Josh Gentry, and Jason Henry, broke me inside. That hurt burned in me for years to come.
I tried to cheerlead the team called MAUL. I created the tag "Hear the Roar and Fear the Pride" as a rally cry. I started to take charge of Twitter and Instagram. The last time I saw Jason before he passed away was at a Christmas event at Scream Acres Ct. I dressed as a Santa—or I call him Ol’ St Dick—but Jason was feeling unwell then. Brett Ryan and Telfore Nyte were at the event and remembered that Jason challenged us in 2014 at Indy Scream Park; we all did a drag night. MaryAnn Rottencrotch was born, and Jason just knew what he wanted the group to be.
Jim was trying to merge the team with many haunts at that time. My feeling was, "Let’s focus on the one thing." So Jim had to be the one boss who had to carry on without the guy who got us together, and we were all broken with Jason’s loss. For what Jim had to face without Jason, he had us, the team, but the team had different levels of commitment, which he would talk to me about many times. His challenge was trying to make everyone happy, and with a heart like his, trying to do his best. On the other side, many members, including myself, felt he had his attention more on Big Scary Show, or trying to have a “home haunt” to lean on, or later his wrestling ventures. Which is awesome, and I am fully supportive of everything he does, but I felt we needed to try to put the effort into the beast. But in his defense, many members wouldn’t show up to meetings or complained about real life coming first, or wanting some October outside of Haunting. Again, the line Jim often said about me was, "We can’t live it (Haunting) as you can." My feeling is, "Living like what?" All I ever wanted was one day out of the month to meet, spend time doing HD photos, and do fun videos, which is why I wanted to join—to create, not maybe meet here and there. Sure, a handful of us have done and been on podcasts. Jim hosted one of the biggest haunt podcasts, a Wrestling Horror podcast, and only had maybe five or six people out of the group on these things; I was one of those honored. But many in the group the community doesn’t know and the group very little knew. Without a good site, good social media, and doing things to get noticed, how will you gain gigs? Entertainment is a strange business. Haunting is even stranger. In today's times, you have to keep putting things out there; you have to keep being relevant.
That first year, we had photos from Dent, and sadly, someone from their management messaged MAUL to either take off the photos from Dent or at least give them credit. I was fine with that, but the solution should have been to use an HD camera and redo each person's pictures, not MySpace or Facebook photos that are fuzzy. Now we did act for ScareAtourim for the Legends Kelly and Neena Collins, and in 2014 and 2016 at MHC tours. It was a great time. But though we acted for many haunts, they were all great, but sometimes, and most times, we didn’t spend too much time with the Haunt casts.
Indy Scream Park was one we acted at from 2014–2018. They had a contract that they needed ten guest cast members. This was where we struggled to meet that demand, no gripe on Jim. He was in a hard place because he had 30-plus people in the group. There were many call-offs, and some in the group didn’t act at all because they were wives or boyfriends or friends of ours that didn’t need to be part of the group. So many times we had to take actors away from other haunts to appease that contract. It took two or three years of trying for me to be able to go to Backwoodz Oddities. We did have great times at Dark View, even Indy Scream Park and Stillwell Manor, Fear Fair, Hundred Acres Manor, Backwoodz Oddities, Springboro Haunted Hayride, Horror Hike, Fear Fair Haunted Hospital, and Brimstone Haunted Hayride, but it was all centered around that contract. I loved Indy Scream Park; we had great times knowing each other the most there. I just felt we could do more if the contract was six people. However, it started to grow to fifteen people. So we had to bring in more people, which in some cases, these people improved the team because as older members started to lose their passion, these folks would step up to the plate: Mike Reynolds, Mike Ratliff, Michael, and Becky Armstrong.
However, in 2017, I went to the gym one random day, sat in a leg press, brought my legs back, and heard a crunch in my back. It’s where I compressed a disk, and though I went to therapy, the days of doing what I love were slowing down, and I knew it. We did a movie for a friend of Jim’s called A Haunting, Ghost house. We went up to Wells Township Haunted House, and it was myself, Jim & Kris Millspaugh, Brett Ryan, Mike Reynolds, Dan Leopold, Matt Mateikat, and Kirby Hilyard. We did shots inside and outside the haunt. Later in 2018, we shot green screen things in a hotel room, and I was unsure what the results would be, and I was unsure what the results were watching the film. I feel if MAUL really, really wanted to make a film, we could have, and one that made sense.
MHC, outside of doing Scarokee all those years, was about knowing Amanda Reevenge, Scott Lynd, Ethan Mark Turon, Brett and Rebecca Hayes, Keith and Anthony Newsome, Regina and Brooke Englehart, Jeff Simmons, Katie Lane, Melonie Gipson, Rex Hamiltion, Dick Terhune, and Scott Yaffee, to name a few on a huge list of people I’ve met through the decades whom I was connecting with. Dan Leopold and I are proud members of Haunters U for Haunted Hydro’s Crazy Bob and Beth Turner. From it, I met a guy named Telfore Nyte, and he is like the wise man that no one understands. Though he and I differ on politics, his heart is and has always been in the right place. He has done leaps and bounds for both Dent and MAUL, and he has gotten unwanted hate for his love of puppets and dolls, where they made fun of him. The thing is, we went together to events others wouldn't lift a finger to go to. Myself and Teresa Campbell really got to know him.
So, for whatever reason, he and Jim had a falling out. I woke up to Telfore messaging me that Jim kicked him out of the group. Then I had to message Jim, "What the hell is going on?" From my understanding, Telfore’s doll gimmick was hugging and holding customers. Jim told him not to, and though later I rode with Jim and said I understood, it was then I knew I was going to leave MAUL. Earlier that season, there was a party, and a member stole booze from another member’s home for what reason I don’t know. Two people covered this person's actions, and in some type of group chat, they let these people stay until after the season. The one who stole got let go. Telfore may have done wrong by not listening to the boss, but the hugging and holding people is his schtick. This guy drove me and others around to events, and was there as a member, but he was let go on the spot. The person who stole stayed in the group until after the season.
There was tension throughout the season. Then two members left for Dent mid-season, which I can’t say I blame them. Jim, as good-hearted as he is, needed Jason as a balance. He made a small side group page for those he felt were manager-type roles that he trusted to guide the rest. I was a part of it, and a few others were in that too. I felt it could have hurt more because it was a smaller group trying to control or guide a bigger one, which doesn’t work. He needed a straight partner in it, and I am the last person to be that. Kris is a great wife to Jim, but she still couldn’t be that person in a business way. Dan Leopold I thought would be a great partner, and I thought took it over after I left. Jim is a hype guy and wants to do everything. He needs someone who needs to keep focus. Dan’s like that too, but the two could balance each other out.
Though I have been offered to join RIP’s Shane Howard’s traveling group, I’m not in any shape to do anything, and I feel he has a great heart as well. He does need a partner to help him to branch out, and he was in MAUL for a short time, there was a falling out. But listen, I think they should help each other find gigs for both teams. If one group is helping one haunt for a season and sees the other needing to find somewhere, why not help each other? As they did in 2018 at Haunted Hospital in Kentucky, we both acted there at the same time. I got to bring out every look of Damien Reaper in that term; it was the best show I gave, but I said on Facebook, "It was the end." That year it was the end. Though I said it many, many times, I was in so much pain, and I felt disconnected from the cast all year, other than MAUL parties. I didn’t want to party anymore, not even at the cast party in 2018.
I loved Jim and the whole cast, but sadly, there was an empty feeling. I loved Jim and Kris, and I did go to their Wedding on Halloween. But I like doing things that could help newer talent find that spotlight and wanted to be proactive. If I’m hurting my body, I'd rather do it for a reason that can guide our future as haunters. I know he has a 20-year ring, and I thought, like the letterman jacket Dent would have given me, "I don’t want anything." Dent Schoolhouse and MAUL, like Dungeons of Delhi, gave me so much: people to love and dreams from film, TV, podcasts, and newspapers. All those things they felt I had an ego and wanted all the spotlight—I wanted these things to go to younger people who, like me, were loners, who had creativity without a path to belonging, to find places to be welcomed for who they are, don’t have to kneel to belong or jump through hoops for anyone. So I retired feeling like I did nothing, though the greatest thing I ever did was at The Haunted Hospital in Kentucky. That was walking a little girl through it, showing she was brave. That was a good end for me.
Returning to Dent and Retiring Haunted House Industry
As a broken-down old man looking back at yesteryear and relic of past days, I thought I was the guy holding the flag for all of those who love what we did. It wasn’t about being rich or famous or being an icon or being a legend, Though I was forced to feel like I should be ashamed for being who I was and their brand matters more than anything I started at Dungeons of Delhi. So why join The Dent Schoolhouse I did feel bad for everyone leaving, Andy Becker’s Dad passed away earlier in 2019, and sadly Allie Kurtz passed away a few weeks before visiting Dent, She was a person who meant a lot to me, In a hard time losing my Grandma she was a guiding light though she was only there for a year, I never had kids and didn’t want them, but I had many haunt kids that I have seen grow up, She was young, She was 17 when she worked for Dent, She always wanted to be there for everyone, I was maybe 24 or so then so she saw a person hurting in his soul. Though she was one of them people who was an adventurer of all things called life, traveling around the Country, At that time I became protective I felt in my soul, to do so, As I did others. I didn’t know years later she would die in a boat fire. Those at Dent Schoolhouse felt I wanted to date her and the girl who said I harassed her, I had a code, I was always used to being rejected or called ugly, and felt just we were all family. They were too young. Many friends should have known better. No matter how I feel about the Haunt being a lot stricter I needed people and seeing the owners and manager, A awesome cast those kids got style, So 2019 with my hurt spine, though they didn’t want Damien Reaper, which to this day I just don’t get, I feel it was because I am an Icon and they wanted to be Cincinnati only one that was the flag that is all thing Halloween, And it was a bad idea returning though I love that cast too and saw Maximus Bryant as a new ghoul who stood as a team leader, have a lot of respect for as haunter and person. He has traits that remind me of Jason Henry. I was acting as Blamo in a chair and I agree with the veteran actor there I was lazy, Even being a puppeteer as a snake, for what we do.. I had no business to this anymore. I was hurt.. but I am fucking Damien Reaper, It’s all or nothing. Come 2020 I choose no more, after doing many video acting challenges, I couldn’t stand up to give my best. And I’m not sure if it was all the hate I got for being a Haunt Icon, being myself or any wrongdoing I did. I did interviews for Haunted Honeymooners, and Science behind the Scare but for doing Wrestlehorror with Jim Millspaugh and Donnie Hoover in 2021 where I felt free to speak, There was less burden, Morbid Spice from The Dent Schoolhouse and Ron Rouse from Dungeons of Delhi both passed away. What leads to this memoir and the Cult of diamond’s eye. There are so many issues in the Haunting that is holding others back from being great, Things I struggled with and fought others for were what killed it for me, Dungeons of Delhi should be respected, every cast that dared to stand out, and many haunts like them that paved the way for The Dent Schoolhouse that single highhandedly changed the industry no one will ever take away how and what they did, MAUL will be the rebels that dared to be prideful for the man called Chaos, RIP traveling group honors me in their awards, House of Doom and City Blood had me in there lifetime achievement awards and though I’ll never felt I earned these things at least no more than anyone in any group I was apart of, met or those before me. I made huge mistakes in my life, my confession is I’m on SSI and medicare, I live and help my blind Mother and I don’t regret it. I’m overweight, I’m disabled mentally and body, I am not a good man and or deserve any of your pity or help, I’m not perfect at all, Not Holier than thou.. But when my high school remembers me they will remember a kind zombie, when Haunts will remember me it’ll be Haunt Legend or Icon, I am very proud of that and always will be, Why because I’m not here to be accepted or fit in anywhere, I don’t have anything to hide or lie about. I never bashed anyone, I only said my side of things. Truth is perception isn’t it, Everything I wrote came from a place of love, not to down people but open up about things without being spiteful or hateful as this business seems to bring out of all of us and we must face that ourselves, My position in all haunts wasn’t an actor, it was big brother, and I do and will recommend working for Dent Schoolhouse and MAUL. I am Dungeons of Delhi, I am Damien Reaper and Spooky Nerd for the group GP_TV.
2022
on November 4, Kevin Walker died, My Father The Evil One, The King of Halloween. My Haunt partner. I met him when I was 15, I didn't speak to him for 3 years, He blocked me on facebook and didn't call me over a facebook comment that The North won the Civil War, I am sad that you know he was Right and I am Left. That I stand for that we all share this planet, humanity and animals. Not all of us have the same chances and togetherness is our power. You and I are different, I blame myself for not reaching out sooner, because look... He is my Father, no matter what I love him. I never blamed him for not rising me. All people can be forgiven, I'm not God to judge people, People said rotten things about me and why I forgive them. Life is too short, grudges aren't what Damien Reaper is about.
2023
In September a dear friend passed away, I didn't know till I did researcg that Dent's own Steven "Aagod" Penny passed away. He was a great haunter and during my time at Dent was a lost soul like me, He created masks and gave me poppy sticks. I spoke almost everyday until he passed. He kept asking we should create a haunt, We're both poor, We're both unhealthy. He lost both his parents. I'd like to take a moments to say Thank you sir for everything you given to me as a friend and The Dent Schoolhouse.
2024
Finding that the great Gary Horn passed away early this year, In late September Brad Taylor passed who was a childhood friend.
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