How a Halloween-loving Twin Cities woman serves up scares as Mrs. Giggles the clown
CHASKA, Minn. — It's that time of year when people like to get frightened for fun, and a Twin Cities woman is using her artistic talents to fuel that fun in more ways than one.
WCCO tagged along as she crafted ways to scare people by day and night.
Most see a frightening face, but some see a canvas. Serena Berg is putting the finishing touches on a life-sized possessed woman. Using different shades of green and yellow, she paints puke around the fake monster's face, neck, and shirt.
"I'm really just going for someone to walk by and go 'yuck'," she said with a chuckle.
Her technical title is dresser, but she likes to say she makes monsters for a living. She works at Poison Props in Brooklyn Park, where staff build and create ghouls and goblins meant for haunted houses. They're filled with electronic and pneumatic components, helping them come alive as people walk by. Berg is sort of a horror artist, a role she was destined to fill.
Her mom was born on Halloween, setting her up for a childhood in which the holiday was greatly celebrated. Berg then got married to her husband on Halloween since the two share a passion for Oct. 31.
"I grew up having a lot of Halloween parties and I always dressed up a lot for them. And then here I am, making spooky stuff," she said.
Once her workday is complete, the monster inside her awakens. Berg is now on her way to her second job. She's a scare actor at Scream Town, a collection of haunted houses in Chaska. The drive helps her get into the mindset for the character she will become, a clown named Mrs. Giggles. It's the opposite of her actual personality.
"I'm a very quiet person. I like to be in my own little world, but Mrs. Giggles is very in-your-face, get out of my way," she described.
Berg is one of the leads at Scream Town. She's been working there for about 12 years. It's where she learned about the job opening at Poison Props. Turning into Mrs. Giggles starts with her makeup routine, which takes about 45 minutes to complete. What starts with a base layer of white is then adorned with several colors and shapes, some of which are reactive to black lights.
"Right when I get full white, I'm like, 'Oh, here she comes,'" she said while painting her face.
Putting on white contacts helps her eyes pop in a scary way. Once finished, she turns to her fellow actors. Recently trained on how to apply makeup with an air brush, she helps several others get into character.
According to America Haunts, there's an estimated 1,200 haunted houses in the United States and an average of 8,000 people will visit each one during the Halloween season. At Scream Town, Berg is the head-clown-in-charge at the Psychodelic Circus, a circus-themed haunt. Those who enter will get a surprise greeting by Mrs. Giggles.
"I'm nervous every single time. But after that first scare, you just go," she said.
As the terrorized teenagers make their way through the entrance, Mrs. Giggles pops through a hidden doorway while yelling, "Welcome to the circus!" She backs out and shuts the door, only to reveal herself again behind a trap window. While other actors use noisemaking devices, such as swinging a bat against a wall to create jarring sounds, Berg prefers to use only her voice. That might tire most people's vocal cords after a few hours, but Berg said she rarely loses her voice. That's surprising to hear given that she loudly greets a few groups of people every minute across several hours.
Some will scream upon seeing Berg, others try to be stoic and show no fear. Berg specifically enjoys it when she gets a good scare out of someone.
"You just feel accomplished," said Berg before laughing once again.
All those visiting Scream Town get to meet a chaotic clown, but they'll never get to know the shy artist inside her.
