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Confessions of a Scare Actor
Manage episode 490500249 series 3600178
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What happens when childhood nightmares become your calling card? In this episode of Horror Heals, scare actor Omar Ortega joins Corey and Kendall to talk about growing up inside a family-owned video store, how Nightmare on Elm Street haunted his imagination, and how horror evolved from fear to fuel.
Omar opens up about his journey from VHS kid to veteran scare actor, sharing the emotional highs and behind-the-scenes lows of working in iconic haunts like Universal Studios Hollywood and LA’s Haunted Hayride. From bad fan placement to drag in the dark, this conversation digs into the ways horror helps Omar process rage, build confidence, and offer guests a uniquely immersive experience they’ll never forget.
Whether he’s channeling Madman Marz, playing The Butcher, or embodying the spirit of Divine in full wig-slap glory, Omar reminds us that scaring others can be healing — and horror is far more than just a seasonal thrill.
Because… is horror good for mental wellness?
Of corpse it is.
Confessions of a Scare Actor
🎭 In This Episode:
- Omar’s horror origin story: family movie nights, Halloween II, and Freddy nightmares
- What it's really like to audition as a scare actor at Universal Studios
- The power of performance: transforming breakups, frustration, and rejection into compelling characters
- Honoring Janelle Monáe’s haunted vision and finding surprise joy in queer expression
- VHS nostalgia, underrated sequels, and why Nancy Thompson remains a top-tier Final Girl
- A brilliant take on The Exorcist… as a drama?
🧠 Horror-Healing Themes:
- Emotional catharsis through character work
- Channeling anger and grief into immersive performance
- Finding identity and power in horror personas
- The unique thrill of being seen in the shadows
- Community, resilience, and the evolution of haunted house acting
🩸 About Our Guest:
Omar Ortega is a Los Angeles–based scare actor and lifelong horror fan who has spent nearly a decade performing in haunted attractions like LA’s Haunted Hayride and Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. Raised in a family-run video store, Omar fell in love with horror from a young age — and now channels that passion into immersive, emotionally charged performances that blur the line between fear and therapy. He’s played everything from brutal butchers to haunted drag queens and believes that horror is a powerful vehicle for release, reinvention, and connection.
🎙️ Horror Heals is the podcast that asks:
Is horror good for mental wellness?
Of corpse it is.
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