What’s your most memorable Halloween experience?

I was walking to my place on set in a haunted house at a major theme park as a zombie in a gory latex mask. About halfway, I noticed a family with a small child walking ahead of me and kept my distance. I didn't want to traumatize a 5-year-old! The mom turns around and sees me. She drops the kid's hand and runs away! The kid turns around, and I freeze hoping he doesn't start crying. He runs right to me and goes, "Do it again!" He ended up holding my hand, skipping through the rest of the house!

Tell us why you would make it to the end of a horror movie.

I'd be the final girl because horror movies aren't scary, they're puzzles. I’m the one who notices the subtle clues the filmmakers left and figures out the ending 10 minutes into the movie. Let’s be real. The jocks and the popular kids always go first because they rely on their muscles and good looks. That’s a rookie mistake. Us nerds are the ones with the practical skills—we know how to build things, hack systems, and bring the duct tape and the multi-tool to the cabin in the woods.

What would you do with the unlucky $13,000?

I've spent decades as a horror makeup artist, and now I'm ready to pass on my skills. My goal is to create online courses that teach the next generation what they need to succeed in a competitive industry. While I'm an expert at crafting the content, I'm not so great at the technical side—the video editing and packaging. I'd love to hire a pro to handle that so I can focus on what I do best: teaching artists how to create monster magic.

Who is your real-life hero who you would want to survive a horror movie with?

My niece is the ultimate final girl. A natural-born fighter, she arrived weighing 3 pounds, and has been a fearless beast ever since. Obsessed with Disney's Haunted Mansion, she'd be too busy trying to chat with the killer to panic. Her love of (mildly) spooky stuff and her size are the ultimate assets—she can disappear into places the monster can't and would see it as a new friend, not a threat, completely disorienting it. Did I mention she's 2 1/2? We'd survive on her cuteness and my wits.