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What’s your most memorable Halloween experience?

I was fifteen, cutting through the cemetery after a party because the road was longer. Halfway in, a truck was idling with the lights off by the old section. A man in a Jason mask was standing over a fresh grave with a shovel, not digging, just resting on it. He looked up when my shoe hit gravel. Didn’t chase me. Pointed the shovel at the gate like he was telling me which way to leave. I ran. Next morning that grave had been opened and closed again. Police said it was vandalism.

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

I would make it to the end because I do not freeze and I do not play hero. I clock the exits first, keep my phone down, and never split off to check a noise alone. When something feels wrong, I leave, even if everyone else is laughing. I have worked dark houses and late job sites, so I know how a shadow can lie and how fast a calm person can move. I would get people out, lock what I can, and stay quiet. Survivors are not the bravest. They are the ones who stop pretending it’s a joke.

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

Pay off all my bills and debts because I lost my job in March and have been struggling to get back ahead ever since and spoil my family with the rest. They deserve a vacation after supporting me through all my hardship.

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

My real life hero is my dad. The one who works a long day, comes home broke and tired, and still gets the kids fed, the homework done, and the house locked before they sit down. Nobody claps for that. And I’d love to survive a horror movie with David Howard Thornton aka the Terrifier.