Story of a … Theme Park Monster at Halloween Horror Nights

Following in his father’s footsteps, Asher Adams comes to life as Frankenstein.

Son of Frankenstein. Apparently, green skin and head bolts are genetic. Over 20 years ago, Adams’ father performed as the iconic Frankenstein’s monster in Universal Studios’ Beetlejuice show. So when the theme park announced that its Monsters Maze (a haunted house inspired by Universal’s most memorable horror movies) would be part of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, Adams thought it would be fun to reprise his father’s role. And he got the part. “It’s super cool to follow in his footsteps. I should definitely get some coaching from him.”

Behind the mask. Frankenstein needs a day job too. When the Orlando native isn’t haunting the theme park at night, Adams runs his own photography business. However, it’s been his childhood dream to moonlight as a ghoul. “I grew up in the theater, and when I first came to Halloween Horror Nights, I knew I wanted to audition one day.”

Just role with it. As a rookie scare actor last year, Adams played a variety of characters including a chainsaw murderer and a Stranger Things Demogorgon. “I was part of what they call a fire crew, so if someone called in sick, I would fill in. I was playing a different role every night.” Talk about a monster mash (up).

Ghoul school. One year was all it took for Adams to hone his abilities in terrorizing unsuspecting visitors. “It’s fun learning different scare tactics and being able to bring what I learned last year into the Monsters Maze. It’s a different environment [in the Scare Zones on the Universal lot streets] when you’re interacting with people directly. There was definitely a learning curve; it’s trial and error.”

Fear factor. Don’t overlook the shy guy. Adams’ favorite scare strategy is to play the silent but deadly type. “I played more of a quiet character when I was out on the street, so when people walked by I would keep my eye on them, and then I would have random outbursts of energy.” That typically received a petrified response, so he stuck with it.

Let’s be Frank. While the mad scientist took two years to create Frankenstein, it takes less than an hour for Adams to make his transformation. He wears a mask and fabricated, claw-like hands. Physically, the 21-year-old is tailor-made for the part—he’s 6’ 8” tall, and the “monster” shoes put him well over seven feet. Adams wanted to get a better understanding of the misunderstood creature, so he watched the movie, Young Frankenstein. “I know that isn’t the scary version of Frankenstein, but it let me know his character a little more.”

The ultimate fright.  Screams are a usual part of Adams’ evenings during HHN, but his best fright nights happen when guests react in a more physical way. “I’ve had a couple of people fall to the ground. I even had a lady pee her pants in the Stranger Things haunted house last year.”