Deep in the woods, the moonlight barely highlights his white and red makeup and his wicked, upturned smile. But he’s there.
Lurking and laughing, infected by the ‘joyful madness’.
And then … the chain screeches as it scrapes to life with a hysterical laughter following its trail.
There, his footsteps beat onto the root-entangled ground as someone with the burden of many deaths on their shoulders scares the life out of newcomers on this haunted trail.
Again and again, the chain bangs and litters the woods with screams.
There he is, the clown in the woods, Richard Tanner.
A chainsaw maniac.
A zombie.
A security guard.
These are just some of the roles Greene County local and former game warden Richard Tanner has performed over the past several years. He’s a “scarer” at Zombie Farms in Winterville.
On weekend nights in October, teddy bear Tanner becomes a ragefilled maniac seeking the screams of his next victims. By day, however, he is known for his helpfulness and intellect with technology. To those who know him, Tanner doesn’t have a wicked bone in his body, only a loving heart.
“Working as a scarer is an adrenaline rush.
People pay me to make them scared. It sounds weird, but I enjoy being able to provide that fear for them,” Tanner said.
“At first I just enjoyed the adrenaline rush it gave me, but being part of this big family is by far my favorite thing that keeps me coming back year after year.”
“Scarer” is the term for people who work as part of a horror attraction in a direct position where they scare customers.
Scarers are the main positions that allow places such as Zombie Farms or Netherworld in Stone Mountain to be open.
Despite his current profession, however, Tanner has not always been a fan of scary things.
He grew up in a home where he was not allowed to watch scary movies or R-rated movies. However, he grew up loving Halloween and had a fondness for costumes and candy.
“I loved Halloween.
As a kid, Halloween was all about candy. It was all I knew,” Tanner said.
“Back then, we lived in Covington. We did a lot of trick or treating because we were living closer to people, but we moved to Greene County when I was 12 and, with no trunk or treats or close houses, there was nothing to do anymore.”
After moving to Greene County, Tanner began to spend Halloween hunting with his dad. The excitement of a candy-filled holiday faded with time.
Eventually, he graduated from Greene County High School, he would later attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and obtained an associate’s of applied science in wildlife technology.
Upon graduation, Tanner returned to Greene County and began working with the Department of Natural Resources and became a wildlife technician, and eventually became a game warden.
Between 2008 and 2009, Tanner met his then future wife and began a side business of repairing computers. In 2014 he attended Athens Technical College and received his associate’s of applied science in computer support.
“Today, my normal job is being a Technical Application Analyst for ADP. In my role, I help troubleshoot issues clients are facing with a few different products.
I also have developed a few applications myself to help other members troubleshoot issues more efficiently,” Tanner said.
“In addition to ADP, I perform various tech support on the side. My goal is to become a fulltime software developer.”
But alongside that journey, Tanner picked up another side gig – that of a scarer at Zombie Farms.
In a previous interview, he stated that it was his work as a game warden influenced him to take on his position as a scarer.
Tanner was the head of the sonar team with DNR, assisting in the recovery of more than 213 drowning victims as well as numerous accidents and tragedies, including helicopter crashes, plane crashes, murders and suicides.
Such tragedies took its toll on Tanner’s mind.
“Honestly, it kind of desensitized me to things,” Tanner said. “With all the things I was doing for the state, I kind of became numb to the whole aspect of being in the darkness, dealing with death, et cetera. I find myself now feeling nothing when encountering situations many people would consider scary.”
As a result of the mental burden of his job and other circumstances, Tanner was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in 2014.
He became desensitized to most horror situations.
“When he first became interested in horror, he was able to express himself and help clear the dark thoughts from his former job out of his head,” recalled Sabrina Tanner, Richard’s wife, in a previous interview. “He was using it in the beginning as a stress relief. He would seem much more relaxed when returning from work.”
That interest in horror led Tanner to visit Zombie Farms in 2015 as a customer. He dressed up as a demonic clown along with the rest of his Halloween Party.
And, after leaving a review of his experience on the Zombie Farms Facebook Page, the owner responded to him by informing him of the casting calls coming up.
“I would start working at Zombie Farms in 2016 and have been there ever since. I found it helped me get out of my head and become a different persona during those few hours each night,” Tanner said. “I love working behind the scenes and seeing production for each season happen.”
Tanner is part of the leadership team made up of cast members who have worked at Zombie Farms for several years. He helps with production, maintenance and still works on the trail as a scarer.
“As far as actual characters I’ve played, I'd have to say my favorite is the one I'm doing this year. Since this is our 10-year anniversary, we've gone all out and have brought the party with clowns,” Tanner said.
“I have named my clown FAFO, and he is one of the chainsaw clowns one would experience in the trail this year. He hides in the dark and pops out when you least expect it.”
For Richard Tanner, Zombie Farms is not just a job, it’s a family. He has helped the families of actors in charities, attended their weddings and made lifelong friendships. For Tanner, Zombie Farms would be nothing without his scary family and the thrill of a screamfilled night.