Freakling Bros. seeks out unique personalities to work R-rated Gates of Hell — VIDEO

Dark lords, black-magic witches and satanic nuns chanting prayers of evil before entering the Gates of Hell are just a few of the characters at the Freakling Bros. Trilogy of Terror.

These ghoulish beings will stare right into your eyes as you nervously await entering a maze, while others wait for people to run out of the Gates of Hell just to catcall.

What does it take to work at one of the scariest haunted attractions in Las Vegas?

“We look for the best of the best and for enthusiasm and people who are passionate about Halloween,” said JT Mollner, Trilogy designer who co-owns the attraction with his father, Duke. “Whether or not they can act isn’t that important to me because we can train them. Experience isn’t everything. Motivation is.”

Freakling Bros. held auditions in early September at Joe’s Crab Shack, 1991 N. Rainbow Blvd. The second day of auditions, the room was packed with hopefuls looking for a job scaring the living daylights out of people.

Duke Mollner said this year, he had the most people — 125 — audition. In total, they chose 45 , including roughly 20 returning actors.

People of all ages listened eagerly as Duke spoke about what he looks for to fill the roles of witches, vampires and demons.

“We look for people who are enthusiastic, committed and who love scaring the hell out of people,” he said. “We don’t have a huge budget like Knott’s Scary Farm, but we do own the company, so if we want to do something nasty at the Gates of Hell, we do it. As long as the police don’t come, it’s fine.”

“We want people that have a good head on their shoulders and for people who don’t get offended easily because they have to terrorize customers,” added JT. “We really want to cast people who are kind. The ‘haunt breed’ is a very unique type of horror-loving crowd.”

The Mollners said they usually have a character already in mind for actors but are willing to hear them out if they have their heart set on something else. Those who make it must attend weeklong paid training, known as “scare school.”

The Gates of Hell is a controversial R-rated haunted house that requires a signed waiver and is intended for those 17 or older.

These actors are allowed to touch you and, according to Duke, 10 percent of adults say the safe word “purgatory” coming out of the first room. The Mollners allow only two profanities during the haunted house to avoid creating an atmosphere of vulgarity.

Austin Punton, 21, is the perfect candidate. To say that he loves Halloween would be an understatement.

“I’ve been waiting all year for this,” he said.

Punton has been through all of the mazes, including the non-defunct The Victim Experience.

“I used to be afraid of a lot of things, but now I’m on the opposite end of that,” Punton said. “The Victim Experience really changed my life. It made me follow my passion and get into sword swallowing.”

Although he can’t disclose his character, he added, “I’m a most unpleasant, but very fun, role.”

Michelle Bullis, 45, said she enjoys her job for one reason: “I love to scare the (expletive) out of people.”

Now in her eighth year, she said she plays a very aggressive and assertive role, which she prepares for by listening to a lot of angry music.

“The whole point of my character is to keep you inside and make sure you don’t escape,” she said.

There’s also the Castle Vampyre, described as an “interactive puzzle where people are constantly wondering what’s going to happen,” according to Duke.

“David Copperfield went into Castle and wanted to know how we do certain illusions,” Duke said. “If I knew him any better, I would’ve said a magician never reveals his secret.”

Coven of 13 is the newest attraction, created last year. It features witches, warlocks and a black magic theme.

“Things happen there that you can’t believe,” Duke said. “Working here is hard work, but it’s also a hell of a lot of fun.”

Visit freaklingbros.com.

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy