Niles Haunted House opens without beloved ‘Juice’ character

The Niles Haunted House Scream Park lost one of its most dedicated volunteers and memorable characters this summer.

Jim Smith, who greeted visitors at the entrance to the Haunted House as “Beetlejuice” for more than 25 years, died at the age of 61 in July after a battle with cancer.

Park manager Pete Karlowicz said he would never forget the first time he saw Smith at the Haunted House. It was 1989, and Smith was working as a volunteer character actor with his wife. Dressed in green overalls and his face hidden under a long black wig, Smith was running around like a wild man.

“I vividly remember thinking, ‘who is that guy?’” Karlowicz said. “You could tell he had talent. There is a certain skillset that some people just have, while other people you have to direct. He didn’t need any direction. When he put on the costume, he became that person.”

After that first encounter, Smith returned year after year as the character “Beetlejuice” from the 1988 movie of the same name.

His portrayal was so good that Karlowicz said he played the part better than Michael Keaton — the movie actor — himself.

“He had the mannerisms down, the look, the voice,” Karlowicz said. “Most importantly, he had the wit for it. He had a one liner for everything. That really was his trademark — he was rude and extremely witty, just like the character. You didn’t want to mess with him. If you watched him in action you would almost fall down on the floor laughing.”

Gerrie Wisniewski, who volunteered alongside Smith at the haunted house for many years, recalled one of his many one liners.

Patron: “Don’t scare me, I have to go to the bathroom.”

Smith: “Well don’t do it here, it causes flies.”

Wisniewski said she enjoyed watching Smith sneak up behind someone and wait for them to turn around. When the visitor did, many of them would say, “Oh my God.” Smith would reply, “No, but I must look a lot like him because people have been saying that to me all night.”

Smith also had a talent for making visitors that were genuinely frightened feel comfortable. Wisniewski said he oftentimes would take the most scared patron out of a group and lead them on a private tour.

“The frightened single patrons either became Juice’s quick friend, or ran back to their group screaming, to get their friends to join the ‘party,’” Wisniewski said.

 

Juice

Smith was simply known as “Juice” to those that worked and volunteered at the Haunted House.

Many people were surprised to learn he had a rather serious daytime job, working as a pharmacy director for many hospitals in the area.

His wife, Marty, said being Beetlejuice helped him get away from it all.

“It was an outlet for him because his job could be very stressful,” she said. “It was a way he could relax and be someone else for a while and just have fun.”

Volunteering at the Haunted House became a family affair for the Smiths.

His daughter, EmmaLeigh, who now works as a physician, plays the role of Nancy and was the youngest person to receive the Haunted House jacket — the highest honor the park can bestow upon a volunteer.

She said some of her best memories are from working alongside her dad at the scream park.

“I’m extremely grateful I had the opportunity to share that with my dad — I can’t really put it into words,” she said. “I’ll always remember his wit and how he could put someone who was really scared at ease and then in the next minute scare the person behind him. He was all about entertaining.”

In addition to playing Beetlejuice, Jim served on the Haunted House’s board of directors for many years and helped design and construct the sets for each year’s attractions.

Karlowicz said the Haunted House lost an icon when Jim passed. They will miss him as the park opens this Friday and in years to come.

“We lost a part of the Haunted House and he will never be forgotten out here,” he said. “He had followers everywhere. People would come every year just to see Beetlejuice.”

Marty said his husband was always surprised at the pleasure people took in his portrayal.

“He tended to think it was the total experience people remembered,” she said. “But since he’s passed I’ve gotten messages and notes from lots of people saying how much they enjoyed him. People came to his celebration of life just because of Beetlejuice.

“That is comforting to me to know how much people appreciated the time and effort he put out there.”