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Ryan Joseph, known as RJ, performing as Uncle Howdy in WWE’s “The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks” maze.

It started with a fist bump. California Lutheran University senior Ryan Joseph, known as RJ, has worked as a scare actor at Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights for the past seven years. 

Joseph said he grew up being a “huge fan of horror” since he was around 6 years old. When he went to Horror Nights for the first time at around 11 years old, he said he was “fascinated by all of it,” but said one encounter stuck with him. 

“One of the scare actors at the time fist bumped me. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” Joseph said. “So [I was] like, ‘I want to do this.’ When I turned 18, it was my first job ever and [is still] my only job I’ve ever had.”

Over the years at Horror Nights, Joseph said he has played a wide range of characters across various mazes. His roles have included Michael Myers in “Halloween,” Dracula in “Legends Collide,” Lee Abbott in “A Quiet Place” and Art the Clown in “Terrifier.” He has also acted in “The Exorcist,” “Fallout” and as Uncle Howdy in WWE’s “The Horrors of The Wyatt Sicks.”

Joseph said a great accomplishment of his was in 2022, when he received Scare Actor of the Year. With these roles, he also had the opportunity to perform on two talk shows.

Joseph said he was featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” when the producer walked through a maze with Demi Lovato and he got to scare them. He was also seen on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” when Hudson walked through a maze with her friend and he got to scare them as well.

“There’s little things like that where it’s like you never get that experience through anything else, so that’s a lot of fun,” Joseph said.

Joseph said many Horror Nights members he works with have encouraged him to try street acting, which he said are the scare actors who roam the streets as guests walk from maze to maze. 

“Next year, I think I’m finally going to branch out because I feel like it’s time,” Joseph said. “It’s just like, [mazes are] where you really build the community … I feel like that’s where the bonds are the strongest.”

Joseph said this community is what keeps pushing him to return as a scare actor every year. 

“It’s like literally unexplainable, but that’s what’s so exciting about it. The bonds are so strong that you make and like it’s literally lifelong friends,” Joseph said. “Every single year I’ve said, ‘I can’t have a better group of friends. There’s no way the next year can top.’ I literally don’t know how it’s possible because every year gets topped.” 

Alejandro Burgos, Joseph’s friend and fellow Horror Nights scare actor, said in an email interview that they met in 2022 but became “close friends” in 2024 when they both acted in the “A Quiet Place” maze. Joseph played Burgos’ father in the maze. 

“It’s honestly a blast getting to work with him. We have tons of laughs backstage and then we luckily got to perform in the same room together,” Burgos said. “Our energy was definitely noticed.”

Joseph said he plans to pursue his voice acting skill in sports broadcasting, which is why he is attending Cal Lutheran and hosts his own radio show. 

“I’ve always had, like, the bug for acting and I’ve thought about continuing it,” Joseph said. “I do voice acting. So I feel like that’s more my realm, but I’ve never been opposed to actually acting.”

According to Spencer Fischer, Podcasting and Radio Production professor, Joseph grew up in a “house of radio.” Fischer said he’s not surprised that both acting and radio interest Joseph, adding that he’s shown a “gift” and “confidence” from the start.

“He speaks this type of media,” Fischer said. “He’s here with an extra layer of appreciation of what we do here. He was born with an insane voice … not everybody has that.”

Joseph said he would have a hard time giving up Horror Nights, but would like to manage both being a scare actor and a career in the sports industry if he can.

Fischer said he is excited to see Joseph pursue a career in sports broadcasting and is glad he is “seizing” opportunities outside of Cal Lutheran at Horror Nights. According to Fischer, Joseph has a “natural set of gifts” that he isn’t ignoring and added that his radio voice at Cal Lutheran must be “scary A.F.” in the mazes.

This was echoed by Burgos, who said Joseph is a “great” and “genuine” person, and said he noticed from their first performance together that Joseph is a “very talented performer.”

“RJ definitely does a great job every season,” Burgos said. “He’s versatile and always wants to give one hundred percent.”

According to Fischer, Joseph’s long-time involvement with Horror Nights shows that the work he’s doing there mirrors the commitment he brings to Cal Lutheran. While he likes to think Cal Lutheran has inspired something along the way in Joseph’s life, he also said, “RJ has been RJ from day one.”

“Because of the character and the work ethic, I do believe he’s going to accomplish what he’s looking to accomplish,” Fischer said. “I can coach it. I can make you good. Some people just got it, and RJ’s got it.”