You arrive at Halloween Horror Nights. You see lots of monsters around you. You’re having fun -- the adrenaline is pumping, excitement teetering on the edge of fear -- but then you haven’t met the headliners of the event yet. The monsters that the haunted houses were built around.

If it were a game, they are the bosses you have to defeat in order to leave feeling like you’ve leveled up -- or risk losing sleep for the next week.

But admit it. Even if you’ve made it to Halloween Horror Nights 6, can you have a straight up face-to-face with a Halloween monster without wetting yourself?

Hmph, we think not. Which is why we took the liberty of meeting them to help you guys suss out some survival tips, lest ya’ll go home with your tail between your legs.

You’re welcome.

Who: AUGUSTA DEFEO

When we first met her, her complexion told us that she probably hadn’t slept for a million years. Perhaps the ghastly, century-old witch was kept awake planning her revenge. Now that she’s returned, she’s ready to unleash her anger on all those who tried to get rid of her…. Humans.

See how Augusta Defeo recruits spinsters, orphans and widowed women at the Maison Deux-Six? That’s her version of the eternal hen’s night. We haven’t seen so many people gathering for a party the last time the townspeople tried to burn down her house.

Looking at how things worked out the last time, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned indeed. Someone’s gonna pay and it better not be you.

Where: Salem Witch House

Blend in like a pro: Certain trigger words you should avoid -- temptress, marriage, betrayal, fire -- unless you’d like her to cast a nasty spell on you, don’t mutter any of these words near her. You could also bring a wand and pretend to be a witch. She likes sorority, seeing how she created one from her home. Expelliarmus!

Who: DAMIEN SHIPMAN

Grotesquely disfigured with permanently melted skin all over his face, we cringed inside when we first saw Shipman. After setting his art gallery, his family and himself on fire in an accident, Shipman allegedly went insane with guilt, withdrawing into a life of solitude.

So it comes as a surprise Shipman would like to come face-to-face with us. After all, with news of his final art exhibition circulating, rumours of mysterious disappearances and blood-curdling screams originating from his art gallery spreading, we wonder what he might really be up to in his gallery.

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity and it looks like he can’t wait to show us his big reveal.

Where: Bodies of Work gallery

How to save your skin: A note about Shipman -- he is almost the live version of Bill Buffalo from Silence of the Lambs -- an artist dying to reunite with his family, frantically gathering body parts to stitch them back to life.

So if you’re scared, just stay behind a friend with really nice legs or arms. They’ll do a good job of distracting Shipman from you. Heh heh.

Who: HU LI

Don’t be fooled --  Hu Li may be drop dead gorgeous on the outside, but on the inside she’s just a nasty thousand-year-old, silver-haired, nine-tailed fox.

At first glance we couldn’t really tell, as Hu Li looks every part the perfect skincare model you’d find in any ladies magazine. Risking it all, we tried to take a closer peek at that fine porcelain skin, but caught her licking her lips in our direction instead.

Her secret? A bowl of human organ soup a day keeps her young and her fox fur smooth and lustrous. She’s irresistible to the men whom she hunts as “ingredients” for her dish.

She sticks to a simple and time-tested tactic -- lure the men in with fun and some flesh, and they’ll be in hot soup.

Where: Hu Li’s Inn, of course.

Distract her to no end: She’s into hunting men to feed her addiction for her favourite meal -- human organ soup. So guys, we’ve got a great plan to keep you from becoming targets.

Try asking her “what does the fox say?” It’ll confuse her -- “They know I’m a fox? What did I say? Are they talking about foxes in general? How does a fox sound like? How do I sound like?” It’s super effective!

Oh and one more thing. Don’t talk about age around her. It’s a sensitive topic for women, let alone a nine-tailed fox in woman form.

Who: LADY DEATH

A walking female skeleton said to be the personification of Death, you’d definitely not want to be on her burn list. Any human who has the gall to attempt to cheat death -- and by extension, cheat her -- is already a dead man.

One look into her eyes and we felt as if we had aged an eternity. The warmth of life left us at a moment’s glance. Thankfully, Lady Death has a bigger task at hand, with so much to prepare before her great harvest, she couldn’t be bothered with the single soul (US!) near her side.

Her ultimate goal? Create an army of the dead. And she’d like you to be a part of it.

Where: March of the Dead, New York Zone

Cheat death: Being Death herself, she hates all things living and would like to suck the life out of anyone she sees. Take a cue from your secondary school days and revert to your emo self -- that’s you sucking the life out of yourself. She’ll leave you to be then.

Who: WANG LIANG

A victim of an act of sabotage by his father’s enemies, Wang became a mutant after eating radioactive fish that was planted in his father’s kitchen. Life was good and the Wang family enjoyed the fruits of their labour, until fellow hawkers became jealous of senior Wang’s skill and fortune.

Despite Wang Liang’s grotesque looking bulbous, pus-filled sores, we got the vibe that he prefers his current - erm - physique, because it’s the perfect weapon for him to exact revenge on those who harmed him, his family and their famous fish soup recipe.

Thanks to the envy of the fellow man, Wang Liang’s story plays out like a classic super villain origin story and the fire in his eyes tells us his work has only just begun.

Where: Hawker Centre Massacre

How to turn the tables on him: Angry and vengeful, Wang Liang’s not giving anyone the benefit of the doubt. Any human being he sees is the enemy that implicated his father -- and food.

To survive, run as fast as you can. But we heard he’s pretty quick himself, so if you aren’t a runner, you can get down on the floor and attempt to flop around like a fish a la Magikarp. Wang Liang likes fish soup. If you’re a fish, you’re a friend.

This article features a collection of stories from monsters who roam among us. Many of them remain as faceless horrors whose stories remain untold. Get to know them better at http://www.rwsentosablog.com/hhn6-tickets/

This post helps fuel Mothership’s writers who are tempted at upgrading their Halloween Horror Nights ticket to include an express pass.

Top image from RW Sentosa blog

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