Asylum Haunted Scream Park – 2016 Review

Overall Score – 3.3/5

(all ratings scored out of 5)

Xterminate – Mutant Attack

Curb Appeal – 2.8/5
Scare Factor – 2.3/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 3.8/5
Creativity – 3/5

Overall – 2.9/5

Teresa – This is an interactive experience. You get to take a laser gun and shoot zombies. The decor is sparse; it is just like being in a bombed out town without the rubble. But there are plenty of zombies throughout and you get to run around and shoot them until you run out of time. The zombies all have their own personalities. Some of them are classic and slow, others are more like “Deadites”. None of them stay dead. I enjoyed this one a lot. You get to run around with your friends and shoot zombies. You can also shoot each other. The guns have sensors on them, so if you get shot, your gun stops working until a few seconds go by and it resets. This leaves you defenseless and makes it more exciting. The zombies do a good job of creeping up on you fast. Definitely a change of pace from other haunts.

Donna –  This was a laser gun indoor zombie killing area that has potential but needs many more actors. We were in a group of 16 which i felt was too many for the smallish area we were in and since there weren’t very many actors  The scare factor was low because you could see the actors falling and getting back up again several times before you even got there.   Suggestions would be more actors, smaller group, less well lit.

Gus – Xterminate Mutant Attack is laser tag on steroids. Two teams battle each other in an indoor arena for bragging rights, all while dodging zombified actors. This was a ton of fun, and the more you get into it, the more the actors do as well. Make sure you pay attention to the introduction so you know how to reload your high-tech laser gun.

Todd – Xterminate is essentially a watered down laser tag arena in which you shoot zombies (?) that are [slowly] coming after you. The concept is good. The play area is fairly big, the guns are very cool and nifty…but…that’s about all.

If memory serves, last year the actors wore some kind of receiver that interacted with the gun. So not only did it signal to them when they were shot, but if they got too close to you, you took health damage. It was pretty neat and gave you a little more purpose in watching where you went.

This year, the actors had no noticeable equipment at all. Since the guns emit light when fired, the actors would fall to the ground when they saw the light (slowly…like an old man easing into a bath). And of course, that’s IF they were playing by the rules. One actress in particular just refused to fall down no matter how many fires to the head I offered. ::shrug:: What’s the point then?

The ratio of survivors to zombies was easily 3:1. I can recall seeing maybe seeing 5-6 distinct actors, but everywhere I turned I just found other people with guns. They divided the large group into 2 teams and explained you could fire upon the other team, but without any kind of score keeping or motivation to do so, most of the time was spent just walking around looking for a zombie while passing other players doing the same thing.

The actors were incredibly slow, never tried to hide and the only satisfaction I received was feeling like John McClain, easily taking them down without any element of surprise. The concept is there but there’s a LOT of fine tuning needed.

Side note: Many of the guns were malfunctioning and required constant swapping out. Upkeep is a must here.

Zombie City

Curb Appeal – 4/5
Scare Factor – 3.8/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 5/5
Creativity – 5/5

Overall – 4.4/5

Teresa – This is a scripted haunt that you participate in. They let you in and tell you what has happened to cause everyone to turn into zombies. Then you meet a sort of guide character who tries to help you find a way out of the zombie-infested city, while protecting you from zombies that keep sneaking up behind you. The theme is great, the decor is great, the characters are great (and good at improvising), and I love that you are part of this story. It is pretty long too, so you really get immersed in it. There were definitely some changes from last year. I wish there were more immersive haunts like this one.

Donna –  Zombie city was my favorite at the asylum haunted scream park. It is created by the amazing Joey Arena who has a flair for theatrics and knows how to scare people. You feel as if you are  trapped in a walking dead like area with zombies running loose everywhere. Your guide is attempting to get the group out but you encounter problems that you have to solve  along the way. This is an interactive Haunt  with sets and actors that are so convincing I had to keep reminding myself it was just pretend. This is one that should not be missed!!!!

Gus – Zombie City is unique in the way that you are truly part of an ongoing story. Each year Zombie City changes, building on the story from last season. This time around the Paragon research facility is in shambles and you meet up with a survivor to make your way to the compound exit on the far side of the complex. You could go it alone, but she’s got a gun. I really enjoy these types of interactive haunts, but it takes true professionals to pull it off in character. As much as I tried, none of the characters broke character, even when they spilled drinks all over the place. As you progress from scene to scene, more of the story is revealed and surprises await you at each stop. This was by far my favorite attraction at Asylum Haunted Scream Park. It’s worth coming just to check this one out!

Todd – Zombie City more of an interactive experience than a haunt. It has its moments of surprise scares, but for the most part you’re immersed in a story, trying to get from one end of the “”city”” to the other. The story and scenes were somewhat different from last year which was nice – we weren’t experiencing a re-run.

There’s a primary actor that is your lead survivor helping you along the way. Conveniently, they are the only one with a gun, of course. You’ll encounter other survivors who add more to the story as you talk to them and even come across the remains of those who didn’t make it.

The actors are great. No only are the full of energy but they can ad lib with the best of them (trust me, we try to throw them off). One actor in the butcher shop for example, accidentally spilled his drink. He quickly and humorously covered it with some quick words and just kept going.

This experience is a LOT of fun. It’s not all that scary but it’s highly entertaining and very original. Enhancements in the story line and backstory presentation did not go unnoticed either.

Darkness Falls

Curb Appeal – 3.7/5
Scare Factor – 4/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 4/5
Creativity – 4/5

Overall – 3.9/5

Teresa – Out of the several attractions at this Asylum Haunted Scream Park, this one is the most like a classic haunt. You walk through a really spooky cemetery, and down a creepy haunted trail, passing through all kinds of evil scenes, all full of horrible maniacs waiting to eat or kill you. The decor is really good. The characters really take time to talk to you. There are maniac rednecks, vampires, satanists, clowns, and some surprises. Some are funny, some are scary. I was very impressed when one flew overhead. I absolutely love some of these scenes. And I always like it when I have to crawl or walk or slide through something unexpected. Good times.

Gus – Darkness Falls is an outdoor haunted trail, with a bunch of different scenes. There is something for everyone. Its dark, creepy and full of unexpected things coming at you from every angle – including overhead. Zombie City was so good, that I wish I had done this one first as it left me wanting.

Todd – Darkness Falls is a long outdoor trail haunt that has a lot to offer. Unlike a lot of trails, there’s something around every bend here. There’s a very cool and spooky graveyard, a large bridge to cross and of course, the dual slides on which I sprained my ankle last year. I’m happy to report I suffered no injury this year (play balls have been added at the bottom to ease your landing).

Along the trail you will find the more conventional attractions – clowns, murderous rednecks…but there are some other highlights such as what I refer to as the heavy metal church, a claustrophobic schoolhouse and a slaughter yard maze.

There’s always something to look at and experience. Given the length of the trail, that’s a feat which makes this haunt worth checking out.

Zombie Hunting

Curb Appeal – 2.2/5
Scare Factor – 1.3/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 1.5/5
Creativity – 2.3/5

Overall – 1.8/5

Teresa – This one could be a lot better. I like the idea of riding along on a bus and shooting zombies with paintballs. That part is fun. You get 100 paintballs with the option to buy more for $5.00. You go through a rural-looking town (shells of buildings, deserted cars, etc.) and shoot zombies. The problem is, there are more  flat targets than real zombies. Those aren’t nearly as fun to shoot at. And then the course is really short. You go through twice, but I still didn’t use all of my paintballs. I mean, it is still fun to shoot things, but this just isn’t scary and doesn’t have enough moving targets to be very exciting. But, this is a new attraction and there’s definitely room for improvement here, so I look forward to seeing it get better. Plus, this is just one out of 3 other haunts, plus the Carnivale of Lost Souls, which is sort of a midway with food, very creepy wandering characters, and live performers (think pointy objects and fire and you’ll be on the right track). It is actually kind of mesmerizing. Plus there are photo ops and special events. You get so much bang for your buck here. And I absolutely love that most of the haunts are very interactive, so you get to participate. So creative and professional.

Donna –  This was a rolling paintball zombie shooting haunt that also needed more actors. Shooting paintballs  from an old bus is always fun, don’t get me wrong. However, it is more fun when you have live actors to shoot at .   However this was a fun additions to asylum haunted scream park and we did enjoy the ride.

Gus – Zombie Hunting consists of a bus ride driving past the same few buildings a couple of times. Actors were few and far between, I think I might have seen 2 the whole time. This needs a longer track across varying scenes, and it needs more live targets to make it worthwhile.

Todd – Zombie Hunting is a paintball attraction where you sit on a customized truck and shoot at mostly stationary targets.

The overall experience is unfortunately bland. There are makeshift building facades set up in a fairly small area, with a few cars and other objects set up in between. There were only 2 live zombie actors (by my count) to shoot at. Everything else was stationary. The shooting area is constructed in an open field so there’s no trail or natural environment to add to the experience.

In fact, it’s such a small area that you pass through the same course twice. This attraction was really disappointing. As much fun as it is to shoot at zombies, there were hardly any to be found here and the unfinished plywood-constructed scenery added very little appeal.

This experience would have been much better had it actually gone into the woods and had much more live interaction.