Indoor Haunts

GA Boecklings Eerie Estate
This award winning haunt was still our favorite and still packs a scare, but after three years needs some fresh ideas and scenery. The old fashioned haunted house is meticulously decorated in period furniture and nick-nacks, the actors are extremely convincing (we did miss the original old Mr. Boeckling greeting people at the door, though) and the lighting is perfect for setting the mood. This haunt won our Frightmaster award last year and with the addition of some new scenes and a little more creativity, could very easily grab that award again!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

The House on Boo Hill
This is a family oriented haunt perfect for the kids. It’s well lit with just a little bit of creepiness but was actually one of the best surprises this year. I loved that they took out the mirror maze from last year and added new rooms. The alligator bathroom was awesome and the bed of nails was a nice touch! It was just enough for the kiddies to experience a little Halloween chill without really scaring them. Good job!!!

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Club Blood
This is a your worst nightmare dance club – unless of course you LIKE vampires, blood, fog and very loud music! Lots of banging around, sneaking around and misdirection make for a haunting experience. Different but fun! Good actors. Great sound. Could be a bit longer, though.

Rating: 8.5 – Very Good

Eternity Infirmary
This was my personal favorite haunt this year at Cedar Point. The actors were over-the-top convincing with more enthusiasm and in your face scares than any of the other haunts. The rooms were fairly sparse but just enough furniture to get the point across of a creepy sanitorium where the patients have taken over. Lots of screaming and yelling and just enough jump out scares to keep you on your toes. Kudos to the actors in here! High energy scare. Great job!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Outdoor Haunts

Cut Throat Cove
This pirate themed haunt was just ok for me but could have been a lot better if the actors were more involved and the placement of the actors was a bit more creative. Most of the actors we encountered just stood still in the middle of the trail and didn’t do anything to try to scare us. The fog was dense but it wasn’t used to create disorientation like in the Screamworks haunt. You just walked through it with nothing jumping out on the other side when you least expected it. This haunt has great potential and with some reworking (put more actors behind things and more jumping out in the fog) and tell the actors to be a bit more vocal (I didn’t hear one actor even open his/her mouth all the way through) this could be an excellent haunt. It was very long (almost too long).

Rating: 7.5 – Good

Blood on the Bayou
This was an outdoor haunt that meandered along a very dark trail flanked by very realistic creepy-looking river cabins. The creativity and design was excellent on this haunt and the actors didn’t disappoint either. The actors were creepy and believable and jumped out when you least expected it. It was hard to see some of the way with the intense fog but that just made it creepier and more claustrophobic. This haunt could use a bit more length and maybe a surprise at the end just when you think you’ve made it out safely.

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Maniacal Mechanical Screamworks
This was a big favorite this year. The fog makes it spooky but the actors and props make it terrifying! It’s 360 degree scares and no where to hide as you make your way through this outdoor walk that is a combination of futuristic thrills and old-fashioned in-your-face screams. Although it could use a few more actors and more fog, it still is an absolute must-see at Cedar Point Halloweekends!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

CarnEvil
Evil clowns – EVERYWHERE!!! Definitely a must see for all clown-a-phobes!!!! Best costumes and make-up we have seen in ANY haunt!!!! The scenes are pretty much the same every year but it never fails to send chills down your spine as the demented clowns jump out of nowhere and invite you to “join the show”. Lots of fun and a few “gotchas” thrown in as well.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Overall rating: 9.3 – Excellent

Visit their web site at www.halloweekends.com

Holiday Horror
This was the second year for this haunt at Kings Island and was pretty much the same as last year. The rooms were fairly well lit, keeping the scare factor to a minimum. The half-interested actors are what brought this haunt down in points this year. They acted like they couldn’t care less. Very disappointing.

Rating: 5.5 – Average

Mysteria
This is also the second year for this haunt at Kings Island and, in our opinion, was a total miss again with both theme and scare factor. It is nothing but white walls, chain link fence and lasers. All actors were in white or green body stockings. I am assuming that the intent was to blend in with the scenery – it didn’t work! It was a true maze with dead ends but at the exit there was a girl out of costume which was poor actor placement. This one missed the mark.

Rating: 2.5 – Poor

Slaughter House
This haunt is a gore-fest! Loads of body parts and blood. It’s like Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Saw! Nice use of props. It felt dark and dirty. The car prop with the lights and horn was great!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Urgent Scare
This was another “heavy on the gore” haunt that remains pretty much the same year after year although it felt shorter than in past years. This haunt has some of the better props and theme than the others and had lots of noise and banging going on.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Club Blood
Club Blood is unique in that it combines the vampire mystique with a little S&M. The actors are very realistic and invite you to take a bite. Great costumes, good dancers, good all around haunt! Good curb appeal – really looks like a weird fantasy club from the outside. Excellent audio, props and lighting. Good use of fog in the right parts. Definitely check it out!!!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Massacre Manor
This is still one of our favorite haunts of the night because of the old style haunted house theme. Good lighting and props, very good attention to detail. The only “theme” faux pas was the fact that the actors had on modern clothing and the house was set to be an older style. Lots of bangs and noise.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

CarnEvil
This would be terrifying if one were afraid of clowns!!! Great use of black lights in hiding people and bringing out the environment. Loved the sinister Circus music!!! Good actors, good decorations. Nice haunt.

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Cornstalkers
From the outside, this haunt looks like you’d be experiencing a corn maze. Once inside you realize that it’s quite open and there’s hardly any corn stalks. All the characters were the same, all in burlap bag costumes. This needs some additional actors in different costumes to mix things up a bit. Maybe demented farmer costumes? With a pitchfork? This haunt was quickly predictable which made it a disappointment.

Rating: 2.5 – Poor

Cut Throat Cove
This haunt needs a bit of work on the scare factor. At times you could see the park through the chain link walls. Although the actors were decent and there were some cool corpse props, the ambient lighting from the park was distracting causing it to loose a lot of the scare factor. Good, could be better.

Rating: 7.5 – Good

Wolf Pack
This haunt is located back by the old Son of Beast but had decent signage so you could find it easier. It was a fairly short haunt but a lot darker than in past years which was a plus on the scare side. Good props and nice theme continuity throughout the haunt. The actors got an excellent from our reviewers for this haunt.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Tombstone Terror-tory
This outside haunt is a mix of a train ride and a long walk through the woods back. For the most part it was fairly dark which added to the ambiance. The heavy fog in parts also added to the scare factor. However, some of the actors hid behind crates that you could see through, taking away the element of surprise. They need to be better concealed to raise the scare element and up the score on this potentially excellent haunt!

Rating: 8 – Very Good

Madame Fatale’s Cavern
This is a new haunt this year located where the old Tomb Raider ride used to be and the set-up works very well for this particular theme. There are mannequins literally EVERYWHERE! It could be a bit darker, though. The lighting seems to be a bit much to properly set the mood of a dark and creepy cavern. However, there are fun visuals and it is one of the best themed haunts in the park! Excellent potential!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Overall rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Visit their web site at haunt.visitkingsisland.com

A new year and a new attitude with the boat! More actors than seen in the past, longer haunt (almost 27 min to walk through compared to 22 last year), and new rooms where a big surprise awaits! Our reviewers were impressed with the fog, the greeter in front and especially the Captain on this year’s USS Nightmare. Some of the comments from our new haunt investigators were “can’t fake the feel of a real boat!”, “plenty of new scares, high and low!” “4th time here. Always a great time!”, and “OMG, I WAS SCREAMING!”. That about says it all. The water and wind effect in the rainforest area bring a realistic feel to your haunt experience and the camo guy in the jungle really surprised several of our reviewers. While several of the rooms were populated with characters from the past, several new characters also took over the boat this year so look for some new faces. Without describing the turn by turn experience to you (like some websites do), just suffice it to say if you think you knew the boat from past years, think again! There’s a new Nightmare waiting at the dock for you. Come aboard for awhile and stay forever!!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Visit their web site at www.ussnightmare.com

** Descriptions May Contain Spoilers **

Bang for the buck
For a haunt of this caliber, we feel 20$ is totally worth it, however some may feel that this is a bit pricey. Discount tickets are available at local Arby’s, Dominos, or by bringing a Crush product to the ticket booth. Tickets can also be ordered and printed at home to skip the ticket line. Come early to avoid the lines, the house is blacked out enough to provide a great experience even with a little daylight left. I know some places offer corn mazes, hay rides, petting zoos or whatever with admission, but this place is a haunted house, and a good one. You can make an evening of it, watch the videos showing on the big screens while you wait in line (or skip the line), hang out and listen to WEBN-provided music while wandering haunt actors scare the crowd, and even catch special guests (as we did with the Ecto-1). So if a haunted house is what you want, this one is worth the price of admission. Especially if you take advantage of the discount days.

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Curb Appeal
Just waiting in line is enough to get the heart going. The windows are boarded up looking spooking, the rough wooden fence is menacing and Charlie can be seen peering out in the attic window. Ghouls wander through the queues preying on patrons that are not paying attention. A video of “history” of Charlie the groundskeeper and the Dent Schoolhouse plays on loop in the lines, which is very professional and really helps to amp up the audience. This theme carries throughout the haunt and helps the whole experience feel consistent. It doesn’t get much better than a legit old building decked out in spooky style. Plus there are those scare actors walking through the crowd to creep up on you unexpectedly. The schoolhouse itself is quite ominous with it’s boarded doors, secretive windows and its otherwise suspiciously innocent charm. This would make for a perfect setting for a picture with Charlie the Janitor!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Scare Factor
The scares are varied from startling drop panels, live actors, animatronics and creepy stages. Between each room there is just enough time to get over the last scare, before the next one happens. We saw several groups clustering together, pulling their weakest link through the house, and several groups sprinting from the exit. There were tears from teenage girls. Pretty good variety of scares (creepy characters in various scenes who did a good job of interacting, dividing, and stalking, bugs and creepy-crawlies, creative animatronics, loud noises, clowns, tight places, characters jumping out, a chain saw, dark rooms, lots of unexpected pop-outs, a maze). For some, Dent may be outright terrifying. Those creeped out by ambient settings more than pop out scares would find it the most disturbing of all. I found myself more impressed and fascinated with the details in each scenario and overall ambiance of the place more than anything as I walked through.

Rating: 10.5 – FRIGHTMASTER

Actors/Professionalism
This is another area that really impressed us. The actors stick to character, are very interactive, are really into their roles (taunting, screaming, stalking), and some even seem to be really enjoying themselves, chasing visitors around and going the extra mile. They did a good job of managing the line and making the people standing around part of the show.

The actors have secret passages and are able to get you several times as you wander through the twists and turns. Although we did feel that the use of the drop down windows was a bit excessive, they still had the same “startling” effect. One of the actors was able to peel their own face off and wave the skin in your face. This was very convincing and creepy. The stuff nightmares are made of!

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Audio Effect
The audio was very good, and helps the atmosphere throughout. Some areas of the haunt were very loud. There was music where appropriate, and the moving props all made appropriate sounds. It was integrated so well that I didn’t think of it as an audio soundtrack. It was natural to the scene. Like the bus noises. Both the ambient sound and effect sounds were great. The Dent team isn’t afraid to crank the volume and it certainly accompanies the visuals well.

Rating: 9 – Excellent

Lighting
The lighting was dark enough to be creepy, but bright enough to let the excellent scenery really show. Dent also has a clever use of projectors to create effects of cockroaches pouring out of cracks in the wall in several places, spicing up empty hallways between the staged areas. Again, I believe it was done well because I didn’t notice any of it done poorly. The scenes were creepy. They were lit so you noticed what you were supposed to, and didn’t notice things that were “behind the scenes” and left plenty of dark corners for things to hide and jump out. The lighting is professional quality. The use of uplighting and backlighting is key to drawing an audience’s attention and Dent succeeds. The lighting fit each scene perfectly. There are times when you can see everything around you and better yet – times when you can’t. Normally I tend to think darker is better, however in Dent’s case, if it were darker we wouldn’t be able to appreciate all of the detail in each area.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Overall rating: 10.5 – FRIGHTMASTER

Overall (Comments by Todd C. – HauntedHouseTour.com reviewer)
There are many reasons that The Dent Schoolhouse is one of the top rated haunts in the country; they pretty much get everything right. For a richer experience, I think it would be fun to take all of the exterior booths away from the schoolhouse’s vicinity to give patrons more of a feel that they’re those 1970s teenagers who are trespassing into malicious territory. Strange as it may sound, Disney is the king of all things themed and if Disney owned Dent, the line would be secluded and perhaps even clausterphobic, adding the feeling of dread before the journey even begins. Regardless, The Dent Schoolhouse stands out vastly among its peers. For those who love the macabre such as myself, it proves that one man’s nightmare can be another’s bloody paradise.

Overall (Comments by Teresa – HauntedHouseTour.com reviewer)
I think this is a really fun attraction. They should sell season passes. The actors and employees take the time to interact with the crowd and there are so many of them that everyone gets attention and a good laugh. I would like to see the option of purchasing “scare photos” in the future.

Visit their web site at www.frightsite.com

Opening Comments – Todd C – Haunt Reviewer:
When we were asked to visit Land of Illusion, I immediately expected Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt part 2. With the combination of little marketing and distant location, Land of Illusion was never really on my radar. Therefore, my expectations were low. I figured it would be okay but not great. I expected subpar actors with consumer-grade props. I estimated we’d see everything within an hour. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Paranormal Party / Club Zombie

These are not what I would call haunted attractions, but rather just help the atmosphere of Land of Illusion. As you enter the Scream Park, you’ll be greeted with a towering bonfire 12 feet wide with plenty of seating. Club Zombie is a stage located off to the right where a healthy dose of techno and pop music were being blasted. Through the night these spots were hotbeds of activity where people were gathered, munching on snacks from the snack bar, dancing or singing along to the music from Club Zombie, or just fighting off the night’s chill around the bonfire. This makes the night feel like a party, someplace to hang out, rather than just a trip through a haunted house.

Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate

This was the most traditional “haunted house” style haunt, including both indoor and outdoor areas. Both were great. Outside, lighting is minimal . in the good way. There’s just enough light to know where you’re going and see what you need to see, but not enough to foresee what’s lurking ahead. Inside, you find yourself in a two story building full of grotesque detail and excellent actors. There were a number of knee-level nooks that the actors could approach you from that were very effective. This attraction was also unexpectedly long yet never tiresome or stale.

Another top notch haunt. Dr. Psycho has been busy raiding funeral homes to create all sorts of nasties from piranha plants, werewolves, and other failed experiments. This haunt starts off inside, exits and meanders through the woods for a bit before returning to another wing of the Haunted Estate. The scenery and animatronics really shine here. There is always something creepy to look at and the animatronics are very well placed for the best scare factor. The actors were incredible, jumping out from impossible positions to deliver quite a scare. Don’t miss this one.

Rating: 10 – Excellent

3D Killer Clowns

This is easily the tamest of the haunted attractions at Land of Illusion. It all centers on the use of 3D glasses and neon paint on the scenery, which they play up really well. The effect is very cool, you have to touch the walls to convince yourself it’s not really jumping off the wall, but not that scary. The actors in this haunt crack jokes at the expense of the patrons (playing into the evil clown vibe, I guess) but they stand out from how awesome the rest of the park actors are. The scenery all focuses on the 3D effect, leaving the rest of the haunt uninspired. This section could use some more animatronics, props or something to fill it up the bare sections and bring it up to the caliber of the rest of the haunts. The 3D effect is cool, but it should not be the only thing to see in the haunt. Unfortunately this one did not live up to the quality of its neighbors. The 3D effect with the black lighting worked well with the glasses. However, that’s about all it had going for it. The whole thing felt a little too lit to create a creepy ambiance and the actors were sparse and tame. There’s an outdoor maze in the middle of it which was completely void of actors, decoration or props which made it nothing more than a disruption to the flow and theme. It was full of clowns, but most of them were static props that do not move. The 3D effect was not enough to salvage this one. In my opinion it would be MUCH better if the black light artwork was traded for a darker atmosphere and make the clowns more demonic and dirty than colorful for the sake of the black light. This haunt doesn’t come close to the caliber of the other others.

Rating: 5.5 – Average

Temple of Terror

I have to say, this was my favorite haunt at Land of Illusion. Don’t let the unassuming entrance fool you. Once you step through the Temple doors you’ll know you’re in for something extraordinary. The spirits let you know right away they don’t appreciate you trespassing. Waterfalls, rope bridges, booby traps and huge skeleton demons await you on this attraction. I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie, all that was missing was a giant boulder, mine car ride and an annoying sidekick. Since Land of Illusion lets you go through the attractions as many times as you want, you’ll want to queue up again to see all the stuff you missed the first time. Loved it! This was the first attraction we went in. From the outside, it looked like a themed facade for a restroom so naturally going in. I expected a very cheesy and short haunt. Upon entering, the very first thing we experienced was standing in an isolated room (surrounded by skeletons no less) that began to shake violently. Once the rumblings stopped, the door opened and off we went. To my surprise, one of the 4 skeletons turned out to be an actor. I had no idea. My mind was immediately opened up to what was ahead. The theme remained consistent throughout – skeletons everywhere, walls made from skulls and bones. It truly felt cavernous. We experience a gargantuan animatronic that I wanted to stand and admire for minutes on end. We also found ourselves in a “jungle” room complete with water and a suspended rope bridge that visitors must cross. My favorite surprise had to be the dropping ceiling. When you get there – you’ll know. The attention to detail is top-notch and the length was easily 4x what I expected.

Rating: 10.5 – FRIGHTMASTER

Voodoo Bayou Shanty

This one had the most consistent theme among actors. They all played hill jack crazies yielding guns, knives and chainsaws. There were constant shouts regarding trespassing, threats and hints of incest to boot. There was a little less to look at in this one, but it was still effective in keeping the disconcerting environment. There were a few queue-like areas made up of boarded walls allowing the outside light to come through the thin slits between each board. This made for a cool (but perhaps unintentional) effect. This also provided a key opportunity for actors to sneak up behind you unknowingly. All in all, this was still a fun one. I would affectionately call this the redneck haunt. This one really assaults all your senses. The nasty kitchen actually stank. There was gratuitous use of chainsaws, coming from all around you, but you never quite could tell from where. This really heightens the experience in my opinion. It must have been pretty effective, as we had other groups trying to push past us to get out. When they finally did escape, the actors chased them all the way to the bonfire. Great stuff!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Middletown Haunted Trail

This one is worth the price of admission alone! This trail is LONG. We were told it’s .9 miles. Just when you thought you had reached the end, there was even more. There are no limitations of props outside evidently as we encountered school busses standing up on end, an old metro bus that you actually walk through, a beautiful headless horseman animatronic and a lot more “I don’t even know what that is but it looks awesome” things. There are areas within this trail that are near pitch black and the actors take full advantage. One constant remains throughout Land of Illusion – the actors feed on fear. At one point on our hike, our female reviewers were surrounded by 5 actors; 2 yielding chainsaws. They are relentless and it made this trail especially great. Land of Illusion has found a way to stuff the entire trail with different props and themes to keep you engaged (and possibly scared shi-tless) the whole time. This is the longest haunt I have ever experienced. It was probably 20 minutes of walking, minus the time hiding from the chainsaw crew. Just when you get to an “exit” a whole new theme kicks up. This mishmash of different experiences all in the same attraction makes for a great haunt. It never lets up, and there is always something weird and wonderful around the next corner. I have no idea how many actors they have staffing the trail, but somehow we always seemed to have at least 5 actors around at any one time. Beware the pig men, you’ll hear their incredible squeals before you see them. If you only visit one of the attractions at Land of Illusion, you can’t go wrong with the haunted trail. It is worth the price of admission all by itself!

Rating: 10.5 – FRIGHTMASTER

Comments

Todd C. – Haunt Reviewer
Overall, Land of Illusion tops its mainstream competition in my opinion. You can tell it is produced and run by people who are passionate about haunts and do it for fellow Halloween fanatics more than to simply make a profit. I was blown away over the quality, length, uniqueness and innovative ideas that almost each attraction brings to the table. In the center of the haunts, patrons can take a break around a large bonfire and keep warm. The overall environment of the park is very welcoming. It was incredible!!!

Andy (Gus) G. – Haunt Reviewer
The Land of Illusion really is a totally different caliber of haunted attraction. It completely blew away my expectations. You can visit other haunted attractions around the area, but they just don’t deliver the same level of sophistication that can be found at Land of Illusion. Not to mention the fact that you can go back through the haunts as many times as you like. You are really doing yourself a disservice if you do not include this one in your Halloween season.

Gina P-G – Haunt Reviewer
I very much enjoyed this park. I call it a park because it really doesn’t fit, just calling it the Land of Illusion. As soon as you walked in, the atmosphere was very fun, with the bonfire rolling and the haunts all scattered about. There were actors trolling around, scaring random people, the Ghostbusters were there, souvenirs, and lots of things to look at and take pictures of. This is the type of place that a bunch of people could just go to and hang out, without even going into the haunts. Although, if that were the plan, they’d be missing out on a lot of great scares. One thing that stood out remarkably for me, was the dedication of the actors. They really had fun, and even managed to stay in character when you asked questions. Each haunt itself was extraordinary and unique. The props were fantastic, the animatronics impressive, and even the smell of some of the haunts was befitting. Very impressive. This is a place that pulls out all the stops to give the customer a good scare. And the best part is that it’s unlimited. If you like a certain one, you can go back through all night, if you so desire. This hidden gem doesn’t get enough recognition. Highly, highly recommended!

Bang for the buck
Score – Frightmaster Candidate! – 10.5 points

Curb Appeal
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Scare Factor
Score – Frightmaster Candidate! – 10.5 points

Actors/Professionalism
Score – Frightmaster Candidate! – 10.5 points

Audio Effect
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Lighting
Score – Excellent! – 9.5 points

Overall rating: 10.5 – FRIGHTMASTER

Visit their web site at www.thelandofillusion.com

The Haunted Hayride

This hayride in the country just keeps getting better and better every year! This year Gene and Brenda Webb have outdone themselves and completely remastered the entire haunt with new scenes, scares and surprises. A very intimidating Mortimer Sneed greets you as you get on the hayride and explains the rules to you before your trip. “Tonight you will face the fears that will send shivers up your spine which may be your very last time. Before I usher this tractor to drag you off into the night there are a few things you must remember. No smoking, there’s hay on this wagon, no drunken liquids not even a thimble full. Stay seated at all times even if the dead is coming to get you. No cursing, the only cursing that should be going on is that performed by witches and the last thing is the dead line. Only the dead can walk upon the line. Do not let your feet walk across the line. Keep them tucked against the hay at all times and if you don’t touch the dead, they won’t touch you.” This set the mood for the trip.

The large silo sprouted flames into the night every few minutes, startling even The Frightmaster. As Freddy greets you in the line and ushers you to the large wagon of hay bales you know you’re in for a treat. Then the trip begins. As you pass a creepy looking abandoned motel, a girl runs out at you holding a knife screaming to save her. The ride takes a turn and before you know it, you’re in the cornfield. They added additional actors to the trip through the cornfield this year, popping up out of nowhere and in any direction making it a 10 on the scare factor! Once you leave the cornfield, you travel down into the first scene, the doll scene. The sides of the road are decorated with hundreds of old, eerie-looking dolls which drew to mind the movie “Dead Silence” and sent shivers down my spine.

The ride progresses through some additional scenes, all new for this year, including a scene from the Stephen King movie “IT” where it looks like you are actually going into the sewer with a multi-colored light at the top to make it seem even more disorienting which really worked as a great scare effect with the clown jumping in the wagon at the end. There is also an alien coming from a flying saucer which has landed in the corn field which is new this year and very realistic looking.

The scenes in the barn were the best yet – a woman is being sawed in half (not for the squeamish!) and a very realistic Texas Chainsaw Massacre reenactment. Gene and Brenda have mastered the art of the 360 degree scare – scares come from all directions, so just when you are looking one way (misdirection), someone jumps out from the opposite direction! We love this and it really heightens the scare factor. Well done!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Farmers Revenge

This is a short indoor haunt that has some dark spaces and unexpected surprises. The owners have done a lot with very little space in a small barn. As you enter, you are submerged in a dark maze that is both claustrophobic and disorienting. You actually have to bend down to get through the small opening, which is a very clever catch. This addition of the creepy girl behind the glass this year and the hands coming out of the box add a “high and low” dimension to the haunt. You are assaulted by “something touching you” on your ankles in the dark which truly terrorized some of the members of the review team. We loved this indoor haunt and would love to see some addition to it to make it longer maybe next year.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

All in all, we were VERY impressed with Sandyland Acres this year. Unlike some other haunts, they keep it fresh every year with all new scenes and scares. Most of the animatronics they use are all home made (how do they DO this????) and really stand out and make the scenes more believable – for example – the “Hellhound” with the glowing red eyes whose head moves side to side. Really well done! The actors are also excellent, really getting into the part and staying in character, even when you talk to them.

Gene and Brenda and all of the people at Sandyland Acres are truly lovers of Halloween and all things scary and they put their heart and soul into their haunt every year – and it shows! This is one of our favorite haunts and we look forward to coming back every year.

If you haven’t been to Sandyland Acres – GO!

Comments: Amanda S. – Haunt Reviewer
The hayride received a 10 in my book because of the actors and the unique/creative use of the outdoor attributes. There was the perfect balance of the realism of the props which you were constantly wondering if they were real and were happily surprised throughout.

The Farmers Revenge was especially creepy due to the lack of lighting through the haunt. It included interesting surprises and involved more than just visual effects. Other sensory scare tactics were used heightening the scare effects.

Overall, I would do this haunt again!!!

Comments: Mike E. – Haunt Reviewer
The flame on top of the silo was awesome and so was the host (Mortimer Sneed). I could feel the heat of the flame while waiting in line. The scarecrow at the beginning and the flaming truck chase were great! Some things in the corn field (the Corn Monster) needed to be better lit to see them.

Bang for the buck
(The tour time is 30 minutes with the combo indoor and outdoor haunts. Tickets are $12 a piece for the hayride and $10 for Farmers Revenge. VIP admission for the hayride is $15. Combo tickets are $20 a piece. Wait can be 1 1/2 hours in the regular line on a busy Sat night so VIP is recommended.)
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Curb Appeal
(Loved the addition of the flames on the silo and Mortimer Sneed)
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Scare Factor
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Actors/Professionalism
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Audio Effect
Score – Excellent! – 9.5 points

Lighting
Score – Very Good – 8.5 points

Overall rating: 10 – Excellent

Visit their web site at www.sandylandacres.com

Rating the Middletown Chambers of Horror is a bit like trying to rate a small town fair against a large multimillion dollar amusement park. It simply cannot compete when it comes to the flashy attractions, yet it carries a charm about it that the big parks lack in their money-driven atmosphere.

If I were to judge on heart alone, this haunt would get aces across the board. You can tell that everyone on board has a passion for haunted houses and enjoys what they do. Having been converted from restaurant, the Haunted Chambers is much longer than the exterior advertises. I felt there were two strengths to this haunt – the actors and the maze.

The Chambers of Horror excels at the confusion haunt. You get completely turned around while they zig and zag you through every square inch of the relatively small building, making it feel longer. Several key rooms make you decide your fate by selecting a door, only to end up in the same room several times. Trick dead ends and moving walls are great effects, but it is diminished a bit by having to be guided through by an actor. To me, it takes away from the experience some when you are given instructions like keep your back against this wall and look up when you hear a sound. The effects are great, but it would be nice if you didn’t need a tour guide telling you where to go at every room. Some areas are too dark and while that helps add to the confusion, it also means that you stumble around in the dark until an actor tells you go left then straight. If some of these areas were a little brighter or had scenery to tie the rooms together the actors could have more time to scare and startle instead of guide you. All that aside, the actors are wonderful and bring a great energy to the haunt. The room with the doors allows them to really shine.

Props are expensive and usually small haunts lack the memorable ones. The Chambers make up for this with a very enthusiastic cast who aren’t always scary, but are always engaging and keep you entwined in the theme. Patrons will find themselves in a number of rooms with various doors. The actors will rush you, demanding you pick the door leading you further through the path. This is very disorienting since some are false doors, others are blocked off as soon as you open them and some take you through a few turns that lead you right back to where you started. Oh and note that there may be times when someone will be pulled from your group – but don’t worry, the solo adventure is short and uneventful.

Each multi-door room leads you into another section of the maze which carries an independent look and feel. There is an abundance of twists and turns that will cause you to lose your bearing. No worries though, the overall path winds up being linear enough so you won’t get lost.

With a bit of improvement in a few areas, we could see this haunt being a Frightmaster Award contender. The very beginning is set up much like Disney’s Tower of Terror where the awaiting group watches a film to stage the line and add to the story. In this case, scenes of the Jigsaw puppet from the Saw films were dubbed over with a surprise at the end of the film. The guy playing the piano in the first room was actually very good.

As previously mentioned, the Chambers of Horror used to be a restaurant and there’s been a lot of renovation done to transform the place. However, the first thing I noticed was the drop ceiling that still remained. It was noticeable throughout most of the experience and it takes away from the overall décor. The best of haunted houses try to appear as authentic as possible so the ceiling would need to be renovated to keep with the theme if possible.

The Beetlejuice character at the end was a hoot! A few in our group checked out the simulated coffin ride in which patrons can experience a virtual live burial, complete with infrared camera inside for the amusement of spectators. He had everyone laughing while we watched and waited. This was something else that the Chamber had that was unique as I have only seen this ride at one other haunt in Central Kentucky a few years ago.

For the low price of $12 admission, the Middletown Chambers of Horror is worth the visit. They have some fun surprises, especially for a lower-budget haunt. The actors are full of energy and there’s enough creepiness to certainly make it worth your time and a few bucks. There is a reason why it is the oldest running haunt in this area (over 30 years running). It’s worth every penny!

If you’re in or near the Middletown area this weekend – I highly recommend to check it out!!!!

Bang for the buck
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Curb Appeal
Score – Good – 7.5 points

Scare Factor
Score – Excellent! – 9.5 points

Actors/Professionalism
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Audio Effect
Score – Excellent! – 9.5 points

Lighting
Score – Very Good – 8.5 points

Overall rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Visit their web site at www.thechambers.org

This year’s Catacombs of the Pumpkin God haunt was the best yet and over the top scary as far as low budget haunts go. Gus and Todd are skilled haunt designers by anyone’s estimation and have created one hell of a haunt in just a couple of days time.

With the use of mostly home-made props and a few store bought animatronics and a large dose of creativity, the Catacombs of the Pumpkin God shaped into a great haunt with more scares and surprises than ever before and a quality of haunt that few home made haunts have dreamed of. The haunt takes approx 8 minutes from start to finish and each twist and turn brings new shocks, from the animated clown animatronic from “IT” to the bigger than life talking Pumpkin God, through the graveyard scene with it’s ghouls and skeletons, past the mad doctor and his sexy nurse/victim and even a very imaginative ghost hologram, the screams and the fun never stops until you’re out the door. The use of different levels of lighting and back backdrops gave the rooms an almost surreal feel and the music kept the mood and added to the creepy atmosphere. There was even a grill cooking a human leg that actually threw off heat like a real grill. The rooms were well done, the haunt long enough with enough twists and turns to disorient, and the actors frightful to the max! This haunt was well done and then some. It’s a shame that it’s limited to just the employees of iSqFt because it would make a really fun neighborhood haunt.

Bang for the buck – Free!
Rating: 10 – Excellent

Curb Appeal
Rating: 9 – Excellent

Scare Factor
Rating: 10 – Excellent

Actors/Professionalism
Rating: 10.5 – Frightmaster Candidate!

Audio Effect
Rating: 10 – Excellent

Lighting
Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

Overall rating: 10 – Excellent