Cedar Point Halloweekends 2013 Review

Cedar Point Halloweekends: Sandusky, OH

Indoor Haunt Comments

Eden Musee
This haunt is hidden away in the back corner of the park, but it is definitely worth finding. This haunt is full of creepy mannequins that you are never quite sure whether they are real or not. This haunt was creepy! This heightens the suspense because you never know which one is going to get you. I don’t know if this haunt was technically longer, or if it was a side effect from scrutinizing all the mannequins to see if they were real or not but this felt like the longest of the indoor attractions at Cedar Point. I found myself walking through wondering (and asking aloud) “Is that real?” I never knew what to expect from one turn to the next and felt the actors portraying mannequins were very well done. The actors really shined here as it takes a lot of discipline to remain frozen long enough to avoid being spotted. From the mannequins to the overall décor and dimly-lit atmosphere, just as I would stare at what I thought was a mannequin…they would startle the bejesus out of me, letting me know they were, in fact, very real. The lighting is well done and just lit enough to keep you guessing throughout. Towards the end you’ll experience some waxwork gone wrong which brings some of the best effects in the park. Great Haunt!

Eternity Infirmary
I knew this was going to be a treat as I stepped up to the haunt. The Hearse outside with the red emergency light flashing welcomes visitors from all around. Makeup here really shines. The door “greeter” has a syringe hanging out of her forehead and appears to have stitches across her neck so realistic, I’m still convinced that this person was seriously injured a short time ago. Torture-porn fans are surely to like this one the most. Some areas display limbless cadavers hanging from walls; some of which are not as stationary as you believe they would be. The “crazy” actors are fairly cliché in their roles; some stare at you, some are tied down, some scream, some get in your face. The actor that stuck out the most to me was an isolated patient who stood behind a backlit window, locked in a room watching us as we passed by. I’ve been to haunts like this before, plenty of slow-walking patients with crazy hair, some holding creepy dolls milling about. Lots of body parts lying around and eerie lighting. I got some pretty good scares throughout. One of the more “unexpected” scares was the bridge that gave the guest the impression it was moving. I actually had to stop “dead” in my tracks to figure out what was going on and gather my bearings. I was almost distracted from this effect while admiring the severed heads that moved back and forth above me. Overall it’s fun.

GA Boeckling’s Eerie Estate
Probably the best of the Cedar Point offerings, the atmosphere of stodgy Estate falling into ruin really helps set the tone. There was always something to look at. One could argue that today this is actually far from conventional since most haunts oversupply blood and gore. This was a haunt for the ambiance. Due to how it is set up, you will have a time getting through it without bumping into a piece of furniture; but it is reminiscent of your grandma’s old house rumored to be haunted, with the guest fumbling around searching for a modicum of light. The actors were very interactive, commenting on the guests and offering quips back and forth. There was an excellent use of the environment to draw your attention over this way so that they can jump out and startle you from the opposite direction. My favorite rooms were the dining room and the piano room. The most interesting little feature about these rooms is the snake-like lighting in the “dining room”. I remember standing there for longer than perhaps I should have, trying to figure out how they managed to cast the shadows of several snakes on the table. This one was definitely worth your while.

Zombie High School
Highly recommended. Cleaver High has been overrun with Zombies! This haunt was another big win for atmosphere. I found the zombie actor at the beginning engaging and entertaining. He played his part VERY well. I also found the décor of the old school complete with desks, chairs, lockers and yes…jock straps…to be very well done. The different staged areas of Zombie High are each themed. There’s the Library, A/V Club, Computer Lab, and Prom, just to name a few. I couldn’t wait to see what was next. One of my favorite details was the recording of the Imperial March playing on hard drives in the Computer Lab. The zombie makeup is very well done and the actors do a good job of staying in character. Most memorable was the big finish. I won’t ruin it here, but I’m sure it will leave an impression on you as well. Overall, this haunt was just as entertaining as it was scary in the very best virus-infected way.

Outdoor Haunt Comments

Blood on the Bayou
The outside haunts are great because there are no lines, but they are more open and harder for the actors to jump out to scare you. This one was particularly wide open, which caused it to be a little less of a haunt than a nature walk through the bayou. Decent theming. It had its number of shanties and voodoo witch doctors but overall the space felt a little underwhelming, and the actors didn’t seem to know what else to do other than get in your face.

Corn Stalkers
This outdoor haunt was the only one that had a line. It was nice and claustrophobic like a corn maze should be, and the actors outfits blended in well with the cornstalks. I did find the rows of cornstalks and hay to have a great aroma…definitely realistic. I also found the lighting and smoke effects to be quite effective as they casted an eerie glow on the stalks. I saw one guest peering around a corner to make sure an actor was not hiding there and never realized that the actor WAS the corner she was peering past, as the next group found out with a shock. Great work by the actors there. Unfortunately, there was very little other variety on this haunt. I would love to see an army of scarecrows or zombie ravens or something else going on here… Maybe throw in a creepy scarecrow on a wooden cross, or a version of Malachi wielding a sickle, a freaky pumpkin-head…

Cut Throat Cove
This was one of the favorite outdoor haunts. Unlike its cousin with the same name at Kings Island, this one actually had boats in it! Cut throat cove does a good job of containing the guests to a small path which helps them from peering ahead too far and spoiling a later surprise. It made it, at times, a bit hard to see, but also made for great opportunities for the actors to walk right up to the guest virtually undetected. The ambiance was creepy, the décor was believable, and the actors did a great job. Good use of a giant animatronic snake head! The cannon blasts were great and welcomed. Overall, it’s what you’d expect from those pesky pirates until the very end when a stationary pair of frontiersmen from another century fire upon you with rifles. I guess they were all out of cannons.

CarnEvil
CarnEvil was another favorite of the outdoor haunts. If you have Caulrophobia you should probably avoid this one altogether. Between the warped soundtrack, sinister decorations among the walkway and well, the hideous clowns, you’ll probably not sleep for days. Traffic was flowing both ways, and it was great to see the setup of people coming the other way about the get scared by the psycho clown that you could see hiding behind a tent. I loved the make-up and costumes on the actors…very creepy, and I rather enjoyed the way they approached the guests causing one to nearly collapse in fear. The carnival callers at either end were witty and done up. I actually went through this one twice because its downfall is the fact the guest doesn’t even realize he’s in the haunt. Surprisingly, I did not know I was inside until about half-way through and decided to turn back and walk through it again to appreciate it in all its twisted CarnEvil glory. This one also had a few places where light was shining in your face, but it was not to the same extreme degree that Cut Throat Cove used – much more appropriate here. My favorite was an evil little clown on a tricycle. People were not expecting something from that angle so it really got them good. I would love to see a little trike-pack roaming this haunt. Horns would be great on those as well.

Mechanical Screamworks
This one was probably the shortest, and least scary of the outdoor attractions, so it’s great for the kids. Don’t let that stop you from walking through, however, as it was pretty cool to see. Steampunk fans rejoice! You’ll love it. This one has some highly detailed and creative props that you’ll probably want to get pictures of. The animatronics were interesting enough to stop and look at, and the laser lighting was beautiful! I was hoping to see the rock golem from the parade hidden in here someplace, but I could not find him. If you’re coming from the front of the park, be sure to make sure you head this way as it does a good job of getting you pumped up to see the rest of the attractions.

Fear Faire
This one was really not worth the time. While there were walls and turns in this attraction, they were all see-through, so there were no real surprises. It was also very empty with the elements that were actually themed spaced few and far between. I saw every one way before I reached them, and there were a small handful of actors to begin with, none of which really did anything but walk around. It did feel as though it was a last minute decision and I literally left feeling I had wasted the 10 minutes it took to walk through the haunt. Honestly, I would either get rid of this one, or really beef it up because the space has some potential, but just fell flat. They do have a very cool dragon at the entrance but it’s safe to say it cost more than the entire production of the haunt itself.

Overall score: 2.5 Skulls (Above Average)

Check out our photos from this trip!

Visit their web site at www.halloweekends.com