The Chambers of Horror 2012 Review

The Chambers of Horror: Middletown, OH

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