Ted (Captn_DeathSchlager)

An abandoned warehouse in a dark deserted district in downtown Racine is where you'll find the Factory of Fear. While the once thriving business that inhabited it's walls is now dead and gone the spirits that inhabit this place are certainly not gone...and they've been busy...very busy manufacturing fear!

I was pleasantly surprised (literally) with my tour of the Factory of Fear. Comprised of two haunts, Devil's Nightmare and Blind Madness, this haunted attraction did not disappoint when it came to manufacturing fear. The first haunt, Devil's Nightmare, starts with a long climb up a cold and creepy stairway where you encounter a thick steel door...which no doubt is all that keeps the madness that lurks within this warehouse from escaping. Comprised of a mixture of dark corridors, cleverly crafted rooms with gruesome detail and a small army of masterfully made-up monsters, the Devil's Nightmare delivered one of the scariest journeys I've experienced this year. (...which at this time numbers 9 different haunts...) While some of the rooms portrayed themes similar to a few popular horror movies I was very pleasantly surprised by the creatively portrayed in a few of the scares.

The second haunt, Blind Madness, contains a creative mix of pitch black darkness and extreme lighting effects combined with a few skillfully positioned ghouls to provide a unique sense of fear. While the pitch black corridors of this haunt aren't over the top with regards to complexity the visual effects of Blind Madness haunt provided for a very unique experience.

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Fun & Nicely Done! While this isn't the scariest haunt I've visited it most certainly offers a ghoulishly great time...especially for younger haunt goers. Despite the kid appropriate scares here adults will definitely enjoy the clever room layouts and polished performances of the ghouls. Neenah's Most Haunted is in its 29th year and the 5th year of the last 6 that I've visit this haunt. Each year I've been pleasantly surprised by the improvements and the superb job the young actors do portraying their roles. The years of experience are definitely evident in the creative room and hallway layouts, the elaborate detail found in many of the rooms and the articulately dressed and skillfully positioned ghouls. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of this haunt for adult haunt goers is the maze that awaits. While dark and potentially frustrating it certainly provides a uniquely chilling experience.

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New location...same great scares! I don't think I've ever been to a haunt and found myself marveling at how comfortably warm the rooms were. While the ticket line leaves you exposed to the elements the waiting area and both haunts are located in the heated confines of an abandoned Kmart...which I heard rumors was forced to relocate when demons which now lurk within moved in. The animatronic intro at Hauntfest is absolutely amazing and looks like the high tech marvels you see at theme parks like Disney.

Hauntfest is comprised of two haunts. The main attraction, "The Realm", starts with a wicked elevator ride that completely disorientates you prior to spitting you out and sending you along a dark maze of pitch black corridors and dimly lit rooms. Haunt goers who appreciate elaborate set designs with gruesome details will not be disappointed. Be warned though, over indulging in the visual treats will leave you susceptible to the ghouls who enjoy jumping out at you when you're not paying attention. While this year's edition of Hauntfest had several new twists and scares a few of the traditional favorites have survived the move...most notably the chain link fence and circus tent mazes. The second attraction, "The Big Top" features a circus like atmosphere consisting of a maze colorfully decorated corridors and energetic performers who are bent on not only scaring you but totally creeping you out.

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Tantalizingly Terrifying & Fantastically Frightful!! If you've never been to the Burial Chamber complex prepare yourself! The sheer size of this complex is quite impressive and what lurks inside will take your breath away. 2014 was my actually my 5th visit to Burial Chamber in the past 6 seasons. (I do believe this is Burial Chambers 6th season...) Over the past 6 years as a Review Crew Member I've been to many of the haunts in Wisconsin and I've yet to find one as massive as Burial Chamber...or as talented at terrorizing you.

Of course for all you Haunt Connoisseurs out there I don't have to tell you that it's not always the size of the haunt that matters. When it comes to Burial Chamber, not only is this complex well endowed, it employs an amazing arsenal of creeped out corridors, crazy creatures and good ole' fashioned in your face scares to maximize your ghoulish gratification.

Burial Chamber features two indoor haunts (Adrenalin and Insanity) that reside side by side and one (Phobia) that's outside. The layout of Adrenalin and Insanity are similar in that they are both comprised of a seemingly endless maze of cleverly crafted corridors consisting of a variety of themes. The journey through both Adrenalin and Insanity progresses continuously without stoppages for elaborate skits. Rooms here are more like themed corridors than rooms and your pace through these haunts are determined more by how quickly you walk than it is by the creatures lurking in the shadows.

Adrenalin
Consistent with prior years, the pace of Adrenalin is fast and furious as the ghouls are unrelenting in their quest to scare each and every visitor regardless of their position within a group. Yes, you read that correctly...you will be terrorized regardless of your position in your group as there is no place to hide from the menacing monsters lurking throughout the haunt. The lighting of Adrenalin is noticeably darker than Insanity but there was always just enough light for you to find your way without the worry of walking into a wall. The maze of dimly lit hallways of Adrenalin did an exceptional job of building my anticipation of the scares that await but unfortunately made it challenging for the true haunt connoisseur in me to appreciate how elaborate the sets and creatures were. Nonetheless, if you're looking for a good scare to get your heart dancing like Dracula's Discotheque Adrenalin will get the job done!

Insanity
Insanity on the other hand left little to the imagination. Sets were lit effectively...dim enough to encourage you to keep your scare guard up but light enough so that you could appreciate the amazing attention to detail with the sets and costumed actors. There were fewer creatures lurking in the shadows of Insanity but enough to make you jump occasionally. Gore and special effects were plentiful with several visual abominations that will torment your mind long after your exit. Lazer lighting, black lit rooms, a vortex, strobe lights, and trick floor were just a few of the visual stimuli Insanity offered up.

Phobia
Unlike Adrenalin and Insanity, Phobia resides completely outside and features a terrifying tour through the woods along with occasional petrifying passages through eerie dwellings found along the way. Rustling brush and sinister sounds heighten your anticipation of what’s to come as you proceed along a moon lit path. Similar to Adrenalin, the monsters in Phobia were menacing, highly motivated and acrobatic doing an exceptional job of appearing out of nowhere to scare each and every member the tour group regardless of position.

Consistent with prior years, I find it challenging to pick a clear-cut favorite out of Burial Chambers 3 haunted attractions. By far Adrenalin was the most terrifying while Insanity offers an amazing visual experience. Of the 8 haunted attractions I.ve been to this year Burial Chamber has my vote as the scariest most terrifying attraction!

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It’s like Halloween threw-up all over this place!! That's probably the best way to summarize the Hartford Jaycees Haunted House. (...which is technically in Slinger) If you're looking for a haunted attraction that screams Halloween and actually wreaks of haunted house both inside and out look no further than the Hartford Jaycees Haunted House!

The venue for this haunt epitomizes Halloween for me as it came complete with a terrifying tour through the woods and a creepy old 3 story house. The outdoor portion of this haunt took my group approximately 5 minutes to traverse and featured several spooky sets along the way along with a few classic scares. Be sure to keep your guard up at all times during the wooded tour as there are interesting distractions along the way that will momentarily grab your attention so that the real scare can catch you off guard. While the outdoor experience was more of a scare if you dare to walk-through variety, the indoor experience was an interactive one featuring rooms with elaborately costumed actors that did an exceptional job of both entertaining me with their skits and creeping me out.

The tour of the house started on the 3rd floor balcony and wound down through the house until it spit me out through a cellar door. The rooms and hallways throughout the house were absolutely crammed pack full of ghoulish goodies. Be sure to always look up, down and all around to ensure you catch all the great scares! (Particularly in the stairwells) All the sets were elaborately detailed with many them containing hidden room exits and secret passage ways between the rooms.

Animatronics and special effects were plentiful and provided for some very unique visually stimulating experiences. Just about every room (...if not all...) contained an animatronic scare in it. The indoor portion of our tour took approximately 20 minutes to complete….for a total tour time of 25 minutes. This ranks the Hartford Jaycees Haunted House as the longest of the 3 haunted house tours that resides in the Slinger-Hartford-Hubertus area this year!

Special Kudos to the following actors who performances have permanently scared my memories:
* "Bed Time" girl for most realistic scream, ever!
* "The Butcher" who definitely looked and acted the part (seeing your face through the window still creeps me out!)
* "Sushi Man" who's adlib one liners still make me laugh
* "The Bar Widow" who's elaborate make up and costume were only outshined by her acting performance
* "Top Hat Man" who’s clever sense of humor truly tested how well you were paying attention.

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Fourteen years of creative, creepy and chilling concepts and counting for Terror on Rural Street. A techno haunt goer's dream come true, there has never been a year when I have been disappointed with the electrifying showcase of terrifying themes found at the Terror on Rural Street. This year was certainly no exception. A few of my favorite rooms this year were the eerie eye doctor, the slithering snake room, the horrifying Hall of Pictures, the apparitional hall of bones and the hair-raising Heart Surgeon that will assuredly make your heart skip a beat.

Terror on Rural Street features several Cinema quality sets, many of which are pimped out with a dedicated sound system and special effects you won't find any place else. Portions of this haunt are an interactive style haunt with rooms showcasing a unique theme and a skit performed by volunteer actors. While the actors may be volunteers the costumes and make-up were professionally done and very realistic. This was most evident during my encounter with the bizarre and somewhat eerie eye doctor. While it’s very easy to get distracted by the very engaging doctor be sure to take note of the a keen attention to detail the facial make-up his counterpart showcases.

Admittedly not all of the acting performances knocked my socks off nor did every room send me off screaming to the next. But what Terror on Rural Street lacked with its actors and potential scare factor it more than made up for with its dazzling special effects and elaborate sets. Scares and surprises frequently came from unexpected flashes of brilliant light, dedicated room specific sound systems and a variety of lifelike techno effects.

Here are some interesting tidbits for those of you who are particularly interested in the quality of your haunted experience or may just be wondering "how did they do that?"
* Each room and hallway is under constant surveillance by staff members with a very keen attention to detail. These staff members remain in contact with the ghouls and monsters lurking in the shadows and rooms around the haunt to ensure they are always perfectly positioned and timed to scare the bajeezus out of you and your fellow haunt goers.
* A staff of Professional theatrical make-up artists with over 25 years of experience volunteer their time at Terror on Rural Street.
* Terror on Rural Street is a not for profit organization. Proceeds from this event go to support Hartford Community Service Inc. Scholarships, Community Projects, and area Non Profit Organizations
* Curious about how this haunt can churn out so many new sets each year? A workshop full of additional sets and props found directly behind this haunt is used to construct new sets year around.

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While I've only visited The Hubertus House of Horror 26 of the 31 years this haunt has been in existence I'd like to nominate the 2014 edition as the best Hubertus House ever! If you're concerned at all that a 31 year old haunt would be gruesomely stale don't be. Only a few of the best techno-scares from 2013 were redeployed for this year's edition. With the exception of the haunted school bus ride all the others were modified to sensationalize your scare. (...which, on a cold creepy night, taking the bus to a haunt IS better than walking, right?) The remaining rooms (...too numerous to count while you're getting the bejezus scared out of you!) have been completely transformed into a scaretacular visual extravaganza.

Similar to 2013, this year's journey begins with bizarre bus ride that transports you to the shadowy doorsteps of the Hubertus House. Your haunted journey then begins on the third floor of the house and sends you spiraling down through a whirlwind of creepy corridors, multiple mazes and countless rooms that each carry unique themes and actors performing ghoulish skits.

The special effects this year totally rocked my world! They were frequent, very creative and effective in not only entertaining you but keeping you immersed in the action. Rooms with extraordinary effects that I enjoyed the most included the creepy chamber of hooded figures, the candle lit caverns, the mad scientist, the wild elevator ride, the mine shaft, the construction site and the multiple Vortex rooms. (...yes, you read it correctly…there are multiple Vortexes!) ...note... given the unique surprises and effects found in each room my list of favorites would most likely change after each tour.

The Hubertus House is an interactive style haunt with each room containing a unique theme and skit performed by costumed actors/actresses. The ages of these actors appeared to cover the spectrum from high school kids to adults. While this haunt does contain a little gore and some loud scares I'd say it's definitely suitable for haunt goers of all ages.

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