Dave (Dave_to_the_Grind)

This was my first time at the Fright Factory and I wasn't sure what to expect. Quiet roads lead us to a building that didn't even seem occupied. My wife felt it was creepy before we walked in. Just how a haunt should start.

The ticket booth and line was in a big room inside the building. It was the first time I saw how many people were there. It seemed empty from the outside but had an impressive turnout on a Sunday night.

We were sent in with a group of teenage girls, which added to the fun as we heard their terrified screams. We started out with a video explaining the rules. A nice touch that most haunts do not have. The video ended with an expected scary surprise, which continued into the haunt.

The Fear Factory had a lot of terrific sets and themes. Some of the best I've seen this year. What was really cool is they had a few moving sets. Such as moving floors, walls and other objects to create an effect. These effects took you to many different scenes like the morgue, a witches creepy garden and, my favorite, a pirate ship!

The actors did a convincing job playing their characters. Many startled you when you weren't expecting it. Every room we walked through brought out a scream from the group. My wife actually started to feel panicked at one point when were in the pitch black trying to navigate through a dark "sea."

The Fright Factory was a really cool haunt with a unique lay out. If you're out in the Janesville area I'd highly recommend checking it out. It was filled with plenty of screams, terrific acting and highly entertaining.

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What's the best thing to do when you're ready to go to a haunt? How about go to an actual haunted house. Which is what Mars Haunted House claims to be and has been confirmed by professionals.  If you believe it or not it adds an additional feeling of fright and discomfort as you walk in. Add in the scares, Mars has been a must hit for me during the Halloween season. The fun starts from the moment you get in line until you walk out onto the street.

Pulling up to Mars we could see the outdoor waiting line wrapping around the building. This can seem disheartening, but the line entertainment passes the time with scary/amusing tactics. This year a punk rock clown, who was proficient at sliding across the sidewalk on his knees, was there to creep you out. Along with a big scary guy who kept looking for his girl. A tiny woman in a white dress who was tethered with a line to her wrist. She didn't say a word, just stare on the ground and walk when lead. Though she'd get loose and walk off when she could. They kept everyone entertained and I never saw so many teenagers run up the side walk screaming. 

Once it's your time, your led into the building and up the creaking stairs. It's dark and erie. The thoughts of this being a REAL haunted building creeps into your mind. A feeling that doesn't leave you while on this haunt. Somehow, the little quiet girl from the waiting line was at the top of the stairs. She stood there, timid as usual while we heard the rules. Once we entered she let an awesome shrill kicking off our haunt.

The haunt itself is dimly lit, tight hallways with frights around every corner. Walking through cobwebs and heads hanging from the ceiling. Touching creepy and gross objects is one thing, but Mars also assaults other senses. Such as the lights that assault your eyes,  sounds that make the haunted rooms feel real. The haunt had a smell to it as well that we couldn't figure out. Old building? Maybe. Death? Perhaps.

The construction and props were very lifelike and the settings were awesome. The actors did a great job of playing their roles, jumping out when you weren't expecting it or just staring at you. The only negative we had was when we caught up to the group ahead of us. I thought they did a great job of separating groups by having you pay before you head in, which acts like as a good time buffer. The actors did all they could trying to get the other group to move on without breaking character.

Even with catching up to the group we entered into some great experiences with lights and dark. Such as a pitch black room with nothing but red glowing eyes of faces. You had the feeling that one, or some, maybe all of them were real people. I couldn't figure it out and was a great feeling!

This is my third year hitting Mars and I haven't been disappointed yet. The sets are realistic, acting is solid and the frights are aplenty. I'll be back next year.

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Another halloween season another new theme for the House of Bathory located in Manitowoc. Last year I found this haunt to be my most memorable and favorite stop last year. So I was excited to make another trip to the House of Bathory, especially when with this year's new Steven King theme. It proved to be worth the trip again with another masterpiece of fright.

New to this season along with the theme is indoor waiting. No more waiting out on the street corner. So if you're familiar with this haunt, don't mistake the lack of a crowd out front as a slow night or that it's not open. Just follow the sign and head around the corner. I was able to get in right away with no wait so I didn't see the waiting area.

When it's your time, you are brought in and given the rules. This haunt allows  touching, this is a cool feature that no other haunt we've been to has. You aren't grabbed or touched in any threatening or inappropriate way. Though an actor may yell and bump into your arm or someone will lightly touch your shoulder. It adds a realistic touch. Once you're given a lowdown. You head up the stairs, past the creepy portraits and into a world you will not forget.

Immediately you're taken into your first scene and enjoy the terrific acting the House of Bathory offers. The characters are unique from other haunts and have an excellent dialog that follows the situation you are put into. Remember, this year they have the Stephen King theme, so each room brings you into a novel of King's imagination. I left the haunt wishing I had read some of them prior to going. Though I did recognize some characters such as the crazy nurse from Misery and, of course, the creepy clown from IT.

Each scene offers a great setting with care to detail. Bringing the scene to life is the terrific characters and their dialog. What always strikes me with the House of Bathory is the terrific performance they get out of children actors. I was taken in by the teenage actors, as you will find out in the scene taken from Carrie.

Since it's from Stephen King there's plenty of fright. I wish I could go into detail of the scenes but I don't want to ruin the surprises. My wife has always been my gauge of how scary a haunt is. We were sent through a situation where we could not see and as we kept moving forward it became harder to get through without almost crawling.  The ending to this situation was so good that  she had tears in her eyes and was truly frightened. At the end of the haunt my wife, and the teenage girl we went through with, both ran flying past me into the street screaming. A tell tale sign of a good haunt.

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2 years in the making. Their first year. Opening night. We were excited and expectations were high even before we arrived. Luckily we weren't disappointed with one of Wisconsin's newest haunts. Spotlights and neon lights make the Complex easy to see from a distance, like a haunted house in Vegas. 

The Abandoned Haunted Complex is created from a large structure and is home to two haunts, Ambush and Hysteria.  The haunts are connected and you leave one and head straight into the other. So it feels like one long seamless haunt, with two different experiences.  The haunt as a whole moves at a good pace as you enter  different rooms, themes and frights.  Using amazing detail with the building of the sets, props, lights and sound. I found myself swiveling my head looking at the props and settings of every room we entered in awe. Leaving myself open for surprises.

The Hysteria  proved to be part of the haunt that focused more on playing with your senses. Which  pretty much tried to assault every sense except the sense of smell. Including touch as something as simple as  little ropes hanging from the ceiling that gave you a feeling of walking through cobwebs. They did a beautiful job of not only having detailed settings, but the use of lights and sounds. The room that affected me the most had walls covered with black and white squares with the lights flashing. Actors and dummies stood in the room and you couldn't tell which was a real person as even the dummies felt like they were moving. The lights caused such optical movement that I couldn't walk straight. It was an awesome affect.  The Hysteria was an excitingly different from your usual haunts, with new tricks.

The Ambush portion brought you into more creepy situations in excellent detail. This haunt enjoyed to startle you along the way. The props and the detail they put into creating the sets was amazing. It worked against you as you were busy checking out a tomb, a morgue or a butcher shop and actor was hiding somewhere to startle you. Hence the name Ambush. Even as you wandered into a battle field, a gun nailed you with a blast of air to keep you on your toes as if the battle sounds weren't enough. The most memorable part was the walking around a hospital. Where you walk around the outside before heading inside. It was just amazing to see a creepy building exterior while you are inside a complex.  I heard constant comments of "oh wow" from members of our group throughout this haunt. It was quite an experience.

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What feels like a night drive in the middle of nowhere, leads you to a farmhouse. Your drive past the house is crossed by cats that dare you to enter. Your journey ends at the Haunted Barn, a must hit
this Halloween season.

It feels like you're trespassing until you find the parking area. A friendly staff and the smell of food cooking greet you at the ticket booth. The haunt costs $13, which is well worth it for a haunt this long.

Beetlejuice keeps you entertained while you wait to enter, which wasn't long, the night I dared to
go. The wait area is outside and offers food and refreshments to purchase while you wait. It is a fun atmosphere outside the barn.

Once taken into the haunted barn you are given a low down on the rules and sent on your way. This haunt paid attention to the details. The decorations and props were excellent. This haunt has taken great care in creating the atmosphere fitting for a spooky haunt. There were many original and very creative situations, like the man who had an issue with his outhouse. I helped him find the issue, but you'll have to find out what was for yourself. You make it through more scares and a maze that
is very confusing. Once you make your way through, you are outside for the haunted woods.

A lighted path shows you the way up a small hill to a graveyard and a couple of creepy girls hold you up or an odd conversation. The rest of the woods will have you on your toes as you head back to the barn. The thrills in the barn the second around are more intense and was our favorite part of the haunt. The actors made sure your last steps were in your face.

Overall, I really enjoyed this haunt. It lasted 20-25 minutes, which is a deal for the price. The props and decorations were great and took you into the world of a haunted barn and some many odd situations. The outdoor portion could have used a few more scares but it worked as a break before being sent back in. The actors put on a star performance, I was impressed with the child actors in this haunt. All of the actors did an excellent job of interacting with us and slowing us down when we were getting close to the group ahead. The Haunted Barn was a just the start we needed to the
Halloween season.

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