Ted (HocusPocus)

Bravo! A very nicely done haunt especially for younger visitors. While Elements of fear may not rock your world if you're a haunted house fanatic, those closer to the age of 12 (...the recommended minimum age for this event...) will definitely enjoy themselves. ....of course that's if they enjoy being scared.



The tour begins with a creepy video presentation that contains a little gore but nothing over the top...just enough to set the tone and make it nearly impossible to resist looking over your shoulder. The remainder of the tour features a fun interactive summoning of spirits, a very comfortable spook filled ride, one of the best vortex rooms I've seen this year and several rooms that very effectively leverage lighting and fog effects to maximize scare and creep opportunities. I really enjoyed how some of the actors seemed to appear out of nowhere and then suddenly vanish. There were others who I knew were there but still managed to make me jump...nicely done!



What I particularly enjoyed about this haunt was how some very simple household items (mirrors, cloth, curtains...etc.) were used to create some really creepy effects and scares.....it really captured my dreams of someday creating my own haunt. What I also was VERY pleasantly surprised to find was that group sizes were kept to a maximum size of 4-5. While this limitation was mostly likely set due to the logistics of some of the rooms it also helped maximize my immersion into the Elements of Fear found at this haunt.



This haunt was a challenging one for me to rate. My inner youth definitely would place this haunt at a 5 out of 5 for the fun and fear factors. The adult haunted connoisseur placed it at a 4 out of 5 for the following reasons: For the fun factor there were only a few rooms that allowed you to interact with the actors/scenes via a skit. Most of the haunt is more of a walk-thru style. For the scare factor while there are some parts that have the potential to make you jump most of the scares are geared more towards a younger crowd.

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It was a dark and cold night...REALLY cold. Fortunately for me I had a warm car to step out of and to warm back up in. As this haunt is contained within the unheated barns of the fair grounds it appears as if the actors did not enjoy a similar luxury. Perhaps I caught this haunt at a bad time? I checked out The Theater of Lost Souls and Theater of the Absurd...but due to the temps I declined the invitation to partake in the hayride.



The Theater of the Absurd was very entertaining! I kind of got the impression that it's billed to be a side show to the Lost Souls haunt but I really enjoyed the unique concept of an attraction that was completely in 3D. The clown was very energetic and interactive. As we were the only group touring at the time we received quite a bit of attention. Not sure if this is typical as there appeared to be just a few actors in the Absurd attraction but we definitely enjoyed it! (Fun Factor = 4 / Scare Factor = 1)



The Theater of Lost Souls had its moments but appeared to lack the energy and enthusiasm to provide for a good scare or a fun interactive experience with a ghoul by way of a riveting performance. Perhaps the cold temps and sparse crowds of the Friday evening played a role in this? I really enjoyed the voodoo room and the acting performance in this room was absolutely superb! (Loved the accent!) The "Two Dogs" room has a lot of potential. The actor did a good job of heightening your anticipation prior to entering the room but the absence of a surprise once in the room made for an anti-climatic experience. A little bit of darkness combined with a sudden flash of light/sound could do wonders for the scare factor of this room. (Fun Factor = 2 / Scare Factor = 3)

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On the scare factor scale, Burial Chamber is totally off the charts!! I've been to 8 haunts this year and this is by far the scariest one...or should I say two? Burial chamber is actually a mega complex of haunted / scary attractions. Due to time constraints I only checked out the two indoor haunts, Adrenalin and Insanity. Both of these attractions were similar but offered a unique experience unlike the other haunts I've been to this year. Rather than parade you through a series of rooms that feature a variety of themes and skits, Burial Chamber's haunts are comprised of a complex maze of dimly lit hall ways and rooms, all with a consistent theme. Acting appeared to be at minimum (especially in Insanity) and was usually limited to a quick entrance from out of nowhere in an attempt to scare you and then a quick disappearance into the shadows....a very effective tactic to scare you regardless of where you might be positioned in your group.



As much as I loved the scare factor of Burial chamber I must admit the mandatory group size disappointed me. Groups were sized as close to 10 as possible. Given the extremely long lines I can totally understand why groups are sized so large. While the maze of hallways provided great scares for everyone in our group, and could certainly entertain the large group size, many of the rooms struggled to accommodate the size of our entire group. To make matters worse at the end of Insanity the group behind us caught us which resulted in a group size of nearly 20. Due to confusion in traversing a circular maze at this point and the unfortunate actor who had no way of knowing where one group ended and the next started a third group actually caught us....quite the mess.



IF you don't like standing in long lines while being exposed to the weather elements I would strongly recommend the VIP pass. The VIP admission allows you to skip everyone who hasn't purchased it. It does not, however, limit your group size or guarantee that you'll be able to enter immediately.

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If there were a granddaddy of Haunted Houses this one would probably be it. The Hubertus House of Horror has been coming back year after year for as long as I can remember. (what is it, 15, 20 years now?) The venue has always remained the same...a creepy lone standing house in what feels like the middle of nowhere. But if you attended this haunt last year and are worried about finding the same experience, don't be. There are some really cool new effects to go along with a few of the best sets from last year.



I particularly enjoyed some of the special effects this year. Yes some of them were carried over from prior years but there were also some outstanding new ones. If you attend several haunts as I do you'll find that many of them will have a room or two in common. In these instances I did feel that the Hubertus House pulled them off a bit better. (...perhaps the result of years of experience?)



As you may have noticed I didn't give this haunt top marks in either the fun factor or scare factor. None of these were deal breakers for me and I still strongly recommended this haunt for everyone. My rational behind the imperfect scores are based on the following:



* Group size of 8. We weren't given a choice in this matter. While I understand why they group so many people together it definitely distracts from your fun when you're stuck in the back as the scare is often times spoiled by the time you enter a room. Also, in a few of the rooms it was challenging to see/feel/hear the action that was taking place. ...this isn't the only haunt that tries to push as many people through as possible with each group. I often wonder, though, if the time spent cramming a large group through each room could be saved with a smaller group that can move through rooms easier.



* Every once in awhile you come across what I call "mystery sets". You walk into a room, wait awhile and then leave when nothing happens or something happens and you're not sure if you're supposed to run to the next set or wait for something more to happen. Our group encountered two such rooms during our tour.



* There are definitely sets that appear geared to provide a few scares...but for some reason our group found them to be more entertaining than scary. Not sure why. Perhaps due to set execution or perhaps due to the actors expecting a younger group?

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Two elaborately dressed 15ft tall creatures greeted us as we approached the ticket window for this venue. Scary for some and very entertaining for others. The tone of this venue for me fell pretty much right in line with this encounter. For those who love to be ghoulishly entertained and occasionally surprised you'll be quite satisfied with this year's Terror on Rural Street.

Many of the of the other reviews that have been posted do a great job of hitting the highlights for this venue. I attended this haunt with 11 of my friends and everyone had a great time. The fun and scare ratings indicated on this review reflect the collective feedback I received from everyone.

Favorable Comments from the group included:

** It was great to see that many of the rooms have been changed from last year.
** The clowns really creeped me out!
** I had a blast hamming it up with the actors.
** That trick floor really freaked me out!
** Loved the grave yard & waterfall.
** Just when I thought we reached the end there was another room!
** One word...Vortex!
** the quick witted 15ft tall Frankenstein eloquently singing America the Beautiful stole the show!

Rather than to leave you wondering why Terror on Rural Street didn't receive a perfect score the following comments were made:

** Caught up to the group in front of us and then got caught by the group behind us.

** felt rushed as the group behind us frequently entered the room before the actors in our room were finished.

** Often times heard what was going on in the adjacent rooms.

** I was stuck in the back of my group of 6 the entire time and missed what was going on in a few of the rooms. I was particularly bummed to have missed the scare at the grave yard scene.

** was a little confused about when we should proceed to the next room as the actors continued to perform and did not provide any indication that they were trying to scare us away.

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Looking for a haunt you can enjoy with your family? Gilly's Haunted House may be for you. While waiting in line I spoke with a group of five 6th graders who were anxiously awaiting their second trip through the haunt. When asked how they'd rate the scare factor of Gilly's on a scale of 1-5 they enthusiastically gave it ratings that were off the chart. (One even rated the haunt as a 100 on the scale of 1-5!)

While adults may not agree with this assessment on the scare factor scale I think all will agree on the fun factor. Solid acting performances are mixed with a creepy carnival / freak show circus theme and dashed with a few instances of special effects to excite the visual senses. If you're looking for a haunt that totally immerses you into the theme of each room you may leave a bit disappointed. While the acting is notable and some of the special effects will totally disorientate and confuse you, many of the rooms lack the attention to detail provided in other haunts. This is most likely the result of the room lighting which certainly will encourage kids to interact more in the sets than to send them rushing through in search of the exit.

If your into evaluating haunts with your senses you might find this helpful:

* Sight: Come prepared with your imagination and you won't be disappointed with this haunt. In some rooms the lighting makes it apparent that this venue does not have as much attention to detail as other haunts. The lighting, however, does encourage more interaction with the actors. The acting, though, does a great job of diverting your attention from the room detail. The vortex double dose will visually excite and disorientate you!

* Sound: The sound won't knock your socks off but is effectively used at times to compliment rooms.

* Smell: Nothing special on this front...although there are haunts that venture into this realm.

* Touch: Nothing special on this front...although there are haunts that venture into this realm.

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If you enjoy original / custom made special effects, this haunt is for you! Unlike other venues that present a variety of theme based rooms, Monster Mayhem plunges you into a unique story line that I would liken to a mix between Aliens and Resident Evil. What I particularly enjoyed about Monster Mayhem is that you don't just see and hear scary things....you actually get to FEEL them on a few occasions!

The superb acting, special effects and detailed story line at Monster Mayhem make for a very enjoyable experience. While every scene won't motivate you to run for the hills there are a few rooms that may make you jump. As a result, I gave this attraction a 5 out of 5 on the fun scale and a 3.5 out of 5 on the scare factor. This is definitely a haunt for all ages and not just adults.

If your into evaluating haunts with your senses you might find this helpful:

* Sight: Custom designed sets and special effects were top notch! See creatures blow up. Watch as the skin is ripped off a dying actor. Peak over the side railing and get a feel for how far the cavern descends.

* Sound: Solid! The sound in every room won't blow you away like some haunts but you certainly won't be disappointed. The element of sound is certainly leveraged to provide a few good scares!

* Smell: Nothing special on this front...although there are haunts that venture into this realm.

* Touch: Outstanding! If a creature blows up right in front of your face shouldn't you feel it? You do here!!

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Looking to totally immerse yourself into a nightmarishly good time? Look no further than the Mars Haunted House.

It appears the venue has expanded this year and added a few rooms...unfortunately they did such a good job scaring the bajeebus out of me I totally lost count.

Seriously, it didn't matter where I was in my group...front, middle, back...they did a stellar job providing scares for everyone.

If your into evaluating haunts with your senses you might find this helpful:

* Sight: Elaborate sets with great attention to detail. Lighting and special effects were frequently used to surprise me even though I was expecting it.

* Sound: Superb! The sound experience allowed me to become totally immersed in each and every room. Not once was I distracted by sounds coming from other parts of the attraction.

* Smell: Believe it or not I think there were sets that intentionally smelled a little musty (like BO or perfume) to compliment the scene. Interesting thought...if Barn yard Bob is chasing you around with an ax why shouldn't he smell like one?

* Touch: Nothing special on this front...although there are haunts that venture into this realm.

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