Ted (HocusPocus)

I’ll admit to this upfront, my experience at Nightmare factory was more of an unfortunate nightmare than a frightfully fun time.  As a result my review of this haunt may be a little unfair to a haunt that many have reviewed favorably.  (Although honestly of the 6 haunts I’ve been to this year I don’t think I would have placed this one in the top 5.)  Here’s what went wrong with my experience…it’s probably unlikely that you may experience the same misfortune as me but for what it’s worth….

Nightmare #1…the waiting line incident.  It’s mostly outside and unfortunately while I was waiting a car driving by decided to hurl an egg into the crowd.  My guess is that they were trying to hit BoBo the Clown who was nearby but they missed…and hit my friend standing next to me.  With no local law enforcement patrolling the area and numerous parked cars along the street obstructing you from getting a clear view of the street (including a large snack wagon) there appears to nothing in place at this haunt to discourage incidents such as this.

Nightmare #2…the dark hallway incident.  This haunt, like a few others, features a few really dark hallways.  Typically you don’t find ghouls dashing through these hallways but at this haunt there was.  Have you ever wondered if the ghouls in these dark hallways can see you when you don’t see them?  I’ll admit, I have always been a bit curious.  Unfortunately for me, I found at the hard way when a little ghoul ran right into me in the middle of a dark hallway.  OUCH!  The incident knocked the wind out of me but at least the little ghoul was nice enough to apologize and turn on a flashlight to show me the way through the rest of the maze.

Nightmare #3…not every ghoul may know you’re in the room.  As a result of Nightmare #2 I arrived in the next room a few seconds after my group.  The ghoul in the room had already jumped out and was waving an object with a long wooden handle…not exactly sure what the object was but as he spun around in a move that I originally thought was meant to scare me the long end of the handle caught me square in the stomach.  In hind sight the ghoul obviously had no idea I was there as he was just as surprised to see me as I was at being struck.  No apologies from this ghoul though…just a surprised look and then he continued to carry on with the show.

Nightmare #4…when these ghouls smell blood, look out!  I’ve never seen this before at a haunt.  There were a few ghouls at this haunt who were perfectly positioned to scare those stuck in the back of the group.  In every instance these ghouls actually intentionally walked right past those in the back just to scare the group members in the front.  Admittedly the girl in the front of our group was really scared and it was fun watching her get freaked out but on the other hand everyone else in the group paid to be scared as well.  As a result of this and being stuck in the back of our group there wasn’t a single instance at this haunt where anything made me jump.

Other than these misfortunate instances The Nightmare Factory is a decent haunt.  The 3D section is pretty cool visually and features a trick or two but it doesn’t have much in terms of scare factor.  The non 3D section does contain a little gore and has a few cool concepts but it lacked the oomph to make me jump.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

If you enjoy interactive skit style haunts that make you occasionally jump out of your skin then you’ll love the House of Bathory!  This was my first time visiting a Dead by Dawn Productions haunt.  They’ve been in the Haunted House business for 22 years now and it really shows.  Rooms are very well thought out and 100% original….with the exception of the Vortex room which you’ll experience at just about every haunt these days.  (Although I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of walking through a Vortex.)  To Dawn’s credit she does add to this Vortex a unique twist I haven’t seen at any other haunt.  I really enjoyed the skits found in each room.  The acting was superb and the actors were comfortable enough to involve haunt goers in the action.  What I really, REALLY liked about this haunt was that regardless of where I was in the group (first, last, middle….) the scares definitely me jump and I’m certain they will make you jump too!

I won’t spoil any of the scares waiting for you at the House of Bathory but the premise of this haunt is a journey through time with each room featuring a unique skit pertaining to a period of history.  From the pilgrims to the 70’s and featuring the likes of Charles Manson and Hitler…the skits, costumes and décor for each of these themes were masterfully orchestrated and performed admirably by spirited actors.  While this may not be the scariest or goriest haunt you attend you’ll definitely enjoy yourself and experience a few really good scares along the way.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Most Memorable Moment

If you enjoy participating in your haunted adventures and enjoy being ghoulishly entertained chances are you'll like this year's Hubertus House of Horror.

This haunt features a mix of young (some very young) and adult actors in a variety of skit orientated rooms as well as some descent special effects.  Quite a few of the effects were carry overs from prior years but they were still executed well enough to entertain and in some cases even make you jump.

I was grouped with several haunt goers that were aged between 17-24.  While everyone in my group agreed that they enjoyed their tour of the Hubertus House nobody admitted to being particularly scared or surprised enough to jump at any point.  ...although one couple did admit to clunking heads pretty hard in one of the dark mazes so perhaps they may suffering from a slight case of amnesia.

Personally I really enjoyed their elevator and Vortex rooms...which by the way may be the best executed vortex in the state.  I also enjoyed participating in the skit orientated rooms.  Unfortunately, like my fellow haunt goers I never experienced anything that made me jump during my tour nor did I particularly enjoy the pitch black mazes.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

Bravo!! Hands down I'd say this is the best Terror on Rural street they've had since it opened 11 years ago. I typically tour between 8-10 haunts a year and I'd say arguably this year's Terror on Rural Street is probably the best haunt in SE Wisconsin and certainly in the top 3 around the state. Seriously, you may find different kinds of scares at other haunts but you'll be hard pressed to beat the quality and attention to detail that you'll experience at Terror on Rural Street.

Elaborate sets, high tech scares and professionally made-up monsters. This haunt features effects so detailed and gruesome you'd swear they were real!

Following my tour through this year's haunt I had the privilege to get a behind the scenes tour. I was totally amazed at how much time and effort is invested into the nightly operations. Professional theatrical make-up artists with over 25 years of experience, a maze of corridors supporting the haunted hallways & rooms, a warehouse full of additional props, rooms cram packed full of costumes and a totally amazing tech room overflowing with electronics and video feeds that totally blew me away!

Speaking of video feeds....those of you who are particularly interested in the quality of your haunted experience or may just be wondering "how did they do that?" may find this interesting. 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.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

If you're looking to totally immerse yourself into a nightmarishly good time, look no further. This year's Mars Haunted House once again offers an immersive experience that will excite your senses. Sets and passage ways are elaborately decorated with a keen attention to detail to provide ample visual stimulation. Encounters with ghouls seeking not only to scare the bajeezus out of you but also to creep you out make for both a bloodcurdling and chilling experience.

Traditionally I have declared this attraction to be Milwaukee's Scariest haunt. This year's edition of the Mars Haunted House once again makes a good case to continue as the area's top attraction. If you've enjoyed Mars in the past or if your just looking for a good scare or two you certainly won't be disappointed this year.

If you're 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 many of the rooms….especially immediately upon entering this haunt!


* Smell: Ever wonder what death smells like?  …you’ll know the answer by the time you
depart this haunt.

* Touch:  Feel the splatter of
blood or a reaper breathing down your neck!

Signage / Visibility / Location