Ted (HocusPocus)

“Off the chart!”, "Scare-tacular!”, Sensational!”, “Best Hubertus House Ever!”, “Unhinged!”, “I almost peed my pants!”, “Awesome!” These were the words my tour group used to describe this year’s Hubertus House of Horror.  Hands down everyone I have spoken to about this year’s edition of this haunt have agreed that this either was the best or tied for the best Hubertus House ever.

The House this year and your journey through it have received a complete facelift.  Gone were the school bus and the entrance through the basement.  Only a few of the best scares from last year remain and even those were creatively enhanced to provide a new twist to the scare.  Unlike prior years, this year’s journey began 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 Zombie splatter, spider cinema, the wild elevator ride, the deep tunnel sewer surprise and the Vortex.  Of course there were a lot more rooms than these five (…sorry, I lost count…) and 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 elementary school kids to adult.  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.

My only negative comment about this haunt was with the group sizes.  From what I observed many of the tour groups (…including mine…) had 8 people.  This made for a very tight squeeze in many of the rooms and also spoiled a few of the rooms as the skits/surprises would begin prior to entering the room.  Luckily for me 3 people in my group got lost early in the tour so most of my journey was with a group size of 5.  Some of the other groups I spoke to also shared their displeasure with group size particularly during the elevator ride.  Nobody, however, said that the group size ruined their experience and that they wished they could have toured with a smaller group.  (Perhaps next year this haunt could offer a ‘VIP’ option that would allow you to tour with a smaller group size?)

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Twelve years of creative, creepy and chilling concepts and counting for Terror on Rural Street.  Unlike some haunts that showcase the same themes year after year I have never been disappointed at the Terror on Rurual Street. The Barber Shop, the snake room, Clown Funeral, the Mad Scientist and all new maze were a few of my favorite new rooms.  Terror on Rural Street features 17 Cinema quality sets many of which are pimped out with a dedicated sound system and special effects you won't find any place else.

Terror on Rural Street is an interactive style haunt with each room 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.  Memorable acting performances included the bizarre barber and his unfortunate patron, the sinister scientist and his shocking secrets and who could forget the wretched witch and her collection of trophies.

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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Intense! Creepy! Morbid!  Those a few of the words my 2012 Mars Haunted House tour group used to describe their 2012 Mars experience.  If you're looking to get seriously scared this Halloween look no further than the Mars Haunted House!  This haunt has been in the business for 20 years and it shows.  Elaborately detailed sets and corridors tempt you to stroll slowly to enjoy the visual treats along the way while strategically placed ghouls and special effect scares lurk in the shadows to incite your natural instincts to flee.  Despite being prepared for the surprises that traditionally freak me out at Mars it always succeeds in making me jump.  Scares this year were encountered early and often…I actually jumped so many times I lost count. (But I'm sure it was more than once per minute!)

Traditionally I have declared this attraction to be Milwaukee's Scariest haunt. This year is no exception…in the 8-10 haunts I tour annually few (if any) make me jump as much as Mars did this year.

I particularly enjoyed the spectrum of scares found at this year's Mars Haunted House.  While most haunts will blind you by making your traverse a pitch dark hallway Mars not only pulls this off but also features two other corridors that blind you with both light and fog (…all of course, with their own unique scares along the way…) 

"Disgusting!" was how one tour mate described a room with bloodied body parts…without giving too much away, if gore really freaks you out some of the body parts associated with sensitive parts of the human anatomy may give you nightmares in this room!  This year's haunt definitely appeared to have more gore than in past years.  This noteworthy point may be due partially to this year's lighting.  The lighting of Mars was dark and creepy but always just enough for you to enjoy the incredible attention to detail this haunt showcases.  I've been told that this haunt actually is never disassembled so that improvements can be made year round…it definitely shows!

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?  …the smell wasn't as overwhelming as 2011 but some of the sets definitely had a unique aroma to it
* Touch:  Yes…Some of the scares are so intense you'll actually feel them!

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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.   2012 was my actually my 3rd visit to Burial Chamber in the past 4 seasons.  (I do believe this is Burial Chambers 5th season…) Over the past 4 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.

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 is determined more by how quickly you walk than it is by the creatures lurking in the shadows. 

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.  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 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 were just a few of the visual stimuli Insanity offered up.  For these reasons Insanity was my pick as top hell hound at Burial Chamber this year….. but when I offered this opinion to my group of haunt goers it was absolute pandemonium!  Which one was your favorite?

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Monster Mayhem has returned for its 5th season in 2012 and once again it promises to be definitely unlike any other Halloween attraction you'll find this year.  As was the case last year, Monster Mayhem is by far the most fun I've ever had at a haunt.

Taking participation to a whole new level Monster Mayhem not only allows you to roam freely through rooms and hallways it also allows you to hunt and be hunted by the creatures lurking around the maze of rooms. Be warned!  If you and your fellow teammates don't watch each other's backs the zombies at Mayhem will turn you into Zombie Chow!

Unlike other haunts this attraction offers fun for all ages...kids, parents and grandparents alike. Kids will most certainly enjoy hunting the creatures (…as well as their parents if they happen to be placed on opposite teams….) and adults will most certainly enjoy the creatures who have a habit of popping up and scaring you when you least expect them to!  Not to mention, if you appreciate special effects (…as I do…) Monster Mayhem has some of the best homemade effects I've ever seen.

While Monster Mayhem may not be the scariest haunt you visit this year it will make a strong case for being the most fun haunted attraction you attend this year!

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