Greg (gregory_carlson)

I personally liked the way they used actors to support the story, as they helped you through the designated mission, killing off the baddies as they came on.  I cannot say I've been to a haunt that had people 'helping' you get through quite like that.

I'll be honest here, when we saw the alien get released I thought it was just a prop.   When it got free and started chasing us it had this long-time haunter moving in quickstep.

This haunt has character and a sci-fi feel that I haven't seen elsewhere this season and it's really nice to have a change of pace instead of the 'same old, same old'.

Directa your feetza to Paulo's Pizza.  Right on the corner of W. Howard and 51st.

You can wait and have a slice of pizza (might be the only haunt with that option).  Once in the queue/stairs we were entertained by the disembodied voice of the security camera operator, who was pretty funny.

Unique in that there were actors helping throughout to go along with the monsters/aliens.  The service men helping we pretty well done and you could tell they were comfortable with their parts.  This did a great job of immersing us into the overall haunt.

There was a continuity to this haunt unlike any other.  They maintained the military base them throughout and all of the scenes, props and special effects supported the theme very well.

We were through the haunt in about 15 minutes.

Employee's were present throughout and the crowds were kept small enough to be manageable.

There was a few times where the baddies were either shot or took a victim and the audience got a bit of the overflow, so to speak.  Didn't see it coming either time, great surprise!  Oh, and the alien about halfway through.

I was reminded of the 'old school' haunts from my younger years as I walked through.  There was a story told at the onset, but I wasn't sure that I understood all of it.  I think one of the cops was related to the killer?  Hmmm.

After that opening sequence we were brought into a room for a quick sit-down seance.  Goes to show that you can have some entertainment at a haunt on a low budget.  Moving on we met up with the killer we were warned of and 'lost' one of our group.

Before we knew it the haunt was over and we were back outside.

Good location, but not the easiest to see until you are right upon it.  Slow down when you are close so you don't miss the old church.  Plenty of parking right next to the event.

The wait area was a Sunday school classroom, I think...  Refreshments available but not line entertainment other than a TV silently playing a movie.

The first haunt of the season that had actors 'acting'.  No one is going to win an Oscar but we got the point of the story.  The mistress leading the seance as pretty good.

Some sets & scenes were better than others.  I think the haunt started on a good note and might have lost it's direction as it went on.

Maybe 10 minutes.

There really wasn't a crowd.

When we realized that there were more 'actors' than expected.  It's really a DON'T TOUCH haunt.

I feel it is important to note that you should not judge this haunt by it's 'cover', it may not be impressive at first glance but once you are inside prepare yourself for an experience you probably won't find elsewhere.  Mar's has quite a few mature actors that really work their areas, whether it be to scare, surprise and have you laughing (or all of them at the same time).

The passageways throughout are narrow, uneven and FILLED with everything imaginable and quite a few things I don't want to imagine again after seeing them.  I had props, scenery and actors constantly in my face or at my ankles.  Some of the scenes were better than others but the actors are really what make this haunt and they should be an example to other haunts.  Get good people, keep them year after year and let them grow into their parts and become GREAT haunters.

Everyone has ideal things that they look for in a haunt, and while I really like to be scared I also like to be entertained by people that are enjoying themselves just as much.  Mar's might not be the scariest haunt you'll visit but it may be the most fun you'll have getting scared.

It was the only place where you could see long lines of people waiting by a hearse right in Milwaukee.

The wait was over 40+ minutes and curbside.  There isn't any seating, that I saw, but there are a number of creatures and characters walking through the area to keep you entertained.  There was also a movie showing if you were on that side of the building waiting.

I don't know that there wasn't an actor that didn't hit their marks, scare or surprise at least one person in our group AND provide some of the best one-lines and come backs in any Haunt I've been to.

The overall atmosphere was very intimate, creepy and kept me off balance.  They really make the best use of the space they have, as all of it was filled to the hilt with detailed scenes, a few static and animatronic props but more than anything it was filled with LOTS of actors.

About 15 minutes will get you through the haunt, some of the best parts are when you are stopped, waiting for the next scene to empty and you are left with the actors in the area.

The Mar's staff and police were present and in control.  The lines were well managed as well as incoming foot traffic walking to the haunt.

There was a scene with a small room with a bed in the floor and a bearded man dressed as woman in full gown.  His dowdy gown was backless, displaying his hairy back while he kept us entertained with humorous & witty conversation (and maybe creeped out a little) while he 'managed' the traffic.  There were many other fantastic interactions throughout.

The entrance into the haunt itself is a 'moving' elevator that goes haywire, we were closed in with with a girl who played her part with manic intensity and perfect timing to what was going on in the scene.  It was the high point of the haunt, but don't take that to mean it was the only fun to be had.

This was my first experience with inflatable walls, luckily the other girls in my group had no qualms with pushing me and I easily discovered the way through.  There were numerous dark areas with surprise scares to keep you on your toes.  

Keep in mind, Hauntfest is a "Don't touch" Haunt but that doesn't mean that the others in your group won't push, pull hair, grab shirts or do other things with reckless abandon.  You might want to try and ensure you know everyone in our group so you aren't surprised like I was.  I simply wasn't prepared for 4 women I don't know to go on a crazy rampage the second we were in until the moment we were out.  You have been warned.

Hauntfest is as much an 'Event' as it is a Haunt, passing on the creepy atmosphere and going for the loud carnival.  There were LOTS of young kids & teens to which I think that suited them well.

Hauntfest is at State Fair park, who doesn't know where that is?  Find gate 4 and listen for the haunt sounds/music.

There was a large wait area with some seating, movies played on a large inflatable screen and refreshments were available.  That's good, because the wait was very long at about 90 minutes.  Actors were present, most of the screams heard were for the guy with the chainsaw jumping up on people.

Let me first state that the actress in the elevator at the entrance was great, she gets groups for a captive performance was the best throughout.  There were a few others that did stand out but some rooms we entered had the haunters standing together talking until they saw a group come through and then darted about, which was a bit of a disappointment and not really gonna scare someone.

The balloon walls & ceiling were fun but the best was the shock wall.  Again, the elevator was great but otherwise nothing of note stood out.

Going through the haunt took about 20 minutes.  We were delayed in some areas to keep the groups separate and we didn't see any other visitors while were were in.

The crowd was large, but with Hauntfest security and police present there weren't any issues.

Some of the darker areas had 'shock walls' and the group we were with were pushing me into the walls but the most memorable was the elevator at the entrance.