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Newbie Review Crew Member

Katie (katie_kiesow13)

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Previous Reviews: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

2008 Reviews

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

Haunted Forest and Cornfield at Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at about 4:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: Low

Review

A number of things lead to the success of this haunted corn field. First, the location is fantastic. It's in the middle of nowhere and the entire thing is set in a cornfield - setting the mood for a haunt doesn't get any better than that! Also, the length of the haunt is beneficial. It does cost more than most haunts, but it also lasts about three times as long, too. In that sense, it's worth the cost. On the other hand, how scary this haunt is depends heavily on your personal scare factor. I was not scared once through the whole haunt, but one of the girls I was with went in our second group and she came out crying because she was terrfied. So, I guess it all depends. This haunt depends heavily on animatronic and static props. Given its size, I guess that should not be unexpected. However, these types of props are not nearly as scary as a live actor in your face - which we saw very little of. A number of the actors we saw broke character, too, which makes them even less scary. In the middle of the haunt we were held up by security for a good ten minutes because everyone got caught up in the same area. So that was a total buzz-kill. Overall, I was unfortunately not all that impressed this year.

Signage / Visibility / Location


If you follow the directions on the website, you'll have no trouble finding the house. Keep an eye out for the sign, though, because it's not lit up and can be easy to miss if you're not sure where you're going.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


There is a LOT to do while you're waiting. They have a gift shop and a bonfire and lots of animals to look at. Great things to do to pass the time... which can be long. I think it was around three hours when we went.

Actors' Performance


Nothing spectacular. In fact, not any memorable actors. A lot of jumping out and growling at everyone.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The UFO is my favorite, it's just so cool! There are a couple of rooms that you walk through in the middle of the field that play mind tricks with string and black lights... and clowns... that's kinda fun.

Length


From the time we entered to the time we exited, it was 35 minutes. However, we were walking very fast because of some scaredy cats in our group... but on the other hand, we were stopped by security for about 10 minutes. So I'd say one half-hour from start to finish is about average.

Crowd Control


Security walks through the haunt at all times, as I'm sure they have to in such a large area. They did a good job except when we had to stop for such a long time because everyone got stopped up at the same place.

View all Haunted Forest and Cornfield at Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm reviews

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Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

Terror on Rural Street

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 17, 2008 at about 5:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

This haunt is definitely one of my favorites in the area! Year after year it produces excellent thrills for its guests. My favorite rooms at this house are the doll room, the room with the guillotine, and definitely the torture chamber. The rat was an excellent addition to the haunt since it scared the crap out of my whole group. The little girl in the dolls room, right in the end... she's fantastic!!! The hallway that's black and white really plays with your mind. The technical/special effects and also the attention to detail in this house are just phenomenal. Rooms are all hand painted and look awesome. The actors are all really into their characters and you can tell they really enjoy it. I don't think I saw one actor break character the whole time! While we were waiting to go into the house, there were a number of actors roaming around scaring patrons... and they were pretty creepy. Overall I had another great experience at Terror on Rural Street.

Signage / Visibility / Location


If you follow directions from the website you'll find the place really easily. It's attached to an activity center so there is ample parking available.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


They have an enclosed area to wait and have some actors roaming about. They also have a concession stand available if you want any snacks while you're waiting.

Actors' Performance


Overall I was very impressed. They're all really into it and have a lot of fun scaring everyone that comes through. Special acknowledgements go to the girls in the doll room and the actors in the torture chamber - you all rocked.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


Fantastic! Attention to detail is just unbelievable. Some of the props are clearly not real and therefore much less scary than others, but overall it was all really great.

Length


I would say from start to finish, it was roughly 20 minutes. They do an excellent job of keeping you in a room for a while so you can get the full effect, which I love.

Most Memorable Moment


The boys I was with were pretty terrified of the doll's room... watching boys get scared is always a highlight of mine.

View all Terror on Rural Street reviews

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Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

Gilly's Haunted House

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at about 4:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Low

Review

Going to Gilly's Haunted Circus was a great experience for me! I've never been there before and, actually, didn't even know it existed until just recently. I'm terrified of clowns, so it seemed like a good idea to go here... don't ask me why! Overall it was a positive experience for my group. It was really easy to find, though parking was somewhat difficult since it is located in a busy area. We were there pretty late and there was no line, so we did not have to wait very long. While we waited in line, there were two clown characters running about scaring people. Once we were inside, the first character you see (the clown with the flower) is pretty entertaining. On the whole, I found that many of the characters in the house were more funny than they were scary, but I still had a great time! There were a couple of rooms that had great ideas behind them, but I felt that they were not fully realized. Such as the room with the "maze" or sorts. It's made in an effort to mess with your mind, but it didn't work out quite as nicely as I think they had expected it would. One of the best parts about this house, though, is that they asked me for my name in one of the rooms, and of course, not thinking, I actually gave it to them... then in a number of rooms later, they continued to use my name. Very clever and really creepy. The room with the mirrors is really cool, and the actor in there was great. My favorite actor I think it the guy right at the end. It was a good experience all around, but I left feeling a little disappointed because I don't think I felt truly scared once throughout the whole house. And for being a haunted circus, there weren't a WHOLE lot of clowns... ??

Signage / Visibility / Location


Very easy to find. Directions from the website are perfect and the actual location has lots of lights. You can't miss it.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


Covered area while you wait in line with some actors.

Actors' Performance


Some of them did an excellent job, some were kind of lacking. As I mentioned, the clown with the flower was pretty good, the magician, the guy in the mirrored room,and the one right at the end. As I said before, they weren't necessarily "scary" or "frightening" in their roles, but they did act very well.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


To be honest, the majority of the house was extremely dark - which, of course, sets the mood - but it made it very difficult to see the sets, props, and make-up of the actors. As far as I could tell, they did to an excellent job with setting up rooms. It's possible that they left it incredibly dark to make the rooms look more finished, but I'm not entirely sure. There is a significant amount of fog throughout the entire haunt. I actually coughed a number of times because it was so overwhelming. Make-up on the actors looked good, too.

Length


From the minute we walked into the haunt until the time we left was roughly about 10 minutes - a pretty average length for this type of haunt. The wait was less than five minutes.

Crowd Control


No need for crowd control since there was no crowd.

Summary

If you're in the area, it's a good haunt to go to - especially if you're afraid of clowns. The rooms are well decorated and they make a great use of the space that they have available. It's easy to get turned around, so keep your hands out in front of you and try your best to follow the path they've set up for you.

View all Gilly's Haunted House reviews

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December 22nd, 2024 12:16 a.m. CST 24.11.01