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Newbie Review Crew Member

Adam (pud27)

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Previous Reviews: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

2008 Reviews

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

Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex

by pud27 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at about 6:30 p.m.

Submitted: Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: Medium

Review

The Burial Chamber complex has been one of my favorite haunts over the last few years. Unfortunately this year they have slipped a little in my mind. In years past I have attended earlier in the season and earlier in the night, but on this occasion we were out late. Burial Chamber Consists of three sepaerate haunts in one location. Phobia haunted woods, Adrenaline, and Insanity, the last two house style haunts. The biggest problem I saw which could be because of the time of night was the group sizes/ my group consisted of just my Fiancee and I, but for Adrenaline we were put in a group with 10 other people. 12 people in one group! Thats way too many to go through a haunted trail, not to mention a haunted house. Our 5 minute walk through what they called a haunted woods also consisted of a large group that split itself up once past the ticket lady. Lastly, and worst of all we finished the night with 13 other people through Insanity. I understand the haunt is only open until 11:30, but if they want to be out by that time they need to stop selling tickets earlier. It really wrecked the night and they will end up losing credit if they keep that up. As a very satisfied past customer this was an extremely disapointing night for me.

Signage / Visibility / Location


The haunt is not hard to find at all, it's not too far off Hwy. 41 and it's only one turn from there. They have spot lights that shine up into the air that you can see from a pretty good distance. Once you turn off the highway and get to the road you turn on to you easily see the building right away. The big Burial Chamber painted on the side is a giveaway, if all the cars and people haven’t already made it obvious!

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


They have loud metal music playing and have music videos playing on the bigscreen. They have concessions and a tent to wait under. I’m not sure what the tent was for unless they call numbers at certain times. While we were there the only way to get in was to stand in line making the tent basically useless. I would suggest buying VIP if you can afford it or if you simply cannot stand the lines.

Actors' Performance


I would say they did good considering the circumstances. I can’t imagine what it’s like constantly staying in character while hundreds if not thousands of people come thorugh on a given night. On top of that with a larger group size they had to figure out when to jump out so everyone gets a chance to see the effect. They Didn’t break character and most of them seemed to enjoy what they were doing. Have to shout out to Stewart and the baby-both were pretty disturbing. Phobia was a little disapointing. The few actor’s out there didn’t seem to be completely in to it. I have to give them the benfit of a doubt though as our group split up and they probably did not know what was going on either because of it.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The set’s were good as always. Phobia doesn’t really have many sets or props, but they use the wooded scene as best as they can. Adrenaline was the same as years past. They always have great sets and some of the coolest props around but after a few years of the same it can get a little tiring. It wouldn’t hurt to spice it up a little bit. Insanity suffered this year from the opposite. Again they have great sets and a great theme as if a city has been taken over by freaks and wierdos, however they made changes to this one while I personally liked it the way it was. It had been repetitive but it was ok that way. Overall the sets and props were great, you can definitely tell they care how this place looks. The only other problem I saw was it appeared that it was a little understaffed and some rooms/scares went empty. Could be a product of group sizes again and that the scares were over by the time we got there but it was late too so who knows? Something just seemed to be missing.

Length


Phobia clocked in around 5 minutes while the other two took about 15. They were all shorter this year, but that can be attributed to many reasons. The time of night and trying to get so many people through. Also how fast your group walks through-if your scared or want to take your time to see everything.

Crowd Control


I honestly was not impressed with their crowd control. We never did run into another group, but being put into a group with 10-15 people is a bit ridiculous. I realize it was late and they were trying to get so many people through but I don’t know how that justifies the issue. It felt like they were taking advantage of the large crowd and then sacrificing the customer’s enjoyment. With people’s discretionary income spread thin, if they decide to spend it on a hauunt they should get their money’s worth. I would like to see it again earlier in the evening when the crowds aren’t so bad-I’m confident that it’s a totally different animal at that point.

Most Memorable Moment


While the large groups is the most memorable, I have to again comment on the big baby. Also, the one point I got to lead through Adrenaline I took a wrong tunr and opened a door to a storage area! It was nice and big, so it’s nice to know they still have room to expand if they would ever want to do so!

Summary

I know what this haunt can be like, and I'm really hoping my experiance is not what they are doing all year. I have always liked this haunt and expected much better from them. I know this can't be the way the haunt is really being run, it honestly kills me to say all this about it. I would really like to see how they run the haunt earlier in the evening. I would definitely recommend being out there early, it cannot be as bad as my experience. Pleas note, this is one person’s thoughts on his own experience. This by no means is a representation of every minute of the attractions operating hours. Everyone has different experiences and different thought on situations. This is my opinion, I hope everyone else has a better time in their situation than I did.

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

A Theater Of Lost Souls Presents: Nightmare Factory Haunt

by pud27 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at about 5 p.m.

Submitted: Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

A Theater of Lost Souls, or ATOLS, boasts being one of the scariest haunted houses in the state. While I did not see the scariest haunt, I definitely saw the quality that is appreciated throughout the haunt world. Split into two seperate haunts, ATOLS starts off with a twisted walk through a sanitarium. Multiple patients warn you that you do not belong there, you'll catch what they have. Each room brings you to another crazy experiment taking place. While the overall scare factor wasn't the highest there was enough gore to make the faint of heart a little squeamish. Keep an eye out for the room with the strobe lights-you'll know it when you see it.

In the second attraction, A theater of the Absurd, you meet some crazy clowns, all in a 3-d setting. You'll also meet some crazy aliens, who have a pretty cool effect in their hands that is definitely worth checking out. In my opinion this was the better of the two haunts.
Unfortunately the only way to partake in this haunt is to go through both of them.

Signage / Visibility / Location


There is a little bit of signage off the main roads that direct you back to the fairgrounds that the haunt is located on. They do not have lights on them, so they are a little hard to see. The location is pretty good, it's out on the edge of town at the fairgrounds, so it's rather dark which adds to the feel.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


The wait is in a barn, which is nice in case of inclement weather. There was a screen playing some video clips.

Actors' Performance


The actors were good. They stayed in character and seemed to enjoy what they were doing. They did a good job of playing their scenes up. The actors in the strobe room were freaky, thats all I can say on that.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The sets were great, they definitely put time into it. THe props and scenes were all along the lines of a sanitarium, and I would not want to be a patient at it. While a hospital type feel is not out of the ordinary they did a good job of taking an often used theme and making it their own.

Length


The length of the main attraction was about 10 minutes, Theater of the Absurd about 5 minutes. It was a lot shorter than i would have expected, and there were some spots where they stopped us for a while

Crowd Control


We did not catch up to another group and nobody caught up to us. They did a real good job of keeping us seperated, and they let us go ourselves as a group of two. through the first part.

Most Memorable Moment


The most memorable part of the night was probably the clown who yelled at everyone in the Theater of the Absurd.

Summary

Overall I would have to say this was a good haunt. They really pride themselves on their experience and it show through in most spots. WHile not as scary as I expected, and a little shorter than I had hoped it was a well run haunt.

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

House of Bathory (CLOSED)

by pud27 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 17, 2008 at about 3:30 p.m.

Submitted: Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

Dead by Dawn is definitely no rookie to the haunted attraction industry. With haunts ranging from the Demon Sanitarium, to Windigo Manor at JFK Prep to this years haunt The House of Bathory she always seems to improve. This year is is no exception, they have put forth their best haunt ever. Dawn has a history of taking the fairy tales and stories we all loved as children and putting a dark twist on them, turning dreams to nightmares. Taking place in the store she runs and the apartment she lives in above she uses the space she has to the max. As you enter, be prepared to hear tales from the Mad Hatter as he prepares you for the journey through the House of Bathory. From there you encounter all the beloved stories, twisted beyond belief. This is not a new theme for her, but it is definitely the best one they have done.

Signage / Visibility / Location


There is no signage that I noticed, and very little on the building itself. I have been there before so I knew where I was going. It's located on the main road in downtown Manitowoc. As always, If you are unfamiliar be sure to get directions.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


This is an outside wait, but for part of it there are awnings over the business fronts. There was very little entertainment other than a stereo playing a mix of Halloween music.

Actors' Performance


The actor's were great. This was possibly the best acting I have seen in a haunted house ever. From the Ms. Bathory, to the Mad Hatter, to Charlie and beyond, you are led to believe these actor's are professionals. They never once broke character and they showed dedication beyond any I have ever scene.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The sets were great. They really took the time to design their rooms and make the most out of what they had. there is very little down time where you wonder whats going on. It's purely demented chaos through the entire thing, and it could not have worked any better.

Length


Again, I failed to get an accurate time on it, but I looked at my watch at some point in the house and it took 12 minutes from there. i would estimate around 20 minutes to get through.

Crowd Control


Crowd control was great. The put us We never once caught up to the group ahead of us and we did not see a group behind us. I estimate they wait 5- 7 minutes between sending the groups in. It makes for a little wait but it makes the haunt that much better. It gives the actors time to reset and get back into character for the next group.

Most Memorable Moment


The most memorable part of this haunt is definitely the beginning with the Mad Hatter. With all that this haunt does right you should have forgotten about him by the end. It really shows how good he is and his scene was that you remember him even after all the surprises and horror you witness after him

Also have to shout out to the shocking portion of the night. I'm not sure if it was a static shock or if they have some sort of shocker in there that sent an actual jolt through me.

Summary

This haunt is great. I would not hesitate to go back tonight, and then get in line again after that. Dawn has done it again. It takes a lot to get me to jump at this point, but they managed completely. This review does not do it the justice it deserves. All the actors deserve credit-any one of them could be believable in whatever they do, they were that good. You really do need to check this one out. Don't just take my word for it, this one truly rocks. It is well worth the money!

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

Dominion of Terror

by pud27 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 17, 2008 at about 2 p.m.

Submitted: Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

The Sheboygan Jaycees boast over 30 years of experience in running haunted attractions and it shows. I attended this haunt last year and it sure felt like I had never been there before. I've been to many haunted attractions where things are only slightly different from the year before, but the Jaycees ensure that nothing is repeated. I don't think there was one scene or performance that occurred last year. On top of that, this haunt featured an eclectic mix of rooms with very little carryover in theme. It sounds like a mess but they pull it off with great transitions from room to room. The best part would have to have been the marketplace, which hosted the best actor; the butcher, and the best scenes, the movie theater.

Signage / Visibility / Location


The signage for this haunt is not the greatest, there are actually no signs at all until you get right down to it. I would strongly suggest getting directions if you are unfamiliar with Sheboygan. Once there it is pretty visible and the building is pretty cool. It's an old factory building in the middle of dowtown. The setting isn't the greatest, but the building is good.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


The building forms a sort of u shape in which the line wraps itself in. It's not covered so on a rainy eve like we had you will get wet. There is a concession stand and a few actors wandering around the wait area.

Actors' Performance


Most of the actor's performances were great. Even the ones who weren't as dedicated were good and remained in character. I have to give credit to the butcher, by far the best actor in the whole place.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The sets were all designed by different people, thus the lack of one standard theme. Once again, they did a great job in making the eclectic style work. They took a lot of time to make it look good, not skimping on areas to make others better.

Length


The length was great for any attraction. I didn't get a good look at my watch but I would guess it took probably took 20-25 minutes to get through. Well worth the cost of admission.

Crowd Control


We did run into a group in front of us, but when the actor's realized it happened they did a great job of splitting it back up. Overall crowd control was good. My fiancee and I were put in a group with three others who led the way. They went a little faster than I normally would have and i think that contributed to the issue.

Most Memorable Moment


The most memorable part was probably the butcher. I can't say too much but you'll know it when you see it.

Summary

Overall this was a great haunt. Picking out just little things to give examples is hard when everything is as good as it was. Everything about this haunt deserves recognition. As a charity event they do a haunt extremely well, even better than some for profit haunts. This one is well worth the time and money, you will not be disappointed.

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December 26th, 2024 4:27 p.m. CST 24.11.01