Dominion of Terror Review by CC2 (Review Crew)

Please note: this review is for the 2010 season rather than the current season.

Dominion of Terror

by CC2 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 15, 2010 at about 2:30 p.m.

Submitted: Sunday, October 17, 2010

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

I have routinely attended the Dominion of Terror year after year for approximately the last 5-6 years.

My thoughts upon my first few moments into the house this year were, "my how you've grown up".

The Dominion has been at its current location for several years and has been entirely redone from last year's version.

I did not recognize one familiar scene from last season and that was very much appreciated after visiting some houses familiar to me and seeing recycled material and scenes.

For this year's version of Dominion, visitors will pass through a restaurant and kitchen with items you won't find on the Food Network.

There is also a carnival midway with a carousel, a margin of woods with a waterfall, an elaborate medical and dental clinic you will visit among numerous other scenes and can expected to be aggressively welcomed into all of those areas.

The sets in the Dominion are elaborate and detailed down to minute elements like a gruesome dental set that actually smelled of clove oil. Those little factors enhance the experience, nicely.

Signage / Visibility / Location

The Dominion can be a bit tricky to find if you are not familiar with the area. GPS's will find it and the directions on the website are clear to follow.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

The wait area for Dominion is outdoors, so if there is rain or cold temperatures forecasted dress accordingly.

As we waited for our visit, we were seiged by aggressive clowns who startled inattentive guests and sniffed and growled at those who noticed them.

Dominion features a small concession stand and several portable toilets.

Actors' Performance

This was easily the best performance haunt I have attended this season. I was very impressed with the preparation of the actors and their investment in scaring the guests. Further, it was clear that the staff at Dominion take pride in their performances and enjoy their roles. We caught the attraction early in the evening and I'd marvel if the actors can keep up that effort all night, but what I saw was impressive and heavily invested.

Make up and costuming are solid.

Special acknowledgment goes out to the athletic performer in the padded cell who apparently had some digestive problems before we visited and the two rednecks in the leather shop who affected their characters nicely.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

As was mentioned, the Dominion's producers have taken great effort to make an elaborate and detailed haunt. This year's themes were well developed and covered a variety of contexts.

The Dominion's location provides a lot of natural ambiance for a good scare and its sets are well lit so that visitors can appreciate details of the props, make up and costuming.

Length

It took approximately 25 minutes to walk through the Dominion of Terror.

Crowd Control

Crowds entering the house are formed in lines outside and are admitted in small groups at about 5-10 minute intervals.

My pacing was fairly good, but it is difficult in a haunt of this size not to catch groups in front of you that may lag.

Most Memorable Moment

Among many memorable moments were seeing some very impressive make up effects in the kitchen and our reception by vampires as we left the haunt.

Summary

This year's Dominion of Terror comes highly recommended. Its scares can be intense, so it is probably not appropriate for small children. Kudos to the producers of the Dominion for their efforts to renew the experience for visitors. That work and attention to detail is much appreciated.

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