House of Bathory (CLOSED) Review by HocusPocus (Review Crew)

Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

House of Bathory (CLOSED)

by HocusPocus (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 21, 2011 at about 2 p.m.

Submitted: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

If you enjoy interactive skit style haunts that make you occasionally jump out of your skin then you’ll love the House of Bathory! This was my first time visiting a Dead by Dawn Productions haunt. They’ve been in the Haunted House business for 22 years now and it really shows. Rooms are very well thought out and 100% original….with the exception of the Vortex room which you’ll experience at just about every haunt these days. (Although I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of walking through a Vortex.) To Dawn’s credit she does add to this Vortex a unique twist I haven’t seen at any other haunt. I really enjoyed the skits found in each room. The acting was superb and the actors were comfortable enough to involve haunt goers in the action. What I really, REALLY liked about this haunt was that regardless of where I was in the group (first, last, middle….) the scares definitely me jump and I’m certain they will make you jump too!

I won’t spoil any of the scares waiting for you at the House of Bathory but the premise of this haunt is a journey through time with each room featuring a unique skit pertaining to a period of history. From the pilgrims to the 70’s and featuring the likes of Charles Manson and Hitler…the skits, costumes and décor for each of these themes were masterfully orchestrated and performed admirably by spirited actors. While this may not be the scariest or goriest haunt you attend you’ll definitely enjoy yourself and experience a few really good scares along the way.

Signage / Visibility / Location

The location of this haunt is located right on the main street of downtown Manitowoc. While the haunt itself wasn’t obvious to me…it’s located at a costume store which by the way has some exceptionally cool decorations…it was hard to miss the 5 hearses that were parked along the street and the ghouls that were patrolling the sidewalk leading up to the haunt.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

The waiting line is located outdoor so dress appropriately. Portions of the waiting line are located under the store canopies that appear on each of the store fronts along the street. There were ghouls and eerily decorated hearses along the street although I didn’t not get a chance to interact with them

Actors' Performance

The actors were a lot of fun and performed their roles admirably. They were certainly comfortable enough to involve haunt goers in the action. I particularly enjoyed conversing with a few of the ghouls over a game of Monopoly…that is until they nearly scared the crap out of me!

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Sets are creative with a lot of subtle detail that may go unnoticed if your not paying attention. Particularly enjoyed a few exceptional special effects that made me jump as well as the acoustics/sound of many of the rooms.

Length

It took our group approximately 17 minutes to complete our journey.

Most Memorable Moment

There were several...but I particular enjoyed the very unique and surprising twist to my experience with Hitler.

Summary

If you enjoy interactive skit style haunts, The House of Bathory is a must see! This haunt oozes with imagination and creativity and younger audiences will definitely enjoy themselves as much as adults who crave wickedly creative entertainment.

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