2012 Event Reviews

We want change! Well you got it! The Haunted Barn, located in Stoughton, WI, brought a fresh
experience to the table this year. With new themes, new technology, and a new
path, it was definitely a switch-up from 2011. As always the crew at The
Haunted Barn are welcoming and actors are always aplenty while you wait in
line. It is never boring waiting for this attraction.

I waited for approx. 20mins to begin the haunted barn. The barn itself is well put together with a
smooth transition from scene to scene along with your pitch black corridors,
mazes, and other "traps". This year, however, one of these mazes
caused a jam when one group could not figure out how to proceed through the
maze. Inevitably this caused more and more people to group up and thus completely
ruining any pacing that was there.

Although the pacing was poor I can't hold it against the haunt because one group is not cognizant
enough to navigate a simple maze. Nonetheless be prepared to run into other
groups and as such you can always attempt to distance yourself from a group in
front of you so that the actors can have enough time and you can enjoy the full
experience of this solid attraction.

Otherwise the indoor portion, the barn, had great new scares this year and new technology in use. It really changed up the atmosphere from last year and put this attraction in line
with "corporate" haunted attractions that have hundreds of thousands
to spend on haunted houses. Most of the actors this year, as always, did a great job
using opportune moments to scare their customers. The pacing problem ,that I
already mentioned, however, took a toll on this effectiveness during my trip.

Heading outside to go through the haunted woods portion, I was again presented with a different
set-up than last year which just added to the experience. Scares in the woods
were moderate to non-existent this year but I was informed, later, that the
attraction was hit hard during my visit as the actors normally assigned to the
woods were out sick. Nonetheless the woods, as always, are a nice incorporation
into a haunted barn.

After going through the woods and going back into the barn for one last indoor scare I was presented with a completely new world this year with one room/one scare that I have never
really seen before. I will not ruin the surprise for anyone but the Haunted
Barn pulled off a really great scare and I give them 2 thumbs up for the
creation and successful application of such a scare.

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Meadowbrook gets it right!  What sets a haunt apart from the rest?  Complete sensory overload.  Meadowbrook takes that sensory overload and amplifies that by 11!  Loud, bright, startling, disorienting, and lengthy, all done without a flaw.  But the thing that makes Meadowbrook better that any haunted corn maze you've ever been too is their awesome animatronics.  I can't imagine the amount of time and money that  is spent putting this haunt together.  The actors at Meadowbrook are nothing short of excellent.  The night we went was quite cold, which can be bad news for most actors, but not these pros, they don't miss a beat, and successfully spook you like no other.  Meadowbrook is one of the best haunts you are going to attend this season.  If you've been to Meadowbrook in years past, go again!  I have attended this haunt every year for the last I don't know how many years, and not once did it seem similar to years past.  Meadowbrook is truly innovative and masters of their craft!  Hands down, my favorite all around haunt!

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Last year Haunted High took me by complete surprise, and quickly became one of my favorite haunts.  This year, they have solidified themselves as the best in the area.  Only problem is, it's their "Senior Year," which unfortunately means, Haunted High will be no more after this season.  These people got it right, let's take a school that is shut down, and make it into a frightful haunted house.  It's everything I have ever wanted in a haunt.  The setting is familiar to us all, the halls of a high school, classrooms, detention, the boiler room!  Splash in freaks and creeps around every corner and you have the ultimate haunt.  The actors are what really make Haunted High awesome.  If you are looking for actors who play the part like they were born to spook, look no further.  This haunt messes with all of your senses, and exploits their weaknesses.  Beginning to end, Haunted High is a winner.  Please, do yourself a favor, check it out before it's too late, because unfortunately, this is your last chance to see this phenomenal haunt.  I'm begging you Haunted High, ONE MORE YEAR!!!

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Another halloween season another new theme for the House of Bathory located in Manitowoc. Last year I found this haunt to be my most memorable and favorite stop last year. So I was excited to make another trip to the House of Bathory, especially when with this year's new Steven King theme. It proved to be worth the trip again with another masterpiece of fright.

New to this season along with the theme is indoor waiting. No more waiting out on the street corner. So if you're familiar with this haunt, don't mistake the lack of a crowd out front as a slow night or that it's not open. Just follow the sign and head around the corner. I was able to get in right away with no wait so I didn't see the waiting area.

When it's your time, you are brought in and given the rules. This haunt allows  touching, this is a cool feature that no other haunt we've been to has. You aren't grabbed or touched in any threatening or inappropriate way. Though an actor may yell and bump into your arm or someone will lightly touch your shoulder. It adds a realistic touch. Once you're given a lowdown. You head up the stairs, past the creepy portraits and into a world you will not forget.

Immediately you're taken into your first scene and enjoy the terrific acting the House of Bathory offers. The characters are unique from other haunts and have an excellent dialog that follows the situation you are put into. Remember, this year they have the Stephen King theme, so each room brings you into a novel of King's imagination. I left the haunt wishing I had read some of them prior to going. Though I did recognize some characters such as the crazy nurse from Misery and, of course, the creepy clown from IT.

Each scene offers a great setting with care to detail. Bringing the scene to life is the terrific characters and their dialog. What always strikes me with the House of Bathory is the terrific performance they get out of children actors. I was taken in by the teenage actors, as you will find out in the scene taken from Carrie.

Since it's from Stephen King there's plenty of fright. I wish I could go into detail of the scenes but I don't want to ruin the surprises. My wife has always been my gauge of how scary a haunt is. We were sent through a situation where we could not see and as we kept moving forward it became harder to get through without almost crawling.  The ending to this situation was so good that  she had tears in her eyes and was truly frightened. At the end of the haunt my wife, and the teenage girl we went through with, both ran flying past me into the street screaming. A tell tale sign of a good haunt.

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The Mars Haunted House has a definite advantage over the others, that being their claim to be a haunt that is actually haunted.  Truth or hype?  We were about to find out... 

We attended on a rainy Sunday night, and were able to immediately enter the haunt.  As you walk into the first room an audio recording tells you that there was a disturbing incident that happened there...  but they never go into the details of what in fact that was.  It's not until after that I read on their website what that incident actually was.  So if you're curious like me, make sure you read all about it on their site.

The haunt is dimly lit with very narrow hallways.  The flooring is filled with ramps and steps that make you tread cautiously, which gives you the feeling that they were put there on purpose to slow you down.  Who put them there, and why?  This had me feeling a little paranoid, like I was stepping into a trap.

There's all sorts of things hanging in this haunt, many I didn't want to touch!  The props were VERY life-like, adding to the 'real haunt' vibe that they hang their hat on.  Those who have weak stomachs... you've been warned!

There's an odor throughout the haunt that I couldn't quite put my finger
on.  If fear has a smell, I guessing it would smell like that.  There's
many twist and turns that provide many opportunities to scare in a
short period of time.  Unfortunately it seemed as though some of those
opportunities were missed.  I'm guessing that they do not have as many
workers on Sunday as they would on a Friday or Saturday.  I'll
definitely attend this haunt again on one of those nights to get the
full experience of the Mars haunt! 

Overall, the Mars Haunted House had our adrenaline pumping and had us jumping.  If you're in the area, make sure you check out this historic haunt!

           

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Haunted High is one of the most unique experiences at a haunt that I've ever had!  Not only do they have a huge school as their playground, but they really play up the school theme throughout!

After waiting in the gym, you start out in the basement, which just so happens to be the locker room.  To me, this was a scariest part of the haunt, as it was dark and smelly.  They had us jumping left and right. 

The rest of the haunt was literally a tour through the school.  It was light on scares, but lots of eye candy throughout.  It was a trip to walk into the auditorium near the end and see a skeleton band putting on a concert!  I've never seen anything like that, it was incredible!

I loved the fact that and the end of the haunt you 'graduated', and they even gave you a diploma!  We left, thinking our high school experience was over....  but was it?  Come see for yourselves!

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This is actually my first corn maze EVER.  If they're all like the Meadowbrook Haunted Cornfield, it won't be the last!

After getting your wrist=bands, you head over to the bonfire where you'll hear some spooky ghost stories.  What Meadowbrook does best is create suspense.  Combine that with the great scenery, and you are in for a treat!

We were there early so there wasn't a wait for us to enter the maze.  Even before we entered, we could HEAR it.  The screams, the howling, the witch cackling...  they really set the mood for what you're about to experience.  There are multiple themes through-out the maze such as a pirate ship, aliens, red=necks, spiders, clowns, etc...

Speaking of clowns, I have a confession:  I've never really found them to be scary.  More like annoying.  There, I said it.  Most haunts have them in a 3D type room, or a room full of bright colors.  Not scary... to me they were more of a distraction than anything.  Meadowbrook was not only my first corn maze, it was also the first and only haunt with clowns that scared the heck out of me!  They looked scary, and they jumped out at us more than once.  I take back every time I rolled my eyes at seeing clowns in a haunt. 

Just being outdoors in the middle of a corn field at night is creepy.  I can't tell you how many times we stopped because we heard something, but it was only the wind blowing through the corn stocks.  They use lighting and sounds effects to make an already scary walk through a corn field terrifying.

I won't give anything away in this review, as I want you to experience the corn maze in all it's glory without any big spoilers.  But my hats off to Meadowbrook Farm.  You had us jumping, screaming and laughing more in your maze than several haunted houses combined.   

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“Off the chart!”, "Scare-tacular!”, Sensational!”, “Best Hubertus House Ever!”, “Unhinged!”, “I almost peed my pants!”, “Awesome!” These were the words my tour group used to describe this year’s Hubertus House of Horror.  Hands down everyone I have spoken to about this year’s edition of this haunt have agreed that this either was the best or tied for the best Hubertus House ever.

The House this year and your journey through it have received a complete facelift.  Gone were the school bus and the entrance through the basement.  Only a few of the best scares from last year remain and even those were creatively enhanced to provide a new twist to the scare.  Unlike prior years, this year’s journey began on the third floor of the house and sends you spiraling down through a whirlwind of creepy corridors, multiple mazes and countless rooms that each carry unique themes and actors performing ghoulish skits.

The special effects this year totally rocked my world!  They were frequent, very creative and effective in not only entertaining you but keeping you immersed in the action.  Rooms with extraordinary effects that I enjoyed the most included the Zombie splatter, spider cinema, the wild elevator ride, the deep tunnel sewer surprise and the Vortex.  Of course there were a lot more rooms than these five (…sorry, I lost count…) and given the unique surprises and effects found in each room my list of favorites would most likely change after each tour.

The Hubertus House is an interactive style haunt with each room containing a unique theme and skit performed by costumed actors/actresses.  The ages of these actors appeared to cover the spectrum from elementary school kids to adult.  While this haunt does contain a little gore and some loud scares I’d say it’s definitely suitable for haunt goers of all ages.

My only negative comment about this haunt was with the group sizes.  From what I observed many of the tour groups (…including mine…) had 8 people.  This made for a very tight squeeze in many of the rooms and also spoiled a few of the rooms as the skits/surprises would begin prior to entering the room.  Luckily for me 3 people in my group got lost early in the tour so most of my journey was with a group size of 5.  Some of the other groups I spoke to also shared their displeasure with group size particularly during the elevator ride.  Nobody, however, said that the group size ruined their experience and that they wished they could have toured with a smaller group.  (Perhaps next year this haunt could offer a ‘VIP’ option that would allow you to tour with a smaller group size?)

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Twelve years of creative, creepy and chilling concepts and counting for Terror on Rural Street.  Unlike some haunts that showcase the same themes year after year I have never been disappointed at the Terror on Rurual Street. The Barber Shop, the snake room, Clown Funeral, the Mad Scientist and all new maze were a few of my favorite new rooms.  Terror on Rural Street features 17 Cinema quality sets many of which are pimped out with a dedicated sound system and special effects you won't find any place else.

Terror on Rural Street is an interactive style haunt with each room showcasing a unique theme and a skit performed by volunteer actors. While the actors may be volunteers the costumes and make-up were professionally done and very realistic.  Memorable acting performances included the bizarre barber and his unfortunate patron, the sinister scientist and his shocking secrets and who could forget the wretched witch and her collection of trophies.

Admittedly not all of the acting performances knocked my socks off nor did every room send me off screaming to the next.  But what Terror on Rural Street lacked with its actors and potential scare factor it more than made up for with its dazzling special effects and elaborate sets.  Scares and surprises frequently came from unexpected flashes of brilliant light, dedicated room specific sound systems and a variety of lifelike techno effects.

Here are some interesting tidbits for those of you who are particularly interested in the quality of your haunted experience or may just be wondering "how did they do that?"

* Each room and hallway is under constant surveillance by staff members with a very keen attention to detail. These staff members remain in contact with the ghouls and monsters lurking in the shadows and rooms around the haunt to ensure they are always perfectly positioned and timed to scare the bajeezus out of you and your fellow haunt goers.

* A staff of Professional theatrical make-up artists with over 25 years of experience volunteer their time at Terror on Rural Street.

* Terror on Rural Street is a not for profit organization.  Proceeds from this event go to support Hartford Community Service Inc.  Scholarships, Community Projects, and area Non Profit Organizations

* Curious about how this haunt can churn out so many new sets each year?  A workshop full of additional sets and props found directly behind this haunt is used to construct new sets year around.

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