2012 Event Reviews

Intense! Creepy! Morbid!  Those a few of the words my 2012 Mars Haunted House tour group used to describe their 2012 Mars experience.  If you're looking to get seriously scared this Halloween look no further than the Mars Haunted House!  This haunt has been in the business for 20 years and it shows.  Elaborately detailed sets and corridors tempt you to stroll slowly to enjoy the visual treats along the way while strategically placed ghouls and special effect scares lurk in the shadows to incite your natural instincts to flee.  Despite being prepared for the surprises that traditionally freak me out at Mars it always succeeds in making me jump.  Scares this year were encountered early and often…I actually jumped so many times I lost count. (But I'm sure it was more than once per minute!)

Traditionally I have declared this attraction to be Milwaukee's Scariest haunt. This year is no exception…in the 8-10 haunts I tour annually few (if any) make me jump as much as Mars did this year.

I particularly enjoyed the spectrum of scares found at this year's Mars Haunted House.  While most haunts will blind you by making your traverse a pitch dark hallway Mars not only pulls this off but also features two other corridors that blind you with both light and fog (…all of course, with their own unique scares along the way…) 

"Disgusting!" was how one tour mate described a room with bloodied body parts…without giving too much away, if gore really freaks you out some of the body parts associated with sensitive parts of the human anatomy may give you nightmares in this room!  This year's haunt definitely appeared to have more gore than in past years.  This noteworthy point may be due partially to this year's lighting.  The lighting of Mars was dark and creepy but always just enough for you to enjoy the incredible attention to detail this haunt showcases.  I've been told that this haunt actually is never disassembled so that improvements can be made year round…it definitely shows!

If you're into evaluating haunts with your senses you might find this helpful:
* Sight: Elaborate sets with great attention to detail. Lighting and special effects were frequently used to surprise me even though I was expecting it.
* Sound: Superb! The sound experience allowed me to become totally immersed in many of the rooms…especially immediately upon entering this haunt!
* Smell: Ever wonder what death smells like?  …the smell wasn't as overwhelming as 2011 but some of the sets definitely had a unique aroma to it
* Touch:  Yes…Some of the scares are so intense you'll actually feel them!

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Ever wonder what it would feel like to be in the center a real horror movie? The House of Bathory, located downtown Manitowoc, will catch you off guard like no other Haunted Attraction in Wisconsin. There is no more waiting outside, as a new creepy indoor waiting room has been added. Also if you are 21 and up, you can enjoy some food and spirits while you wait at the Fat Seagull. The House of Bathory is unlike any other haunted attraction. Each room is theatrically set with the most precise detail. Customer involvement is mandatory, and there is no hiding behind your friends. The sign clearly states that this is a "Full Contact" Haunted House. Those of you who think you are brave, because they can't "hurt you" ... think again! The Actor's performance is very genuine, I am certain that when the lights go on they all go back to their grave yard or some twisted home for the living dead. The scenes are not filled with animatronics, and they are not covered with fake blood and bodies (those items are just used as "fillers" at other Haunted Attractions). Everything and everyone you see in each scene is real! You will be forced into tight quarters, thrown down a slide, and guided through a haunted basement. The crowd control is excellent, and they only allow one group through the entire Haunt at a time. The entire "act" (and I call it an "act" because it is not just a house you walk through) lasts about 23 minutes. You will not find another Haunted Attraction in Wisconsin that is similar to The House of Bathory. You will still see some classic "favorite scares", but most of the Haunt is "impromptu". The theme this year is predominantly "classic horror movies", so if you ever wondered what it would be like to experience a REAL life horror, visit The House of Bathory and discover if you or live ... or die.

Let's take a walk and explore one of Wisconsin's top rated Haunted attractions. The Burial Chamber is 4 Haunted attractions conveniently located right off of Hwy 41 in Neenah, WI. You cannot miss your exit as large spotlights illuminate the sky and draw you near. You know you have come to the right place, when all you can hear is the faint screams of victims between each loud thud of your heart beat. As you slowly draw near to the ticket line, you try to walk softly and unnoticed, but the creatures roaming the grounds smell the fear running through your veins. You try to blend in with the other humans waiting in line, but it is as if they have been waiting for your arrival. You stand still looking at the large lines of victims and wonder why so many people would willingly subject themselves to such horror. There is no time to wait and you have to decide, should I visit one of the attractions and pay $14, or can I make it through 2 of the attractions and pay $22? You think, perhaps I can do 3 attractions at $25, but if I survive all 3, why not visit the burial simulator for a total of $28? Just then you see the VIP or Fast Pass option and decide that for $34 dollars you can avoid the lengthy lines and maybe they will go "easy" on you. Then you hear a faint human voice in the distance state, "Thank goodness we bought our tickets online, as we can skip the wait for the ticket booth and head right to the house". Finally, you are on your way to wait your turn to enter inside one of the massive haunted attractions. Where should you go first?

As you begin to walk, you duck into the first line and can see the large words "Adrenaline" illuminating a death scene and smog. Since you chose to go VIP, you bypass several victims and before you can even register the fear that you are about to experience, you are at the door. A ghoul welcomes you, your watch illuminates the time ... 9:15pm. Just when you think this might not be so bad, the ghouls voice goes from sounding like a human to a deathly growl no person is capable of making. You have no time to reflect on the ghoul outside, as you soon find yourself inside Adrenaline. It is dark and you hear someone in front of you yell, "Please don't make me go first". You grab the person in front of you and proceed slowly through a dimly lit scene of death. There is no sign of human life and all you can hear are screams, horror music and loud bangs. The floor sinks, ghouls appear from every angle, and these are not actors. There is no way theatrical costumes and makeup could make a person look like that! Before your mind has time to register what just jumped out at you, there is another "in your face, unexpected scare". You try to be brave, but a yelp escapes every time. You move quickly to avoid what just made you jump, but they are everywhere and they don't stop. Your heart beats faster and you start to doubt if you can handle any more intense scares, but there is no way out. You see a door and you think you are on your way out, but then you find yourself going in circles through one bloody scene after the other. You are back in the same room, and this time, you try a different door, but you find yourself again in the same room. You think to yourself, "I am trapped, I want to get out". Finally, you have made some progress, but the scares don't stop. They drop from above you and almost land on your head, you find yourself amidst a deathly war zone and poisonous gas surrounds you. A dead soldier spots you, he is angry and wants revenge, shots are being fired right at you. When you manage to escape unharmed the lights go in and out and all you can see is some creature with long black hair hiding in the corner. The lights go out and come on again and you look to where she was and she is gone, where did she go? How do you get out? Suddenly, the lights come on and you see she is almost at your feet. You run for an opening, and as you run a fence drops above you and ghouls surround you. You keep running and finally you are out, you are alive and try to catch your breath. You look at your watch ... 9:32pm ... what seemed like it lasted many intense hours was 17 minutes. Perhaps your watch is broken, because it felt like an eternity. You wait for your heart to calm and your hands to stop shaking and then see what seems like a beautiful woods.

As you walk closer you see there is an entrance to the woods, it illuminates the words "Phobia". You remember not being as scared in the woods in the past, so perhaps this will give you time to get yourself together. You are back in the VIP line to Phobia and a tall monster decides to entertain you with jokes and kindness, but his face was so gross and his size unreal. It is 9:38pm and a ghoul guides you as a countdown is displayed on a computer screen. 3 ... 2... 1 and you are in! The woods is very dimly lit, so you walk cautiously. You can hear a real dog barking in the background, he doesn't sound happy. What does he see that you do not? Just then, you realize you are being followed. You look to your left and there is someone or something there, to your right there is another and don't look up it is there too. A bright light goes off and for a split second you see their faces, they are horrific even in the light. You are seeing spots from the bright flash and your vision attempts to adjust as you are still moving forward. Things seem to calm down and you have a moment to just walk in the pure dark woods. Just then, some creature is dragging itself on the ground and is coming for your feet, a HUGE Jackal is keeping you trapped, you move forward an finally are safe again. Another bright flash goes off and before you can get your bearings, you see a contortionist ghoul, it can't be human. No human can manipulate their body in such a way, it reminds you of the possessed humans you have only seen in the exorcist movies. Moving foward you encounter cousin Festis, he jumps out at you and pushes his gun to you, luckily for you it misfires, but he keeps trying and you move fast to get away. You think you see the end, and then you hear it ... "a loud chainsaw" in the distance, the smell of gas surrounds you and before anyone can say "watch out", he is in your face and you must run or be slaughtered. You catch your breath a realize that you ran fast enough, but where did the people behind you go? As you look down, you see the time ... 9:50pm. Again, it felt like you were walking the woods for miles, not 12 minutes. At this point, your stomach is grumbling, and you feel sick from the fear you have had to endure for the past 35 minutes.

Ahead you see several concession stands offering warm doughnuts, hot cocoa, calzones, pretzels, Halloween treats and much, much more. You try the warm doughnuts and after your stomach settles you decide you can handle one more haunted attraction. You walk past a long line of humans waiting for what you believe to be the next attraction. Out of curiosity you ask those near the front of the line "how long have you been waiting?" The nervous female responded about 40 minutes. The human's standing in line all displayed different actions of fear. Some were blankly staring, others nervously laughed, and some found comfort in their lovers embrace attempting to avoid the monsters that lurked the lines.

You look up and see another deathly scene that illuminated the word, "Insanity". You can't help but stare at the ghostly face of the thing taking your tickets. Every detail was perfect, not a single sign of human flesh was exposed. This clearly was not a human. At this point you realize that the name "insanity" is very fitting as you would have to be insane to put yourself through the torture of yet ANOTHER haunted attraction. You look at your watch ... 10:01. You enter and find yourself at the back of a dark, deep, filthy closet. You have to keep moving forward, but the walls and the ceiling begin to close in on you and those around you worry that you may not make it, perhaps you went the wrong way? You see an opening and you finally make it out. As you look at the scenes, something is touching your leg ... you try to move away and see what it is, but all you can see is the crazy scene of ghouls, bodies, guts and blood. Again, in the darkness, something below keeps touching you. You begin to think you are losing your mind because there is nothing there. You cannot grasp reality because the ghouls are making strange noises that are not that of a person. Their faces are so real and the scenes reek of death. You go from room to room, and each one is as detailed and just as gruesome and twisted as the last. Just then you panic as you realize a deathly ghost is really sawing into a human leg and the blood soaks you! You think to yourself, "this is not real, this can't really be happening". You can barely walk as the walls around you are moving, so you hold on tight and try to not to fall. When you think you have caught your bearings, you are trapped trying to push your way through a wall. You know that sounds crazy, "how does one push their way THROUGH a wall"?! Another creature lurks on the floor and appears behind you, the walls come to life and a huge man is eating the flesh of toddlers. You can not distinguish what is real, from what is not real. Just when you feel as though you have completely lost it, an insane clown makes certain to take all of your sanity. You exit the haunted attraction; look down at your watch ... 10:21pm. Slowly, you and your friends try to grasp reality and find your vehicle. Everyone is dumbfounded and there is silence as you attempt to reflect on what just happened over the past hour and a half. Just then, your alarm goes off and you wake up. Whew, it was all just a nightmare ... right?

2 years in the making. Their first year. Opening night. We were excited and expectations were high even before we arrived. Luckily we weren't disappointed with one of Wisconsin's newest haunts. Spotlights and neon lights make the Complex easy to see from a distance, like a haunted house in Vegas. 

The Abandoned Haunted Complex is created from a large structure and is home to two haunts, Ambush and Hysteria.  The haunts are connected and you leave one and head straight into the other. So it feels like one long seamless haunt, with two different experiences.  The haunt as a whole moves at a good pace as you enter  different rooms, themes and frights.  Using amazing detail with the building of the sets, props, lights and sound. I found myself swiveling my head looking at the props and settings of every room we entered in awe. Leaving myself open for surprises.

The Hysteria  proved to be part of the haunt that focused more on playing with your senses. Which  pretty much tried to assault every sense except the sense of smell. Including touch as something as simple as  little ropes hanging from the ceiling that gave you a feeling of walking through cobwebs. They did a beautiful job of not only having detailed settings, but the use of lights and sounds. The room that affected me the most had walls covered with black and white squares with the lights flashing. Actors and dummies stood in the room and you couldn't tell which was a real person as even the dummies felt like they were moving. The lights caused such optical movement that I couldn't walk straight. It was an awesome affect.  The Hysteria was an excitingly different from your usual haunts, with new tricks.

The Ambush portion brought you into more creepy situations in excellent detail. This haunt enjoyed to startle you along the way. The props and the detail they put into creating the sets was amazing. It worked against you as you were busy checking out a tomb, a morgue or a butcher shop and actor was hiding somewhere to startle you. Hence the name Ambush. Even as you wandered into a battle field, a gun nailed you with a blast of air to keep you on your toes as if the battle sounds weren't enough. The most memorable part was the walking around a hospital. Where you walk around the outside before heading inside. It was just amazing to see a creepy building exterior while you are inside a complex.  I heard constant comments of "oh wow" from members of our group throughout this haunt. It was quite an experience.

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