Mars Haunted House boasts that they are the, "#1 Haunted House in the Milwaukee Area." Having annually visited Mars Haunted House for the past seven years, I'm always impressed with the new setups their team can come up with. This year proved no different...

It was a chilly Friday evening when my wife and I headed down Historic Mitchell Street on our way to Mars Haunted House. While the building itself doesn't stand out much (although there is a sign attached to it), you cannot miss the hearse and queue line setup along the sidewalk. We waited for about 25 minutes in the queue line before we were allowed to proceed up the stairs to enter the haunt. Fortunately we didn't encounter any rain or else we may have gotten a bit wet since the entire queue line sits outside.  While we waited, there were a couple of actors wandering up and down the line interacting with the patrons. I always appreciate that since it is a great way to built up a persons anxiety before they enter a haunt. My only criticism is that one of the actors and a security guard stopped to smoke  a cigarette for a bit. Also the girl working the front of the line was also chatting away on her cell phone.  Not big problems, but something I noticed.

After the 25 minute wait we headed up the stairs to start the haunt. Be prepared for lots of darkness, fog, tight spaces and disorientating areas. There's also plenty of sudden scares and in your face action.  We had a lot of fun trying to navigate our way through the haunt and I really appreciated all the effort that went into making the various scenes.

The haunt itself took around 20 minutes or so to get through (although it felt like seconds). The special effects were great and each room has something unique and special to offer.

Bottom line, Mars Haunted House has done it again. They've managed to put together a haunt that is a lot of fun yet very scary. If you haven't visited Mars yet this year, try to add it to your list.