2013 Event Reviews

I'll be honest and say that I wasn't expecting much as I drove up to Misery Haunted House.  I know it's for a great cause (Haven of Hope Day Care).  I know they are new and I'm aware that the weather might play a part in some haunts poor turn-out.  And I also know that more often than not, new haunts with little funding behind it can be a yawn-fest.  But with all that said... I'm so pleased to say that I had a blast at Misery Haunted House!

The night began with a visit to the doctor.  What's a trip to the doctor without a wait in the doctor's waiting room?  I even had to take a number and then you have to see 'the doctor' one at a time.  Very clever...  you feel more vulnerable in a haunt when it's just you going into it.  Further in the house, an evil monkey had us jumping multiple times!  A mad hatter had us literally walking in circles.  A little girl wanted to play dolls with us but never wanted us to leave.  We even had time to saddle up to the bar for a shot of...  well, I'm not sure what it was!  There's so much more, but why don't you go see for yourselves?  Oh...  and if you see an electric organ, feel free to play a few notes on it!

If you enjoy haunted houses, give Misery a shot.  You won't wait hours in line, you get more bang for your buck, and it's a great time!  

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

The House of Bathory made me fear for my life.  I am not referring to the unexpected jump or shriek I make when something catches me off guard.  When I say that it caused me to "fear for my life", I mean that I actually feared for my life!  The haunted attraction industry has become far too commercialized and the focus has led astray from the main goal of actually making you afraid.  Unlike most haunted attractions, the House of Bathory isn't consumed with entertaining  attendee's by adding donut stands and rooms full of miscellaneous ghouls that grunt and growl.  In all honestly, not many of us over the age of 13 really get scared at Haunted Houses anymore.  I would highly recommend NOT attending the House of Bathory if you are under 13!  The House of Bathory also does not spend hours and tons of money working on marketing their attraction.  In fact, I think that they could care less if 2 or 200,000 people attend.  The only thing the House of Bathory cares about, is that you are truly frightened.  Imagine your worst fear, or a time in your life when you were so scared, that death seemed like a far better alternative compared to your current situation.  That, is the feeling you will experience during your time inside the House of Bathory. 

Finding the House of Bathory is difficult, primarily due to the one way street it is located on in downtown Manitowoc.    You will not find HUGE signs or spotlights that light the way, you will need the address.  There are no people standing outside waiting in a long line (similar to past years).  The wait for the House of Bathory has been moved inside, which is a huge relief on a cold or rainy evening such as the night we attended.  During your wait, you can expect to sit down, relax and watch an old fashioned scary movie on a large theater like screen.  It is warm and cozy while you wait, so enjoy the show and catch up with friends.  They wait until each group has completed the entire haunt before sending another through in order to make certain that the actors are prepared for their next victims.  The haunt also plays out like a real horror movie, so it is imperative that there is no overcrowding that might give away the ending.

I do not want to share too many details about the House of Bathory, as I fear it would take away from the plot.  I can tell you, that if you have been to the House of Bathory in the past, or any Dead by Dawn attraction ... this year is even better!  The House of Bathory is a FULL CONTACT haunted attraction.  That means the rule of "they can't touch me" does NOT apply and reminding yourself that they can't hurt you is OUT THE DOOR!  Humans may be harmed during this attraction.  I do not think that referring to the individuals inside as "actors" is fair, because I don't think they are "acting". They are truly twisted individuals, that live year round to divulge and release on you during the Month of October. 

In summary, if you are tired of being disappointed by haunted attractions that entertain more than they frighten you, then go to the House of Bathory.   The House of Bathory is unlike any other typical Haunted House and rephrasing the words of those who attended with me ... "HOLY CRAP (not exactly the word they used) I don't think I could do that again"! Thank you Dead by Dawn for bringing fear back to haunted attractions!

For the first time in years, I made the trip up to Green Bay Fear located in (of course) Green Bay, WI. What I hadn't recalled was how large the event is. I made  the trek expecting to find the typical Haunted House setup of a ticket booth, queue line and haunted house. This wasn't at all what I found at Green Bay Fear; theres a stage for live music, hot cocoa, lots of food/drink options, zombie paintball, a fire pit, haunted woods and of course the main haunt.

Upon arriving to the haunt, I was immediately  drawn to the various character actors walking around. If you've read any of my other reviews, you'll recall that I'm big on this since it helps build up a visitors momentum/anxiety before a haunt. The entire haunt reminds me of a circus/carnival from hell including the freaky clowns walking around.  Of course, he was just one of the many other various ghouls parading around the area.

I was impressed with all the black light enhanced neon colors. In my opinion, this really helped to bring the event alive and make sections (that would otherwise go unnoticed) stand out. This was also carried out through many elements within the haunt which helped keep things themed similarly.

My first stop was at zombie paintball since that seemed to have the shortest line. I love paintballing and therefore used up my 10 shots pretty fast.

My second stop was the haunted woods. It was really well done and I had a lot of fun heading through it. Be prepared for actors to jump out of nowhere and scare you. There were a bunch of them too!  All in all, it took about 9 or 10 minutes.

Finally I headed over to the main haunt where I began my wait to enter. Once I finally got in, I was impressed with how intense the haunt was. There's constantly something going on. The actors were spot on in their performance and knew just who to target in my group to get the best reaction. Each room we entered was well made and unique. All in all, the haunt itself lasted about 30 minutes.

Above all, Green Bay Fear was a lot of fun. Although I'm from Milwaukee, the drive up to Green Bay was well worth it - especially since this isn't just a single haunted house event. You could spend a lot of time just wandering around BEFORE even heading into the main haunt. Also feel free to visit on an empty stomach, there was plenty of food and drink available for purchase (and it seemed reasonable).

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.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment