2009 Dominion of Terror Event Reviews

The Dominion of Terror is located in an old multi-story building, so it has the natural aura of a haunt.



There are colored lights behind the boarded up windows on the outside overlooking the outdoor waiting area.



Once inside the building, you progress up a staircase to begin your journey through the attraction which covers several floors.



This year's version of Dominion features a walk through a graveyard, complete with a hearse as well as a stroll through a mortuary leading to a morgue.



There are also rooms devoted to a classroom scenario, abandoned mine, a torture chamber with screaming prisoners and ornery guards and a segment of woods with a waterfall into a pond.



There was also an ode to the Confederacy with several Southern voice affected actors sharing some opinions with us.



At one point, we passed through a room set as a barn of sorts with a very strong odor that was quite unpleasant.



Dominion makes good use of its host facility and is a well thought out and diverse event.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

Always in my top three, this year Dominion of Terror is my favorite haunt in Wisconsin.   This non-profit event never repeats rooms and always has expert set design/construction.  What surprised me this year was the scare factor.   This is easily the most difficult aspect of a haunt to review because there are so many variables that can change an already subjective experience.
  
I was forced to go first and got the initial glance at each room.  Several times I groaned and sincerely dreaded uncovering what horror lay within.  In the worst rooms, (or best depending on how you look at it), we would all get an initial scare, then become disoriented, then frantically look for an exit which was never obvious.  It may sound strange, but this required team work by a group of strangers and there was a sense of relief every time we made it out together.
   
There is a difference between being scared and being fearful.  Big noises, surprises, and shocking gore may scare you, but being terrified requires a human element that monsters and props can’t deliver.  Dominion of Terror was terrifying to me because the actors got in my head and clouded the part of my brain that says, “This isn’t real, just have fun.”  Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that anyone else will have the same experience as me, but in my case it worked.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment