2013 Dominion of Terror Event Reviews

Oh man. Friday the 18th was my first visit to the Dominion of Terror and let me just say it was an awesome experience. The Dominion of Terror is based in an old factory. From the roadway you can’t miss this building. The attraction has effects (like flickering lights and a soundtrack) on the exterior of the building. Even the building, without all the effects, is imposing in nature. Just the look of the building and that creepy feeling that the special effects give you, make a perfect combo for putting anyone in the mood for some scares.

I was with my fiancée and as we got in line we were immediately welcomed by the freaks and ghouls of the haunted house. I almost did not get in because an escaped insane asylum inmate tried to steal my ticket. Then he made the mistake of attempting to go through my fiancée’s purse. Needless to say the actors are already very committed at what they do before you even get inside the house. Furthermore, nobody in the line will be left alone. Everyone, at some time before they get inside, will get to deal with a dedicated actor. It provides for some immediate fun and scares, and even some laughs.

The wait was nothing dreadful. I believe my fiancée and I were only in line for 10mins at most before we got inside. Unless you ask to be by yourself or just you another person, the staff will generally pair small groups up. So if you are a major scardy-cat this may benefit you. My fiancée and I went with another couple inside the house. Once we were inside we were met with a sweet old lady that told us a story. What is unique is the story was really the rules of the attraction but presented in a fairy tale format. This is no safe zone. All I will say is be weary of the mice!

Once you receive this story you proceed on to the rest of the house. I was pleasantly surprised with the first few areas which took a detour from normal haunted house layouts and instead provided a wide open area. Be forewarned this does not mean that it is less scary. As we went through the house I began to pick up on the theme of this attraction. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like if you ever dropped some of your favorite childhood fairy tales into the pits of Hell, well the Dominion of Terror will show what that would look like.

The scenery was solid. With every area you knew where you were. With this fact and solid acting by the performers you will never be asking yourself, “what kind of area am I in now?”  The actors were committed to their roles which only deepened the immersion that you will experience  at this haunt. The actors also knew every nuance of how to scare. From yelling, to ambush tactics, to creepy portrayals, the visitor to the Dominion of Terror will experience it all. I have to give major kudos to the actors that lied in wait right in the open and were still able to make scares because people thought they were just a prop. Excellent job.

Dominion of Terror, however, does not just rely on great actors and great scenes to get the job done. Like all modern haunted houses, Dominion brings some of the latest technology out to help scare those that venture inside the house. You will certainly not be disappointed with what this house has to offer. Even better is that, even though this attraction is roughly 30mins long, the pacing was so good that the time spent inside felt longer and the pacing allowed you to take in each room and everything that the actors had to offer.

This was all around a fun and scary attraction. There was one point that an actor, knowing exactly what he was doing, almost got my fiancée to fall down onto her butt because he scared her just at the right moment. If you want the experience of escaping to different worlds than the Dominion of Terror is right up your alley.

A creepily lit, old, multi-floored warehouse building greets you as you walk up to the Dominion of Terror. Which acts as the perfect backdrop to a solid haunt. Along with clowns and other creepy fellows taunting you as you wait to enter. 

The entrance and rules is like nothing I’ve seen before. They used a fairly tale theme. Having a sweet old lady, with perfect diction, sitting you down for a fairy tale as she explains the rules. With the book projected on the wall. Ending with a good fright. Sending you on your way. 

The most striking thing about this haunt is the elaborate sets and scenes you are sent through. A lot of rooms with trees, props, ghoulish sites. Whatever needed to take you into another world. All the while you deal with actors jumping out, interacting and scaring you along the way. One of my favorite aspects is you’re sent though dark hallways and dead ends. You feel constantly lost. You also encounter many rooms where the exit isn’t clearly known. Many times you had to feel around the walls and find a moveable wall, or some other way, to move on. It was a great way to make the haunt more interactive. Another wonderful aspect of the Dominion of Terror is the size of the haunt. It exists through multiple floors of a fairly large building. The haunt is huge and takes a long time to get through, especially with all the tricks and hidden exits. Making it a great value for a haunt. 

Overall I really enjoyed the Dominion of Terror and was pretty impressed. It has some great thrills, chills and surprises, even for an experience haunt goer. 

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