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2011 Haunted High presents Dark Carnival Event Reviews


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6 total reviews. Showing 5 of 6 on this page (1 filtered).

Page 1

Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

Haunted High presents Dark Carnival

by CC2 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at about 3 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

This was my first ever visit to the Haunted High and I found it quite enjoyable and distinctive, as did my group.

This production makes use of an abandoned school and provides a rather lengthy tour.

The haunt is themed around the progression of a school day and takes one through such stops as a detention hall, the weight room, the sick room, shop class and many others.

You begin your tour following a bloody trail into the attraction and there is a lot of detail to attend to along the way.

The producers of this event took good attention to staying in theme and that has resulted in a very believable presentation of a haunted school with remembrances of students past.

There are some very clever themes and nuances put into this haunt that I will leave you to discover yourself.

I especially appreciated the final acts of the haunt.

Signage / Visibility / Location


The attraction is on a side road off of a main entry road into the city of Oconomowoc.

If you are not familiar with the area, you may have some difficulty finding it, but we found there was fairly significant traffic flow to it that one can follow.

It may be somewhat difficult to locate without a GPS.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


The wait area is a gym and the producers of this attraction supply the customers with projections of movies on the walls to watch while you wait.

The School was quite busy when we visited.

Actors' Performance


Relatively speaking, my group felt the actors were solid, but a bit more reserved than many other haunts we have visited.

They were attending to a large group of people, however.

Overall, we were pleased with the effort of the crew.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The School is very novel in terms of what it presents to its visitors.

I have yet to see a structure this large to have a production in.

The scenes were detailed and thematically solid and that made for an entertaining trip through the darkened hallways.

Length


It took my group about 40 minutes finish the tour, however, it was a pleasurable trip with ample distractions along the way.

Crowd Control


Crowds are well regulated in the gymnasium and there were police present, as well.
Visitors moved efficiently through the attraction in groups of about 6 or so.

Most Memorable Moment


As has been mentioned in other reviews, the Haunted High has a very entertaining last act in store for you.

Summary

Haunted High is a recommended stop. As was mentioned, it has its own niche and its theme is clever. If one is looking for intense scares, this is a more mild stop. If you want distinctive Halloween theater in the literal sense, this is your place. See if you can graduate from the Haunted High School at the conclusion of your visit.

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Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

Haunted High presents Dark Carnival

by law2122 after attending on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at about 3 p.m.

Fun Factor: Low Fear Factor: Low

Review

Haunted High was a waste of money and time. I would onlyy go there if you like to wait in line for 2 hours and not be entertained. They seem to rush groups in the school. The group who was behind us caught up to us in a matter off minutes. I did not get scared once even thought i was in front with my group. The actors missed there cue a number of time and only scared the people in back.

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Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

Haunted High presents Dark Carnival

by beezers after attending on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at about 2 p.m.

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: Medium

Review

Big building. Volenteer staff needs work with timing.
We were in line and the fire alarm went off and we were evacuated from the building. Lost our place in line. Waited again and just as we got within a couple of groups the alarm went off again and we were evacuated again. They tried to get people back in by ticket number but we lost our place in line again. They should have checked to see if the fog would set off the old alarm system.

Summary

For a volenteer house this one was pretty good. The Rocky Horror part was lame but it may have just been the first night or lack of fog which wrecked this.

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Comments: (1)

Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

Haunted High presents Dark Carnival

by dubstyle_2k (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 7, 2011 at about 3 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

In all my years of attending haunts, this was by far the biggest surprise I've come across!  The idea of a haunt put on by a school or school district always makes me a little leery. Haunted High has caused me to reevaluate that thought!  Frightening, intriguing, and awe inspiring, this haunt has it all.  When I think of what made Haunted High stand out, one word comes to mind, innovative!  Crazy terrain tricks, dedicated actors, and an ending that is nothing short of amazing!  I don't know what the budge for Haunted High was, but it's safe to assume they used every penny wisely!  I would recommend Haunted High to anyone looking to have a spooky fun night!  Bravo Haunted High, Bravo!

Signage / Visibility / Location


Haunted High lacks in the area of signage.  I drove right past it, as it is set back from the street, and the gigantic high school across the street diverts your attention from it.  The haunt is well lit, and once you spot it, it is very noticeable, but an illuminated sign would do it wonders.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


Awesome waiting area!  A big screen shows horror movie trailers, which is my favorite waiting line time waster, and an extremely weather damaged gym floor makes for a fun walking adventure!  A few actors were also available for spooking.  In all this was a great waiting area!

Actors' Performance


Dedicated and playful, the actors in Haunted High were top notch!

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The best of the best!  I was surprised numerous times, and the finale was so impressive words can't describe it! I don't want to give anything away, just know that the finale blends two pop culture items I could care less about, and made a show that I sat through in amazement!  Truly remarkable stuff!

Length


Times vary, depending on how long you sit though the final act.  We sat through the entire show, so we were in there for a good 45 minutes.

Crowd Control


The crowd was controlled the entire time.  There were no chances for out of control behavior!

Most Memorable Moment


Definitely the finale.  Like I stated above, this was truly remarkable!  You have to see it to believe it!

Summary

Haunted High is the best haunt I have attended in some time!  Innovation mixed with dedication and technical skill, Haunted High does it as well as the best haunts around.  A+

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Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

Haunted High presents Dark Carnival

by witch4ever after attending on Friday, October 7, 2011 at about 5:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

Location: Easy to find in Oconomowoc.

Parking:Because it is an old high school, there is plenty of parking.

Waiting area: They are using the old gym as the waiting area. Plenty of space and indoors so need to worry about the weather. They do have refreshments for sale, and a big screen showing horror movies. Because it was late, we did not have to wait at all.

Haunt: They play into the fact that this was a old school and the whole haunt is based on the fact that high school is hell. The haunt took over 30 minutes to get through. Each room is 1 hour of your school day. Some really great effects using sensors so they are always timed right. The rooms are set up well and really use the space they have. You will walk up and down stairs and ramps. Liked the fact that each room had a very different feel and that they were trying to effect your senses in different ways. Downside is that the haunt uses a lot of teenagers to staff the haunt. We saw many actors take off their mask and drop out of character. We were also run over by some actors trying to get back to their mark as we entered the room. They could have used some music in some areas to help the feel of the room. The best room of the whole house is the glee club. Loved that everyone in that room really got into it.

Summary

Fun house that for $15 was worth it to me. Great house for people who hate clowns as there are none! If you are looking for a house in the metro-Milwaukee area, I would recommend.

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Please note: this review is for the 2011 season rather than the current season.

Haunted High presents Dark Carnival

by DarkWolf1088 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 7, 2011 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

Ah yes. Nothing like enjoying the fright season by traveling to an abandoned high school in the dark of night with your girlfriend. Haunted High is your "classic" haunted house with flair of the modern era. If you are looking for the scare tactics of yesteryear such as moving floors, trapdoors, sound scares, and simple but great effects this is definitely the haunt for you.

This is a perfectly themed haunted house. Haunted High takes place in an abandoned high school and that theme is kept throughout the entirety of the haunt except for a few areas. I was impressed with how much the haunt operators really pulled you into this world without going over the top and creating a sensory overload.

I had A LOT of fun at this haunt. So did my girlfriend. There were definitely moments of good scares but it was more than that. This haunt is HUGE. It felt like an adventure and from finding your ways through dark hallways to getting scared in the Nurse's Office everything was pulled together nicely to create a very fun "ride".

This is a haunt that everyone can enjoy. Even if, like me, you looking for the "hardcore" haunt you WILL have fun at this event. Give Haunted High a try...if you don't mind going back to a much darker version of school.

Signage / Visibility / Location


As long as you MapQuest or plug the location into your GPS, once you get in the area you cannot miss it. Just look for the school bus that has Haunted High on its front and side. There is also a sign along E Forest Rd. Also once you pull into the parking lot, attendants will guide you into a parking stall. Then just walk along the length of the school and you will find the main entrance.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


The front desk is very well organized. It is split up according to what you will be using as payment. All you got to do is find the right desk and you will be good to go. After you receive your tickets you will have horror movie clips that you can watch as you wait.

The waiting area was wide open and neither my girlfriend or I ever felt constricted or pushed. Once you get to the front of the line you are greeted by a crossing guard that had a very unfortunate accident. The guard will take your tickets and sort you into lines all while make every attempt to creep you out.

Total time waiting in the line was 20 minutes but because of the openness of the waiting area and the entertainment provided by the crossing guard it did not feel nearly that long.

Actors' Performance


Most of the actors did a good job of sticking to character, making a good scare, and generally making the haunt fun. There were exceptions however. Some actors seemed tired and others just did not put in any effort. The biggest disappointment was when Angie and I ran into a few actors that were not prepared for our group coming through and others that missed their mark and missed an opportunity to make a great scare.

Luckily these "hiccups" were few are far between, and for a haunt that does not hire professional actors I was pleased with the scares that the actors did make. Not to mention that some scares were so exceptional Angie almost cut the circulation off in my arm.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


Simple and not overpowering. The haunt used what was already provided by the abandoned school to their advantage. Add in a few effects, blood spattered walls, and some ghouls to walk the hallways and VoilĂ !, you have a haunt that really pulls you into the environment. It really did not feel fake. Practically everything in this haunt in terms of rooms are rooms that you could find in any high school. This haunt is a prime example of using the environment to your advantage.

All the scenes, props, and special effects were set just perfect to provide an amazing atmosphere. All the effects and trip lines were set to provide the best possible scare. This haunt did a great job with bringing an old high school, quite literally, to life.

Length


For 15 dollars this haunt may seem pricey but, not including wait time, this event was 45 minutes long. Also, as I have already said this haunted house is huge. The haunt takes over the entirety of the old school which just adds to the fun. You are going through an actual building, people. You not going through something that was put together in an empty shed. This haunt is long so make sure you set aside some time.

Crowd Control


Waukesha County deputies were available on site. So should anyone at the event try to ruin it for others or create a disturbance the problem would quickly and easily be taken care of. Also, as I already mentioned, the wait area is open and so are many of the rooms in the haunt. Thus you should never feel uncomfortable in terms of space.

Most Memorable Moment


All I will say on this one is that you never really graduate until you walk out those doors.

Summary

One word. Fun. From those that get scared easily to those that are seasoned "haunters" this event will satisfy everyone.

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November 22nd, 2024 12:53 a.m. CST 24.11.01