2010 Oblivion Haunted House; The Gathering Event Reviews

Disturbing! Grotesque! Unsettling! These were a few of the words my tour group of 6 used to describe their journey through Oblivion. For a first year event I was VERY impressed with the attention to detail found in this haunt…a visual treat to say the least. The website for Oblivion advertises that it is a "professional Wisconsin haunted house". It certainly shows.

What impressed my tour group the most was:
* How elaborately dressed the actors were with a keen attention to gore.
* The massive front door to this venue complete with thumpin’ sound system and smoke…very, very effective at building your anticipation!
* The acting performance of the greeting room.
* The creeped out elevator ride…was it real or just an illusion?
* The determination of the Puppeteer…the acting performance was so unsettling that I can’t get him out of my head.
* The keen attention to detail with the grotesque filth on display in many of the rooms.
* Original set designs made for a very unique experience.
* sound system really set the tone of the haunt nicely…wish the volume weas a little louder inside though.
* length of tour. Really felt like I got my money’s worth!

If you’re easily scared Oblivion will definitely send chills through your body. For those who are a little more desensitized with reality and pride themselves on being a tough scare don’t relax too much the ghouls at Oblivion appear to be very talented at getting to you when you least expect it….they may have gotten me once…or twice.

You may have noticed that I didn’t give Oblivion a perfect score in the scare and fun factors. My rational for this was a follows:

* Fun Factor – to maximize my fun factor ideally I would have like to have encountered more rooms when you can interact with the ghouls. There were also a few rooms where I couldn’t figure out if I was supposed to hang out for something to happen or to just continue the tour.
* Scare Factor – while many of the scenes set the stage for a great scare with a keen attention to detail and gore the room execution fell short of making me jump or encourage me to run for my life. The potential is definitely there…perhaps I just caught them on an off night?

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

I attended Oblivion Haunted House in Menasha, WI (http://www.oblivionhauntedhouse.com/) last weekend with Mr. K, the easily frightened, and Cousin K, the former haunted house actress.  Tickets for Oblivion are $12 at the door, though they can be purchased online through their website (or their iPhone/touch app!) for only $10 and discount coupons can be found at various locations around town.  For the amount of thought and detail that went behind the production of Oblivion, this haunt is incredibly reasonably priced.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

This is Oblivion’s first year in action. You can purchase tickets online for only $10, but make sure that you purchase them 200 minutes before the house opens that night. When we went to purchase tickets online 2 hours prior to the opening of the attraction it gives a notification that states “tickets must be purchased 200 minutes in advance”.

Walking to the haunted house, the first thing you notice is the smell of treats. They had quite the selections of treats and toys, but chocolate covered bacon is what really caught my eye. I feared the heart attack I might encounter in the haunt, so I did pass on the bacon. As you approach the haunt you can hear loud music and the outside is well decorated with laser effects and props. There were two great areas for dancers, but since we were there right before they opened there were no ghouls in them. Before you reach the outside, you are given the option to purchase glowing necklaces/headbands for $1. As explained to us the glowing necklaces help you to determine who is a friend and who is a foe.

When you first enter the haunt, you are lined up (similar to an amusement park ride) and shown a video. The actress in the beginning was great at encouraging ghoulish talk. The most unique thing about this haunt is the elevator ride in the beginning. I grasped the elevator wall fearing that it would drop at any minute, but alas the ride was over and everyone was safely on their feet. The attraction is in a warehouse that is 15,000 square feet! I would have liked to attend later in the evening as it would have given the volunteer ghouls more time to find their "niche". However, there were a few natural born ghouls that left their mark.

Oblivion started construction in November of 2009 and the detail and props definitely showed the hours well spent. I do not scare very easily, but there were several areas that caught me off guard. Expect the unexpected at Oblivion and even if you are prepared to be scared ... they will get you! I had to stop at one point because I couldn't figure out how the ghoul managed to drop from the sky. One room contained the MOST disturbing scene I have seen thus far ... the blood, screaming and acting was too real!

The total time spent going through the haunt was 14 minutes, however it seemed much longer. Our group surpassed the glowing necklaces, but we were paired with another group that had them. The necklaces were great for seeing where you were going, but I would have preferred wandering in the dark. Our "big guy" was in the back of the group and he was followed by a ghoul the entire way. He explained that it was freaky because he was never "safe".

Our first haunt of the year was Oblivion, a brand new haunt located next to the UW Fox Valley campus. Seeing as we were one of the first groups on their second day ever, I was a little concerned it might be too early to review them. Well, any fears on that were put to rest once the real fears started. From start to finish this haunt is done right. The actor's were spot on, the sets were excellent and the overall atmosphere was chilling. This is a very impressive haunt even without it being their second day. If they keep up what they started they will be haunting us for years to come!

Getting there is a breeze, as they really are located minutes off hwy 441 in Menasha as their profile and website say. I did not notice any signs on the freeway, but once you get close they had a sign pointing the way. Their haunt is located in a non-descript warehouse building that they project their name onto at night. As mentioned earlier Oblivion is located right next to the UW Fox Valley campus, which makes it very convenient. They have been using the campus parking lot for their needs while their lot is under development. According to their website they are expecting to have it completed soon.

We were one of the first groups through, so there was not a lot of waiting to do. The wait area didn't seem to have any sort of organization to it, but that could change later in the evening when a line starts to form. Their entrance is a small but detailed facade with the customary light and music show pounding out metal tunes. They have a concession stand and a few actors walking around while you wait. My favorite costume out here was the miner, there's something about a head lamp and breathing apparatus that's kind of freaky!

The actors were great from start to finish. So good in fact that to pick favorites wouldnt be fair. The new mother, the married couple, the factory worker, the insane and everyone else was done to perfection. All the actors fit their scenes perfectly, and vice versa. The sets were elaborate but not overbearing, with lots of blood and gore where it needed to be, and nice and quaint where that was the needed style. Walking through the house it was very hard to tell this was their first weekend ever.

Crowd control is the only sticky point I could see, and even that was minor. We were there too early to know what it's like in the waiting area once a crowd starts to form, but the inside control was a little lacking. We took an average pace throughout and we almost caught the people in front of us and were caught from behind. It's hard to judge too harshly on Oblivion's part as there are a lot of variables that can factor in but the actors could hold some faster groups in their room and torment them for a while if another group was just through. Other than the one time this happened it was great; and it took nearly 20 minutes to get through.

This is a very good haunt, and an excellent value! With times being tough for a lot of people it is still important to get out and have some fun. At $12 ($10 in advance!) you get a very high quality haunt that will leave you wanting more! They are now on my must see list for future years. If they are this good in year one, I can't wait until next year!