2009 Wisconsin Feargrounds Event Reviews

Wisconsin Fear Grounds, what a treat this was!  Three haunts in one, all three completely different.  Our night began with a little confusion, as the grounds have many areas , and not all of them are haunt related!  We arrived only to discover we went to the wrong area.  This was totally our fault as there were signs directing us to the haunt, that we missed.  Once we finally made it to the right area, things ran smoothly.  Tickets and concessions along with port-o-pottys are readily available.  We got our tickets and headed into a short waiting area.  The line wasn't too ling and was entertaining due to a television that was running a loop of one of the hallways in the haunt.  You could see, thanks to night vision, some visitors being scared, some to the point of falling!  Next, we were herded up like cattle and lead to a pen, where I can only guess houses cows during the fair season.  The pen was entertaining because just when you thought it was just another waiting area, out come some ghouls to get you!  They were great, smelling us and telling my girlfriend she had gone bad!  After the pen, we were led to the first of three haunts...

Morgan Manor:  Manor was great, reminiscent of haunts I attended as a child, relying heavily on props and ambiance to scare you.  There were few actors in here, but the decoration and effort they had to put in payed off.  Loud sounds, darkness, and ghoulish props made manor very fun and creepy.  This haunt lasted about 10-15 minutes, after we exited, there was a path that led to the next haunt...

Morgans Torment:  Torment was the best of the three haunts.  Torment  utilizes darkness, which is always my favorite feature of a haunt.  The best part of the house was the vinyl balloonish material on the walls and ceiling to give you that claustrophobic feeling as you have to SQUEEZE your way though these hallways.  It was great!  I have experienced this before, but my girlfriend had never, and it totally blew her mind!  There were a few actors in this house, which played there parts very well, separating us from the rest of the group to add an additional scare to those who fear abandonment! 

Unstable:  Unstable was a the most actor friendly of the three houses.  You are first greeted by a tall goat man, who talks similar to Jim Breuer's "Goat Boy" character on SNL, he was a laugh riot, very funny.  This haunt was very much like walking though an insane asylum, lots of crazies, and creepy rednecks!  The actors were very into what they were doing and committed, no pun intended, to spooking you out!   

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This reviewer had never attended this event before, however, had heard good things about it and the producers of this project did not disappoint.



If attending all three attractions, the order of progression of what you will see is Morgan Manor, Morgana's Torment and Unstable.



Morgan Manor is a fairly elaborate house featuring a walk through a library, wine cellar and various other rooms full of actors waiting to meet you. Conditions are dim and hazy, but one can make out the dimentions of the rooms and see most of the actors approaching.



Morgana's Torment is essentially a series of darkened mazes to negotiate that involve passing through several inflated air bag enclosures and a hallway with a lazer light effect. You will hear from actors, but they tend not to appear.



Unstable is a walk through various stables, tool sheds, slaughterhouse/smokehouse where you will come upon actors working at their various crafts who become annoyed at your presence and make that known to you.

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Arrival to the haunt was effortless, all the directions were excellent and we made it there quickly.  Once there, make sure that you follow the smaller signs to the correct parking area, because there are more than one parking areas and we originally ended up in the wrong one.  Not the haunts fault, we did not follow the signs, we just saw a bunch of people and followed them.  This would have been great if we wanted to attend the high school dance that was going on, but we ended up going back to the car and going to the correct area by following the signs.

Once there it is very easily labeled, there is a ticket area, concessions, and bathrooms all right away when you walk up.  They have a cool hearse decorated in the parking lot.  We walked up to buy our tickets and were warmly greeted on a cool night.  We were given our wristbands and some instructions on how it will work and we were on our way.

Once in line, the first wait was about 10 minutes and they have a television showing highlights of some of the best scares they have created.  You can watch several people so scared they fall over or grab onto one another.  It is pretty funny, but just because you watch the feed does not mean you will not jump at the same place-I did.  At the front of the line they take your group and lock you up in a horse pen.  There are ghouls walking around and popping up heckling you.  They let you out of your pen and into the first haunt, Morgan Manor.  This haunt is about 15 minutes long and full of props that are everywhere.  The details in this haunt are very impressive.  I love looking at all the different scenes.  The props and decorations are definitely the highlight of this haunt.  There are fewer actors in this haunt and it relies more on sounds and sights to create the eerie feelings.

Next, after what was really at most a five minute wait, we entered Morgana's Torment.  This was my favorite of the three houses.  It is pitch black and you can see nothing.  They have some great terrain effects like foam bags that you have to push through to get to the next room.  Really panic inducing for anyone who has claustrophobia.  There were several actors who called out from inside the darkness.  They also work to seperate your groups so you are isolated.  This totally freaked me out, to the point, where I was almost on the verge of tears.  Wow, tears-way to go!

Finally, when you finish Morgana's Torment you head to the newest of the Wisconsin Feargrounds attraction, Unstable.  While you are in line you are greeted by one of the greatest creatures I have seen so far.  He is approximately 10 ft tall and has horns and makes a baa noise.  It is hilarious.  Once inside you are subject to tons of live actors, most of them seemingly insane.  My favorite character was a chap who seemed to be part chicken and part man.  He had some of the funniest one liners I have heard all season and really got up in your face.

Overall, a great set-up, extremely fun, well executed, and definitely worth the trip!

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