|
Haunted House Tour Ratings:
Hauntedhousetour.com is dedicated to bringing you the most accurate and
objective ratings from houses we tour. For each rating we give, we
use a special rating averaging system which considers in-depth reviews
from as many as 50 tour members. This process keeps the
ratings simple and precise, since each haunted house goer's experience
will be slightly different. By averaging all Haunted House Tour
members' ratings, we bring you both reliable and knowledgeable reviews
of the hottest locations in the Tri-State.
The following ratings are based
on a scale of 0-10, with 11 being the highest possible rating for any
haunted attraction if scored perfectly and given extra credit points for
scare factor.
We have a rating system with a 10-category system we use to come up with each individual rating. The
rating scale from lowest to highest is: Disappointing
(0 - 2
Points)
Poor
(2.5 - 4
Points)
Average
(4.5 - 5.5 Points)
Good
(6 - 7.5 Points)
Very
Good (7.5 - 8.5 Points)
Excellent
(9 - 10 Points)
Frightmaster
(10.5 - 11
Points)
2011 Haunted House Tour
Ratings:
| Haunted
Attraction Name |
Rating |
Rating
Rank |
| Cedar Point:
"Halloweekends": Sandusky, OH |
|
Halloweekend - OVERALL
SCORE:
|
10.5 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
(HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATING)
|
|
2011
REVIEW:
Indoor Haunts:
GA Boecklings Eerie Estate
This award winning haunt only gets better every year
with the addition of some new rooms, more creepy characters
and more screams. As a matter of fact, we think that the
Eerie Estate has more screams per square foot of haunt than
any other haunted attraction in the tri-state! Just try
keeping your cool in here. The rooms are meticulously
decorated in late 1800's decor, dimly lit and very quiet until
BAM! The actors literally make you want to run through the
rooms! But don't run, you'll miss the best that they
saved for last.....
Score - Frightmaster - 11 points
Happy Jack's Toy Factory
Ever wonder why there are no toys left in the entire city of
Sandusky, OH? They have all turned into evil little
predators and now reside in Happy Jack's Toy Factory! Seriously,
the demented-looking Barbie's alone would fill a warehouse.
Nicely spaced scares, good creativity (loved the GI Joe
room!) and other unexpected surprises throughout give this
haunt excellent fun value while keeping it high on the
scare meter. Not your mother's Toys-R-Us for sure!!!!
Score - Frightmaster - 10.5 points
Club Blood
This is a dance club you may want to have second thoughts
about going to after dark. The interior is a mix of loud
dance music, strobe lights, creepy vampires and barrel mazes
that keep you confused and yet terrified at the same time.
The haunt is one of the shorter haunts but does manage
to stay in theme throughout, maximizing the vampire cult idea.
I did feel it needed something more out of the ordinary
to give it a little variety but it was a good solid haunt and
a lot of fun to go through.
Score - Very Good - 8.5
Outdoor Haunts:
Blood on the Bayou
This was an excellent new outdoor haunt that meandered along a
very dark trail flanked by very realistic creepy-looking river
cabins. The creativity and design was through the roof
on this haunt and the actors didn't disappoint either. The
voodoo witch doctor was incredible - dancing around and
whispering in your ear. It sent chills down my spine!
This definitely has potential and, with a bit more
length and maybe a surprise at the end, could be a
Frightmaster award winner! We were very impressed with
this haunt and would like to see even more of it next year!
Score - Excellent - 10 points
Maniacal Mechanical Screamworks
This was last years' Fright Zone but with an added twist.
The addition of "Myst" looking
back-to-the-future like space ships and chilling characters in
flying coats, it was a big favorite this year. The fog
makes it spooky but the actors and props make it terrifying!
It's 360 degree scares and no where to hide as you make
your way through this outdoor walk that is a combination of
futuristic thrills and old-fashioned in-your-face screams.
An absolute must-see at Cedar Point Halloweekends!
Score - 10.5 - Frightmaster!
CarnEvil
You may think that if you've seen one clown, you've seen them
all. Definitely NOT TRUE! Carnevil has some of the
scariest clowns and freakiest patrons we've seen ANYWHERE!!!!
Don't even try to walk through this outdoor haunt alone.
The scares come from all directions and, with some of
the best make-up and costumes seen anywhere in the country -
this outdoor haunt rises way above all other circus/clown
themed haunts in our opinion. Very realistic! If
you're not afraid of clowns beforehand - you will be
afterwards!!!!
Score - 10 - Excellent!
Visit their website at http://www.halloweekends.com/
|
| The Dent Schoolhouse: Cincinnati, OH (Dent) |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
|
2011
REVIEW:
"Charlie
the janitor has been a bad janitor again this year and left
the bodies of the missing school children laying all around
the old schoolhouse. If this place doesn't give you the
creeps from the very beginning, you better check your pulse to
see if you are already dead. You start off going through
the dark, 1950'ish playground with phantom children playing merrily at
recess. But the mood darkens when you enter the school
and are checked out by the not-so-nice school nurse (one of
our favorites!). As you make your way through the dark
hallways in this very old, foreboding building, you see
room after detailed room of corpses, skeletons, monster
animatronics and many not-so-happy school children. Your
job is to find out where Charlie is lurking and avoid the same
untimely demise as the children. This haunt is intense
and the surprises are many and definitely NOT for
the squeamish or faint of heart! The haunt is also
very long so it's worth a bit of a wait in line. Tip -
watch out for Damien Reaper - one of the creepiest characters
we've encountered in any haunt! He will send chills down
your spine!
Visit their website at www.frightsite.com
|
| Kings Island: "Halloween Haunt":
Mason, OH |
|
Halloween Haunt - OVERALL
SCORE:
|
10 |
EXCELLENT!
|
|
2011
REVIEW:
Holiday
Horror - This is one of the two new haunts this year at
Kings Island and was surprisingly good for a first year haunt.
The rooms all kept with the holiday horror theme and were
well populated with actors and grisly holiday themed scenes
complete with a "rabid Easter Bunny" and a "Bad
Santa". The individual scenes were well decorated and
the actors were very convincing. The only fault I could
find with this haunt was it was maybe a little too well lit to
really bring the fear factor into the visitor. Dim the
lights and bring up the scare factor and this could be a
Frightmaster contender! Watch for the Thanksgiving room -
it is hilarious!
Score - 9.5 -
Excellent!
Mysteria - This
is the second of the new haunts this year at Kings Island and,
in our opinion, was a total miss with both theme and scare
factor. This is basically a chain link maze that is
populated by actors in weird beige spandex body suits. It
is too well lit, the actors are not scary or threatening. Some
of them looked like they really didn't know how to act when
people walked through. I really didn't know how to act
either since it wasn't scary, funny or interesting. This
was a miss for me.
Score - 2.5
points - Poor
Slaughter
House - This haunt is definitely not for the squeamish!
Blood is counted by the gallons and body parts are
numbered in the hundreds. The creepy characters within the
rooms keep you moving along with a scream or just a grunt, all
the while banging on pans, tables, limbs, whatever else they can
get their bloody hands on. Well done haunt, if not a bit
over the top with the excessive noise, still worth checking out.
Score - 10
points - Excellent
Urgent Scare
- This was another "heavy on the gore" haunt that
remains pretty much the same year after year. The hospital
setting theme is well played with nurses and doctors directing
"patients" through the winding, dimly lit corridors.
The actors were very believable but the rooms became a bit
too repetitive after awhile. This is a good haunt but
needs a little changing up with a few more dark areas to build
the suspense. Not bad, though, and the animatronics were
great!
Score - 9
points - Excellent
Club Blood - Club
Blood is like a vampires' fantasy. The actors are very
convincing and are having fun at the same time. This is a
haunt where you are scared but laughing at the overall scenes.
Great costumes, fun dancers, good all around haunt! Very
well laid out. As you progress through your night of partying it
gets more and more intense. Definitely check it out!
Score - 10
points - Excellent
Massacre
Manor - This was one of our favorite haunts of the night
because of the old style haunted house theme. You enter
the first room and the "real estate salesman" explains
that the house has just gone up on the market and has a bloody
secret. You see a cute picture of a happy, smiling girl on
the wall. As you progress through the winding halls, the
pictures of the girl get increasingly more malevolent and
threatening and at the end, you are surprised by the girl
herself. I thought the haunt was superior in many ways to
the rest of the haunts at Kings Island because they didn't use
buckets of blood and body parts to build a scream filled walk
through. The only improvement I would make is after the
terror built to the ending climax, the last room with the girl
was a bit weak and needed something more, such as maybe if the
girl had a chainsaw and chased people out with it. She
mostly just stood there, I think she may have had a knife or
something, but it wasn't very effective as a final
"gotcha". This again could be improved to make
it a Frightmaster contender.
Score - 10
points Excellent
CarnEvil - This
is one of the better carnival in 3-D themed haunts that I've
seen. Starting with the realistic-looking (does this guy
do this in real life??) ringmasters who meets you at the door
and explains the rules. This guy is a great actor and
really knows how to give you the creeps before you even enter
the haunt. The rooms are fun house style rooms with some
jump out scares and hidden gotchas. The addition of the
bubbles was fun but got a bit slippery as you walked through.
This would be a more PG rated haunt maybe for the tweens
in your group. Fun but not too scary. Good actors,
good decorations. Nice haunt.
Score - 10
points - Excellent
Visit their website at http://haunt.visitkingsisland.com/
|
| Hannah Haunted House:
Indianapolis, IN |
|
Hannah Haunted House - OVERALL SCORE:
|
7 |
Good
|
|
2011
REVIEW:
Hannah Haunted House - Indianapolis, IN
I
was very impressed with the Hannah House. As you
entered the house you immediately went into the basement.
There you met a little girl by herself holding a doll.
She was extremely creepy, kept asking us things like,
"Do you want to stay here?" and "Which way do
you want to go?" in that chilling, child-like voice. It
was very unexpected, which made it all the more scary.
Standing outside the house and looking at it gives you the
creeps. It is very eerie, even more so knowing that the house
itself really is haunted. You definitely get the haunted feel
when you're outside of it as well as when you're inside it.
The actors were phenomenal for their first night. The vampires
were very scary. Some of them were making noises mimicking the
vampires of the movie 30 Days Of Night. The characters were
convincing in some areas, but could use a bit more acting in
others. In the first floor of the house you meet
Alexander Hannah, the man who built the house. He was
very convincing, but when you get up to the second story of
the house and meet his wife, she is not so convincing. The
vampires, the little girl and the clowns were very good. They
also had different actors portraying things in the forest as
you're leaving and they chase you, which is a nice extra
scare.
Hannah Haunted House is a good scare and with a bit more
creativity or thought (more into playing upon people's fears
of the dark and ghosts) they could potentially have a
legendary haunt. All in all, they did pretty good with
what they had to work with.
*Review written by Stephanie, a friend of HauntedHouseTour.com
Score
- 7.0 - Good
|
| USS Nightmare: Newport, KY |
9.5 |
EXCELLENT! |
|
2011
REVIEW:
The
haunted boat was longer and more challenging this year than
in the past. The captain has opened up two new areas
of this creepy floating nightmare never before explored and
it just increases the already longest haunt in the
tri-state. The animatronics were excellent and the
captain was there to invite you to "stop by for dinner
and stay forever". The tour takes upwards of 30
min so it's well worth the price of admission. Everything
about the boat is creepy, inside and out. We would
have like to see maybe a few more actors inside and maybe a
bit more dark time but still one of our tri-state
favorites!!!! Beware! - this haunt will
definitely give you nightmares!!!!!
Visit their website at www.ussnightmare.com
|
| Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY (NKY) |
10.5 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
(HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATING)
|
|
2011
REVIEW:
SThis is the fifth year for Gene and Brenda Webb's excellent
outdoor haunted hayride and it just keeps getting better and
better each year. Located in the country on a lonely road
in Petersburg, Ky, this outdoor haunted hayride has the perfect
setting and the perfect theme. It's "Children of the
Corn", "Jeepers Creepers", and
"Joyride" rolled into one terrifying trip.
We won't spoil it by giving away the details - just expect
the unexpected. No - seriously! If you have not been
to this haunt yet this year - GO! If you've already been -
go again!! It is worth the drive and the best outdoor
haunt in the tri-state!!!! Watch out for Freddy! He
tends to appear when you least expect it!!!!
Farmers Revenge (Sandyland Acres indoor haunt)- Score 10
- Excellent!
Farmers Revenge is an indoor haunted house/dark maze and the
newest addition to the Sandyland Acres attraction. THIS
is the way dark mazes in haunted houses should be designed!
The walk-thru was dark - not just dimly lit, but
"can't-see-your-hand-in-front-
of-your-face" dark. It was also
quiet.....creepy....eerie....
then all of a sudden something slithers in front of your face!
Just about the time the claustrophobia starts edging
upwards into pure terror the maze opens up into a room where
more scares await. There were enough dead-ends and fake
doors to keep you disoriented and wishing that this nightmare
would end! But after all - that's what you came for and
this haunt doesn't disappoint!!! Great job for a
first-year haunt Gene and Brenda!!!! We want to see more
of this one next year...maybe a bit longer? We can't get
enough of a good haunt!
Visit their website at www.sandylandacres.com
|
2010 Haunted House Tour
Ratings:
| Haunted
Attraction Name |
Rating |
Rating
Rank |
| Cedar Point:
"Halloweekends": Sandusky, OH |
|
Halloweekend - OVERALL
SCORE:
|
11 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
(HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATING)
|
| GA Boeckling's Eerie Estate |
10.5 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
|
| Club Blood - Vampire Disco |
9.5 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Dr. D. Mented's Asylum for the Criminally
Insane |
11 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
|
| The Fright Zone |
11 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
|
|
2010
REVIEW:
GA Boeckling's Eerie Estate -
This is an old school haunted house that hides a dark
secret! A lot of detail has gone into the design and
decorations in this creepy old manor, from the low but
effective lighting, "antique" furniture and even
some of the former "residents" of the house who
are are still lurking around. The character/audience
interaction is the best I have seen anywhere with true
dialogue with the actors talking to you and asking you
questions as you walk through. There are many
surprises in the old house with one of the most unique
"gotchas" yet towards the end. Great shocks!
Well put together haunt!
Club Blood - Vampire Disco
This was a very high energy/low light/loud haunt with
vampires and other "unworldly creatures" at
every turn. The decor was a former toxic waste dump
now used as a disco for vampires. Strobes and lasers
made forward movement very unnerving as you couldn't see
what awaited you down the next hallway or tunnel.
Good use of misdirection here with barrels getting you
turned around.
Dr. D. Mented's Asylum for the Criminally Insane
-
This is a new addition to the Halloweekend haunts line-up,
replacing the Mortuary U. from last year. The theme is
an insane asylum where the patients have gone wild and taken
over. The design calls for excellent use of
lighting with strobes timed slower to permit movement by the
actors across the room without being detected. You see
them in one spot, then before you know it they are in your
face! The mirror room was my personal favorite with
360 degree scares and high energy actors who made you feel
that THEY were in control and all you wanted to do was find
your way out! This was one of the best designed and
scariest haunts I have ever been in! Kudos to the
designer and the actors!
This is an outdoor walkthru that is located at the rear of
the park. Dark with only the occasional strobe for
light, foggy to the point of not being able to see your hand
in front of your face and scary music playing all added up
to one of the best thrills of the night! Various
actors jump in and out of your path, some sliding on the
concrete, some lurking behind you until you notice them and
scream, some just quietly following you. This is
always one of my favorite outdoor haunted zones! It
never fails to scare you.
OVERALL:
This year was a close race between Cedar Point and Land of
Illusions but in the overall evaluation of the most scares for
the for best value - it has to be Cedar Point for the 2nd year
in a row! Best, well designed haunts, great actors, high
energy show that both entertains and scares at the same time.
We were blown away with the amount of time and effort that
just go into the nightly make-up session and the dedication of
the actors to their characters. Attending the
pre=show "Pep Rally" was the highlight of our trip.
Sandusky is still the reigning location for scares,
thrills, laughs and all around Halloween fun.
Congratulations once more go to Cedar Point Halloweekends - Frightmaster
Award Winner 2nd year in a row!!!
Visit their website at http://www.halloweekends.com/
|
| The Dent Schoolhouse: Cincinnati, OH (Dent) |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
|
2010
REVIEW:
"The
Dent Haunted Schoolhouse ranks among the top 20 haunted
attractions in the country in that it always delivers a
quality haunt experience year after year. This year was
no exception.
You can't miss this old schoolhouse on
Harrison Ave. with it's impending Gothic architecture, eerie
red glow and frightening sounds eminating from it's
doors. There are numerous creepy characters walking the
grounds to give you a fright while waiting in the queue lines,
including Charlie the Janitor himself! Your
journey through terror begins with a discerning walk through
an old outdoor abandoned playground with a couple of frightful
children following you and a very bad cript keeper pushing you
on. If you make it through the playground pass the
rusted old schoolbus, you finally enter the old schoolhouse,
where your true nightmare begins!
The story goes that years ago a janitor
named Charlie went crazy and killed many of the children
attending this school and hid their bodies somewhere within
the walls of the school. This is supposed to be a true
legend since the building was actually used as a public school
building in the 50's. Whether true or urban legend, the
school serves as a frightening backdrop for the scares that
await inside it's walls. The actors, especially Charlie
the janitor and Damien Reaper, are very real and definitely in
your face as you try to escape it's winding maze of rooms, one
more horrible than the next. The detail that goes into
the design of this haunt continues to amaze us every year.
We like the fact that it always manages to stay on the
"haunted schoolhouse" theme (except for the clown
room, but hey! who's NOT afraid of creepy clowns?) and
yet, adds something new every year so it doesn't get stale.
We especially liked the addition of a couple of
"dark" areas this year to add to the suspense of the
next scare. Actually, the addition of several more
dark areas in the future could bring up the shock/scare factor
which we felt was the only thing lacking a bit in the overall
haunted attraction experience this year.
We still have to give the Dent Haunted
Schoolhouse kudos for another great year and another excellent
haunt!
Visit their website at www.frightsite.com
|
| Kings Island: "Halloween Haunt":
Mason, OH |
|
Halloween Haunt - OVERALL
SCORE:
|
8.5 |
Very Good
|
| Trail Of Terror |
6 |
Good
|
| Carn-Evil |
7.5 |
Good |
| Tombstone Terror-tory |
7.5 |
Good |
| Urgent Scare |
7.5 |
Good |
| Massacre Manor |
6.5 |
Good |
| Corn Stalkers |
4 |
Poor |
| Slaughter House |
7 |
Good |
| Club Blood |
7.5 |
Good |
| Wolfpack |
3.5 |
Poor |
|
2010
REVIEW:
Trail of Terror:
Trail of Terror is an outdoor haunt with a Hillbillys gone
crazy theme. The props included a lot of Hillbilly
related essentials (milk jugs, port-o-lets and old washtubs).
You wind your way down a dark path through the woods where you
encounter several members of the deranged Hillbilly family.
Some notable scenes were the dismembered dolls two creepy
girls walking towards you singing a child's tune. The
old wash machines and abandoned cars gave this haunt a country
feel but the lack of actors definitely hurt the scare effect.
The chainsaws at the end were almost expected and would have
maybe been a better addition to the middle of the haunt to add
some scares as, although it was fairly dark, it was more like
a relaxing stroll through the woods rather than a "Trail
of Terror".
Carnevil is one of the better Monster Clown themed haunts that
we have seen and overall is a lot of fun. If you can
only go to one or two haunts at KI, this should be on your
list. Although the theme is not quite original, the
execution is well done largely due to the 3D effects and the
great funhouse style characters. Highlights inlcude a
neon dot room complete with "surprise" dot actors
and a bearded lady and other traditional circus freak
characters. The seedy Ringmaster/head Carney was the best
actor I have seen yet in a haunt. Very convincing but
just creepy enough without going over the top.
Tombstone Territory is a fun haunt both because the back-story
is interesting and because it is outdoors. The haunt
begins with a train ride through dark woods where we're told
the legend of Walley Sparks, a miner who struck it rich in the
old West but then goes on a deadly rampage terrorizing the
town. The ride ends abruptly forcing passengers to walk
down a dimly lit path to where the the haunted trail picks up.
The actors were dressed in appropriate period dress, but
unfortunately the trail left little room for hiding spaces so
there was very little suspense. The smoke made the trail
seemed creepy and the actors played the part well, but
overall, more could have been done to add to the element of
surprise.
The Urgent Scare is a hospital taken over by patients infected
with a virus. Before you enter, you are told about a
"pandemic virus" that really exists ("You can
Google it - go ahead! It really exists!") by a doctor
with a bloody face. After being warned, you enter a
building with many hospital rooms separated by bloody white
sheets. There is a bit more of the scare factor here due
to the claustrophobia created by the closeness of the sheets
and actors and the constant blaring sirens and warning bells.
The rooms, though, were a bit repetitious but did have ample
actors and the actors did all stay in character, many being
quite good. There was one man in particular who had what
looked like rubber bands around his arms who jumped out and
gave our group quite a scare.
As you reemerged from the hospital back into the open, you had
to walk through an old junk yard with army men hidden behind
crates and cans. This was quite effective for a last
minute hidden gotcha.
This haunt seemed to improve from last year when a lack of
actors left you wanting a bit more.
Massacre Manor is a twist on the old fashioned haunted house
theme with the idea of the house being advertised for sale.
This is explained to you by the eerie looking real estate
agent upon entering the parlor room. You're told about the
owner of the house, a woman named Emily. There are many
interesting rooms but not a lot of surprises overall because
the house it was too well lit. One quirky and cute touch
is that there are portraits of Emily on the walls throughout
the house that at first are nice and sweet and get
progressively more ominous, ending up with her holding a
bloody chainsaw. In the last room you finally meet Emily and
she has a man chained to the wall in a chair and chases you
out of the house with a knife. The overall effect was a
bit better this year but the scare effect was still lacking
due to lack of actors and not enough dark areas to build
suspense.
The Cornstalkers is a very short outdoor haunt that was
lacking in overall design to the point where we were literally
going in and out of the "trail" and would have
wandered further off if not for the employee who steered us
back on track. With very few actors, not very well
hidden, too many places to wander off the path, and the path
being too well lit, this was not a good haunt. It needed
much more smoke, hidden surprises and scarier actors. I
would either improve this next year or do away with it
altogether. I've had better scares walking through a
cornfield on a sunny day.
Slaughter House theme was, well, a slaughter house. Upon
entry you meet Mama who instructs you to stay away from her
"boys" (aka the butchers). The haunt was very repetitious
as every room had the same hanging meat, meat on the table,
bloody walls and counters, an actor with a butcher apron
spouting one liners. Parts of it were a bit confusing on
were to go next, so much so that the actors had to direct
people where to go. This takes away a lot of the
believability of the haunt and demotes the "scary
actors" into being just ushers. The last part of
the haunt did have a tight inflated balloon walk through that
impressed some of our reviewers who were a bit claustrophobic.
Good effort but the theme needs a bit more dimension rather
than just one room of gore after another. That gets old.
Club Blood theme is a vampire nightclub. After getting
past the "bouncer" at the door, you enter to find a
leather clad girl revving a motorcycle. The next thing
you pass is a club-goer vomiting into a very disgusting
toilet. I would have saved that for the last. You
continue to walk past cages with scantily clad teenagers
dancing to loud music. You continue past a bar
with people dancing on it with very short shorts and tops.
This is definitely a haunt aimed at adults, although the
majority of people we saw going through it were definitely
under 17. The guys seemed to like it, in large part due
to the scantily glad girls, but the girls thought it was just
so-so.
Wolfpack:
The Wolfpack is a new haunt addition this year and definitely
has the look and feel of being not quite finished yet.
It's located on the platform of the old Son of Beast ride,
which radically limits the overall length of the haunt.
You enter into a fairly dark, sparsely decorated room that is
supposed to look like a (I am guessing here) wolf's lair?
The theme was wolf-something...never very well defined.
The actors mostly existed of a few shirtless teenagers with a
wolf mask on jumping out at you from their not-too-well-hidden
corners. The only thing that seemed to be well hidden
was the path through the rooms. That was very confusing
at times with odd tires (?) on the floor that a few of our
reviewers almost tripped over. The haunt needed more
actors, better actors, more trees and smoke to create
suspense, better sound (maybe wolves howling?) to create
atmosphere. Overall - pretty ineffective, unclear theme
and overall, not good.
Visit their website at http://haunt.visitkingsisland.com/
|
| Land Of Illusions:
Middletown, OH |
|
Land Of Illusions - OVERALL SCORE:
|
10 |
EXCELLENT!
|
| 3D Killer Klowns |
9 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Middletown Haunted Trail |
10.5 |
FRIGHTMASTER! |
| The Nest |
10.5 |
FRIGHTMASTER! |
| Dr. Psycho's Haunted Estate |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Temple Of Terror |
9.5 |
EXCELLENT! |
|
2010
REVIEW:
3D Killer Klowns:
This haunt used 3D glasses for the 3D effect, however, the
glasses we were given were used previously and not in the best
of shape. The scratched glasses made it hard to see
a lot of the darker areas of the haunt but were still good at
bringing out the 3D effect. This was a fairly short
haunt but the amount of actors and creepy passages made
up for it. The 3D spinning tunnels were fun!
Middletown Haunted Trail:
This was the original outdoor haunt that the Land of
Illusions is known for. The length has been
extended over the years and the design improved so that it is
now one of the premier outdoor haunts in the tri-state.
The trail takes over 20 min to walk (even at at a
frighteningly fast pace) as you are constantly being scared
by different creatures, both animal and human, walking along the
dark, foggy path. The actors were very good and
really played their parts. The make up and attention
to detail in the different themed shacks was exceptional.
The people at Land of Illusions have honed their craft of
scaring people over the years and it definitely shows!
You barely have time to catch your breath in between scares!
The path eventually winds around and through several
shanty's with different themes and ultimately winds up at
the entrance of the newest addition to the Land of
Illusion - "The Nest".
This is the newest addition to the Land of Illusion and, in
our opinion, one of the more creative haunts we have seen in
a long time. This haunt reminds me of the old Baxter
Ave Morgue in Louisville in the sense that it was dark,
eerie and creepy; almost silent inside. The actors
were not the usual "over-the-top" haunted house
actors who are in your face shouting. They quietly
approached you, unnoticed until they were literally in your
face and then just hissing like a vampire. The haunt
was made like a dark vampire bat cave with lots of smoke and
just enough red lighting to be able to see the blood covered
stalagtites and stalagmites hanging from the roof and coming
up from the floor. The overall feel was very
vulnerable because you were in a big area with no walls to
protect you. I was actually creeped out by the Nest.
This is a definite must see when you go to Land of
Illusions!
Dr. Psycho's Haunted Estate:
This haunted house is very old school but in a good way for
the fact that it is a dark scary type place with many creepy
rooms and even creepier actors. They also had a good
supply of animatronics, especially in the dark cemetery that
was adjacent to the house. The scare factor was
excellent especially in the room that says "Don't
look up". The dark, foreboding cemetery walk
through had some great scares. This was one of the
better haunts as far as chilling scares go that
we've seen all year!
The Temple of Terror used the "Indiana Jones"
theme very well and added a dark twist. This creepy
walk through haunt was loaded with old, dusty tombs and
cobweb-covered mummys, skulls, and some other surprises that
made it a walk of terror. The atmosphere and
surroundings were so convincing that I started getting
claustrophobic as if I were in a real tomb. Very
convincing design and great scares!
OVERALL:
Maybe it was the cool, rainy weather on Saturday night
that helped build the perfect atmosphere for
anticipating a dark walk in the woods and the
Land of Illusion in Middletown did not disappoint. Upon
arrival we were met by Brett, Operations Manager and owner,
who told us that he had recently added over $2 million worth
of upgrades to the Land of Illusion haunted trail and, from
the looks of the some of the huge animatronics and the
addition of "The Nest" vampire theme haunt, it
definitely shows. It's been a few years since our last
visit to Land of Illusions and, to be honest, I am very
sorry we waited so long. This place literally blew us
away with the creativity and uniqueness of their 5 haunts.
At $35 for the "VIP/Fast Pass" it is probably one
of the pricier haunts in the tri-state but it's worth
every penny considering you have a full night of scary
haunted entertainment for the price.
Visit their website at http://www.thelandofillusion.com/
|
| USS Nightmare: Newport, KY |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
|
2010
REVIEW:
We always look forward to our annual trip to the USS
Nightmare which has proven over and over again that it is one of
the leading haunts in the Tri-state. This year was
no different. The theme of the USS Nightmare remains a
haunted boat, but this year Allan and the crew threw some
changes into the haunt that took us by surprise - LITERALLY!
While keeping the animatronics to a minimum in just the right
places and slightly increasing the number of actors (who, by
the way, were some of the best we've seen so far!) and
increasing dark areas, the boat has definitely moved ahead in
the scare factor. The haunt is long, twisting,
multi-themed (love the new infirmary area!) and full of "gotchas"
and creepiness. There is some misdirection near the chain-link
area, probably caused by the slow strobe and the
semi-darkness. This, however, only added to a sense of
panic as to which way to go next to escape! We had a
"newbie" along with us on the review tour and the bloody
usher at the door learned her name and then everyone inside
the haunt called her by name as she went through. Nice
personal touch although it was very creepy for her to hear her
name called out by the ghoulies in the haunt. From the
"Newbie's Perspective" - She said it was scary but
fun! All in all, the USS Nightmare really delivers the screams
this year and with an overall length of 20 to 25 min walk-thru
time and a cost of $16 - it delivers the value as well. Haunted
House Tour highly recommends this haunt!
Visit their website at www.ussnightmare.com
|
| Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY (NKY) |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
|
2010
REVIEW:
Sandyland Acres is always one of our favorite haunts for the
fact that they build it from the ground up using whatever
they have available. Don't let that fool you into
thinking this is your average "back yard haunt"! Brenda
and Gene and the crew really put the scare factor into
their haunt by using 360 degree scares, attention focus
tactics, dark areas with chilling "gotcha" factors
and great actors. Combine this with a great overall
theme and a good "bang for the buck" with the $10
entrance fee and over 20 minute ride, you have an extremely
good haunt that has been getting better every year. They
have unique elements in their haunt that you don't see
anywhere else. We highly recommend Sandyland Acres as
the best outdoor haunt in the Tri State!
Visit their website at www.sandylandacres.com
|
2009 Haunted House Tour
Ratings:
| Haunted
Attraction Name |
Rating |
Rating
Rank |
| Cedar Point:
"Halloweekends": Sandusky, OH |
|
Halloweekend - OVERALL
SCORE:
|
11 |
FRIGHTMASTER!
(HIGHEST POSSIBLE RATING)
|
| Halloweekends: Club Blood |
8 |
Very Good
|
| Halloweekends: Happy Jack's
Toy Factory |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Halloweekends: G.A.
Boeckling's Eerie Estate |
11 |
FRIGHTMASTER! |
| Halloweekends: Undertaker U. |
7.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloweekends: Terror Island |
9 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Halloweekends: CornStalkers |
7 |
Good |
| Halloweekends: Fear Faire |
7 |
Good |
| Halloweekends: Fright Zone |
8.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloweekends: CarnEvil |
7 |
Good |
| 2009
REVIEW:
It had been a few years since members
of our group had toured Halloweekend at Cedar Point, and
actually a first time for myself, and we could not have been
happier with what we found! Halloweekend begins the minute
you step through the park gates and doesn't let up! No
matter where you roam in the park, once the sun goes down you
are not safe from the ghosts and demons that roam the
grounds. Cedar Point is a great value since you can pay
admission to get into the park and that covers all of the
haunted attractions as well as the rides and roller coasters
that remain open, so for the money, you really can't beat
it.
The actual haunted attractions are a
mixture of indoor haunts and outdoor walk through haunts.
There was a good mixture of themes ranging from pirates to
clowns, to haunted mansions, and even an evil toy factory.
The level of detail and creativity that went into these haunts
impressed even our most veteran haunt reviewers! We always
love creativity and attention to detail and two haunts really
stood out for our group. Happy Jack's Toy Factory was a very
unique concept that we have not really seen before. It was
so incredible with the level of detail in the costumes and
makeup, you can honestly not tell who is real and who is just a
doll.
My personal favorite, G.A. Boeckling's
Eerie Estate, really raised the bar for a good old fashioned
scary mansion. The scenery, actors, and layout were all
amazing! They took some serious time to perfect the layout
of the haunt and used space very creatively to create 360
degrees of scares! It has been a long time since I was truly
scared and creeped out by a haunt, but this one did it for
me! The greatest thing about this haunt and a lot of the
haunts we toured here was that they don't rely on all of the
overdone blood, gore, and screaming to get a scare. You
really have a lot of stuff that is just down right creepy and
not so much just jumping out and yelling "boo."
They went back to the basics of what is scary and put on a
really great experience. Personally, this may be one of
the best haunts I have been to in years. When you scare
someone who has been touring and rating haunts for 15 years
now...you know you have something great!
Halloweekend at Cedar Point is the
ultimate haunt experience for the casual haunt fan as well as
the seasoned haunt veteran! Bring your kids and enjoy the
family-friendly daytime activities and rides, then come back to
the park at night with the adults for a truly frightening
experience! Halloweekend's overall score came back as one
of only a very few better-than-perfect scores we have ever
given. Halloweekend earned a score of 11 out of 10,
earning extra credit points for scare factor and the final
rating of "FRIGHTMASTER!"
Great job on creating a top-notch
experience! I can't wait to visit again next season.
Thanks again to Robin and John for showing us around the park
and being so helpful to our tour group! Cedar Point's
Halloweekend is definitely a MUST SEE! We would highly
recommend this attraction! It's well worth the drive!
Visit their website at http://www.halloweekends.com/
|
| The Dent Schoolhouse: Cincinnati, OH (Dent) |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
| 2009
REVIEW:
The Dent Schoolhouse continues to
impress us year after year, and their 2009 showing didn't let us
down! Our trip to the Dent Schoolhouse was on a perfect
night for a haunt with the cold, rain, and foggy
atmosphere. This made the graveyard experience that much
better! The scenery is always great, but this year we
noticed a lot more detail and much better actor placement than
last year. The length of this haunt is always more than
worth the money, and they had some really good scare factor as
well! Great scenery, great actors, and a great haunt that
keeps with the schoolhouse theme. We were very impressed
this year.
The Dent Schoolhouse has secured its
place as one of the premiere haunts in the Greater Cincinnati
area and has gotten even better this year. Thanks for
letting us tour your haunt, and we scored the Dent Schoolhouse a
10 out of 10 this year, earning the rating of
"EXCELLENT!" Keep up the good work. See
you in 2010!
Visit their website at www.frightsite.com
|
| Kings Island: "Halloween Haunt":
Mason, OH |
|
Halloween Haunt - OVERALL
SCORE:
|
10 |
EXCELLENT!
|
| Halloween Haunt - Slaughter
House |
8.5 |
Very Good
|
| Halloween Haunt:
Massacre Manor |
7 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Death Row |
6.5 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Trail Of Terror |
10 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Halloween Haunt: carnEVIL |
9 |
EXCELLENT! |
| Halloween Haunt: Cut
Throat Cove |
4.5 |
Average |
| Halloween Haunt: Tombstone
TERROR-tory |
7.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Club Blood |
7.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt: CornStalkers |
8.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt: Cemetery
Drive |
4 |
Poor |
| Halloween Haunt:
Urgent Scare |
8 |
Very Good |
| 2009
REVIEW:
Kings Island's Halloween Haunt has
become a yearly stop for us on our tour, and we were again
reminded why we keep coming back! Halloween Haunt is such
a great option for the haunt enthusiast because of the quantity
of attractions that admission to the park gets you access
to. With 11 haunted attractions and 2 live shows,
Halloween Haunt is a great value for someone looking to spend a
dark evening with the ghouls that haunt this Mason, OH theme
park.
The park is transformed into a dark and
scary nightmare where you never know who is going to jump out of
the fog at you. With the addition of a good haunt this
year in "The Slaughter House" and some of our old
favorites, Halloween Haunt keeps impressing year after year and
it never gets old. Our personal favorite, the "Trail
Of Terror," leads victims through a twisted trail of horror
and fright. They have a great mix of haunts, and with so
many options, there is something for everyone.
Halloween Haunt earns a rating of 10
out of 10, earning the score of "EXCELLENT" for
2009! Great job on another great season! Thanks for
letting us tour Halloween Haunt. We are already looking
forward to next year!
Visit their website at http://haunt.visitkingsisland.com/
|
| USS Nightmare: Newport, KY |
9 |
EXCELLENT! |
| 2009
REVIEW:
USS Nightmare has been around for a
long time now, and it's still worth the trip down to tour the
old haunted riverboat! USS Nightmare still has one of the
longest haunts of anywhere we have toured and has a lot of scare
packed into this haunt. The theme of the haunted riverboat
was always really unique and the scenery is always amazing as
well. The realism of the actors is always impressive as
the USS Nightmare uses realistic makeup rather than relying
solely on masks for scare. It's always one of our favorite
stops on our tour, and thanks to everyone at the USS Nightmare
for always showing us a good time!
USS Nightmare earned a score of 9 out
of 10 with a rating of "EXCELLENT" for 2009!
Great job, and thanks again for letting us tour the USS
Nightmare!
Visit their website at www.ussnightmare.com
|
| Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY (NKY) |
9 |
EXCELLENT! |
| 2009
REVIEW:
Sandyland Acres has in just a few years
of operation has taken a claim as one of the best haunts in
Greater Cincinnati and Northern KY! What is so amazing
about Sandyland Acres is how great of a haunt they put together
each year working with a small fraction of the budget that other
haunts have to work with. Sandyland creates new concepts and
builds their own scenes from scratch. Sandyland Acres also
takes away that safe and secure feeling when the actors
frequently come onto the hayride to look for victims up
close! They have certain elements at this haunt that we
have yet to see anywhere else. Sandyland Acres is such a
great success story from people who really do go the extra mile
to put in the creative time to plan an amazing haunt! I
always look forward to seeing Sandyland Acres and I encourage
you to make the short drive to Petersburg to experience a unique
twist on the haunted hayride experience!
Sandyland Acres earned a score of 9 out
of 10 and a rating of "EXCELLENT" for 2009!
Thanks again for always showing us a great time and really
giving our tour group a frightening experience in your haunted
corn fields. Great job, and looking forward to seeing you
in 2010!
Visit their website at www.sandylandacres.com
|
| Junction Nightmare- West Chester, OH |
9 |
EXCELLENT! |
| 2009 REVIEW
COMING SOON: |
2008
Haunted House Tour
Ratings:
| Haunted
Attraction Name |
Rating |
Rating
Rank |
| The Dent Schoolhouse: Cincinnati, OH (Dent) |
8.5 |
Very Good
|
| 2008
REVIEW:
The Dent Schoolhouse continues to be one of the
area's best haunted attractions. They raised the bar
pretty high last year, winning our 2007 "Frightmaster
Award." I feel they did a great job this year
trying to make things new and different for 2008, although there
were a few rooms that felt a little unfinished. This may
have been a result of recent power outages halting construction,
but was a small factor in our rating. The outdoor scenery
is always a plus, and the building itself is a great setting for a
haunt. We feel that a few more actors could help provide a
little more scare factor. It would be nice to see
"Charlie" the janitor utilized a little more
throughout the house in keeping with school theme.
Overall, great location, reasonable ticket prices, great theme
and some good scare factor in the mix as well! The Dent
Schoolhouse is definitely worth the trip! The Dent
Schoolhouse earns a final rating of 8.5 out of 10, rating "Very Good"
for 2008.
Visit their website at www.frightsite.com
|
| Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY |
8 |
Very Good |
| 2008
REVIEW:
Sandyland Acres is a refreshing update
on the haunted hayride concept. It is different than most
indoor haunted attractions in that you really have to be
creative to bring the show up close and personal to the
"victims." The setting is great because it is so
dark and quiet which makes for a very creepy background.
The staff does an AMAZING job on building props and scenery,
especially considering the budget they have to work with.
They have some very creative ideas, especially a new addition
they added this year (we won't spoil it!). We feel that a
few more actors in key locations could really help bring more
scare factor and less down time between scenes would be
helpful. Overall, we feel that staff does a great job of
putting on a great haunt that we look forward to each
year. This haunt is a great value as well as well as
having a longer-than-average tour time.
Sandyland Acres earns a final rating of 8 out of 10, rating "Very
Good" for 2008.
Visit their website at www.sandylandacres.com
|
| USS Nightmare: Newport, KY |
9 |
Excellent! |
| 2008
REVIEW:
USS Nightmare has been rated
"Excellent" once again and remains to be one of the
top haunts in the entire Tri-State! USS Nightmare always
does a great job at keeping things in the haunt that works well
for them, but also changing other things up each year. New rooms
and designs were added this year which really worked well, and
the setting is always top notch. Just walking up to the
old riverboat in itself is creepy and it has great curb appeal! The actors and makeup
are great! They make great use of makeup and do not always
rely on masks, which in the end adds to the realism and overall
appeal of the haunt. It really brings the actors to life
and make their characters believable.
We have been touring the USS Nightmare
for almost all of our 14 years our tour group has operated, and every
year it is a new experience. Even if you went last year, I
would recommend the USS Nightmare again this year. USS
Nightmare is one of
the best in the region, and an overall great experience!
USS Nightmare earns a final rating of 9 out of 10, rating "Excellent" for 2008.
Visit their website at www.ussnightmare.com
|
| Kings Island: "Halloween Haunt":
Mason, OH |
| Halloween Haunt - OVERALL
SCORE: |
9.5 |
Excellent!
2008 Frightmaster Award Winner!
|
| Halloween Haunt:
Massacre Manor |
10 |
Excellent! |
| Halloween Haunt:
Death Row |
5 |
Average |
| Halloween Haunt:
Trail Of Terror |
9 |
Excellent! |
| Halloween Haunt: carnEVIL |
8 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Red Beard's Revenge |
7.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt: Tombstone
TERROR-tory |
8 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Club Blood |
5 |
Average |
| Halloween Haunt: The Worksite |
6 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt: CornStalkers |
5 |
Average |
| Halloween Haunt: The Cemetery |
5 |
Average |
| Halloween Haunt:
Urgent Scare (NEW!) |
9 |
Excellent! |
| 2008
REVIEW:
Kings Island: Halloween Haunt has
really developed into an amazing overall haunt experience.
They now boast 13 haunts as well as other roaming ghouls and
attractions. Realistically, you won't have time to visit
all 13 haunts in one night, so the best bet is to pick your
favorites and focus on seeing those. We visited Halloween
Haunt last year and thought it was a great show, and it was even
better this year! Halloween Haunt also added a new haunt
this year named "Urgent Scare." Scenery is
amazing, and they do such a great job transforming the whole
park into a creepy setting for a haunt enthusiast's wildest
dream. Halloween Haunt is reasonably priced based on the
amount of choices you have and the quality that they
present. My suggestion for serious haunt lovers is to
visit twice and try to see everything... it is well worth the
price of admission!
Halloween Haunt really raised the bar
for the overall haunt experience and is a definite "Must
see" for anyone who loves a great haunt! A very
unique experience and we hope you check out Halloween Haunt in
2008! Our final rating is rated for Halloween Haunt as an
overall experience. Halloween
Haunt earns a final rating of 9.5 out of 10, rating "Excellent"
for 2008 and wins the 2008 Frightmaster Award! This is Kings
Island's second Frightmaster Award, the first coming in 2001
for "Fearfest." Congratulations on a great season, we
are already looking forward to 2009!
Visit their website at http://haunt.visitkingsisland.com/
|
| Nightmare Haunted House: Lexington, KY |
8 |
Very Good |
| 2008
REVIEW:
Nightmare Haunted House was a first
time visit for us, and we were pleasantly surprised! The
haunt had some very detailed scenery, great actors, as well as
some good scare factor. We felt the haunt was well staffed
and had some unique scenes we have never seen anywhere
else. The location of the haunt is a little generic, but
they use the space very well. While there, you also have
the chance to lay inside a closed coffin and experience being
"buried alive". We had a great time at the
Nightmare Haunted House, and with a few small additions, they
have the potential for a future "Excellent"
rating. Nightmare Haunted House earns a final rating of 8 out of
10, rating "Very Good" for 2008.
Visit their website at www.2scary.com
|
| Hustonville Haunted House: Hustonville, KY |
8 |
Very Good |
| 2008
REVIEW:
Hustonville was a new city we have not
previously toured and we were glad we made the trip! The
Hustonville Haunted House is in an old building built in the
1800's which is a great setting for a creepy haunted
house. From what we understand, this haunt is under new
ownership in 2008 and has made some changes since past
years.
I think this haunt used dark space
well, but also mixed it with a good amount of actors, which were
professional. They also use the "360 degrees"
concept very well, making people wind their way through the
middle of rooms, which makes you feel very vulnerable.
They had some unique scares that I have not seen before as well
as a good blend of scenery, actors, and animatronics. They
make good use of quiet too. Some of the creepiest parts of
this haunt involved simple whispers in certain dark areas.
The down side of this haunt is that it is somewhat short
relative to other haunts we have toured. The actual amount
of time inside the house is somewhat average and not very
long. The Hustonville Haunted House is a good time if you
are in the area. The Hustonville Haunted House earns a
final rating of
8 out of 10, rating "Very Good" for 2008.
Visit their website at www.hauntman.com
|
| The Haunted Castle: Hustonville, KY |
N/A |
N/A |
| 2008
REVIEW:
*Review not posted at the request of
haunt owner.
|
2007 Haunted House Tour
Ratings:
| Haunted
Attraction Name |
Rating |
Rating
Rank |
| The Dent Schoolhouse: Cincinnati, OH (Dent) |
10 |
Excellent!
2007 Frightmaster Award Winner!
|
| Kings Island "Halloween Haunt": Mason, OH |
| Halloween Haunt: OVERALL
SCORE: |
9 |
Excellent! |
| Halloween Haunt:
Massacre Manor |
6 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Death Row |
7 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Trail Of Terror |
10 |
Excellent! |
| Halloween Haunt:
carnEVIL |
8 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Red Beard's Revenge |
7.5 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt: Tombstone
TERROR-tory |
8 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt:
Club Blood |
8.5 |
Very Good |
| Halloween Haunt -
Fearzone: The Worksite |
6 |
Good |
| Halloween Haunt -
Fearzone: CornStalkers |
5 |
Average |
| Halloween Haunt -
Fearzone: The Cemetary |
4 |
Poor |
| USS Nightmare: Newport, KY |
9.5 |
Excellent! |
| Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY (NKY) |
9.5 |
Excellent! |
2006 Haunted House Tour
Ratings:
| Haunted
Attraction Name |
Rating |
Rating
Rank |
| Waverly Hills Sanatorium: Louisville, KY |
N/A |
Real Haunt Investigation |
| Cedar Point - Halloweekend: Sandusky, OH |
9 |
Excellent! |
| The Asylum House: Indianapolis, IN |
9 |
Excellent! |
| Nightmare On Edgewood: Indianapolis, IN |
7.5 |
Good |
| Hanna Haunted Acres: Indianapolis, IN |
2.5 |
Poor |
| Fright Manor: Indianapolis, IN |
9.5 |
Excellent! |
| USS Nightmare: Newport, KY |
10.5 |
FRIGHTMASTER! |
| Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY (NKY) |
8.5 |
Very Good |
| Dungeons Of Delhi: Cincinnati, OH (Delhi Twp) |
5 |
Average |
| Haunted House, The: Cincinnati, OH (Dent) |
8.5 |
Very Good |
| House Of Nightmares: Columbus, OH |
7.5 |
Good |
| Dead Acres/Haunted Hoochie: Columbus, OH |
5.5 |
Average |
For a complete list of haunted attractions' past ratings,
click HERE!
 
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