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 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 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 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 enthusiasts 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.  

Visit their website at www.visitkingsisland.com/special/haunt

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 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

Review coming soon!

2007 Frightmaster Award Winner!