Asylum Haunted Screampark - 2017 Review

Overall Score - 7.5 / 10
Individual attraction ratings below

Zombie Hunting
Overall Score - 5.2
Scare Factor - 4
Actors - 5.3
Visuals - 5.3
Value - 6

Teresa - The paintball is much better than the last time I did it. There were more zombies to shoot at, and they put on a pretty good show, coming right up to the windows of our vehicle. The driver was entertaining as well. You have the option to buy more paintballs if you really want to go crazy. The course is still pretty short. You actually end up going back and forth over the same area several times. That didn't bother me too much though. It's the live (undead?) zombies that you can shoot that matter more than the scenery. Personally, I wouldn't pay for this alone, but as part of the All Access Pass, it is a fun bonus. How often do you get the chance to shoot zombies that aren't on a video screen?

Paul - I hate rating Zombie Hunting as low as I am, but it just doesn't fit our categories well. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the ratings reflect.

Zombie Hunting is an attraction where you get to shoot paintballs at zombies. You board an old school bus with paintball guns mounted in the window openings and they drive you around a course while you shoot zombies who jump out from hiding places. As zombie paintball attractions go it's pretty fun. You get a decent supply of paintballs and the guns seem pretty accurate. It would have been nice if the course was a little longer and had more than the 2 or 3 zombies I saw, but I still had fun with it and was startled by a sneaky zombie or two who snuck really close to the bus and surprised us all.

Todd - Zombie Hunting is a paintball course in which a converted bus with mounted paintball guns drives in a field which is surrounded by building facades with both live actors as well as body props. Various cars and other scenery are sprinkled throughout in the event you're really trigger happy. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find improvements over last year. First, last year I do not recall any live actors. Not only are there a few, but they add a little bit of entertainment by walking up to the bus, banging on it, etc. The driver even added some flavor dialogue to help the experience. 

Each rider begins with 150 paintballs which can get you through the ride at a moderate shooting pace. Extras can be purchased for those who need to really let out some aggression. 

This particular attraction would be better (in my opinion) if it ran through the woods or a more linear path rather than circling a field, but I also recognize converting it to such a setup could be a daunting task requiring more land. 

Xterminate Mutant Attack
Overall Score - 7.3
Scare Factor - 8
Actors - 8
Visuals - 5.3
Value - 8

Teresa - In this attraction, there has been an incident that causes all of these clowns to turn into mutant clowns who want to kill you. Your mission is to find these 3 hidden objects so you can cure the mutant clowns and save the world. In my opinion this one was much improved over last year. The guns automatically reload and having a mission made it a much more engaging experience. I really found this to be lots of fun. It feels like living a video game. The sets are pretty basic, but well-done. It is hard enough to find your way through, look for the hidden boxes, and shoot clowns all at the same time, so you wouldn't appreciate elaborate decorations anyway. We moved through the maze of rooms and buildings, looking for the hidden boxes, and all the while, clowns were jumping out and chasing us. You really have to be quick on the draw. I thought it was very exciting! Sadly, we only ended up finding 2 of the 3 boxes, sorry about your luck, world. For me, this is a unique experience I haven't had at other haunted attractions, so it's a no-brainer to at least get the Scare Pass which includes this, Zombie City, and Darkness Falls, if not the All Access Pass where you can do all 4 attractions for the price of 2 purchased separately.

Paul - Here we have a building infested with mutated clowns who are out to get you while you run through a huge area trying to find the switches to the system that will cure them. It's a huge maze that you run through with a laser tag gun to protect yourself. When you shoot a clown they have sensors that make lights on them start flashing, which stuns them for 3-5 seconds so you have some time to get away. This was actually the attraction I had the most fun in. Running around through the maze looking for the switches with clowns jumping out at you and hiding in corners was a blast! Definitely a few startling moments when clowns would jump out from unexpected places too.
I had to leave the visual score low just because you were running through basic wooden building structures. It was still completely enjoyable, but rating this high wouldn't give due credit to the other attractions.

Todd - It's laser tag - Rambo style! First - I'll say it again. BEST laser tag-style guns ever. Love them! No breakdowns this year either!

Xterminate was MUCH improved this year. In previous years, people just ran around randomly shooting at any zombie actor they could find in the allotted time. There was no scoring or any objective other than maybe burning a few calories. 

This year, the theme has been switched to mutant clowns (after all, it's the year of the clown with IT being out) and you're tasked with finding 3 large panels with switches which will release the cure, all before time runs out. This worked so much better for this attraction. The course is a very large indoor area with room structures inside with a lot of doorways to weave through and many windows to keep an eye on.

I found it to be so much more enjoyable actually having to find things while still shooting the clowns (which of course only temporarily stuns them) and keeping them out of my way. Conveniently for them, when you did find a switch, it makes a loud cracking noise alerting them to your location. The actors were pretty high-energy and had no reservations about waiting for you in a dark corner. 

We only found 2 of the 3 boxes before the time was up. Xterminate this year was by far the most fun of either previous visit.

Zombie City
Overall Score - 8.5
Scare Factor - 7.3
Actors - 9.3
Visuals - 8.7
Value - 8.7

Teresa - Zombie City is an on-going story that has been evolving every year. It is an interactive experience, where you and the people in your group are led through a zombie-infested city and you have to try to get through it alive. You meet up with various characters, some of whom are there to help, some are zombies, and some are infected, crazed lunatics. And disturbingly, it isn't always easy to tell the difference. The sets, actors, and story are great. The characters force you to participate and make decisions and look for objects you'll need to get through alive. This is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we had a couple people in our group this year who didn't want to participate, who tried their best to ruin it for the rest of the group by making dumb comments and lagging behind and trying to show how not-scared they were. I only mention this because our guide, Gwen, did a commendable job of dealing with them. The actors really are fantastic. This is another unique experience, because rarely do you get to interact with the characters to the extent you do in this very theatrical production. Highly recommended! The only thing that would make it better is real zombies to pick off the people who shouldn't survive!

Paul - This was the most interactive of the haunts, which made it different from any other haunt attraction I've been through. It was almost like being in a live-action video game. You enter into a research facility owned by Paragon Technologies where an outbreak has caused chaos and you have to escape and make your way to safety with the help of a guide. I really enjoyed how this one progressed and how the guide kept the scenes moving. The people that were paired with our group were very challenging, and though I could tell Gwen was frustrated with them, she kept things on track remarkably well. There were several really creepy scenes, awesome sets, some good scares, enthusiastic acting, and it was a really memorable attraction. Great time! 

Todd - Once again Zombie City pulls you into an experience, not just a haunt. Rather than a conventional path or maze you walk through yourself, Zombie City always had a primary actor who leads you down the path, feeding into the story, which changes and evolves each year. The over-arching story revolves around Paragon, a research firm who has inadvertently caused a zombie outbreak that has affected the whole area. 

This year our guide was found immediately trapped in a room. Upon letting her out, she informed us she knew the way through town. As she led us through the town, we encountered many residents including a delirious bus driver, cannibals, religious cultists and an incredibly well-acted doctor who was featured on the intro video that sets up the story. This guy was fantastic, by the way!

Along the way various threats present themselves and there's interaction between the characters and your guide that contribute to the story. Sometimes you may need to look for something, carry something from one scene to another, etc. There are some interesting effects that take place as well which assist in pulling you into the experience - I won't spoil them here, though.

Zombie City isn't necessarily the scariest attraction at Asylum but it's a very unique take on a haunt that we haven't really found anywhere else. It brings interactivity to a whole other level and presents something different and refreshing.

Darkness Falls
Overall Score - 9
Scare Factor - 8
Actors - 9.3
Visuals - 9.3
Value - 9.3

Teresa - Darkness Falls is a long trail you walk through some creepy woods. There are some really memorable scenes, including these glowing white mannequins, a shanty town full of crazed cannibals, one actor who was cutting the skin off of someone, a couple cults, a chef offering up yummy meal worms, some insane clowns, a great cemetery and crypt, slides, a couple spots where your group is split up, and a surprise from above. And, of course...chainsaws. This is a great, long, classic trail haunt. The actors were really entertaining and scary, and the scenes are professional quality with very good use of props. This is well worth the cost of admission. I'd highly recommend the Scare Pass or All Access Pass to take advantage of the price breaks. Plus all of the attractions are really fun and quite different, so why not make an evening of it? The park also has food available, a stage show with fire-eaters and other carnival-type acts, a booth with jewelry, and group photos. There was one wandering actor who was really cracking me up. He looked like a creepy rabbit or like a character from the movie, You're Next. He did an awesome job of stalking people, and just popping up in the most unexpected places. He was really freaking some people out. Kudos to him!

Paul - This is a haunted trail through the woods. It's a really long haunt with some very memorable scenes and actors. Some major creepiness to this one, and some awesome scares. I'd say the weirdest scene for me was the one with all of the mannequins. So eerie! This is the longest haunt at Asylum, and I'd say the signature one. There are a few things here that really stood out, but I don't want to spoil them for anyone who hasn't been. I'll just say that some of the scares came at you from unexpected places! This is one of the best haunted trail type attractions I've been through.

Asylum also did a really good job of spacing out groups too. We didn't see any other groups in any of the haunts the whole time we were there. That's a really important factor to drawing people into a haunt for a really good scare, and I'd say is under-appreciated by most people. The lines can be a little longer because of it, but it's well worth it!

Todd - Darkness Falls is, in my opinion, the premier attraction at Asylum. It's a very long, dark, outdoor trail overflowing with various themes and structures. It has everything from crazy hillbilly cannibals, to clowns, to psychopathic murderers, to cultists...it's got it all!

The actors were great. They all played their role quite well within their theme, never breaking character. I'll give a few shout outs - First to the gentleman performing the intro monologue. He did a great job setting the tone. Secondly, one guy about half way in the woods actually stopped us for a moment because we were catching up with the group in front of us. He maintained his demeanor but did explain he wanted to ensure we had the best possible experience by avoiding the conga line effect. It was much appreciated! I also specifically remember the guy with the pentagram carved into his head. He really put off a "yeah...I'm not going to mess with this dude" vibe. 

There's a plethora of stuff to look at along the way and the lighting is just right to where you can get through without tripping over the uneven ground but still having to really focus and take in everything there is to see. 

Noticeable changes from last year were minimal but as with Zombie City, the environment is a supporting entity to the actors, who are the driving force of this haunt. 

It's also worth mentioning that on special nights, Darkness falls goes completely dark for the Slenderman experience. While we have not experienced it ourselves (but we'd absolutely love to), it sounds incredible. Armed only with a flashlight, a group of 2 people must navigate the trail finding all 8 of the randomly placed papers while avoiding the evil lurking about. 

Lastly, if you haven't seen it, watch "Monsters Wanted" - a documentary about owner Richard Teachout's journey in making Asylum Haunted Screampark a reality. It's free on Amazon Prime Video:

Monsters Wanted - Amazon Prime Video

...and yes, I will watch it very soon Richard. :)