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2025 Review |
Entertainment
Paul - I enjoyed Blood Prison from start to finish. It's a super long haunt with a huge amount of variety. Easily one of the most entertaining haunts we visit, and I always enjoy going back. Todd -This is a fun haunt. Period. There are ZERO dead spots. There's so much to look at and lots of actors you can't avoid. The consistent change in theme works well too, neither one overstays its welcome. It's a long haunt and before you know it, you've survived to the end and want to jump right back in. Teresa - It's absolutely a great time! There are tons of food booths outside, the building is fascinating, the music is great, there are queue actors to scare you and to pose for photos with, there is a cell block in the front you can use for photos, there was a guy doing a fire act while we were there, the haunt itself is terrifying, and there are tons of souvenirs from the haunt and the Ohio State Reformatory itself for sale, as well as more food inside. It's really a special place to see, and the history really adds weight to the experience. Tickets are timed because this place does sell out! |
Scare Factor
Paul - There were scares aplenty at Blood Prison this year. A lot of haunts will start or finish strong, but there will always be kind of a slow spot. Blood Prison starts strong, ends strong, and in-betweens strong. There's really not much of a slow spot throughout. Todd - There are so many different dynamics of scare here that it would be hard to score it any lower. Jump scares? Check. Personal space intrusion? Check. Gore? Double Check. No matter what "gets you", Blood Prison is sure to offer it. They have everything from the traditional haunt setting to insane clowns and religious undertones. It's a buffet of experiences that doesn't get stale. Teresa - Blood Prison is terrifying. It's in a real old State Penitentiary and it looks it. You might recognize it as Shawshank. On top of that, it's packed with horrifying scenes, outstanding effects, tons of jump scares, loud music in dark cell-lined hallways that really gets your adrenaline going, and actors who love to intimidate. If you dare, they can even touch you, which they do with zeal. The touch really adds a sense of danger. We were caressed, grabbed, tickled, swatted, hit with pillows, and I got yanked out of one of the squeezy air tubes. To have someone grab your arms before you can even see what's ahead is the kind of scary I love! This is just a high-adrenaline place from start to finish! Actors Paul - The actors did a great job in their parts. Very creative dialogue, great use of touch (assuming you opted for the touch pass), and they interact well while still keeping people moving. Todd - First of all, I need to commend the makeup artists. Blood Prison had the best overall makeup work I have seen so far this season. Since Blood Prison is a high throughput haunt, not to mention huge, there aren't really any narrative roles. However, each actor is portrayed properly to their scene. They do a great job of adding to the sinister and chaotic vibe to the haunt. Teresa - There were tons of actors this year, and they were all eager to interact. They tease, taunt, menace, lunge, and threaten to do all kinds of things to you. The touch factor really gives them a whole new way to intimidate you. I never felt like any of it went too far. I was never in danger of tripping, falling, or felt like I could get hurt. I especially liked the two girls in the bedroom scene who hit one of us hard with a pillow. And I was delighted that someone was actually waiting to grab me at the end of the inflated squeeze-through tunnel. And the queue actors are legendary. The warden's widow is as terrifying as they come. You cannot miss her. Immersion
Paul - It's really hard to get more immersive than this. The location obviously gives them a huge head start, but the set builds, the acting, costuming, audio, lighting- all amazing. I'm always a little torn on whether the re-queuing takes away from the immersiveness, but I think I'll take that over a big giant conga line any day. We went on their busiest day of the year, and still had a nearly perfect visit. Very impressive. Todd -In my opinion this is Blood Prison's best build yet. More than ever, long lines of sight are obstructed by various props in the two cell wings of the building. Like last year, the addition of enclosed rooms in portions of the cell blocks also give a welcome variety of experiences. Also regarding the cell block wings, while at times they are still used as part of the overall scene, there's now enough going on in other aspects that it no longer feels like a haunt obviously constructed within a prison. If this haunt had to pick up and relocate tomorrow, it would do just fine in a more conventional setting. The first section (the house) is as impressive as ever also. There is so much detail - gore, structural damage and authentic props that it really transports you somewhere else. Visually, this is my favorite area. Teresa - The immersion here is hard to beat. It's a real closed-down prison. It's dark, crumbling, dank, rusty, and creepy as all heck in the daylight. In the haunt, all this is used to great effect. The lighting is fantastic and lines of sight are used to really show you the multiple floors of cell blocks. You can look up in the distance and see bodies skewered floors above you. You can feel the immense size of the place. And just as scary, you find yourself in the dark, haunted hallways of solitary where you can't see what might be lurking in the cells. You twist and turn through everything horrible you could ever imagine being in a prison, and then some. |
What Makes This Haunt Special
Paul - I always default to the location here, but the overall build is just super impressive. Yes it's in one of the coolest buildings around, but the haunt is just so good- even if it wasn't in such a fantastic place.
Todd - The easy answer is...well, it's in an old prison, so that's cool. However, honestly, that aside, this is simply a SOLID haunt. They have a huge cast of actors that are in the zone, great costuming and makeup, ever-improving builds with just the right (and optional) amount of touch interaction. It's REALLY good. The building is just the cherry on top.
Teresa - The immensity of the building and the fact that it was a real prison for decades really give it this aura that you can feel throughout the visit. Certain places have this dramatic presence that you just have to experience, and this is one. It uses the prison setting and scales it up to the nth degree. Throw everything you'd want in a top-notch haunt and nightmare prison inside, and it feels like you're lost in miles of dark hallways, surrounded by horrors from which there is no escape. It is a prison, after all.
Todd - The easy answer is...well, it's in an old prison, so that's cool. However, honestly, that aside, this is simply a SOLID haunt. They have a huge cast of actors that are in the zone, great costuming and makeup, ever-improving builds with just the right (and optional) amount of touch interaction. It's REALLY good. The building is just the cherry on top.
Teresa - The immensity of the building and the fact that it was a real prison for decades really give it this aura that you can feel throughout the visit. Certain places have this dramatic presence that you just have to experience, and this is one. It uses the prison setting and scales it up to the nth degree. Throw everything you'd want in a top-notch haunt and nightmare prison inside, and it feels like you're lost in miles of dark hallways, surrounded by horrors from which there is no escape. It is a prison, after all.
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