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Most anticipated haunt for 2022? |
Todd - Carnage Haunted House may just be the haunt gem you have yet to discover. While forced to take an unexpected break in 2020, this crew took full advantage of that time to renovate their new home which was expected to debut last year. The wait was worth it and for myself, Carnage is so far the most anticipated haunt for 2022.
We have only visited Carnage once before at their previous location, in 2019. Even then, the builds were impressive and there were a lot of unique things we had not seen implemented before. It wasn’t the biggest building, but it still offered a lot. Now in this new space (a gutted bowling alley), the talent and experience is very apparent. Some scenes were successfully transferred, such as the original cabin which still contains its signature taxidermy display and others were expanded upon, most notably the hospital which carries the on-going storyline of a sinister entity overtaking the staff, which worsens as you progress.
The highlights for me were the new builds and scenes. The very first scene, for example, is a shanty (presumably on a stormy bayou) in which a voodoo priestess will perform a tarot card reading. As our fates were deciphered, esoteric symbols began to glow all around the room. After a voodoo doll was presented (uh oh), we exited the room and soon found ourselves on a fishing dock raised above actual water. The boardwalk had buildings on either side with some great actors mixed throughout. It looks fantastic!
One thing I can greatly appreciate about Carnage is the level of recreation that is implemented to give the environments an authentic feel. Co-owner Jason told us that he visited New Orleans for a few weeks taking in the area’s architecture, including their above ground cemeteries – namely the St Louis cemeteries. One portion of Carnage is a twisting, winding path through life-sized vaults, molded and sculpted just like those found in these famous places of rest. Complete with rod iron fencing, it is a very impressive accomplishment. I did feel like a little more detail to the area was still needed though – more flora, groundcover, etc. Regardless, I haven’t found anything quite like it anywhere else, especially at this scale.
The primary crew behind Carnage Haunted House are deeply rooted in the haunt industry and it shows. The lighting (even in the lobby) is well staged and matches each separate environment appropriately. For example, the lighting in the cabin is a warmer tone while in the hospital is it very cool and pale. The actors are explicitly coached to interact with patrons and deliver dialogue that is relevant to the story or theme – no “Boos” or “Hey You!” Rather than having a "that looks good enough" presentation, Carnage takes it head on, more like "How can we make this even better?"
Carnage currently offers two main areas, the French Creole-inspired sections and the hospital. Though they are not split apart there is a French Quarter street set that separates the two. We did wind up in a conga line towards the end of the hospital so that dividing point may be a great place to have a queue reset. However, the next build for Carnage looks as if it will start off of this same area, so use for this street area may change over time.
After seeing what Carnage currently offers, I have a strong feeling that the future of this haunt is very bright. There is an excellent mix of talent, authenticity and creativity that I believe will keep Carnage equally impressive and intriguing in the years to come. I think what we see now is the base of a haunt that will continue to be layered with more and more detail and originality, all while expanding and offering new experiences. I can’t wait to see what is next!
Note: This haunt contains MANY horror easter eggs so keep your eyes peeled!
We have only visited Carnage once before at their previous location, in 2019. Even then, the builds were impressive and there were a lot of unique things we had not seen implemented before. It wasn’t the biggest building, but it still offered a lot. Now in this new space (a gutted bowling alley), the talent and experience is very apparent. Some scenes were successfully transferred, such as the original cabin which still contains its signature taxidermy display and others were expanded upon, most notably the hospital which carries the on-going storyline of a sinister entity overtaking the staff, which worsens as you progress.
The highlights for me were the new builds and scenes. The very first scene, for example, is a shanty (presumably on a stormy bayou) in which a voodoo priestess will perform a tarot card reading. As our fates were deciphered, esoteric symbols began to glow all around the room. After a voodoo doll was presented (uh oh), we exited the room and soon found ourselves on a fishing dock raised above actual water. The boardwalk had buildings on either side with some great actors mixed throughout. It looks fantastic!
One thing I can greatly appreciate about Carnage is the level of recreation that is implemented to give the environments an authentic feel. Co-owner Jason told us that he visited New Orleans for a few weeks taking in the area’s architecture, including their above ground cemeteries – namely the St Louis cemeteries. One portion of Carnage is a twisting, winding path through life-sized vaults, molded and sculpted just like those found in these famous places of rest. Complete with rod iron fencing, it is a very impressive accomplishment. I did feel like a little more detail to the area was still needed though – more flora, groundcover, etc. Regardless, I haven’t found anything quite like it anywhere else, especially at this scale.
The primary crew behind Carnage Haunted House are deeply rooted in the haunt industry and it shows. The lighting (even in the lobby) is well staged and matches each separate environment appropriately. For example, the lighting in the cabin is a warmer tone while in the hospital is it very cool and pale. The actors are explicitly coached to interact with patrons and deliver dialogue that is relevant to the story or theme – no “Boos” or “Hey You!” Rather than having a "that looks good enough" presentation, Carnage takes it head on, more like "How can we make this even better?"
Carnage currently offers two main areas, the French Creole-inspired sections and the hospital. Though they are not split apart there is a French Quarter street set that separates the two. We did wind up in a conga line towards the end of the hospital so that dividing point may be a great place to have a queue reset. However, the next build for Carnage looks as if it will start off of this same area, so use for this street area may change over time.
After seeing what Carnage currently offers, I have a strong feeling that the future of this haunt is very bright. There is an excellent mix of talent, authenticity and creativity that I believe will keep Carnage equally impressive and intriguing in the years to come. I think what we see now is the base of a haunt that will continue to be layered with more and more detail and originality, all while expanding and offering new experiences. I can’t wait to see what is next!
Note: This haunt contains MANY horror easter eggs so keep your eyes peeled!
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Carnage is back!! |
Paul - It's fun seeing what haunters will convert into haunts. There are a huge number of places that had interesting former lives but this is definitely the first bowling alley conversion I've seen. Now that we've gotten the opportunity to visit Carnage's new digs, I can say that it's a huge upgrade from their old location. Better parking, indoor queue, great atmosphere, and something like 5x the space of their prior location!
Any time a haunt has a change as big as moving location, it can take a while to get their groove back and really make it feel like they want it to. There are so many bugs to work out it can really be a challenge, but Carnage was able to pull it off and put together a fantastic haunt.
The #1 most impressive part to me is the crew of actors they have. SO engaging, great costuming, super active, and their dialogue was fantastic- never just a generic RAAR or BOO. Every single person we encountered was excellent at their craft, and that's extremely rare for us to encounter. In addition- there wasn't a single place inside where it felt like there should have been an actor and there wasn't one. This is pretty rare these days but definitely a welcome sight!
The second most impressive part undoubtedly the set build-out. So much detail, quality, and creativity- and it's their first year open here! There are currently 2 different haunts that you pass through sequentially, and both of them are very well done. The first half has a Bayou-swamp-New Orleans theme to it and has a few small scares that were super creative, as well as a couple of the coolest sets I've come across in a while. The swamp area was great- there were so many little tricks used to lure you into distractions before they hit you with the big scare, and it was as believable as any swamp scene I've come across anywhere. The other one that was super striking is the cemetery. What a build! You walk through so many ultra-realistic features, you aren't even sure what's real and what's a prop.
The second portion of the haunt takes you into a hospital off of bourbon street where things don't seem so have gone so well for the people inside. Every area in here was really detailed, well lit, and of course had great actors. While the first half of the haunt seemed to rely on creepiness to build the scare, this portion was more chaos. Crazies are everywhere and will come out of nowhere to let you know just how crazy they are. The only downside we had here was that we got stuck behind some people that were so scared they were just barely moving along, and it caused a conga line for us. It doesn't seem like a normal occurrence there but we got caught this time.
The two sections made for a pretty long haunt as well. All of the extra square footage they have now really gave the Carnage folks some room to flex and show what they can do, and there's still a lot more space to go! Carnage has put together a great haunt and it should 100% be on your list to see. You need to get to the south side of Columbus and experience this one for yourself!
Any time a haunt has a change as big as moving location, it can take a while to get their groove back and really make it feel like they want it to. There are so many bugs to work out it can really be a challenge, but Carnage was able to pull it off and put together a fantastic haunt.
The #1 most impressive part to me is the crew of actors they have. SO engaging, great costuming, super active, and their dialogue was fantastic- never just a generic RAAR or BOO. Every single person we encountered was excellent at their craft, and that's extremely rare for us to encounter. In addition- there wasn't a single place inside where it felt like there should have been an actor and there wasn't one. This is pretty rare these days but definitely a welcome sight!
The second most impressive part undoubtedly the set build-out. So much detail, quality, and creativity- and it's their first year open here! There are currently 2 different haunts that you pass through sequentially, and both of them are very well done. The first half has a Bayou-swamp-New Orleans theme to it and has a few small scares that were super creative, as well as a couple of the coolest sets I've come across in a while. The swamp area was great- there were so many little tricks used to lure you into distractions before they hit you with the big scare, and it was as believable as any swamp scene I've come across anywhere. The other one that was super striking is the cemetery. What a build! You walk through so many ultra-realistic features, you aren't even sure what's real and what's a prop.
The second portion of the haunt takes you into a hospital off of bourbon street where things don't seem so have gone so well for the people inside. Every area in here was really detailed, well lit, and of course had great actors. While the first half of the haunt seemed to rely on creepiness to build the scare, this portion was more chaos. Crazies are everywhere and will come out of nowhere to let you know just how crazy they are. The only downside we had here was that we got stuck behind some people that were so scared they were just barely moving along, and it caused a conga line for us. It doesn't seem like a normal occurrence there but we got caught this time.
The two sections made for a pretty long haunt as well. All of the extra square footage they have now really gave the Carnage folks some room to flex and show what they can do, and there's still a lot more space to go! Carnage has put together a great haunt and it should 100% be on your list to see. You need to get to the south side of Columbus and experience this one for yourself!
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You meet a voodoo priestess, go through a swamp, walk through a life-size New Orleans cemetery and see the largest voodoo doll you'll ever see. |
Teresa - Praise be to whatever light or dark forces you choose to follow! Carnage has returned! It's in a new, gigantic location, and has two new attractions to give you swampy voodoo nightmares, plus there's already a third attraction on the horizon for next year. It's a great time to be a horror-loving adrenaline junkie in Columbus! The website will show you the new location, info about tickets (and available discounts) and hours and all the usual. Tickets are available online or onsite. Parking is plentiful and tickets are very reasonable for the amount of scares. Plus, the queue is all inside, so you don't have to worry about the weather. The website will also tell you the backstory, which is a tragically horrific story involving a voodoo priestess hanged over 200 years ago for the first attraction (The Bayou), and a doctor, bringing a dark entity back to the hospital with him from the deep swamps for the second (The Entity). If you love that voodoo witch-queen, New Orleans cemetery vibe, you'll love Carnage.
Before you enter The Bayou, you'll be given a little information, and reminded that each room pays homage to a different horror movie, so it's kind of a fun little game you can play, trying to figure out all of them. Even though I'm a huge horror movie fan, I'm terrible at this. The scenes are so creative, the jump scares so prolific, and the actors so engaging and disturbing, that I forget immediately to even look for movie clues. The décor here is lovingly handcrafted and the attention to detail is impressive, right down to the smells. You meet a voodoo priestess, go through a swamp, walk through a life-size New Orleans cemetery and see the largest voodoo doll you'll ever see. Well, maybe until next year. You never know. The effects are outstanding and I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen a nutria (swamp rat) or two scampering between crypts. The second part takes you through a very disturbing hospital, cursed by an evil entity. The walls are oozing black mold and the people are sick and insane. Again, the effects are really creative. I loved the burning body in the incinerator, with the smoke pouring out.
The actors are really creepy and aggressive! Burned into my mind are the clown images on the asylum walls and the insanity in the patient's face as he smeared more and more lipstick around and around in an ever-widening circle around his mouth. So simple and so horrifying! My favorite thing about Carnage is what a unique experience it is. From the scenes, to the interactive characters, to the costumes, to the props...they are all carefully planned and created and you never know who or what you're going to be scared by next. The entire way through, unexpected things kept catching my eye. When you don't know what to expect, you're in a constant state of fear of the unknown. That's what makes this place a must-see. I really like the New Orleans flavor, too. Why don't you take a trip this October to the bayou? There's plenty of voodoo-spiced gator to go around!
Before you enter The Bayou, you'll be given a little information, and reminded that each room pays homage to a different horror movie, so it's kind of a fun little game you can play, trying to figure out all of them. Even though I'm a huge horror movie fan, I'm terrible at this. The scenes are so creative, the jump scares so prolific, and the actors so engaging and disturbing, that I forget immediately to even look for movie clues. The décor here is lovingly handcrafted and the attention to detail is impressive, right down to the smells. You meet a voodoo priestess, go through a swamp, walk through a life-size New Orleans cemetery and see the largest voodoo doll you'll ever see. Well, maybe until next year. You never know. The effects are outstanding and I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen a nutria (swamp rat) or two scampering between crypts. The second part takes you through a very disturbing hospital, cursed by an evil entity. The walls are oozing black mold and the people are sick and insane. Again, the effects are really creative. I loved the burning body in the incinerator, with the smoke pouring out.
The actors are really creepy and aggressive! Burned into my mind are the clown images on the asylum walls and the insanity in the patient's face as he smeared more and more lipstick around and around in an ever-widening circle around his mouth. So simple and so horrifying! My favorite thing about Carnage is what a unique experience it is. From the scenes, to the interactive characters, to the costumes, to the props...they are all carefully planned and created and you never know who or what you're going to be scared by next. The entire way through, unexpected things kept catching my eye. When you don't know what to expect, you're in a constant state of fear of the unknown. That's what makes this place a must-see. I really like the New Orleans flavor, too. Why don't you take a trip this October to the bayou? There's plenty of voodoo-spiced gator to go around!
Questions? Have a story to share? Leave it in the comments!