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A big, spacious, indoor haunt that continues to grow! |
Todd - Carnage is a haunt that should be on your radar if it isn’t already. There’s a lot of very unique things about it that make for a great experience.
Residing in an unsuspecting former bowling alley, Carnage currently offers two haunts with a third on the way. That’s right – it’s all indoors, including the queue. More so for us 80s kids (and older) you’ll immediately be swept up in the bowling alley nostalgia. The entire front area remains open, just as it was when leagues competed with the entire length of the building unobscured. Rather than being full of ball racks, tables of beer and cigarette machines, the lengthy lobby is lined with decorations, sets for photo ops, a repurposed service desk and ACTUAL indoor bathrooms (something highly coveted by haunt goers). The building’s width also accommodates a lengthy queue area where line actors roam as well as TVs to watch. At the time of our visit, the greatest campiest movie I’d seen in a while was playing. I later learned it was a movie titled “Clay Zombies” which was actually filmed at Carnage’s previous location.
Carnage has some very stylized sets. I call them sets because some of these areas are more than just rooms. Some are large open areas with a lot of constructed scenery, lending to a very thematic experience. For example, shortly after the introductory scene of The Bayou (the first haunt), you’ll find yourself on an impressive pier raised above actual water. The pier is lined with small building facades on either end, giving scare actors ample hiding places. There’s also probably the most impressive graveyard I’ve seen in a haunt, which consists of above-ground tombs, built to scale, modeled after those found in cemeteries in New Orleans…and it’s not just a few. There’s a lot of them that the path weaves in and around. This whole haunt is set up by a VERY impressive opening sequence in a shanty, where a voodoo priestess sets up the story. The actress who recited this lengthy dialogue was fantastic! I was only more impressed by the thought that she must do this time after time after time for each inbound group.
The second haunt, The Entity, takes place in a hospital that becomes more progressively infected with a physical, evil, symbiote-like parasite that is overtaking both the building and the last remaining patients and staff. I found this section to be a great mix of both horror and humor this year. Some of the actors portraying the patients were highly entertaining in their degraded mental state. Others were much more sinister and out for blood – literally. I really liked how the chaos of the situation became more and more visually apparent the further in we went. This area also had clever means of blocking off areas you weren’t supposed to go, like stacking wheelchairs and countless walkers in an entry way like a poltergeist was having a medical closeout sale. Some other decorations were so simple and yet entirely effective. One patient was obsessed with clowns so the entire room, wall to wall was plastered with coloring pages from ANYTHING with clowns. Some looked like the old tray liners from McDonalds and stuff I haven’t seen since 1985.
Carnage has a lot of décor and props that are very unique, at least per my observation. There’s so much in there and it’s not always WHAT you may see, but also how it’s used or staged with other items. It’s kind of like if there was an antique mall for horror, organized together by room or setting. I say this not to portray Carnage as shoddy – far from it! It’s more to highlight the uniqueness of the haunt, particularly in The Bayou. They’ve also taken extended effort to hide horror movie easter eggs throughout the haunt. So keep your eyes peeled and see how many of these nods to classics you can spot.
The third haunt is being constructed now, assumed to open for the 2023 season. I am VERY much looking forward to seeing it after experiencing the creativity of Carnage several times now. Columbus, Ohio has an interesting spectrum of haunts. Fear Columbus dominates most marketing outlets, pushing for fast paced volume, while Haunted Hoochie seems to pull in repeat visitors and their shock style lends to a lot of word-of-mouth endorsement. However, let it be known that Carnage offers a style and experience that is worth seeing just as much as any other haunt in the area, so make sure you keep it on your list for each season. Best of all, there’s no need to wait until next fall. Carnage also has off season events too, including an Easter haunt in which you look for literal easter eggs while going through. So – keep an eye on social media or the website for those dates.
Residing in an unsuspecting former bowling alley, Carnage currently offers two haunts with a third on the way. That’s right – it’s all indoors, including the queue. More so for us 80s kids (and older) you’ll immediately be swept up in the bowling alley nostalgia. The entire front area remains open, just as it was when leagues competed with the entire length of the building unobscured. Rather than being full of ball racks, tables of beer and cigarette machines, the lengthy lobby is lined with decorations, sets for photo ops, a repurposed service desk and ACTUAL indoor bathrooms (something highly coveted by haunt goers). The building’s width also accommodates a lengthy queue area where line actors roam as well as TVs to watch. At the time of our visit, the greatest campiest movie I’d seen in a while was playing. I later learned it was a movie titled “Clay Zombies” which was actually filmed at Carnage’s previous location.
Carnage has some very stylized sets. I call them sets because some of these areas are more than just rooms. Some are large open areas with a lot of constructed scenery, lending to a very thematic experience. For example, shortly after the introductory scene of The Bayou (the first haunt), you’ll find yourself on an impressive pier raised above actual water. The pier is lined with small building facades on either end, giving scare actors ample hiding places. There’s also probably the most impressive graveyard I’ve seen in a haunt, which consists of above-ground tombs, built to scale, modeled after those found in cemeteries in New Orleans…and it’s not just a few. There’s a lot of them that the path weaves in and around. This whole haunt is set up by a VERY impressive opening sequence in a shanty, where a voodoo priestess sets up the story. The actress who recited this lengthy dialogue was fantastic! I was only more impressed by the thought that she must do this time after time after time for each inbound group.
The second haunt, The Entity, takes place in a hospital that becomes more progressively infected with a physical, evil, symbiote-like parasite that is overtaking both the building and the last remaining patients and staff. I found this section to be a great mix of both horror and humor this year. Some of the actors portraying the patients were highly entertaining in their degraded mental state. Others were much more sinister and out for blood – literally. I really liked how the chaos of the situation became more and more visually apparent the further in we went. This area also had clever means of blocking off areas you weren’t supposed to go, like stacking wheelchairs and countless walkers in an entry way like a poltergeist was having a medical closeout sale. Some other decorations were so simple and yet entirely effective. One patient was obsessed with clowns so the entire room, wall to wall was plastered with coloring pages from ANYTHING with clowns. Some looked like the old tray liners from McDonalds and stuff I haven’t seen since 1985.
Carnage has a lot of décor and props that are very unique, at least per my observation. There’s so much in there and it’s not always WHAT you may see, but also how it’s used or staged with other items. It’s kind of like if there was an antique mall for horror, organized together by room or setting. I say this not to portray Carnage as shoddy – far from it! It’s more to highlight the uniqueness of the haunt, particularly in The Bayou. They’ve also taken extended effort to hide horror movie easter eggs throughout the haunt. So keep your eyes peeled and see how many of these nods to classics you can spot.
The third haunt is being constructed now, assumed to open for the 2023 season. I am VERY much looking forward to seeing it after experiencing the creativity of Carnage several times now. Columbus, Ohio has an interesting spectrum of haunts. Fear Columbus dominates most marketing outlets, pushing for fast paced volume, while Haunted Hoochie seems to pull in repeat visitors and their shock style lends to a lot of word-of-mouth endorsement. However, let it be known that Carnage offers a style and experience that is worth seeing just as much as any other haunt in the area, so make sure you keep it on your list for each season. Best of all, there’s no need to wait until next fall. Carnage also has off season events too, including an Easter haunt in which you look for literal easter eggs while going through. So – keep an eye on social media or the website for those dates.
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Don't touch the black goo! |
Paul - Carnage is one of the more creative haunts I've ever been through. There are scares used in here that I've never seen anywhere else, there are very unique uses of some haunt-standard props, some beautifully built sets, very good actors, and a great theme they hold the whole way through.
The theme to the haunt is Voodoo chaos. You'll go through one of my favorite haunt swamp scenes there is, a humongous and stunning bayou graveyard, and a hospital overrun with black magic. The theme is great, the actors are convincing, and they do a great job of immersing you into their world and keeping you there throughout.
Located inside of an old bowling alley southeast of downtown Columbus, Carnage is an all-indoor haunt. The ticket counter, queue, restrooms, and the attraction are all indoors and make for a nice place to hang out while waiting to go into the show -and it's a really entertaining show! Tons of scares all throughout, lots of creativity, good actors, unique costuming, and beautiful sets. From start to finish, you'll experience things you just won't find anywhere else.
So take a trip over to Carnage and slog through the swamp. It's a great time and a great show!
The theme to the haunt is Voodoo chaos. You'll go through one of my favorite haunt swamp scenes there is, a humongous and stunning bayou graveyard, and a hospital overrun with black magic. The theme is great, the actors are convincing, and they do a great job of immersing you into their world and keeping you there throughout.
Located inside of an old bowling alley southeast of downtown Columbus, Carnage is an all-indoor haunt. The ticket counter, queue, restrooms, and the attraction are all indoors and make for a nice place to hang out while waiting to go into the show -and it's a really entertaining show! Tons of scares all throughout, lots of creativity, good actors, unique costuming, and beautiful sets. From start to finish, you'll experience things you just won't find anywhere else.
So take a trip over to Carnage and slog through the swamp. It's a great time and a great show!
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How many eggs can you find? |
Emily - Carnage is one of the most visually pleasing (or maybe I mean disturbing?) haunts I have experienced this year. For starters, the owner is using the old bowling alley to their advantage, giving a familiar, fun loving place a dark and glowing twist. The 3D clown wall is amazing. It is incredible that it is all freehanded by one person.
Once inside, you meet the Voodoo priestess, who sets the tone for the whole haunt. The actress is perfect for that role. The experience is very immersive. Her performance, plus the story build-up while waiting to go in, made me a little nervous to enter. It was my first time at Carnage and I was not disappointed. The layout and jump scares are unexpected and well done. There were several actors who did incredible, while a few needed a little work. It was a good mix of jump and interaction. I do wish the swamp had some more action. My favorite part is how unique Carnage is. They have things you don’t see in any other haunt. Nothing seems cookie-cutter, which is refreshing for our group.
Carnage adds spice to the traditional haunted house mix. With Voodoo, clowns, and an Easter Egg hunt, you never know what to expect around the next dark corner.
Once inside, you meet the Voodoo priestess, who sets the tone for the whole haunt. The actress is perfect for that role. The experience is very immersive. Her performance, plus the story build-up while waiting to go in, made me a little nervous to enter. It was my first time at Carnage and I was not disappointed. The layout and jump scares are unexpected and well done. There were several actors who did incredible, while a few needed a little work. It was a good mix of jump and interaction. I do wish the swamp had some more action. My favorite part is how unique Carnage is. They have things you don’t see in any other haunt. Nothing seems cookie-cutter, which is refreshing for our group.
Carnage adds spice to the traditional haunted house mix. With Voodoo, clowns, and an Easter Egg hunt, you never know what to expect around the next dark corner.
Questions? Have a story to share? Leave it in the comments!