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A unique period piece in the haunt world. |
Todd - 2019 marks the first year for A True American Haunt (TAH), a charity haunt with an uncommon approach - a period piece. The haunt was built within the historic Miller Building in Lancaster, Ohio. It's the perfect setting for the style of haunt TAH is going for.
Rather than relying on expensive animatronics and the latest visual effects, TAH set themselves up for a challenge by dating their haunt in the 1800s and (mostly) keeping their decor and execution to match the era. Much of the haunt simply utilizes the Miller Building's existing interior with some simple additions. This was by far my favorite aspect of this haunt. The building itself is known to be haunted (always a plus) and visually, its age shows inside in a good way. Paint is peeling, the architectural style is far from modern and in many parts it gives off a creepy feel with its stillness. Other areas have been constructed within rooms - for example, a library set was made upstairs because, I assume, there was no library room in the building. There is a nice balance of utilizing the rooms that work "as is" while adding to the others to create the scenes they wanted to add to the story. I loved being able to navigate through the building and take in the interior while experiencing the haunt inside.
It's important to note that because this is a charity haunt, benefiting Habitat For Humanity to house Veterans, much of the materials used to construct this were obtained through donations. This required the crew to push the limits of their creativity to make it work. For example, one room has an incredible amount of chairs stacked in just about every direction a-la-poltergeist which you actually walk under and through. As I understand it, these chairs were all donations that did not sell so they were utilized for the haunt. This room is a prime example of how creative things are here.
TAH's most essential asset, however, is its actors. Ranging in experience, the actors did a great job. Since the haunt has less of a technical crutch to lean on, the actors really have to carry the experience and many of them did a wonderful job of that. Some played possessed people, some play ghosts and some are just plain crazy - and what gusto they had! Not only was there a lot of energy in their presentation, but they visually looked excellent as well. The costuming was very well done with their outfits matching the period and some of the makeup work was outstanding. I recall a few actors that looked very ghostly in the dim light which fit perfectly with the setting.
There was only one area that simply didn't fit and that was the embalmer. Don't get me wrong, the costume was awesome and the guy genuinely entertained me. However, the entire room was highlighted in neon paint with a black light which didn't match the rest of the haunt at all, nor does it fit the time period. I think this character should be more steampunk themed than anything.
All in all, while the fate of this haunt is up in the air to my knowledge, I sincerely hope it will return next year. For a first year haunt (and a charity haunt to boot), it was fantastic! I really want to see what they would do next year, learning from this season regarding what works, what didn't and expand on what they've already established. They have a very specific niche of a theme going on with such a great location. I certainly hope we'll be back visiting in 2020!
Rather than relying on expensive animatronics and the latest visual effects, TAH set themselves up for a challenge by dating their haunt in the 1800s and (mostly) keeping their decor and execution to match the era. Much of the haunt simply utilizes the Miller Building's existing interior with some simple additions. This was by far my favorite aspect of this haunt. The building itself is known to be haunted (always a plus) and visually, its age shows inside in a good way. Paint is peeling, the architectural style is far from modern and in many parts it gives off a creepy feel with its stillness. Other areas have been constructed within rooms - for example, a library set was made upstairs because, I assume, there was no library room in the building. There is a nice balance of utilizing the rooms that work "as is" while adding to the others to create the scenes they wanted to add to the story. I loved being able to navigate through the building and take in the interior while experiencing the haunt inside.
It's important to note that because this is a charity haunt, benefiting Habitat For Humanity to house Veterans, much of the materials used to construct this were obtained through donations. This required the crew to push the limits of their creativity to make it work. For example, one room has an incredible amount of chairs stacked in just about every direction a-la-poltergeist which you actually walk under and through. As I understand it, these chairs were all donations that did not sell so they were utilized for the haunt. This room is a prime example of how creative things are here.
TAH's most essential asset, however, is its actors. Ranging in experience, the actors did a great job. Since the haunt has less of a technical crutch to lean on, the actors really have to carry the experience and many of them did a wonderful job of that. Some played possessed people, some play ghosts and some are just plain crazy - and what gusto they had! Not only was there a lot of energy in their presentation, but they visually looked excellent as well. The costuming was very well done with their outfits matching the period and some of the makeup work was outstanding. I recall a few actors that looked very ghostly in the dim light which fit perfectly with the setting.
There was only one area that simply didn't fit and that was the embalmer. Don't get me wrong, the costume was awesome and the guy genuinely entertained me. However, the entire room was highlighted in neon paint with a black light which didn't match the rest of the haunt at all, nor does it fit the time period. I think this character should be more steampunk themed than anything.
All in all, while the fate of this haunt is up in the air to my knowledge, I sincerely hope it will return next year. For a first year haunt (and a charity haunt to boot), it was fantastic! I really want to see what they would do next year, learning from this season regarding what works, what didn't and expand on what they've already established. They have a very specific niche of a theme going on with such a great location. I certainly hope we'll be back visiting in 2020!
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The name is exactly what they are! |
Paul - When you visit as many haunts as we do, you start to make predictions on how things will go at each haunt before you ever get there. You know which ones always put on a good show, which ones don't change much from year-to-year, and a lot of the indicators of how things might play out when you get there.
A few things that we can usually count on...
1: First year haunts tend to be works in progress, especially when it's a new team coming together on a project.
2: Charity haunts are extremely hit-or-miss.
3: Opening night doesn't ordinarily give you the best show, as everyone is still getting into their groove for the year.
4: When the parking lot is empty when you arrive, there's likely a good reason for that.
So with that out of the way, let's talk about our trip to A True American Haunt (TAH). The visit occurred on opening night (uh oh) of their inaugural season (oh no). TAH is a charity haunt (ah jeez) in Lancaster, OH that was created to raise money for the Miller Building. The Miller Building was an infirmary for over 150 years, and is a massive, really cool old building just north of downtown Lancaster that Habitat for Humanity recently acquired. Their goal is to bring the building back to life for the community's benefit, and to construct housing for local veterans.
We arrived a bit later than anticipated (but still within the posted operating hours) and pulled into the almost completely empty, completely dark parking lot (strike, uh, four?) After making our way to the main grounds, we were greeted by a really cool carnival kind of area with what looked like games and side shows. Had we been a bit earlier I think we would have been able to spend some time on them, but again, we were pushing closing time. So we made our way down to the entrance and stepped inside to see what they had thrown together.
You can imagine my surprise when halfway through I asked myself: WHERE THE HELL DID THIS MASTERPIECE COME FROM?!?
Immediately upon walking in you begin to see why the Miller Building is an absolutely perfect place for a haunt. It's super creepy, in fairly rough shape, smells a little odd, and is so big that it's actually a little disorienting. Add to that all of the completely unique sets, props, costumes, and actors and you end up with what I'm fairly confident will be my pick for surprise haunt of the year.
Nearly every single thing in the haunt was made by a volunteer at the haunt. Through the entire place, I bet the number of store-bought props and animatronics could have been counted on one hand. Nearly everything used was overstock from the Habitat for Humanity's two local ReStore facilities... Stuff that had been sitting in the stores for years and no one seemed to want; take it to TAH! It's all used so well that we had no idea it was mostly just re-purposed clearance items until we talked to the responsible parties afterwards.
There were so many fantastic scenes inside (and out) that we started to get a bit haunt drunk and had a hard time remembering everything we saw. A few that really stood out... The spiders, the caged experiments, the chairs, the school room, the laundry, and the embalmer. The creativity displayed in taking so many normal everyday items and making them into haunt scenes like this is seriously amazing. There wasn't a giant animatronic beast, there were no crazy light shows or vortex tunnels, there wasn't a particular moment that just blew you away in surprise, there was just a mega creepy haunt!
Even with sets and props as good as TAH has, it's nearly impossible to pull off a good haunt without good actors. So many haunts will rely on a few great actors, but will throw dozens of filler actors in just to have a body somewhere. I can't even begin to count the number of haunt actors I've encountered over the years who will just jump out of a hiding place and say "raaaarrrrr!" That doesn't make your haunt special, and it seems that the TAH actors are well aware of this. The enthusiasm that EVERYONE had for their part was noticed by all of us. Everyone was in it to put on a show, and they were having a blast while doing it.
A True American Haunt is one of my favorite haunts. Period. I have never seen a combination of sets, props, building, and actors that all come together this well anywhere else. If you live anywhere in a couple hour drive of Lancaster and are reading this, YOU NEED TO GO! The parking lot needs to be full, the midway games need to be packed, and there needs to be a lot more word of mouth spreading around about TAH, one of the best haunts in the region!
A few things that we can usually count on...
1: First year haunts tend to be works in progress, especially when it's a new team coming together on a project.
2: Charity haunts are extremely hit-or-miss.
3: Opening night doesn't ordinarily give you the best show, as everyone is still getting into their groove for the year.
4: When the parking lot is empty when you arrive, there's likely a good reason for that.
So with that out of the way, let's talk about our trip to A True American Haunt (TAH). The visit occurred on opening night (uh oh) of their inaugural season (oh no). TAH is a charity haunt (ah jeez) in Lancaster, OH that was created to raise money for the Miller Building. The Miller Building was an infirmary for over 150 years, and is a massive, really cool old building just north of downtown Lancaster that Habitat for Humanity recently acquired. Their goal is to bring the building back to life for the community's benefit, and to construct housing for local veterans.
We arrived a bit later than anticipated (but still within the posted operating hours) and pulled into the almost completely empty, completely dark parking lot (strike, uh, four?) After making our way to the main grounds, we were greeted by a really cool carnival kind of area with what looked like games and side shows. Had we been a bit earlier I think we would have been able to spend some time on them, but again, we were pushing closing time. So we made our way down to the entrance and stepped inside to see what they had thrown together.
You can imagine my surprise when halfway through I asked myself: WHERE THE HELL DID THIS MASTERPIECE COME FROM?!?
Immediately upon walking in you begin to see why the Miller Building is an absolutely perfect place for a haunt. It's super creepy, in fairly rough shape, smells a little odd, and is so big that it's actually a little disorienting. Add to that all of the completely unique sets, props, costumes, and actors and you end up with what I'm fairly confident will be my pick for surprise haunt of the year.
Nearly every single thing in the haunt was made by a volunteer at the haunt. Through the entire place, I bet the number of store-bought props and animatronics could have been counted on one hand. Nearly everything used was overstock from the Habitat for Humanity's two local ReStore facilities... Stuff that had been sitting in the stores for years and no one seemed to want; take it to TAH! It's all used so well that we had no idea it was mostly just re-purposed clearance items until we talked to the responsible parties afterwards.
There were so many fantastic scenes inside (and out) that we started to get a bit haunt drunk and had a hard time remembering everything we saw. A few that really stood out... The spiders, the caged experiments, the chairs, the school room, the laundry, and the embalmer. The creativity displayed in taking so many normal everyday items and making them into haunt scenes like this is seriously amazing. There wasn't a giant animatronic beast, there were no crazy light shows or vortex tunnels, there wasn't a particular moment that just blew you away in surprise, there was just a mega creepy haunt!
Even with sets and props as good as TAH has, it's nearly impossible to pull off a good haunt without good actors. So many haunts will rely on a few great actors, but will throw dozens of filler actors in just to have a body somewhere. I can't even begin to count the number of haunt actors I've encountered over the years who will just jump out of a hiding place and say "raaaarrrrr!" That doesn't make your haunt special, and it seems that the TAH actors are well aware of this. The enthusiasm that EVERYONE had for their part was noticed by all of us. Everyone was in it to put on a show, and they were having a blast while doing it.
A True American Haunt is one of my favorite haunts. Period. I have never seen a combination of sets, props, building, and actors that all come together this well anywhere else. If you live anywhere in a couple hour drive of Lancaster and are reading this, YOU NEED TO GO! The parking lot needs to be full, the midway games need to be packed, and there needs to be a lot more word of mouth spreading around about TAH, one of the best haunts in the region!
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If spooky old houses give you the creeps, you have to check this one out! |
Teresa - This is the first year for A True American Haunt in Lancaster, Ohio (a little southeast of Columbus). This is a charity haunt located in the Miller building, which was built in 1828, and served as an infirmary for 150 years. The building was abandoned in 2013 and is now in the hands of Habitat for Humanity, who is looking to raise money to rehab the building and to provide housing for homeless veterans.
The haunt is just one of the ways they are doing this. Check out the website to do a flashlight tour or see the building in its natural state (or find out when to go see the art and furniture they have for sale). The entire haunt was built by volunteers, using donated materials. All of the actors are volunteers also, and there were quite a few, many of whom made their own costumes and did their own makeup. I was blown away by how good the haunt was, considering it was done with zero budget by people who are not in the "industry". It really shows what community support can do! They just used their own time and creativity to really make something special. Parking is next door at Beavers Field and costs $2, which is shared with them for use of the lot. As you approach the house, you will see a midway with vintage carnival games ($1/each), a bonfire, and some really cool props that some of you may recognize. For those who have watched American Horror Story: Freak Show, they have the buses from the set. And if you look closely, you'll find Twisty the Clown as well. There's a ticket booth, then you walk around the side of the building for the queue. We got there so late that we were the last ones to go through. You really can't beat an old building like this for natural ambiance. And it has that in spades. There is peeling paint, creaky floors, musty smell, drafty corridors, and a sense of real antiquity. They did a great job of sticking with rooms that might really exist in an early-1800s building. We went through a creepy drawing room, and they were having a funeral in the parlor.
I have to say walking through that deathly quiet old parlor and past the coffin was a bit like stepping back in time. There was the smell of old-timey perfume in the air. There's a dining room, kitchen, an outside section with an old shed. You go through bedrooms, a closet, the laundry room (smelling like laundry), a doctor and nurses making a house call, a library, school room, and more. There's a lot of dingy antique furniture throughout, like old pianos and writing desks and such. Rooms are often separated with ripped sheets or old wires, or a pile of old chairs...whatever material they had, but it really works. There are even some unexpected props that were quite fitting. This was way longer than I was expecting (although I'm not sure why, as it is a rather large building). You even go up the big, old staircase into the gloom of the second floor.
The actors were intimidating (even the children!). I found myself cringing and moving away from them, even though this isn't a "touch" haunt. I didn't want to become an "experiment" or be embalmed! This place really impressed me with how much was accomplished by volunteers in such a short time. They really put a lot of creativity and thought into the details of this place and it is definitely worth a visit! If spooky old houses give you the creeps, you have to check this one out!
The haunt is just one of the ways they are doing this. Check out the website to do a flashlight tour or see the building in its natural state (or find out when to go see the art and furniture they have for sale). The entire haunt was built by volunteers, using donated materials. All of the actors are volunteers also, and there were quite a few, many of whom made their own costumes and did their own makeup. I was blown away by how good the haunt was, considering it was done with zero budget by people who are not in the "industry". It really shows what community support can do! They just used their own time and creativity to really make something special. Parking is next door at Beavers Field and costs $2, which is shared with them for use of the lot. As you approach the house, you will see a midway with vintage carnival games ($1/each), a bonfire, and some really cool props that some of you may recognize. For those who have watched American Horror Story: Freak Show, they have the buses from the set. And if you look closely, you'll find Twisty the Clown as well. There's a ticket booth, then you walk around the side of the building for the queue. We got there so late that we were the last ones to go through. You really can't beat an old building like this for natural ambiance. And it has that in spades. There is peeling paint, creaky floors, musty smell, drafty corridors, and a sense of real antiquity. They did a great job of sticking with rooms that might really exist in an early-1800s building. We went through a creepy drawing room, and they were having a funeral in the parlor.
I have to say walking through that deathly quiet old parlor and past the coffin was a bit like stepping back in time. There was the smell of old-timey perfume in the air. There's a dining room, kitchen, an outside section with an old shed. You go through bedrooms, a closet, the laundry room (smelling like laundry), a doctor and nurses making a house call, a library, school room, and more. There's a lot of dingy antique furniture throughout, like old pianos and writing desks and such. Rooms are often separated with ripped sheets or old wires, or a pile of old chairs...whatever material they had, but it really works. There are even some unexpected props that were quite fitting. This was way longer than I was expecting (although I'm not sure why, as it is a rather large building). You even go up the big, old staircase into the gloom of the second floor.
The actors were intimidating (even the children!). I found myself cringing and moving away from them, even though this isn't a "touch" haunt. I didn't want to become an "experiment" or be embalmed! This place really impressed me with how much was accomplished by volunteers in such a short time. They really put a lot of creativity and thought into the details of this place and it is definitely worth a visit! If spooky old houses give you the creeps, you have to check this one out!