ad-header-top

Newbie Review Crew Member

Katie (katie_kiesow13)

Photo of Katie

Previous Reviews: 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

2010 Reviews

Please note: this review is for the 2010 season rather than the current season.

Dominion of Terror

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 22, 2010 at about 5 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

By far my favorite haunt I've visited so far this year!!! It was put together incredibly well, I appreciated how long it lasted, and it was absolutely entertaining! When you get there, the wait is outside in lines and they do have a few clowns in the lines with you to keep you scared and entertained. Once inside, it is instantly creepy. The rooms are all redone from last year and a lot of them were really innovative and interesting - different from things I've seen at other haunts. The floors are uneven (especially in the room with the coffin!) and the walls are diagonal in places... it really messes with your senses. The restaurant/kitchen is absolutely revolting... but great! My favorite area was probably the hospital - every room in that area was fascinating. The make-up, the props, the fx, it was all so well done and so well put together... it was awesome. The actors throughout the haunt were phenomenal - they timed their scares perfectly and they were interactive and worked off of the group walking through the haunt. I highly recommend this haunt to everyone!

Signage / Visibility / Location


I used my GPS and I've been here before so it was pretty easy to find. A big sign in the front of the building designates that you're in the right place.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


The wait area is outside, so dress appropriately for the weather. There are a few entertaining actors in clown suits walking around.

Actors' Performance


For the most part, the actors were really quite good in this haunt. They really worked off of the crowd and had a lot of interaction with us, which is always appreciated. And there were a lot of them, too. I think there was maybe only one or two rooms in the house that I didn't see any actors at all, most rooms had more than one. They were great!

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The attention to detail this year was just incredible. They used the space in this building flawlessly. It felt like the haunt really flowed from one room to the next, which was nice. The scenes/sets were all decorated really well. The actors makeup was incredible - especially in the hospital scenes. I liked how different a lot of the areas were compared to other haunts. I've never seen a "white, padded room" or uneven flooring/walls to mess with your senses. It was incredible.

Length


The wait was about 40 minutes after we got in line and it took us probably 20-25 minutes to walk through the entire haunt. This was by far the longest walk-through I have experienced this year.

Crowd Control


It wasn't really necessary outside the haunt. Inside we never ran into the groups in front of us and no one caught up with us.

Most Memorable Moment


The rooms I remember the most clearly were the restaurant and the hospital scenes. They'll stay with me a long time....

Summary

Highly recommend this haunt to anyone in the area or willing to drive. It was spectacular!

View all Dominion of Terror reviews

Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2010 season rather than the current season.

Hubertus House of Horror

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 15, 2010 at about 5 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review


The Hubertus House of Horror has quite a few unique characteristics that I haven't seen used in any other haunt this year - which I thoroughly enjoyed! When you arrive, you can purchase your tickets and wait in a heated area where they serve concessions and can even play arcade games. Although it's not scary (though there are some actors in costumes walking around), it's really nice to have something to do when the wait can be quite long -about an hour and fifteen minutes when we were there- and to be able to stay warm is well worth it.



Once you're on your way into the house... the bus is fantastic and something I've never seen before. The house (school) featured plenty of different rooms so it keeps you entertained. The other thing that's different in this house which I had never experienced before was 3D glasses! They hand them out and you wear them through I think 3 or 4 different rooms and the paint like... comes off of the walls... it's a crazy feeling! It was kind of difficult to keep the glasses on, and I felt a little dizzy... but I thought it was something different and new and I applaud this haunt for trying something outside the box! Overall, I enjoyed this haunt for it's innovation and new ideas, but I wasn't entirely scared through the majority of it. Definitely a good choice for a younger crowd, though!

Signage / Visibility / Location


Quite easy to find using a GPS or following directions from the website. Plenty of signage to get you there.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


A nice heated area to keep you busy and entertained. Food concessions are offered as well. A few actors walking around in costume, but nothing too creepy.

Actors' Performance


I thought that many of the actors did a good job. The first guy that we encountered (a man in all silver) was excellent. He held me back while all of my friends got on the bus and he was really great. Also I liked the girl in the Freddy room.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


I thought the sets were really well done. These excellent volunteers here obviously put a lot of time and effort into this haunt and it shows!

Length


The wait was a little over an hour when we arrived and the walk through the house took maybe twenty minutes. I thought it was pretty good for the price.

Crowd Control


They use a ticket system like most other haunts, so you don't have to wait in line the whole time. Though little other crowd control was necessary.

Most Memorable Moment


Probably the bus ride.

Summary

I would recommend this haunt to those who are easily spooked and enjoy a new and innovative haunt with activities, rooms, and characters you haven't seen elsewhere.

View all Hubertus House of Horror reviews

Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2010 season rather than the current season.

Hauntfest - CLOSED -

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 8, 2010 at about 6 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review


I really enjoyed this haunt this year! We arrived pretty late on a Friday night (around 11 pm), so it was really busy and we had to wait quite a while to get into the house - we got in around midnight. However, there was plenty to keep us entertained while we waited - there is a concession stand, a DJ playing music, and scary movies playing on a giant screen. I actually feel like the wait made the haunt seem scarier because we kept seeing people coming out crying or screaming, so we were psyching ourselves out a bit.



Once inside the haunt, we were put in an elevator (creepy!!!) and moved on to a ton of really creepy and well designed rooms with some great actors. Some people may not agree, but I acually really love children actors since I think they're incredibly creepy, so I liked that in this haunt. And I got a lot of weary looks from actors, too - they relied more on a psychological thrill than jumping out and saying "boo" as often as possible, and I think that's great!



The haunt plays with the senses a bit too; it's difficult to explain how, but you'll understand when you go through. There's a few mazes in this haunt and WOW did we get turned around and confused, but it was pretty entertaining. I liked this haunt more this year than I did last year, so kudos for making it even better this time around!

Signage / Visibility / Location


Very easy to find - it's located at State Fair Park.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


They use a ticket system, so you don't have to wait in line the whole time. You get into line once your ticket number is called, so that gives you time to walk around and check out all the other things going on. There's a lot of actors walking around scaring people, which is always fun.

Actors' Performance


I really thought they did a good job. Like I said above, it was more psychological and less jumping out and hoping they scare you, and I really like that.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


I like the scenes that messed with your head - the elevators, the mazes, the tunnel!

Length


We waited to get into the house for about an hour and then it took us maybe fifteen minutes to get through the whole thing.

Crowd Control


They did a good job of crowd control. I'm not sure if they served alcohol here or not, but there were certainly a lot of drunk people and I think I saw a few bottles of beer... but I'd rather they didn't allow it since I saw plenty of vomit. I just don't think haunted houses mix well with alcohol. But they did have plenty of police officers on hand for any problems. Otherwise, it was all pretty well done since they used the ticket system and you didn't have to wait in line for quite so long.

Most Memorable Moment


I think the mazes (both red and white and cage mazes) were really disorienting and a great addition to this haunt.

Summary

Nice job Hauntfest!

View all Hauntfest - CLOSED - reviews

Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2010 season rather than the current season.

Lister F/X Presents Monster Mayhem Haunted Laser Tag (CLOSED)

by katie_kiesow13 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 8, 2010 at about 5:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Medium

Review


Monster Mayhem is really a unique haunt in Milwaukee and I enjoyed it! I was a little disappointed that there is very little "scary" atmosphere when you arrive since it is located in the basement of a busy restaurant and you actually have to walk through part of the restaurant to get to it. We had a short wait and once inside, you completely forgot that you're in a restaurant basement.



The hallway (stairwell) we waited in was fun and scary since there were actors in there with us (and by the way, kudos to the actor in the stairwell - so creepy!!). Also, the guys on the intercom, though not at all scary, were incredibly entertaining and we liked them a lot! What I liked the most about this haunt was the unique theme employed throughout - I won't say much about it, but everything was connected and there was a story to follow, and I really liked that! Also, they used quite a few actors in makeup and costumes as opposed to animatronic scares, which was really nice. Lastly, although the trip through the haunt was pretty quick, my friends and I really enjoyed that there were scenes throughout that caused you to stop and listen to the actors rather than just running straight through without any interaction. Overall - well done!


Signage / Visibility / Location


I used my GPS and it was really easy to find. It's located in the basement of a restaurant, so there is plenty of parking. Once inside the building, just follow the signs to get to the entrance.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


You can sit in the restaurant while you're waiting, but we didn't have to wait very long, so we went right in to the hallway/stairwell entrance. While waiting to enter here, there was a little entertainment in the form of creepy actors and entertaining individuals on an intercom who kept talking to us.

Actors' Performance


I thought the actors did a great job - they really interacted with all of us which I always appreciate! It's an interesting concept to involve the audience in the whole storyline, but I really think it worked well for this haunt!

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


It was all pretty standard. Lots of darkness and some interesting and unique scenes that I enjoyed. I really enjoyed the elevators!

Length


It took us maybe about 10 minutes to get into the house and maybe another 10 minutes to make it through the whole thing.

Crowd Control


None was needed while we were there.

Most Memorable Moment


The doctor(?) we saw after decontamination... and the room with the "two buttons."

Summary

Nicely done. Although I wasn't scared very much, it was extrememly entertaining, which is just as good!!

View all Lister F/X Presents Monster Mayhem Haunted Laser Tag (CLOSED) reviews

Comments: (0)





October 13th, 2024 4:32 a.m. CDT 24.18