2010 13th Nightmare Haunted House Event Reviews


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4 total reviews. Showing 4 of 4 on this page.

Page 1

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

13th Nightmare Haunted House

by pud27 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at about 4 p.m.

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: Medium

Review


13th Nightmare, a fundraiser for Dare to Dream Children’s Theatre, is a brand new haunted house located in an old church in downtown Manitowoc. While the haunt is brand new, the people in charge of art direction are anything but. They have experience with other haunts and it shows through from the minute you descend into the catacombs. 

13th Nightmare has a double edged sword when it comes to their location. They are in a mostly residential neighborhood loud music and noise outside are pretty much out, as is the heavy drive by visibility some haunts get. What they do have is a kick ass building. What’s better than a haunted house being in an old building? When that building is an old church building (steeple and all!). Maybe it’s just me, but hearing someone freak out about the devil coming while you’re standing on the altar is almost mind blowing.

Fortunately for us (and unfortunately for them) there was no line when we got there. We chatted with the people running the ticket booth while the actor’s got reset and then we made our way in. The wait is outside, but they do have a small canopy for shelter from rain if needed.

The actor’s were really good. I’m not sure if any of them were a part of the theater itself or not, but they seemed like they have had training. I prefer psychological scares over the standard make you scream type scares that are typical, so this was one of my favorites on that regard. I’d rather have actors following me around or acting behind bars freaking me out than people jumping in my face and screaming. They had one of the best Asylum scenes I’ve seen, and with the high ceilings the church provides, the swamp actually felt and looked like you were outside. 

The only problem I had with this haunt was the length. Coming in at around 10 minutes it definitely could have been longer. With such great actors it would be easy to add some more stories/skits to the rooms to make it last longer. We had the opportunity to talk with the directors after the haunt and they mentioned they had more plans that they just ran out of time to do, which in a first year is understandable. They definitely need to work those ideas in for next year.

 Overall this haunt is definitely above average. In some aspects they don’t look even close to a first year haunt, but in others that is evident. You can tell the people in charge really care about this and want to succeed. They really seemed to take to heart our thoughts and ideas. They have a great start already, and I expect even bigger things from this crew next year. I can’t wait to see how they progress!

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Comments: (0)

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

13th Nightmare Haunted House

by wm (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Low Fear Factor: Low

Review


This is Dare To Dream's first year putting on a haunted house, and it's held in a old church. I’m not sure how I feel about a haunt being in a church. Granted, it does add to the creepy factor. But I can see how this might offend some people. I have to admit, I was creeped out before I even entered the haunt! Old churches can be creepy. Add some mood lighting and some spooky music, and I didn’t want to enter!



Our first few seconds in the house, we received a slight scare right off the bat. A wall with skulls caught us off guard as we walked by. As we walked into the next room, Michael Myers was waiting for us. Now, I have a soft spot for MM... and I’m not talking about any of my organs. The first Halloween movie was the inspiration for many of my early nightmares! So having Mikey following us throughout the haunt just seemed right to me. The actor had the mannerisms down pretty good, from the slow strides to the dog-like cock of the head. He was taller which helped too. One word of advice though: Dirty up the mask and suit. Both looked like they were just purchased. Mess up the hair. Get some wear and tear in the gray overalls. Make it look like Mr. Myers has been around the block a few times.



There was a great scene where we walked down a long hallway, and there were little girls (I would guess around age 10) screaming on either side of you ALL the way down the hall. It felt like we were in an insane asylum. They were behind doors, so I couldn’t make out what they were screaming. Not scary, but visually creepy as Michael was still following/chasing us!



It felt like there was a lot of dead space. More actors can easily fix that.



The final scene had some vampires in it. We walked by as they acted out a quick skit. Another word of advice: Get in our comfort zone. People are paying to get a good scare, so give them what they’re asking for



Not a bad first year effort, but there’s much that can be improved. I think the time spent in the haunt is the most important to improve on. Make people feel like they are getting their money’s worth. You can do this by blocking exits with actors, doing more skits in more rooms, etc... Personally, I would think that 20 to 30 minutes is a reasonable amount
of time to spend at a haunt.



An old church is a great fodder to build a story around and use to your benefit.



Some people will drive from other cities (like we did), so give them something to talk about on the way home.

Signage / Visibility / Location


There was no real signage for this haunt until you actually find the house. We had a GPS, so it was easy enough to find that way. The actual sign for the haunt is hard to read at night. It was a black sign where the letters were hard to make out until you're right next to it. In a residential neighborhood, and I was able to see the old church lit up when we were about a half a block away.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


There was no line, and no apparent entertainment if there would have been a line. Some of the actors/children were standing outside talking.

Actors' Performance


The actors really gave it their all. With some continued experience under their belt, they’ll end up giving many customers some good scares and maybe even a nightmare or two! They might want to avoid being outside the house when they are out of character, as this takes away from the spooky vibe the old church creates.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The sets and scenes were good. You can tell that they put a lot of time into their first year. A great building block to build on!

Length


We were in and out of the house in 10 minutes. We left scratching our heads, asking ‘Is that it?’ I believe that is the shortest haunt I’ve ever attended.

Crowd Control


Unfortunately, we were the only ones there. We were a bit on the early side, so I do hope that it picked up as the night went along.

Most Memorable Moment


We started up our car, ready to leave. As we started to drive away, I could see Michael Meyers standing in the exit at the front of the house. He was watching us! I nervously waved to him as we passed, and he slowly brought up his knife. Classic!

Summary

There is a lot of potential for this haunt to become something that will have people talking. Their website looks GREAT, it just needs more meat. It's their first year, so hopefully they can learn from this year and come back bigger and better!

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

13th Nightmare Haunted House

by benofthedead after attending on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at about 3 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

After seeing their scenes, you wouldn't think this was a haunt in its first year. Each room has a completely different theme and feel to it. With the option of ordering tickets online in advance with a specific entrance time, we didn't have to worry about waiting in line at all.

They could have used a few more actors, but I'd have to say the commitment of each actor was very professional. No breaking of character...each "creature" was a "creature" for as long as you're there. And the characters were well played.

I'd like to go back next year and see how they've grown.

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

13th Nightmare Haunted House

by mklady after attending on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at about 3 p.m.

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: Medium

Review

For a first year haunted they had excellent scenes. The one thing they did lack was actors could use more. I would also recomend using "the corners". There is a lot of potential for good scares they just need to find the right areas to use. Loved the Zombies getting in my face and the one screamer good job.

Summary

Like I said lots of potential and would love to come back next year to see what they can do after having a first year under there belt.

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