Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.

Wisconsin Feargrounds

by dirkadirka (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at about 5:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

The Feargrounds have built a reputation as one of the best Halloween events in Wisconsin.  The praise is well deserved because this big-budget production pays attention to all the details, both big and small.  Find out for yourself why this is the busiest haunt in the Milwaukee area.

Signage / Visibility / Location


Waukesha County Fair Grounds.  Look for the parking area with lots and lots of cars.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


Bring warm clothes because although the waiting area is covered it is not heated and lines will get very long closer to Halloween.  A handful of Waukesha police are around every night and security is monitored both inside and outside all three haunts.

Actors' Performance


Very good overall.  We especially liked Jasper the goat and the leather trench coat maniac.  His face looked like the doll from Saw and he was all over the place.  Expert room construction allows these monsters to shortcut between rooms and continue the scare.  Having such active ghouls makes it seem as though there are twice as many people out to get you.  However, there were too many times when an actor delivers a line and then proceeds to physically block your path to the next room or tries to corner someone in the group.  This is not scary, just really uncomfortable.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


All three attractions have a different theme and stick to it.  In the manor you wind through the library, dining room, bedroom and hallways of a decrepit and demonically inhabited mansion.  Torment messes with your senses a bit more and sends you through a maze and several dark passageways.  Finally, Unstable makes you aware of fears involving farms and livestock that you didn’t know existed.   The continuity is impressive, but I actually prefer a hodgepodge of ideas and rooms that don’t necessary connect.  Attention to detail and room design is superb from beginning to end including the actors’ makeup.

Length


Morgan Manor was long.  Torment was short.  Unstable was average.  I obviously forgot to look at my watch.

Most Memorable Moment


Waiting in line always sucks, but Morgan Manor made it a bit more fun this year.  A camera is set up inside the haunt and people in the queue can watch each scare on a screen.   I was surprised how many people went limp and fell on the floor when scared…not exactly fight-or-flight.  We tried to guess where the camera was located on our walk-through and failed.

Summary

Morgan Manor will not disappoint but Torment and Unstable are more of the same.  Save the $15 and check out another haunted house in the area.

View all Wisconsin Feargrounds reviews

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March 28th, 2024 5:18 p.m. CDT 24.01