2010 Event Reviews

Disturbing! Grotesque! Unsettling! These were a few of the words my tour group of 6 used to describe their journey through Oblivion. For a first year event I was VERY impressed with the attention to detail found in this haunt…a visual treat to say the least. The website for Oblivion advertises that it is a "professional Wisconsin haunted house". It certainly shows.

What impressed my tour group the most was:
* How elaborately dressed the actors were with a keen attention to gore.
* The massive front door to this venue complete with thumpin’ sound system and smoke…very, very effective at building your anticipation!
* The acting performance of the greeting room.
* The creeped out elevator ride…was it real or just an illusion?
* The determination of the Puppeteer…the acting performance was so unsettling that I can’t get him out of my head.
* The keen attention to detail with the grotesque filth on display in many of the rooms.
* Original set designs made for a very unique experience.
* sound system really set the tone of the haunt nicely…wish the volume weas a little louder inside though.
* length of tour. Really felt like I got my money’s worth!

If you’re easily scared Oblivion will definitely send chills through your body. For those who are a little more desensitized with reality and pride themselves on being a tough scare don’t relax too much the ghouls at Oblivion appear to be very talented at getting to you when you least expect it….they may have gotten me once…or twice.

You may have noticed that I didn’t give Oblivion a perfect score in the scare and fun factors. My rational for this was a follows:

* Fun Factor – to maximize my fun factor ideally I would have like to have encountered more rooms when you can interact with the ghouls. There were also a few rooms where I couldn’t figure out if I was supposed to hang out for something to happen or to just continue the tour.
* Scare Factor – while many of the scenes set the stage for a great scare with a keen attention to detail and gore the room execution fell short of making me jump or encourage me to run for my life. The potential is definitely there…perhaps I just caught them on an off night?

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Caution! All who enter this haunt may not leave!! Admittedly, adults may not find Elements of Fear to be the scariest haunted attraction they attend this year but there’s a good chance that younger haunt goers may feel differently. I had the opportunity to interview 3 boys ages 10-12 prior to entering Elements of Fear. All 3 were talked wildly about the fun time they had but none were willing to admit to being scared. (…interestingly though, there were 2 girls sitting close by….)

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my tour group for Elements of Fear consisted of just 2 adults and 2 younger teens who were attending this haunt for the first time. While the sizing of the group may have been purely coincidental or perhaps due to the logistics of some of the rooms it definitely helped maximize my immersion into the Elements of Fear found at this haunt. Surprisingly, while talking with the 2 young boys in our group I was able to get them to admit to being a bit nervous prior to embarking on our journey. While I have my doubts that they’d ever admit to being scared I did catch them jumping on quite a few occasions during our adventure. Of course I had every intention of interviewing them following our tour but in an odd twist I completely lost track of them in the fast and furious action of the final room. Did the Elements of Fear send them racing home….or did they perhaps fall victim to the ghouls chasing us through the last room. Of course when it comes to haunts, the words I live by are “he who falls behind gets left behind!”

What I particularly enjoyed about this haunt was how some very simple household items (mirrors, cloth, curtains...etc.) were used to create some really creepy effects and scares.....it really captured my dreams of someday creating my own haunt. I also really enjoyed was the enthusiasm and energy the actors put into their roles. Many of the actors were youthful but there were also a few adults sprinkled into the mix to support some of the more interactive rooms.

This haunt was a challenging one for me to rate. My inner youth definitely would place this haunt at a 5 out of 5 for the fun and fear factors. The adult haunted connoisseur placed it at a 2 out of 5 for the following reasons: For the fun factor there were only a few rooms that allowed you to interact with the actors/scenes via a skit and in those instances there were quite a few distractions (screams, yells, loud bangs) from other parts of the haunt. For the scare factor while there are some parts that have the potential to make you jump most of the scares are geared more towards a younger crowd.

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Bravo! Of the 3 haunts I toured in the Appleton area, Neenah’s Most Haunted did the best job of providing a ghoulishly fun time for haunt goers of all ages. While the scares here are definitely kid appropriate, adults will definitely enjoy the clever room layouts and polished performances of the ghouls.

This was the first time I’ve visited Neenah’s Most Haunted and from what I’ve read it’s been around for 25 years. While I’m guessing many of the actors are only half the age of this haunt I was pleasantly surprised with the superb job the young actors did portraying their roles. The years of experience are definitely evident in the creative room and hallway layouts, the elaborate detail found in many of the rooms and the articulately dressed and skillfully positioned ghouls.

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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!

My third haunt of the year was Neenah’s Most Haunted; a haunted house fundraiser for a youth drop in center in Neenah called Youth Go. Celebrating 25 years of fear, this attraction has not lost a thing. I have attended this haunt in the past and was impressed by what they do with what they have.  While they do not use animatronics or holograms, their scenes and actors are more than capable of giving you a good time. Nonprofit haunts are refreshing in that they care more about the experience than the “cattle herding” you can experience at some of the more commercial haunts.

Getting to NMH is a little tricky, but if you have directions you should be fine. I came into town from a completely different area than I’m used to so that made a big difference. I did not notice any signs along the way, but once you are upon the haunt you know you’re in the right place. The building they use is an old city garage that looks like it was abandoned. It gives off a pretty good aura.

They do not have an indoor waiting area, so be sure to dress warm if the temps are cool. There are a few actors walking around and getting in your face. One of the best line actors I’ve seen this year was here. He never once broke character as he stared you down. We only had to wait about 7 minutes, and there was only one group ahead of us. They send groups in about 5 minutes apart, but we still ran into the group ahead of us at one point. That’s not necessarily on them; it could have been us going fast or the other group going slow.

The actor’s were very good, especially considering a vast majority of them are probably in their teens. They didn’t break character, and even if we were lost and needed help finding our way they helped get us straight while using it to enhance their characters.

As mentioned above they don’t go all out crazy on expensive pieces of equipment, but they still build a great haunt. They utilize favorites such as dark mazes and a vortex, but also use some original things such as multiple rooms with things hanging from the ceiling. (You’ll think its original when you see it!) This effect makes it easy to get lost at times.

It took us roughly 15 minutes to get through, which I would say is average. Overall with finding a parking spot, getting tickets and waiting in line we were there for around 45 minutes.

At $10 a ticket this a good valued haunted house. It’s fairly family friendly, and it’s wheelchair accessible (the only one I have ever been to that is) so it gives people who don’t necessarily have the chance to go to experience it. Add in the fact that it’s run for a good cause and you have a win-win.

The Burial Chamber remains one of the most popular haunted attractions in Wisconsin. The lines of screaming fans waiting to enter the attraction is only a small indication of their popularity. This year they are back and better than ever! If you are a thrill seeking adrenaline junkie then The Burial Chamber is for you. They are also the largest haunted attraction in Wisconsin. With two very different haunted houses, a haunted woods, and a burial simulator you can plan on making an "evening" of fear.

The Burial Chambers popularity was evident the moment we arrived and noticed the line for tickets was at least 60 people deep. I was slightly discouraged by the long line and almost didn't attend the haunt. Instead of waiting in the regular line I opted for the VIP line hoping to cut wait time drastically. The wait for tickets in the VIP line was at least a half hour long! If the weather is bad you could probably experience a much shorter wait, but be aware that all of the waiting is outside and Phobia is entirely outside. The lines for each attraction were also very long and you should expect to spend a lot of time outside waiting. There were a few ghouls wandering the lines spooking guests which made the wait seem shorter.

The final attraction we attended was Insanity. To say that it was "insane" is an understatement. I would compare some of the actors in this haunt to circus freaks. They climb walls and do things that I didn't even know was humanly possible ... perhaps they were NOT human? There is a lot of interaction with the actors in insanity and the costumes were gory and very realistic. The rooms are set up so that an actor could be across the room at one moment and in your face in one second. Don't be surprised if you feel drips of blood trickling down your back or if you are sprayed by a corpse's guts. The total walk through time of Insanity was 19 minutes.

We bypassed the burial simulator this year, but from previous experience it is just one of those things you need to try once. The cameras weren't working so you couldn't watch your friend's faces as they are buried alive (the best part).

Although the lines were long there are plenty of treats and souvenirs to help pass the time. They have the most amazing warm doughnuts and everything from corn dogs to hot cider. The only thing that would turn The Burial Chamber from "amazing" to "out of this world outstanding" would be a better wait area. Perhaps an indoor seating area with entertainment (however it would have to be a large area to support that many people).

Elements of Fear is a good choice if you are younger, or not into gory in-your-face haunts. Before we entered the haunt, we had to wait in a small bingo hall, with no entertainment, it was kind of boring. We were directed to many different workers that would show us to the entrance. Finally a very young girl in a princess costume escorted my friend, two younger teens, and me to the haunt. Things seemed disorganized in the beginning; we had to wait outside for about 10 minutes before we were let in.

The first area was a séance, there was a few good effects in this room, but the walkie-talkie that kept going off distracted me and focused my attention elsewhere. The rest of the rooms were all different, but had minimal props and decorations. The actors were young, none seemed excited to be there, and relied heavily on screaming as their major form of spooking. The one exception was a creepy crawler, she really made me jump. The vortex was fast and amazing. The haunt took no more than 5 minutes for us to get through. I would have liked to have seen more. In all, Elements of Fear is a fast-paced jaunt through a charitable haunt.

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In 2009 I attended 8 haunts around the state and rated this one as the scariest. To date this year I have attended 8 different haunts and on the scare factor scale, Burial Chamber’s Adrenalin attraction is once again totally off the charts!! For those who haven’t been to Burial chamber it’s actually a mega complex of haunted / scary attractions. This year I checked out the two indoor haunts Adrenalin and Insanity as well as the outdoor attraction, Phobia. All are definitely worth the price of admission.

Adrenalin offers a unique experience unlike the other haunts I've been to this year. Rather than stop you on occasion to allow you to interact with actors, Adrenalin parades you through a complex maze of dimly lit hall ways and rooms, all with a fairly consistent theme. Acting was kept at minimum and was usually limited to a quick entrance from out of nowhere in an attempt to scare you and then a quick disappearance into the shadows....a very effective tactic to scare you regardless of where you might be positioned in your group.

Insanity offered a similar experience to Adrenalin but without as much consistency between rooms and also included a few rooms with actors who would attempt to interact with you. This tactic, however, was a bit disappointing as the mandatory group sizes of 8-10 made it impossible for everyone to fit in the room with the actor at the same time and prohibited everyone from enjoying the entire skit.

I found the experience with Phobia to be quite unique. Only a brightly lit moon illuminated this experience. In one instance the shadow of a creature rushing toward us at a very rapid pace actually made my entire group of 8 scatter to avoid what appeared to be an imminent collision.

IF you don't like standing in long lines while being exposed to the weather elements I would strongly recommend the VIP pass. The VIP admission allows you to skip everyone who hasn't purchased it. It does not, however, limit your group size or guarantee that you'll be able to enter immediately.

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Walking up to the building from where we parked, I thought maybe we were at the wrong place.  It wasn't until we went to the back side of the building that we knew we were at our destination.  A long line of people, bass pounding dark music, boarded up windows with lights flashing to the music, and the sound of screams coming from inside the haunt.  Game on!

Once we entered the building, I froze.  It looked like an old abandoned building with clutter everywhere.  It felt like we were being watched even though I didn't see anybody at the time.  That changed in about 30 seconds, they came out of no-where!

Every room we went into was completely different from the last.  I had to laugh as we walked into a restaurant, as a lady sitting in a booth gurgled 'Don't eat here!' as she choked down some soup.  Walking through the restaurant and then through the kitchen was very entertaining.  Also highly entertaining was the good ol' red-neck boys that wanted to eat us!  It was really funny until it felt like they weren't going to let us through! 

They have a very good mix of skits and good old fashioned scares.  It must have taken months to design and setup this attraction.  I appreciate the time and effort they put into their work.  It does not go unnoticed!

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