Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Abandoned Haunted House Complex

by JJrakman after attending on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at about 2 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

This was a professional level haunted house, comparable to what you might see at Wisconsin Fear Grounds, though not quite as large.

A word of advice to haunt goers, if you might be interested in the fast pass, walk around to the left of the building to see how long the line is because the line is directed around the back of the building. When we bought passes, it didn't look like there was a line, but we walked around the building and there ended up being a sizable line. If there would have been someone walking around the line selling the fast passes, we might have bought one.

At any rate these are really first class scenes and actors with make up. I think just about anyone will be pleased with this haunt. The parking lot is a bit dark and there aren't many streetlights so you'll have to keep a sharp eye out if you're going at night. It was a decent length too, I think it took about 20 minutes to a half hour to get through..

*SPOILERS*

Just a few minor nitpicky suggestions for the haunt owners here.

Really appreciated the music while waiting in line. If you're able, you could also project movies on a wall outside. You could project the Monster Channel www.100ymm.com on a wall or something with a digital projector.

I'm glad the fog wasn't overdone because my girlfriend has asthma and fog and asthma don't mix well. The fog was just right.

The search light is cool, but usually when I see search lights I think it's a car dealership. What if you put a red gel over the search light? How many red searchlights do you ever see?

The small waiting area just before you enter the haunted house could use a bit of decoration. This small space could be used to kind of whet the appetite for the main course inside. So much effort was put into decorating every square inch of the place, why leave in this little space untouched? Even some simple classic vintage Halloween decorations or cotton spider webbing would be good enough to help evoke some anticipation and get customers into the spirit right from the beginning. To that end, maybe even some large scale murals could be painted on the walls outside for folks to look at while they're waiting in line.

I knew there was a chainsaw at the end because I could smell the gas from around the corner. Never a fan of the gas smell, particularly when in enclosed places. It usually just elicits nausea and not in a good way.

I think this is just a matter of personal taste, but for me I generally don't get scared from army type scenes. It tends to evoke the Rambo movies to me, but that may just a a product of my age.

I also never care for the inflated hallway you have to push through. This to me seems more of a fun house thing than a haunted house thing. I would have much preferred to see more cool scenery.

I noticed a small house off to the side that might look like it's used for storage? What if you turned it into a small haunted cafe or restaurant? If you did, this thing could go year round cause people would go there just to eat too. Then as people are waiting in the restaurant, you could use the buzzing devices they have at restaurants for when people are ready to go into the haunted house. Just a way out idea.

Summary

Very professional level haunted house, something for everyone I think. Worth the price.

View all Abandoned Haunted House Complex reviews

Comments: (3)

 

JJrakman

Oct. 7, 2012, 3:37 a.m.

One other quick comment, is that the place could probably use some kind of haunted facade on the front. It' still looks like the old Vance's from the outside. How about a mock cemetery on the front lawn too?

WTF2012

Oct. 10, 2012, 7:44 a.m.

What a dork, seriously. Try an a'la carte haunted house next time and order a wine cooler with your experience. Oh and leave your poodle at home so it doesn't get scared by the flashing lights.

Dueces31

Oct. 20, 2012, 5:21 a.m.

This review was left by my wife accidentally on my login. Apparently she is not tech savy.

 

April 26th, 2024 9:25 p.m. CDT 24.07