5 total reviews. Showing 5 of 5 on this page.
Page 1
Please note: this review is for the 2017 season rather than the current season.
by hanscomdavid23 after attending on Friday, October 20, 2017 at about 9 p.m.
Submitted: Saturday, October 21, 2017
Great Haunt! The whole experience was a blast for my family, started in a nice waiting area that moves along very quickly. Haunt stated off going through creepy woods before getting to the house which was loaded with amazing props, sounds effects, smell and most importantly the actors were GREAT! I couldnt count the amount of screams my sisters, mother and wife let out during this time, also its fairly long which is great considering most places end to quick. Overall the best haunt we have been to so far(as my sisters get older we seek scarier haunts), great value, great staff and not letting groups catch up to one another.
Dont miss out on this one!!
Please note: this review is for the 2017 season rather than the current season.
by KaraFirari after attending on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at about 7 p.m.
Submitted: Friday, October 20, 2017
Please note: this review is for the 2017 season rather than the current season.
by PaigeBerrier after attending on Friday, October 6, 2017 at about 9 p.m.
Submitted: Tuesday, October 17, 2017
It was my first time going to this haunt this year (10/6, opening night!). We had virtually no wait on a somewhat rainy night – however, the haunt has a nice covered waiting area with concessions. We first ventured through the Forest of Fear, an outdoor portion of the haunt leading up the indoor building. The slight drizzle and clouds set the perfect scene as we confusedly (in a good way!) walked through the path, trying to find our way in the darkness and through the actors we encountered, some of whom seemed to be children, which we also found a bit extra creepy!
Once inside the haunt, I also found it to be disorienting in a positive way – in some rooms, we struggled to find the exit, and strobe lights were utilized in a really effective way, particularly in a jail-like room. I also really liked one room that was very brightly lit – a really stark change from all the darkness! Finally, we ended our haunt with an outdoor, wooden maze, where we dodged monsters to find our way out. I particularly loved it when one monster whispered in my ear the right direction (I was in the back) and helped me sneak away from my group to really give them a good scare!
This was a fun haunt with two outdoor and one indoor portion - very organized with a lot of great, tight rooms. They did a great job with their space and it's amazing value for the money!
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Please note: this review is for the 2017 season rather than the current season.
by Captn_DeathSchlager (Senior Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 6, 2017 at about 9 p.m.
Submitted: Tuesday, October 10, 2017
If you tour as many haunts as I have you’re likely to encounter one that’s a traditional favorite you absolutely adore that unexpectedly disappoints you. While this first sentence may sound like this is going to be a bad review for Dwelling of Despair, it’s not meant to be. My tour group of 6 adults (3 couples) really enjoyed this haunt and thought it was “Super Fun” (…to quote a haunt newbie from my group…) but we all had one concern that I uncharacteristically can’t resist the urge to mention. …but first, here’s what my group really enjoyed about the Dwelling of Despair…
The Dwelling of Despair Haunted House & accompanying Forest of Fear is a self-guided, interactive ghoulish attraction known for its awesome animatronic special effects, elaborate decor, skilled actors, unique monsters, unusual themes and chilling detail! Now in its 32nd season the Dwelling of Despair has prided itself in providing a creative and ghoulishly good time to all haunt goers along with a few (ahem, more like several!) frightful moments. 2017 marked my 25th visit to this haunted venue and similar to prior years I was once again amazed at how many of the sets/themes have changed. While you may notice a few similarities along your terrifying tour outside of this haunt what awaits inside will torment and twist your mind in new ways. Following the lead of last year’s version, the chills, thrills and scares are delivered more upfront and in your face than with the skits that traditionally tormented you in the Dwelling of Despair. Rest assured though, this haunt still offers opportunities to interact with the demon’s inhabiting the Dwelling of Despair and retains the same Halloween charm that has brought guests back for the past 32 years!
The 2017 edition of this haunt presents two horrifying sections to test your wits and your desire to survive. THE Forrest of Fear kicks off your terrifying tour on a dark and twisted path patrolled by evil spirits and several fiendish ghouls. If you're lucky enough to slip past these gorish guardians the entrance of the 3 story Dwelling of Despair awaits from the 3rd floor balcony. To escape the nightmares found within the unfriendly confines of the Dwelling of Despair you must successfully navigate a maze of uniquely themed rooms and hidden passages through the bowls of the entire house. Along the way you are sure to encounter each and every inhabitant of the house...some fun, some helpful but most of all they are all quite frightful!
If you’re touring this haunt as a couple….BEWARE!!! How would you feel if a stranger in your tour group tried to separate only your partner from the tour group? What if this stranger not just once but several times ONLY attempted to separate your partner from the group and didn’t once attempt to separate anyone else? What if this stranger wasn’t in costume or didn’t offer any indication that they were with event security? …and what if this stranger joined your group wearing a plain grey hoodie NOT from the watchful eyes of event security but while you were walking through the woods as you were approaching the entrance of the haunt? This situation resulted in a few tense moments during my tour of the Dwelling of Despair which unfortunately ruined the experience for both me and my date. As there were 3 couples in our group we are all scratching our heads at why there were repeated attempts to isolate only one person (versus two) from the group and why it was always the same person. In my opinion it is unacceptable for a haunt to not clearly identify the ghouls and event staff that are interacting with you as it creates an unsafe environment for haunt goers and event staff alike.
TOUR GROUP RATINGS: Here’s how my tour group rated Dwelling of Despair for both the Scare and Fun scale (1 to 5)
Haunt Newbie (first timer) #1: SCARE-4 / FUN-5
Haunt Newbie (first timer) #2: SCARE-3 / FUN-5
Haunt Newbie #3: SCARE-4 / FUN-5
Haunt Newbie #4: SCARE-3 / FUN-5
Haunt Novice: SCARE-4 / FUN-2
Haunt Veteran: SCARE-3 / FUN-2
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Please note: this review is for the 2017 season rather than the current season.
by KR385 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 7, 2017 at about 7:30 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 9, 2017
The Dwelling of Despair was my fourth haunt of the season, but technically my first haunt in the month of October. For this haunt, this was their opening weekend. We arrived about thirty minutes before they had started selling tickets for the night and the crowd was very light. If you buy tickets online remember to print out the ticket, as their website says, "Dwelling of Despair will not accept digital versions of the receipt". We bought tickets in person and had no issue with this, but keep it in mind. The haunt also offers deals for veterans, which is very cool. Another amazing feature this haunt has, that very few do, is a covered area with concessions available. Do not confuse this concession area with the waiting area, though there are benches and I swear I saw a door that said, "enter". This was not the waiting area by any means, it was a small white tent located just outside of the concession room. Since there was not many patrons, we had a very short wait once we found the actual waiting area.
Before entering the indoor portion of the haunt, there was a short trail through the woods called the Forest of Fear. Very little happened in the woods, but it was a cool feature that adds to the spook factor. We headed up the stairs to the indoor haunt, which were extremely slippery due to the recent rain, where we had to knock on the door to gain entrance. Don't be afraid to knock very loud, because I don't think they heard us knock for the first minute. The interior of the haunt was composed of a vast amount of disconnected scenes. The props, decorations, and animatronics were not very high quality or new, but the scenes were decently put together. The house didn't have too many human actors that we had interacted which is very disappointing to me. Most of the actors we did see had lower quality masks that muffled their voices and broke the illusion of being in another world.
After exiting the indoor haunt there is an awesome looking outdoor maze where the walls appeared to be made out of pallets. Our group of three was disappointingly broken up before we entered the haunt though, where they had decided to separate the women from the men. I would have enjoyed the experience much better if we could have all experienced it together. Making our way through the maze was very entertaining due to the multiple dead ends they had placed in strategical positions. We had to turn to the guidance of an actor, who hilariously had led us to another dead end. The maze was actually my most memorable part of the experience.
All in all, after being at some of the top rated haunts already in the season, the Dwelling of Despair was not one of my favorites, but I do encourage you to go. The haunt is put on by the Hartford Jaycees, which does an awful amount of good for the community. Their prices are in line with the experience you will have and the amount of time that the haunt takes, you will be able to stop at a few other haunts in the same night. If you have never been to a haunt before, or you are going to take some younger individuals through with you, I would definitely recommend the Dwelling of Despair.
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April 19th, 2024 6:48 p.m. CDT 24.01
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