The Weird the Wacky the Haunt Industry

[drfrightner]

Hey report everything you see or hear post a link to every haunted thread you can find about our industry... we want to report the top 10 most bizzare stories we find in the next magazine.

Lets hear it...

Also did you visit a haunt and it just blew you away good or bad...lets hear about it and why.

Give us the who what and where.

Larry

[UnDeRTaKer313]

Chainsaw Creek Haunted Attraction in Toledo Ohio blew me away!!!

the reason it was so amazing was that first off they construct the entire thing off site and reassemble it in a parking lot of our mall under 4 huge tents. now you would think that this would be very poorly detailed, and not a great value, but it is hands down the scariest haunted house i have ever been to. there are 4 haunted houses and they have tons of animatronics and effects. These guys hit the nail on the head when it comes to a fun place to visit and a scary attraction. Ive been to every haunted house within 2 hours of it and nothing compares. They keep the atmosphere upbeat and intense and there actors are the best i have EVER SEEN!!!
check them out at http://www.chainsawcreek.com
you should totally put them in your next magazine, these guys work there asses off all season and are also extremely friendly and helpfull.
CHAINSAW CREEK = 5 stars!

[drfrightner]

Okay check out this one...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...y_N.htm?csp=34

[drfrightner]

Here is another one... check this one out.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,3087423.story

[shawnc]

"Not family friendly? As opposed to cannibalism, chain saws, axes and body parts?"

I love it!

[Killer Katie]

OMG... people are way too serious! LOL

[Haunting Copy]

Here is another one... check this one out.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,3087423.story

I agree with Gary Kessler that those guys have no sense of humor. I thought the idea was hilarious!

Sarah

[UnDeRTaKer313]

wow thats rediculous,
i have no idea how they actually justified fining the cross burner.
and WOW who cares about a stupid painting on the wall, theres like thousands of those type of painting on the internet.lol

[JackoWcko]

I'm not a haunt owner, or professional haunter in any way. I just enjoy going to haunted houses and look for new scares online when I'm bored at work.

With that said, here's my opinions of haunts I've visited this season:

Land of Illusion, Middletown, OH: Nice attractions, with detailed sets and animatronics, but they need to change their attractions up year to year. I'm tired of seeing the same thing. They also could stand to up their customer service area.

The Dent School House, Cincinnati, OH: One of my favorite attractions. Actors are intense, humorous, and entertaining. Detailing and theme is phenomenal.

USS Nightmare, Newport, KY: This one's pretty fabulous but not worth the ticket price in my opinion. They totally stepped up their game this year compared to my visit last year. Make-up, lighting, and detailed sets are what they excel at here.

Kings Island Halloween Haunt; Not the scariest attractions, but an overall great night of fun and scares. An entire night's entertainment cant be beat for a $20 online ticket

Ohio State Reformatory: My favorite of the season. I've never been more scared in my life. The authenticity and sheer creepiness of this place is simply fabulous.

Dead Acres: After all the hype, I was kidn of let down. True, the actors are beyond intimidating, the animatronics are top-line, and there's something around every corner to startle you. However, they really need to work on their through-put. I visited on not a very busy night and was pushed through with a line of easily 50 people

Lewisburg Haunted Cave: This place is simply awesome. Creepiness factor of being 100 feet underground in a real cave cant be beat. They have the HARDEST maze I've ever been through. Took me an easy hour to get out of this one.

I'm hoping to get out to Louisville on Halloween night, and hitting up Fear Fair in Seymour, IN on the way.

[brad]

That sounds great Wacko!


Let us know what else you find good this year.

[drfrightner]

The guy who thought political murals was somehow scary and anything put a PR stunt is something else... however after watching all the discussions about politics ahhh yeah I guess it is scary but not in a Halloween way. LOL

Bottom line I think some things are just tasteless like making a Dahlmer kitchen or this newest episode. Gimmicks do not and will not make your haunt successful!

Larry

[JackoWcko]

Ask and ye shall receive..

Hustead House of Horrors in Springfield, OH is flippin phenomenal. It reminded me of the haunted houses I used to go to in High School.

Old School, in your face, haunting at its finest. True its all clowns, but these clowns could've been dressed up like Celine Dion and I would still be terririfed of them.

Throw multiple chainsaw chases, claustrophobia tunnels, a "slide of death", and a shocking crawlspace tunnel and you've got a haunted house thats near perfection.

[DarkTikiEntertainment]

I recently attended "Fright Dome" (here in Las Vegas) for the first time. The first surprise was that the entire dome was haunted. I knew there was going to be five haunted houses in the Adventure Dome (the indoor theme park that hosts Fright Dome), but I thought they would simply be added to the existing park; I didn't realize that the entire dome would be dark, fog-filled, and Halloween-themed. There were even wandering actors with chainsaws, and actors flying over-head. I found the general atmosphere of the dome to be excellent.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the haunted houses themselves, at least at first. Being a temporary, seasonal event; the houses were mostly constructed out of black plastic sheets, with the occasional "scene" (set) here and there. I moved to Vegas two years ago from Michigan, and I'll admit that I'd been spoiled by yearly trips to the amazing Michigan-based "Erebus" and "Realm of Darkness". They are both easily contenders for "Top 13" haunts any given year (though "Realm of Darkness" never quite seems to get the ranking it deserves, but that's a topic for another post). They both also have the advantage of being housed in permanent structures, giving the opportunity for gigantic rooms, and elaborate sets throughout. Fright Dome does not have this luxury, and it showed.

As my time at Fright Dome neared its end, I had decided the dome had great general atmosphere, and mediocre haunted houses... but then I entered the last haunted house on my list: 'Hex-Mas Nightmare". For years I had been thinking about how great it would be to have a Christmas-themed haunted house, and suddenly there it was. The first room starts with walking into a cozy, traditional Christmas scene, complete with falling snow. Suddenly there is a crack of lightning, the lights blink out, and the scene is instantly transformed into a Christmas nightmare, complete with an actor who appeared out of nowhere. Things only improved from there... snow wolves, demented snowmen, and an attacking Christmas tree (all far more scary than they sound----the Christmas tree scared the crap out of my friend!). It was original, and fantastic! If you combine the general haunt atmosphere of Fright Dome, with the excellent "Hex-Mas Nightmare" haunted house, I think it was well worth the price of admission.

[damon carson]

Thats all very funny and humorous! Thanks for posting that Larry. And everyone knows if you were really trying to detail that cross you wouldnt do it that way in your front yard. This guy was obviously trying to make a wrong kind of statement.
Damon

[shawnc]

A good addition to this forum might be a review section where people can talk about the latest haunts they have been to. It's always interesting hearing someone else's perspective, or finding out about a new haunt that has been done right.