Let me begin by saying this was one of the best haunted experiences I've had in a long, long time. We purchased discount vouchers through Yelp and saved $4 per ticket. Our cost was $23 per ticket, which, after the experience, I found reasonable for the entertainment value alone.
Doors opened at 7pm and we arrived at the parking area around 7:10pm. The lower lot was already full but upper parking was fine. As I understand it, parking was free to 7:30pm and then $5 per vehicle after that. At our arrival, the ticket line was about 10 deep and the voucher/internet ticket line was 2 deep so our wait was minimal. There were port-a-potty's at the ticket line and then directly before the building entrance.
As we entered the building, we were greeted with haunted staff that immediately began the experience. While in line, there were more staff that walked around and creeped everyone the hell out, which made waiting bearable, along with props of hanging body parts and gross things of similar nature. Overall, our initial wait was about 1.5 hours to reach the first of 6 haunted areas. Oh, it was sweetest day so everyone received a complimentary bar of chocolate while waiting in line ... YUM !!!!
Each of the haunted areas were VERY well put together with fine details that made it all blend together. I spent a good portion of my time admiring all the gory props, in and amongst being scared by all the actors, who, incidentally, played well with our group and made it very entertaining.
After 3 haunted areas, we entered an area where we could purchase refreshments and take pictures with some props. Surprising to most, the prices were reasonable with a bottle of water being $1, which was well received after all the screaming we all had done up to this point. The props were fun and well lit, making the end picture appear to have a very professional feel to it. Again, to me, its all about the details that were not overlooked by FOT that continue to impress.
The last 3 zones were put together as well as the first 3. None of the areas appeared to have been assembled in haste, providing a keen sense of reality to each area, which, when given time to adjust, heightened the experience.
The exit was uneventful, which was somewhat of a bummer. I figured it would have ended on a "pee your pants" barrage of clowns (given the latest news reports), chainsaws and extreme finale ... nope, you simply turn a corner and, "oh, this must be the end because there's the parking lot, harrumph."
The only aspect that completely turned me off, aside from the exit, was, while walking through some of the areas, (and let me preface this by saying they had small delays between group entry into each zone), the staff allowed groups to catch up, essentially having a long line of participants. This completely took away from the group experience and I would suggest better monitoring by the staff to delay groups inside the zones to prevent this occurrence. I understand this is a challenge but would likely provide a better experience for all.
We got to the parking lot around 10:30pm and headed home, but not before getting a quick look at the lines. HOLY CRAP !!!! The line to get into the building had backed up to the ticket line and the ticket line was around the corner heading toward the parking lot. Getting there at 7pm, you get a respectable 90 minute wait. Apparently getting there around 10pm probably gets you a 3 hour wait.
At any rate, this is a great haunted experience that I would recommend to no one younger than 14 years of age. Small children, in my opinion, should not participate as you are immersed heavily in adult-oriented gore and horror that make a haunted house so enjoyable for those of us that are no longer as innocent and pure. This place will definitely scare the pee out of you !!!!
Despite minimal shortcomings, I give this experience 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) and would encourage anyone looking for a good scare to visit ... but arrive early! read more