EXTREME RISK OF HEARING DAMAGE. (My visit took place on 10/31/2024.)
The General Admission experience is probably the worst experience I've ever had. The line moves extremely slowly and most of the time not at all. This wouldn't be awful, except that the line winds back and forth directly in front of an extremely loud public address system. The loud audio is relentless and verges on torture, as you cannot move (of course, you can cover your ears if you don't want to use your hands for anything else). On top of that, two performers rode in and out on motorcycles, revving their engines nearly the entire time in an enclosed space, while an announcer with a grating voice berated the audience into making additional noise.
I almost got the impression that the business model is to assault General Admission customers with hearing-damaging volumes in an effort to get them to upgrade to the VIP experience and rake in more cash! Well, it worked. My partner and I are extremely protective of our hearing and regularly attend live music events. We normally carry ear protection at all times, but we didn't think we'd need it for a haunted attraction. Wrong! We were maybe able to endure the high SPLs for 10 or 15 minutes before we relented and walked back to the ticket booth to upgrade to VIP.
At the ticket booth, I mentioned the high volume levels to an employee and was told that the volume level was the same as it had been all season. If that's the case, this business should be held accountable for the hearing damage that has likely been caused to ANYONE who stood in that General Admission line this season. Projected wait time was 60 minutes. The combination of the long wait time and proximity to the extremely loud audio is inexcusable and shameful. I was invited to speak to the owner, which I declined as it seemed very likely that my complaints would not be heard.
Despite some register problems, I received my VIP upgrade quickly. The VIP line was very short and I entered the haunt after a few minutes.
The haunt itself was very well done; I'd describe it as "unhinged." That said, there were several moments where customers are again subjected to extremely loud sounds once inside (trombone directly to the head, air horns, high-pressure compressed air). These were relatively minor offenses, compared to the GA line experience I mentioned, but rather unpleasant after already suffering from fatigued hearing.
Would I recommend? Maybe... if you don't care about your hearing, or you have adequate hearing protection available while waiting an eternity in the GA line. Had I chosen the VIP upgrade from the beginning, I would have likely had a good experience and bypassed the worst of it.
ZERO stars for the awful General Admission experience, FOUR stars for the haunt itself. read more