Ryan (Dr Caligari)

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Other Years: 2010 | 2009 | 2008

2008 Reviews

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

Haunted Cornfield at Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm

by Dr Caligari (Review Crew) after attending on Friday, September 26, 2008 at about 4 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

My friends and I took a trip to West Bend to take a tour through the corn. We got the directions off the internet and had no issues getting down to where Meadowbrook Farm is located.

The actual farmstead is really neat. They have a gift shop and petting zoo nearby. Everything where you wait is really decorated nicely. It looked like a really neat spot to bring kids during the day.

We sat down by the roaring fire that they had prepared. We were entertained momentarily by one of the many fine people that were running the event. Even though it was there first night and they were still working out many of the kinks that seem to commonly occur on the first night, the attendants were always kind and courteous and ready to answer any questions you might have.

The trip through the haunted corn field was one of the best I had ever been to of its kind. You could tell that they really worked hard to set up a specific atmosphere. This is a close, almost clostrophobic, adventure through narrow cut passages and through a large variety of different scenes. Everything from Aliens to pirates roamed out in the dark corners of the corn.

Though, as it was the first night, at the time it seemed like they might have been short-staffed. They were short on live actors at a lot of points and relied largely upon static and mechanical scares. It was really fun, though, and they work very hard to make the experiance an enjoyable one for the people that come through.

So, don't let the mist scare you away. Brave your fears and venture into. Who knows? Maybe you will join them...forever...

Summary

Something is strange in the corn. In West Bend, you can take a tour around the corn field of this old farmstead. Many exotic and wierd creatures await you when the fog rolls in...

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Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

Mars Haunted House

by Dr Caligari (Review Crew) after attending on Friday, October 3, 2008 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

This was my first time out to Historic Mitchell Street to go out to this haunted house. I was impressed with the sights and sounds of this trip through the second story of this old building. You could tell that the group that runs this is a set of veteran haunters.

The scenes and acting were great. I thought some of the rooms that were the best were the ones that played off what they had, a truly great location. The laboratories and the insane asylum-like sets were some of the best I had seen in a while. A lot played on that sort-of late 1800s set, though still with all the great set-ups you come to expect from a haunted house (killer clowns/freaky gothic characters/etc.).

Their actors were all very intense and were not at all afraid of being right up there in your face. From strange shadowy women wandering around the room with you to creepy rednecks and their grandmothers, all of the actors knew their lines well.

It was a fast paced, gritty haunted house with true character.

The only thing I would recommend, if you aren't familiar with the area, would be to give yourself a few minutes to find it. It being it's first weekend and with only a short line in front and also due to a lack of any major sign (at least that I saw). I found it a little hard to locate exactly where the haunted house was at first. Don't let this scare you away before they scare you away, it was a good time and I would recommend it to anyone who has not gone down to Mitchell Street yet to see it.

Summary

A strange experience awaits you on Historic Mitchell Street. The ghouls await you at this century-old building. This place is billed as being Milwaukee's "only truly haunted house". Who knows, maybe you might see an actual ghost?

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Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

Gilly's Haunted House

by Dr Caligari (Review Crew) after attending on Friday, October 3, 2008 at about 4:45 a.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

What is more scary than a murderous clown? What about the full menagerie from the circus that the murderous clown comes from?

One of the things that this haunted house excels at is the quality of the actors that inhabit the it. Every actor from the fortune teller to the freaks in the freak show excel exceedingly in what they do. They give you a lot interaction and stay in character the entire time. It was my first visit and I was very impressed by the quality and energy of all their actors.

The theme of the haunted house was appealing, as so few haunted events can stick to a theme or a single storyline. The true horrors of the circus come alive in this carnival to the senses. The entire haunted house is a real disorienting trip to the horrors experienced within. Beware the fun house! Beware the freak show!

Finding the haunted house wasn't hard, but finding parking down near the haunted house was a challenge. The trip, though, is really worth it.

This had one of the single scariest scenes in any haunted attraction that I have been in for a long time, though I won't give it away. Be ready and beware!

You have to experience it for yourself. So, get out....join the show.... and laugh yourself to death....

Summary

Something strange has come to Milwaukee. Gilly's Haunted Circus has come. One of the few really themed haunted houses, this largely character-driven event will scare the pants off you.

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