2009 Event Reviews
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288 total reviews. Showing 11 of 15 on this page (4 filtered).
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Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Hauntfest
by jordan112 after attending on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at about 1 p.m.
Submitted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Review
Hauntfest is a must-go every year. Its different every year. Different rooms different themes. I love what they did with the skull in the beginning to match the theme. The Theme is Neverland but there really isn't much at all that has to do with Michael Jackson in the house at all. The website has a bunch of different characters on it and tells how they associate with Neverland so thats a plus. Anyways some rooms were really cool. I really like the big spinning room it makes you feel like your spinning and about to fall over. another room i enjoyed was the movie room. They play Michael Jackson's Ghosts and there are couches... Beware dont try to sit on them the ghouls get pretty cranky and come at you like banshees and take your souls for all eternity! Vampires and Zombies run wild through the haunt your life is threatened in every room! Enter at your own risk.
Summary
This haunt was amazing! The actors did an awesome job. they had us running through the rooms. we barely got a chance to see what the rooms looked like. Hauntfest really knows how to put on a good show. It is a must-go. The best place to get your scare on this fall.
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Factory of Fear Haunted Attraction
by sos262 after attending on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at about 2 p.m.
Submitted: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Review
I think the creators did a good job for their first Haunted house in Racine. My girlfriend saw the clowns when we walked in and wouldn't open her eyes for the rest of the show. I'm anxious to see what they will do for next year. Shorter than a haunted hay ride but much more intense. Thanks
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Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
The Wisconsin Fear Grounds
by sparky19 after attending on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at about 3:30 p.m.
Submitted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Review
WOW! What a thrill. It is a must to go through all three haunts. Each one is uniquely scarey and entertaining! The actors were spectacular - we loved the make-up and costumes - and each person had their own personal touch. I would highly recommend the Wisconsin Feargrounds to anyone wishing to be freaked for fun!! We will be back again next year.
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Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Hubertus House of Horror
by HocusPocus (Review Crew) after attending on Friday, October 9, 2009 at about 4 p.m.
Submitted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Review
If there were a granddaddy of Haunted Houses this one would probably be it. The Hubertus House of Horror has been coming back year after year for as long as I can remember. (what is it, 15, 20 years now?) The venue has always remained the same...a creepy lone standing house in what feels like the middle of nowhere. But if you attended this haunt last year and are worried about finding the same experience, don't be. There are some really cool new effects to go along with a few of the best sets from last year.
I particularly enjoyed some of the special effects this year. Yes some of them were carried over from prior years but there were also some outstanding new ones. If you attend several haunts as I do you'll find that many of them will have a room or two in common. In these instances I did feel that the Hubertus House pulled them off a bit better. (...perhaps the result of years of experience?)
As you may have noticed I didn't give this haunt top marks in either the fun factor or scare factor. None of these were deal breakers for me and I still strongly recommended this haunt for everyone. My rational behind the imperfect scores are based on the following:
* Group size of 8. We weren't given a choice in this matter. While I understand why they group so many people together it definitely distracts from your fun when you're stuck in the back as the scare is often times spoiled by the time you enter a room. Also, in a few of the rooms it was challenging to see/feel/hear the action that was taking place. ...this isn't the only haunt that tries to push as many people through as possible with each group. I often wonder, though, if the time spent cramming a large group through each room could be saved with a smaller group that can move through rooms easier.
* Every once in awhile you come across what I call "mystery sets". You walk into a room, wait awhile and then leave when nothing happens or something happens and you're not sure if you're supposed to run to the next set or wait for something more to happen. Our group encountered two such rooms during our tour.
* There are definitely sets that appear geared to provide a few scares...but for some reason our group found them to be more entertaining than scary. Not sure why. Perhaps due to set execution or perhaps due to the actors expecting a younger group?
Signage / Visibility / Location
Wait Area / Line Entertainment
Actors' Performance
Sets Scenes / Props / FX
Length
Crowd Control
This was our experience this year....As in the past we bought our tickets when the ticket stand opened at 6pm. We then assembled our group and returned at 9pm. Upon returning we were instructed that it was ok to get in line as our numbers had already been called. (There was only one line at this time.) After waiting awhile we noticed that a second line was forming. After inquiring, we were told that the second line was for those whose numbers were called off earlier in the evening. So we then got into this line. After awhile in this line a third group walked in and proceeded to form a third line. We then inquired about this line and were told that it was for those who purchased tickets prior to 7pm. At this point there really didn't seem to be any lines....just one mass of people inching towards the front and a bit confused. Their confusion was certainly understandable as not one announcement was made regarding the formation of the new lines or why the new lines were being allowed in front of the original line.
Most Memorable Moment
Summary
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Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Shockwave Haunts & The Fuzzy Pig Presents the Halloween Fashion Show & Sale
by weimercm21 after attending on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at about 3:30 p.m.
Submitted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Review
Blood Manor was the best haunt I have been to in years!!! They just don't do haunts anymore that are as good as this one. The dark maze is full of twists and turns and the spooky rooms have tons of gruesome detail. There is a good scream around every corner!
Summary
This is a must see! It is the best in the area and is NOT to be missed!
View all Shockwave Haunts & The Fuzzy Pig Presents the Halloween Fashion Show & Sale reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Terror on Rural Street
by HocusPocus (Review Crew) after attending on Friday, October 9, 2009 at about 3 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
Two elaborately dressed 15ft tall creatures greeted us as we approached the ticket window for this venue. Scary for some and very entertaining for others. The tone of this venue for me fell pretty much right in line with this encounter. For those who love to be ghoulishly entertained and occasionally surprised you'll be quite satisfied with this year's Terror on Rural Street.
Many of the of the other reviews that have been posted do a great job of hitting the highlights for this venue. I attended this haunt with 11 of my friends and everyone had a great time. The fun and scare ratings indicated on this review reflect the collective feedback I received from everyone.
Favorable Comments from the group included:
** It was great to see that many of the rooms have been changed from last year.
** The clowns really creeped me out!
** I had a blast hamming it up with the actors.
** That trick floor really freaked me out!
** Loved the grave yard & waterfall.
** Just when I thought we reached the end there was another room!
** One word...Vortex!
** the quick witted 15ft tall Frankenstein eloquently singing America the Beautiful stole the show!
Rather than to leave you wondering why Terror on Rural Street didn't receive a perfect score the following comments were made:
** Caught up to the group in front of us and then got caught by the group behind us.
** felt rushed as the group behind us frequently entered the room before the actors in our room were finished.
** Often times heard what was going on in the adjacent rooms.
** I was stuck in the back of my group of 6 the entire time and missed what was going on in a few of the rooms. I was particularly bummed to have missed the scare at the grave yard scene.
** was a little confused about when we should proceed to the next room as the actors continued to perform and did not provide any indication that they were trying to scare us away.
Signage / Visibility / Location
Wait Area / Line Entertainment
Actors' Performance
Sets Scenes / Props / FX
Length
Crowd Control
Most Memorable Moment
Summary
View all Terror on Rural Street reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Terror on Rural Street
by runningscared after attending on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at about 4:30 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
Finding this event was not problem, thanks to the great directions given on the there web site. When we arrived to buy tickets we were fortunate to save $1.00 off each ticket because we brought a nonperishable food item. Great Idea!!! We moved into the waiting area to wait for our numbers to be called, I was a little unsure because there were not very many people waiting to go into the house. Don't know why, and I hopped it was not because the house was not as good as years past. The waiting area was warm and I did buy a delicious,warm pretzel from the concessions stand. While waiting in line to enter the house we were met by Grandpa Munster. He looked extremely authentic! After reading the rules the door opened and we were on our way. The old lady's costume in the first room was impressive, but I wish she had more to say. She simply pointed us into the next area of the house. We made our way onto the elevator and the door closed. I won't tell you everything that happened but I must say I really believed that we were going down. As we made our way through the house we were met with many scares and surprises. Just a few of my favorite areas were the talking deer head, the waterfall, and the spinning tunnel. I also liked the the ramp with the netting. Great scare in there.
Summary
All and all it was an exceptional house. From the lighting and sound to most of the monsters. If you are looking for a great haunted house this year I highly recommend you go to this one now before everyone finds out how good it is and you have to wait in long lines . I did not go to the other 2 houses in that area but it would be hard for me to believe they could top this one.
View all Terror on Rural Street reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Mars Haunted House
by graveyardgirl after attending on Friday, October 9, 2009 at about 6 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
What can I say? Mars NEVER disappoints! The best yet! Very cool hearse right in front so you cant miss it! The wait time was short and even had some surprise ghouls! Make sure you check out the "old guy".
Summary
Story to the house this year was awesome! In the 1st room it was so scary that it made the girl in front of us drop to her knees and begged her friends to turn back. As for set decorations... in one room I had to check to make sure it wasnt real!
View all Mars Haunted House reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Schuster's Farm Haunted Forest
by Hauntedfreak after attending on Friday, October 9, 2009 at about 3:30 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
Hey I've been to a lot of haunts in Wisconsin over the years and I can honestly say by far this was the best one yet...compaired to the others in this area it is in a different league...my favorite scene was the squeze room but I liked the last house a lit too...the actors were amazing and energetic. Great work schusters!!!
Summary
I would highly recomend this forest to anyone who wants to be scared and have a great time
View all Schuster's Farm Haunted Forest reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm and Creepy Cornfield
by comewhatmay927 after attending on Friday, October 9, 2009 at about 4 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
We were underwhelmed by our experience. The environment was creepy and cool. All the props in a dark corn maze under the stars was great, and the special effects were really cool, but none of us found the experience very scary at all. The scares came at a predictable pace, and the focus was too much on animatronics instead of actors. Also felt as if there was too much lag time between scares.
Summary
All in all it's a decent time but felt the price was much higher than the scare factor. Recommended only if you aren't on a budget and want some outdoor halloween activities.
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Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
The Dark Side Haunted Adventure
by louiscyphre (Review Crew) after attending on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at about 3 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
Ah, the Dark Side, how we love thee, let us count the ways.
Set at an actual farm, the haunt is spread out over what looks like acres and acres of land, and made up of at least four different segments, an abandoned mine (with one heckuva cool, disorienting spiral staircase/vortex thingie), a hayride with an accompanying soundtrack, a haunted forest with some elaborate setups, and a haunted corn maze that kind of speaks for itself; by the end you may feel almost entertained-out. We loved the mine and the forest, but the hayride was kind of short on ghouls; perhaps H1N1 is hitting the ghoul community hard.
Don't expect an over-arching theme or anything art-y or anything like that, but these guys are serious about what they're doing and they do it well. There's some clever set-ups, for instance, with distracting you into looking at something that's slightly lit (what's that little fire over there about?), and then dazzling you with blazing flames (Fire Bad!), so your little retinas are overwhelmed and non-operational for a minute, and then a ghoul lurches out of the dark and slams his powersaw into the side of your haywagon, sending up sparks (yes, sparks!) and everyone screams, etc etc. Is it wrong to think of this as fun? Whatev.
It does look like a lot of effort goes into this haunt, and it takes a long long time to get through, so give yourself an hour or more, at the very least, and savor the terror. And it's all for just the one reasonable admission fee, so kudos to them.
Signage / Visibility / Location
Wait Area / Line Entertainment
I think they sold little treats and stuff at the main building, but we were kind of rushing in. Anyways, you line up on a hill and wait to get the high-sign from some ghouls to approach the entrance to the mine; when you reach the entrance, there's a witch who tells you the "Story of Glacier Rock Farms and Its Mad Owner." I think the story has changed a bit since I was last there, but that's how legends grow, I suppose. Actually, the waiting on the hill is kind of cool, with the stars all lit up behind the mine and over the ridge and farm as you look down over the whole place.... Some random ghouls kind of wander around, too, but my favorite part is that you still line up next to a real cow pasture, and so cows wander in and out of the scene, and they're kind of spooky, at least to city slickers like us, but I don't think they're vampire cows like the ones featured in the commercials for that Little Vampire movie (it came out in 2000, god help us, look it up on imdb if you're confused), although that would be interesting, I suppose, as long as I didn't have to have any kind of contact with that horrible gel-haired Jonathan Lipnicki kid. Sorry, accidentally tapped into the decades-old rivalry between me and Jonathan Lipnicki there. Curse you, Lipnicki!
Anyway, the wait is nice and pleasant and suitably atmospheric.
Actors' Performance
Sets Scenes / Props / FX
Length
Crowd Control
Most Memorable Moment
2) When you enter the abandoned cabin, give the bed a wide berth...that's a pun, sorry.
3) Oh boy, if you can't stand enclosed spaces, you're going to have a hard time in one part of the mine. It felt like we were being forced into a cattle slaughtering pen...seriously disturbing.
Summary
View all The Dark Side Haunted Adventure reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Bitten at the Theme Park
by freaksjay06 after attending on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at about 2 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
Please skip this if you are going to this for the haunted house. Worst crowd management.everyone seemed to be lost in there. Terrible acting no earth shattering effects. A huge waste p time.just go for one more ride on hades.
Summary
Skip this haunted house only if the entire visit is surrounded around it. Enjoy the park one last time.
View all Bitten at the Theme Park reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex
by freddyk1369 after attending on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at about 3:30 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
Two thumbs up bigtime... I really enjoyed the haunted house portion. The actors were really good and their faces were done really realistically. We had a group of us that all work at the House of Bathory that went and we all loved it. Even though all of us work at a haunted house we jumped a few times throughout. The wait being on a sunday was not long at all which made our visit that much more enjoyable probably about ten minute wait for both the haunted house and the haunted woods. For our group we were there for about an hour and all of us did both the haunted house and haunted woods portions along with the coffin simulation which was another awesome part of the attraction. We all agreed on definitely making a stop again next year. Keep up the good work
Summary
This place definitely did a really good job the actors were never out of position and never fell out of character no matter what we said to them they always had a good comeback for us. Definitely a good attraction.
View all Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
The Haunted Barn BACK FROM THE DEAD!
by remcycle after attending on Friday, October 9, 2009 at about 5 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
I was born a midwesterner and spent my first 15 years here. As such, I feel like as a child I got a pretty good taste of what Halloween in this country of ours should really be like; a celebration of the season...the weather changing and growing cold, the colors changing before our eyes, the feeling all around us that nothing is going to be able to grow for the many long months ahead.
I left Wisconsin in 1991 and lived in some pretty wacky places since, but returned to Wisconsin last summer...and I have to say that haunts like The Haunted Barn are one of the biggest reasons I came back.
Halloween haunts in this neck of the woods come in two predominant flavors. There are those that are built into an empty mall space and are designed to boo-scare you for 15 minutes or so. These have their place as not everyone has the stamina or desire to make it through the second type, being the full-on environmental experience. These generally require a good drive out into the middle of nowhere and involve parking in a field in the shadow of a big old creepy barn. There might be a dark cornfield on the property or nearby. There may be a highway that tears through the countryside, or perhaps just an old dusty road. But there's going to be a large outdoor component to it and it's going to make all the difference.
The Haunted Barn is just such a place. Just east of the quaint Main Street of downtown Stoughton on Highway 51, the venue is very easy to find, although the signs on the side of the road are very small and difficult to see. Just keep heading due east and it'll be on the right...you can't miss it (in case you do, if you pass Pleasant Hill Rd. you've gone just a bit too far).
Upon arriving, we found ourselves driving through the middle of a typical farm country homestead and I instantly had a smile on my face. My wife was a bit afraid that this event would be 'silly' and to be honest, I was kinda hoping for it to be.
We parked, walked up to a 'plaza' area outside of the barn and noticed an inordinate number of children walking around. They were all dressed up and ready to scare as only creepy children can. :) Then I remembered that these children are all members of volunteer families from Stoughton and surrounding locales; most likely the same children that are involved in the theater activities in town during other times of the year.
After paying our admission (a modest $8 each), we were led inside the barn, given the house rules by a ghoul, and allowed to enter.
Upon the first entrance my first thoughts were of the attention paid to minute details and I think this was because the designers were of the same mind as I was; make an experience, not just a few scares. And an experience it was...
The scares in the house were not very scary, but there were definitely some jump moments and the children in the house did a fantastic job. The two creepy girls who "want to play a game" are something I'll always remember of this place. I always caught myself checking behind me as these scarers liked to pop out from the walls when you least expect them.
The tour takes you through a barn, outside (where we stopped and played with a farm cat), through another barn and then back outside for a fantastic 20 minute walk through a field and forest. Being outside at a haunt has a wonderfully immersive quality that you just can't imitate inside a building. The music goes away, the effects go away and it's just you and the woods...and whatever may be lurking in the shadows. In the forest the usual rules just don't apply.
After the walk, the trail leads you back to the main plaza area where concessions are available and a fun black-lit Halloween gift shop awaits. We enjoyed having a chance to pick up some glow-in-the-dark fangs, glowsticks and a soda while talking to the people who run the haunt. You can tell how much they love doing this.
The tour was much longer than I expected, and after everything; the tour, the shopping, the laughing with the proprietors, playing with the cats, talking with the children...it was easily after 11 when we finally drove away.
Summary
It was great...just a fantastic time out in the country.
My only gripe was that there should be more timing control; keeping groups separate. Perhaps dead-ends that open to let groups through once the group before them has moved far enough ahead. Running into another group really steals the isolation out of the whole thing.
Other than that, it was a fantastic experience. Not very scary, but a wonderful way to celebrate fall in Southern Wisconsin!
View all The Haunted Barn BACK FROM THE DEAD! reviews
Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.
The Haunted Barn BACK FROM THE DEAD!
by citizenjess after attending on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at about 2 p.m.
Submitted: Monday, October 12, 2009
Review
SO MUCH FUN!! 6 of us went to the Haunted Barn on an unseasonably cold Saturday night. We arrived early (7ish) so we did not have to wait long to enter the barn. They split us into groups of 3 (with the option of 2 and 4) We were happily surprised to learn that the experience would take 45 minutes to an hour. The actors were great- despite the cold, they were in full character (no Badgers sweatshirts!) and delightfully creepy. Loved the "leatherface" guy happily hacking away at something in the distance. Loved the three different pockets of horror. Creepy props. Creepy moments of no one being around. Loved that some kids in front of us thought Beetlejuice was the ghost of Albert Einstein. The night we went, Friends of Ferals was there selling brats, which was a nice way to end the experience, along with friendly kittens. It was very apparent that a lot of love goes into creating this event- well done!
Summary
Scary but fun!
View all The Haunted Barn BACK FROM THE DEAD! reviews
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