Please note: this review is for the 2010 season rather than the current season.

Oblivion Haunted House; The Gathering

by blazepi13 (Review Crew) after attending on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at about 4 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: High

Review

I attended Oblivion Haunted House in Menasha, WI (http://www.oblivionhauntedhouse.com/) last weekend with Mr. K, the easily frightened, and Cousin K, the former haunted house actress.  Tickets for Oblivion are $12 at the door, though they can be purchased online through their website (or their iPhone/touch app!) for only $10 and discount coupons can be found at various locations around town.  For the amount of thought and detail that went behind the production of Oblivion, this haunt is incredibly reasonably priced.


Upon arriving at Oblivion, the first thing I noticed was the loud music blaring from the building.  We purchased our tickets and, while making our way towards the entrance, found a wood cutout photo-op (bring a camera!) and promptly stopped to take pictures.  Just as we were switching places, we were greeted with a gas mask-wearing ghoul straight out of 'My Bloody Valentine' who, after scaring us thoroughly, was nice enough to hold off on chasing us with his pickax to pose as the "skeleton" next to our "vampiress" and "Frankenstein."  We were chased past the concessions which sold, among other things, glow necklaces for $1, and headed towards huge doors and the source of the loud music.

After entering Obliviiion, we were greeted by two not-so-alive "hosts" - one who was quite taken with Cousin K's neck - and we were shown a video about the rules of the house.  This was a technologically advanced way to present this information to us, but with the minimal information included in the video, I'm not sure it was necessary.  We were then shuttled into an elevator operated by a fantastically gory ghoul and arrived at the haunt  - 15,000 square feet of an elaborately decorated warehouse.

The attention to detail and production value of Obliviion is extremely high.  There were animatronic characters that Cousin K swore were real people and there were real people in places we didn't think were possible!  There were several elements in the haunt that I hadn't seen in previous haunts and everything seemed just a little too real.  The scares in Oblivion came fast and often, so you really get your money's worth!  The loud music throughout the haunt kept us from being spoiled by earlier groups' screams.  We spent about 20 minutes in Oblivion, but we were hurried along by a panicked Mr. K who pushed us through many a room in his efforts to evade following ghouls.

Signage / Visibility / Location


We didn't have any problems finding Oblivion.  If you have an iPhone, you can use their app to put the directions right into your Maps!  Otherwise, using the directions on their website should get you there with no problems.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


There wasn't any wait to get in to Oblivion, though there are plenty of opportunities for food, photos, and scares right outside of the entrance if you do find yourself in a line!

Actors' Performance


The actors in Oblivion were fantastic.  Everything seemed realistic and energetic.  We especially loved the host in the first room of the haunt who was both eerie and cheeky at the same time.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


Again, I can't say enough about the sets and effects.  It is obvious that the designers of Oblivion paid incredible attention to detail.  The make-up artistry was above and beyond and the gore was incredibly realistic.

Length


Oblivion lasted around 20 minutes.  This was a little short, especially compared to other haunts I have attended this year, but it was just as frightening!

Crowd Control


Loud music keeps you from getting spoiled from groups ahead of you.  We were the only three in our group so we didn't experience much of a crowd.

Most Memorable Moment


I really enjoyed the hall of curtains - I felt like I was heading into Narnia!  I also think the exit was phenomenal...and that's all I'll say!

Summary

Oblivion is a great haunt for those seeking attention to detail and a more high-tech experience.  It's a little short, but, for $10, it's a great price.

View all Oblivion Haunted House; The Gathering reviews

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