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

Elements of Fear

by HocusPocus (Review Crew) after attending on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review


Caution! All who enter this haunt may not leave!! Admittedly, adults may not find Elements of Fear to be the scariest haunted attraction they attend this year but there’s a good chance that younger haunt goers may feel differently. I had the opportunity to interview 3 boys ages 10-12 prior to entering Elements of Fear. All 3 were talked wildly about the fun time they had but none were willing to admit to being scared. (…interestingly though, there were 2 girls sitting close by….)



I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my tour group for Elements of Fear consisted of just 2 adults and 2 younger teens who were attending this haunt for the first time. While the sizing of the group may have been purely coincidental or perhaps due to the logistics of some of the rooms it definitely helped maximize my immersion into the Elements of Fear found at this haunt. Surprisingly, while talking with the 2 young boys in our group I was able to get them to admit to being a bit nervous prior to embarking on our journey. While I have my doubts that they’d ever admit to being scared I did catch them jumping on quite a few occasions during our adventure. Of course I had every intention of interviewing them following our tour but in an odd twist I completely lost track of them in the fast and furious action of the final room. Did the Elements of Fear send them racing home….or did they perhaps fall victim to the ghouls chasing us through the last room. Of course when it comes to haunts, the words I live by are “he who falls behind gets left behind!”



What I particularly enjoyed about this haunt was how some very simple household items (mirrors, cloth, curtains...etc.) were used to create some really creepy effects and scares.....it really captured my dreams of someday creating my own haunt. I also really enjoyed was the enthusiasm and energy the actors put into their roles. Many of the actors were youthful but there were also a few adults sprinkled into the mix to support some of the more interactive rooms.



This haunt was a challenging one for me to rate. My inner youth definitely would place this haunt at a 5 out of 5 for the fun and fear factors. The adult haunted connoisseur placed it at a 2 out of 5 for the following reasons: For the fun factor there were only a few rooms that allowed you to interact with the actors/scenes via a skit and in those instances there were quite a few distractions (screams, yells, loud bangs) from other parts of the haunt. For the scare factor while there are some parts that have the potential to make you jump most of the scares are geared more towards a younger crowd.

Signage / Visibility / Location


Located along a major street (27th St) with lights and monsters found hanging in front of the haunt. You really can't miss this location as long as you're looking on the west side of the street.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


When I attended there really wasn't a wait. There is a an indoor waiting room located in a separate building from the haunt. It's small (perhaps can hold 30-40) but I do not believe you’re required to wait inside. The volunteers were very social. A few concessions were available for purchase to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Actors' Performance


Most of the actors were young and had a great deal of energy and enthusiasm. Very fun to see and to interact with.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


One of the best vortex rooms I've been in this year. Some of the scenes were elementary in nature but were still very effective in achieving ghoulish results. This haunt probably did a good job with pulling off scares without the luxury of elaborate props. This isn't meant to imply that there weren't any elaborate props, just that the creative staff at Elements of Fear were very successful in getting the most out of what they had to work with.

Length


It took our group approximately 10 minutes to complete the terrorizing tour.

Crowd Control


The waiting room is rather small so crowd control may become challenging if you're waiting inside. As the haunt is actually in a different building I don’t believe you’re required to wait inside.

Most Memorable Moment


The Vortex room!

Summary

Adults may not find Elements of Fear to be the scariest haunted attraction they attend this year but there’s a good chance that younger haunt goers may feel differently.

View all Elements of Fear reviews

Comments: (0)

 
 




ad-header