2012 Event Reviews

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151 total reviews. Showing 13 of 15 on this page (2 filtered).

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

The Dark Side Haunted Adventure

by jim schilling after attending on Friday, October 19, 2012 at about 2 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

Attended the dark side last night with a group of kids. it is located in a very secluded location and at the end of a long narrow road which is scary enough before you even enter. There are actually three parts to this haunt. An indoor mineshaft maze you walk through then you get on a hayride then you get off and walk through a corn maze with a bunch of attractions. I liked the dark side because it wasn't just a bunch of blood and guts. It had a really neat story to go along with the attractions. The attractions were really well done and very detailed. It took us about 45 min to get through the whole thing which i thought was a really good value for the entrance fee. I would have liked to see some music or something while waiting in line.

Summary

I would definitely recommend the dark side for groups or families. It was very entertaining and scary without being to gruesome.

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Abandoned Haunted House Complex

by Dueces31 after attending on Friday, October 12, 2012 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: High

Review

I live for Haunted House season and was bummed when I heard Abandonded was not opening last year because I live so close. I am SOOOOO glad that they waited because you can definitely tell this Haunt is 2 years in the making.

I was impressed how each room had such amazing detail. Make sure you take time to appreciate the amazing artistry that was put into this haunt. The detail made you feel like you were really "in" the scene. There were themed rooms that you will not see anywhere else (I don't want to give ANYTHING away to those yet to go through).

Also, I felt like the actors take this Haunt to a completely different level than any other haunt I have been to. You can tell they "live" for this job. There were moments of the Haunt that were more calm and showed off the theme of the room and then there were moments that were more intense and scared the "beans" out of you. I thought there was a great balance between the two.

I have to say I was walking through with an 11 year old and was really trying not get noticeably scared and there were a handful of times that I couldn't help myself where I screamed out loud and jogged a bit to get a way from the actor.

The wait can be long, but the time went by fast with the outside entertainment, food, and anticipation of going in. Besides, the wait is half the fun!

Summary

Overall this was a good time. This haunt holds their own for a first year haunt. I saw on the news that they are planning on some additions next year both inside and out. I can't wait to see what they have in store.

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

The Wisconsin Fear Grounds

by kellymoconnor after attending on Friday, October 12, 2012 at about 2 p.m.

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: High

Review

I have to say it was a bit disappointing. I went to this in 2010 and thought it was pretty decent which is why I returned this year. The last time I went, we only went to the Morgan Manor part of it. This time I ended up paying 30 bucks a person for 3 of us to be able to check out the other 2. We really enjoyed Morgan Manor, the sets and makeup and actor were excellent but the other 2 were just not worth the extra money. I expected them to be at least equal or better than the Morgan Manor but the second one was mediocre and the third, well, I wouldn't even call a haunted house at all. More of a series of stand alone exhibits that where arranged outside in a wide open area.

Summary

If you are still planning to check out this event, I would advise you to just do Morgan Manor and skip the other 2. With the $ you save, you can go to a second event instead ;)

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

The Wisconsin Fear Grounds

by Scorpio after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 4:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

Holy wow! I was pretty spooked last year by the FearGrounds. This is year they've upped the ante. The attention to detail is stunning. How could I pass up a chance to shoot at "live" zombies. Torment got me disoriented for a while. I definitely can't wait to go back.

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Dr. Scary's Haunted House - CLOSED -

by bmontgomery after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

When I arrived, it was raining. They have a covered waiting area. The evil clown scared the bejeezes out of me while I was waiting. There was also a young lady in a red outfit that snuck up behind me, and whispered in my ear. Startling me! The rooaming characters outside were so much fun. After getting into the main haunt, it was so much bigger that I imagined! Actors jumping out at me around every corner. Everyone was in character, and gave me quite a fright. Inside, I enjoyed every room. I got a surprise scare from a plant! I don't want to give away alot, but want to give credit where it is due. The girl in the straight jacket....oh my! She was so awesome. The actors here are top notch, and I cannot wait to visit again. The Pandemonium was so fun! And A bit frustrating for me, because giving up was not an option. I was determined to find my way out. after over an hour, I finally found the 'Winner' door.
I will be brining more friends with me this next weekend. Even with the rain, it did not slow them down one bit, I was so impressed, and will show it off to everyone that I know.

Summary

Highly recommend this haunt. I will bring more friends to enjoy a great time, great actors, and creepy surroundings. It is perfect!

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Abandoned Haunted House Complex

by Dueces31 after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

What a great time! I've been keeping my eye on this place for well over a year, and it did not let me down! The parking was great, just a little muddy in some spots but it rained all day so whatever... It was very easy & quick to get my tickets...PLUS the ticket ladies were easy on the eye's as well!! We waited in line for a little over 2 hours, but that's ok, I've waited longer in line at Six Flags! The actors outside helped the time pass... "Bottlez" the drunk clown was over the top funny! You had to keep watching him to see what was next! His partner with the tiny hatchets was great too! I'm not sure, but I think I saw her some where before.. Anyways, when we finally got in, impressed was an understatement. The detail of the rooms was spot on! Nothing was over looked and not one corner was cut! Very well done. Even the actors were great for the first year! Total walk through time, about 40 minutes or so.

Summary

Overall, it was great! For a first year haunt, I can't wait to see what's in store for next year..or the year after! If I had a negative comment, it's this...I have 2 boys that are 10 & 7 and they love these things. However, I don't think that Abandoned would be the right place to take them through...not for a couple of more years anyway! We'll have to stick to the haunted corn maze's & the place in Zion until they're ready for this place.. Otherwise, 5 out of 5 guys!! Thanks!!

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Abandoned Haunted House Complex

by wm (Review Crew) after attending on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at about 2 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

It normally takes a haunt a few years to come into it's own.  Find out what works, what doesn't work, and then build on it.  The Abandoned Haunted House Complex had some great word of mouth going for it, but I didn't want to get my expectations too high being this was new
haunt.  I was pleasantly surprised with Abandoned!



There are two separate parts to Abandoned: Hysteria and Ambush.  You get two nice paced haunts for the price of one!  They are housed in a long building that has some awesome curb appeal.  I appreciate the fact that they do not rush you in, but rather space out the groups so you're not bumping into anyone and ruining a good scare. 



Hysteria is just like it sounds.  INTENSE, with things coming at you from all sides.  They have great sound and lighting throughout, and their actors know just when to jump out at you!  I did notice that at many haunts that the first person in a group is normally the person who they jump
out at.  Not so in Hysteria!  It seemed to me they were targeting more the folks in the middle or the back.  Very smart indeed, as those who are more jumpy tend to hide in those places.  There's a good mix of lit areas were you could check out the details, and then the dark and spooky rooms where they jump out of no-where. 



Ambush places you right in the middle of a made for movie plot where there's a zombie apocalypse and the Army is trying to control it.  Zombies are everywhere, and even the 'good guys' are intimidating and in your face.  They make great use of air cannons as if they were gunshots... they get me every time!



We left Abandoned with our hearts pumping, wishing we could experience more!  If this is their first year, just how good are they going to be a few years into it?  I can't wait to find out!!!  

Signage / Visibility / Location


It was very easy to find.  You can see it from the highway, and the big spotlight definitely helps!

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


The line basically wraps around the back of the building.  There were a few actors the night we went that provided some entertainment while we waited.  There's also some concessions close by. 

Actors' Performance


INCREDIBLE!  There was not one lame actor in the bunch.  This group is serious about having fun and providing scares! 

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


Lots of great sets, and they use lights and effects very well.  I loved how in Ambush there were TV's playing a news cast about the zombies taking over, while the sound of helicopters are overhead!

Length


It took about 40 minutes to go through both haunts.  You definitely get your money's worth.

Crowd Control


The crowd control was excellent.  You can tell that they time out each group so that the groups are not bumping into each other inside the haunt. 

Most Memorable Moment


The rooms that uses a lot of smoke and strobes.  One second they are across the room, the next they are in your face! 

Summary

Whatever reservations I had from this being a first year haunt were scared out of me within the first minute.  Abandoned just set the bar and they dare you to step up to it!  If you are in the area, you HAVE to check them out!

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Hartford Jaycees Haunted House

by HocusPocus after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 5 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

Looking for a haunted house that’s actually in a house? Look no further than the Hartford Jaycees Haunted House! The venue for this haunt epitomizes Halloween for me as it came complete with a terrifying tour through the woods and a creepy old 3 story house. The outdoor portion of this haunt took my group approximately 5 minutes to traverse and featured several spooky sets along the way along with a few classic scares. Be sure to keep your guard up at all times during the wooded tour as there are interesting distractions along the way that will momentarily grab your attention so that the real scare can catch you off guard. While the outdoor experience was more of a scare if you dare to walk-through variety the indoor experience was an interactive one featuring rooms with costumed actors that did an exceptional job of both entertaining me with their skits and creeping me out. The tour of the house started on the 3rd floor balcony and wound down through the house until it spit me out through a cellar door. The rooms and hallways throughout the house were absolutely crammed pack full of ghoulish goodies. Be sure to always look up, down and all around to ensure you catch all the great scares! (Particularly in the stairwells) All the sets were elaborately detailed with many them containing hidden room exits and secret passage ways between the rooms. Animatronics and special effects were plentiful and provided for some very unique visually stimulating experiences. Just about every room (…if not all…) contained an animatronic scare in it. The indoor portion of our tour took approximately 15 minutes to complete….for a total tour time of 20 minutes. This ranks the Hartford Jaycees Haunted House as the longest of the 8 haunted house tours I’ve taken this year!

Summary

he Hartford Jaycees Haunted House provides an exceptional balance of scares, ghoulishly gratifying visual treats and interactive entertainment making this haunt a fun Halloween destination for both kids and adults alike. The indoor waiting area complete with concession stand and movie room make this a howling good time regardless of the weather.

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Ghost Boat: Journey into Haunted Canyon

by scareman after attending on Thursday, October 18, 2012 at about 2 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

Very interesting concept of a boat ride with a haunted walk. With out giving too much away, The boat ride was very cool with ghost stories and scares. At first i was let down by the walk thru "Witch's Gulch" with just scenic "Halloween" type scares. BUT, the walk back was extremely different than the walk thru. VERY scary and not what I was expecting.

Summary

Overall, a very good fright for your bux. I would advise parents with little kids (under 10) not go, due to the third part of the haunt. This is a different type of haunt that is not available in other parts of Wisconsin. If you are in the Dells and want a good and interesting time for your scare bux, try Ghost Boat.

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Swamp Manor Haunted House

by vlasakn after attending on Friday, October 12, 2012 at about 3 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: High

Review

I went to this haunted house on their opening night, Friday the 12th and it was great at always!! I have been to it in the past and every year it keeps getting scarier. The monsters are the best!! They are so enthusiastic and scare you good when you least expect it. I was definitely a great scare for the money!

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Mars Haunted House

by spookshow babe (Review Crew) after attending on Saturday, October 6, 2012 at about 4:30 a.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

This Haunted House is always guaranteed to leave you scared and excited for more! Every year Mars Haunted House does a great job at creating a spooky atmosphere and the ghouls and goblins of this attraction keep you on the edge with an exciting twist around every corner!  It has been a favorite of mine for many years  and every year I loo forward to the next time I can visit this haunt.

Signage / Visibility / Location


Easy to see, there is a hurst right in front of the haunt and its visibly lit as well.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


There are always fun monsters outside entertaining guests with scares and humor.

Actors' Performance


As always they do a very nice job of keeping you on your toes and will come at you when you least expect it! Wonderful use of fog in some of the rooms where monsters linger and pop out of nowhere!

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The sets are detailed and unnerving. I was just a little disappointed this year however that they didn't change the layout of the haunt much, it seemed very similar to last year, but I still enjoyed it.

Length


About 20 minutes.

Crowd Control


We never caught up to anyone while in the haunt and no one caught up to us so it was controlled very well.

Most Memorable Moment


I really enjoyed the rooms full of fog where monsters tormented you not only with jumping out from random places where you couldnt see them and then disappearing quick, but they also made good use of creepy noises to remind you that they could jump out again at any moment and get a scream out of you.

Summary

Overall, I enjoyed this haunt as I do every year. Its a classic haunt where they use every technique to scare you, so though some may be expected scares others are completely unexpected and I feel that the use of both techniques are what really keep you excited and scared to see what will happen next.

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Splatterhaus - CLOSED -

by DIhomehaunter after attending on Friday, October 12, 2012 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

Like every year the Splatter Haus crew put on a hell of a show. A few new rooms this year, and if I'm not mistaken the maze seemed to have a better flow then years past. I counted a handful of startle scares I don't remember from last year. The actors are spot on, the music was not as intense as years past ( heavy metal music ) but I felt it made the monster sounds more intense, also some rooms didn't have heavy metal music, the room had a sound that fit the room, ( with out giving anything away ). Out of the 10 or so haunts my wife and I go through every year, we always look forward to this one. GREAT job once again Splatter Haus crew.... and thank you for making me poop my pants!!

Summary

GREAT SHOW ... GREAT SCARES ... look forward to next year

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

The Dark Side Haunted Adventure

by scream24 after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 4 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

I have never written a review before but after going to the Dark Side we decided someone had to do a review. I like that all through the haunt they advanced the story about the dark history of the farm. The actors are relentless and show up everywhere. The setting alone is scary and when you combine that with the fact that they are watching your every move just waiting to scare the pants off you it is hard to continue. We all never screamed and laughed so much for so long. We are going back next week with more friends.

Summary

GREAT JOB DARK SIDE!

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Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

The Dark Side Haunted Adventure

by jackb after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 3 a.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

I loved this place! My friends and I went to the Dark Side this year to see what a scream park was. They have 5 haunts and only 2 of them are haunted houses. There are so many surprises I won’t even try to list them. They have a hayride that was very good, a trail in a pine forest where the actors are fabulous, and a corn maze where the same actor scared us 3 times before we found our way out. There were some great scares of course but this place was very entertaining for more than an hour. We will be back!

Summary

You certainly get your money’s worth!

View all The Dark Side Haunted Adventure reviews

Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2012 season rather than the current season.

Fright Factory

by DarkWolf1088 (Review Crew) after attending on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

This was my first year to the Fright Factory, a non-profit haunted house used to raise money for a
local club in Janesville, WI. Fright Factory just implies a very industrial setting. Even the attraction's website sets an industrial tone. Well the drive to the attraction did not disappoint. Driving through an old brick and mortar viaduct and driving up to the massive industrial building really set the tone
for an exciting adventure.

The lobby of the attraction was large and actors had free range to scare as they wished. Modern
rock was playing in the lobby area and the way the lines were diverted and the environment you were in almost made you feel like a lamb to slaughter. It was an eerie kind of feeling. The wait to begin the haunt was approximately 20mins. The haunt split people off in groups but I would highly suggest staying in a very small group as this will give you the best experience.

As you entered the attraction you were presented with an actor that was telling you the rules of
the haunt but doing it in such a way that just made it seem like he was telling you what to do to survive. Then all of a sudden the actor screams and a splash of blood is thrown onto the window. This was all down through a projection system which was a nice touch and a great way to open the attraction.

The labyrinth itself is expansive. There are plenty of things to look at as each room is a different
theme. There are also plenty of pitch black corridors and "traps" (such as a maze filled with hanging pipes) that bring each room together. Scares were not just accomplished by the actors. There were "old school" scare tactics such as things popping out of spaces, pictures changing form, and moving platforms and walls. These "old school" practices were also paired with new technology that really brought an exciting flavor to this attraction.

Although the actors did accomplish their task of scaring customers I was disappointed in not having a little bit more "theatrically" from the actors. I have always liked the simple ambush scares but when an actor can pull you into a conversation and still scare you or use that conversation so that another actor can scare you, that is motivation and dedication. I just wish I would have had a little bit more of that rather than simple ambush tactics.

Pacing for this attraction also seemed to be a hang-up. I routinely ran into a group in front
of me and after awhile I just ended up staying with the group because I was not getting scared between the group in front of me and the group behind me.

This attraction, however, had solid scenery, had a mix of old and new technology, had good
actors, and had a solid presentation overall. I really enjoyed the rock/pop music that was being played over the mayhem. This was different, and it was a 'different' that I really enjoyed.

Summary

For a haunted attraction that is non-profit, I was amazed at the amount of technology and well constructed scenes that this haunt had available. Even if you never get scared this haunt is fun just to go to admire the scenery and technology that is in use. Thus, I found the Fright Factory to be an enjoyable experience but I came out of it really wanting more from the actors. There were so many good spots that a scare could have been made but was never used. Further the ambush tactics got old relatively quickly once you began to walk through the attraction. So although the Fright Factory may not be a contender in the scariest haunted house it certainly tops out as being one of the most fun.

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Comments: (0)

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