Amazing attention to detail, outstanding actors and actresses, extremely creative direction and design, and very original concepts. I can't say enough good things about this haunt! I absolutely LOVED it and strongly encourage any haunted house enthusiast to go to this one, you honestly wont want to miss the chance at experiencing this haunt this Halloween season!

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

The Abandoned Haunted House Complex is an exciting new haunt in the area!  Abandoned  is easy to find with internet directions and once you get close you can't miss it, given the big spotlight in the sky. There was plenty of parking and was fairly controlled. Once you arrive, you see the big brightly lit sign and things are labeled very well. It is easy to spot ticketing and where to go to get in line. The waiting area was covered and enclosed. We arrived at about 7:39 p.m. When they let us in as a group, they talked to us about the rules. When we first entered, we were brought into a room with a television that played a disturbing message and then we went into the first haunt. We walked down really dark hallways that had audio of creepy children giggling and laughing. It was very dark and almost too dark in areas where it looked like there were lots of cool props, so we couldn’t see them very well, which is a shame. The actors did a pretty good job of jumping out at you when you weren’t expecting it. I liked the vortex, of course, but I also liked the laser lights that they had in one of the hallways.  Abandoned featured one of the best disorientating rooms I have ever walked through.  A very slow strobe plus a creepy clown is enough to put you over the edge!  This first haunt was pretty good, but unfortunately, was rather short. 

The second section was all about an infection spreading, with areas resembling that of an abandoned facility (imagine that!).  TV's looping a message of the outbreak really sets the scene as you walk through this dark and terrifying section.  A medical area with broken hospital props and pill bottles strewn about is a nice touch.  Abandoned attacks your senses in many ways, none more terrifying than the wet body parts hung from the ceiling... GROSS! The actors were very interactive and I liked the zombie girl that was crawling, she spooked me good!  And kudos to the zombie that was eating the corpse in the morgue. 

In all Abandoned was a winner.  The people who brought you Burial Chamber have come through with what hopes to be a yearly tradition for southeastern Wisconsin!  Here's to hoping the Abandoned Haunted House Complex continues to grow!

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

New for 2012, Abandoned Haunted House Complex, just off of I-94 in Mount Pleasant, already put
themselves in a solid slot as one of best haunted houses in Wisconsin. Right now there are three words that sum up my experience at Abandoned. These three words are Wow, WOW, and WOW! These guys and gals know what they are doing and you will certainly be impressed with what this attraction has to offer. Abandoned was simply an amazing haunted attraction and one that I will go back to, whether as a reviewer or during my off time. Now, let's get into the review of this haunted house.

When you take I-94 north or south, to Mount Pleasant, you can't miss this attraction, even if you
are wearing your sunglasses at night. With a huge sign in red letters saying ABANDONED and a search light propped up on the building's roof, this has probably been one of the easiest attractions for me find. Arriving there, there are plenty of staff on scene to direct to a parking spot and towards the
beginning of the line.

Being a Sunday there was no wait to get in. Be forewarned, however, with this attraction and during the final week of October, unless you get there early, you should definitely anticipate
waiting in a long line. Thus, make sure you dress accordingly and be prepared for a wait.

Once my dad and I got our tickets we started heading around the building to the entrance of the
haunted house. Abandoned, even as you wait in line or are walking towards the entrance, works on getting you ramped up with heavy metal and heavy rock that is being blasted over large outdoor speakers. You will also find that Abandoned is not going to wait to scare you inside the house. You may just find yourself getting scared in line.

Once you are at the entrance you are let into their prepping room where a disembodied voice breaks down the rules of the haunted house and gives the necessary disclaimers about risks. An actor is also with you in the room to keep you company. Once the actor opens the door to the haunt the scares and atmosphere begin immediately.

The first room you enter you are presented with a few ambush scares and then are "forced" to watch a creepy and disturbing video with another disembodied voice asking why you came, all set to the background of more heavy rock. This alone is enough to get you ramped up and saying, "Alright, let’s do this thing."

After that room, the scares are non-stop. In this first review I am not going to detail too much of
what I saw as I want everyone who goes to be as surprised and impressed by this attraction as I was. What are important though are the actors. The actors for this attraction are some of the best that I have ever had the luxury of being scared by.

The costumes were very well done and all the props that the actors had available were very realistic. What I really enjoyed is the amount of variety that these actors presented. You had your actors that ambushed, that screamed, that talked, and those that just stayed quiet but crept you out by staring at you or following you for a length of time. That variety is exactly what I look for in a haunted house. Abandoned hit this nail right on the head and through the board.

Along with excellent actors, the scenes were eye-catching, unique, and very well done. There were
flawless transitions from scene to scene and some senses were so immense and impressive, there were times that I just got caught up studying the landscape. Along with the effects, some amazingly eye-catching environments are created. It was nothing short of walking through a horror movie. It was spectacular (and no I don't use that word a lot).

Everything about this attraction has depth. One of the big ways that Abandoned accomplishes this is by using smells and touch. You will be running into things that are wet, you will think that blood (or something) is dripping from the ceiling, and you will have things that move around you and under you. The best way to describe this is that Abandoned is a sensory overload. For example I remember one section where you can't grasp where you are because of a strobe light, then you get hit with something banging hard behind a wall, then you get hit with an air horn, and then you get scared by an actor waiting around the corner. This place is crazy.

Abandoned, has a series of tricks to keep you guessing on what is next. From distracting lights, to
moving walls, to tight mazes, you will always be "fighting" your way to end. Abandoned came out their first year wanting to have a great haunted house, and the owners and actors did this and more. So awesome was this attraction that I'm actually itching to go back this weekend with a few of my
friends. I don't want to stay away. You want a haunted house...Abandoned is the place to go.

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

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

2 years in the making. Their first year. Opening night. We were excited and expectations were high even before we arrived. Luckily we weren't disappointed with one of Wisconsin's newest haunts. Spotlights and neon lights make the Complex easy to see from a distance, like a haunted house in Vegas. 

The Abandoned Haunted Complex is created from a large structure and is home to two haunts, Ambush and Hysteria.  The haunts are connected and you leave one and head straight into the other. So it feels like one long seamless haunt, with two different experiences.  The haunt as a whole moves at a good pace as you enter  different rooms, themes and frights.  Using amazing detail with the building of the sets, props, lights and sound. I found myself swiveling my head looking at the props and settings of every room we entered in awe. Leaving myself open for surprises.

The Hysteria  proved to be part of the haunt that focused more on playing with your senses. Which  pretty much tried to assault every sense except the sense of smell. Including touch as something as simple as  little ropes hanging from the ceiling that gave you a feeling of walking through cobwebs. They did a beautiful job of not only having detailed settings, but the use of lights and sounds. The room that affected me the most had walls covered with black and white squares with the lights flashing. Actors and dummies stood in the room and you couldn't tell which was a real person as even the dummies felt like they were moving. The lights caused such optical movement that I couldn't walk straight. It was an awesome affect.  The Hysteria was an excitingly different from your usual haunts, with new tricks.

The Ambush portion brought you into more creepy situations in excellent detail. This haunt enjoyed to startle you along the way. The props and the detail they put into creating the sets was amazing. It worked against you as you were busy checking out a tomb, a morgue or a butcher shop and actor was hiding somewhere to startle you. Hence the name Ambush. Even as you wandered into a battle field, a gun nailed you with a blast of air to keep you on your toes as if the battle sounds weren't enough. The most memorable part was the walking around a hospital. Where you walk around the outside before heading inside. It was just amazing to see a creepy building exterior while you are inside a complex.  I heard constant comments of "oh wow" from members of our group throughout this haunt. It was quite an experience.

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment