Post by Ghost in the Flesh on Sept 26, 2007 9:23:29 GMT -5
[shadow=red,left,300]Ohio Valley Haunts Review[/shadow]
The Best of 2006 (top 13)
1. Dead Acres - Columbus, OH
2. Haunted Hotel - Louisville, KY
3. Baxter Avenue Morgue - Louisville, KY
4. Ohio State Reformatory Prison - Mansfield, OH
5. USS Nightmare - Cincinnati, OH
6. Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Louisville, KY
7. Ghostly Manor - Sandusky, OH
8. The (WEBN) Haunted House - Dent, OH
9. Fright Manor - Southport, IN
10. Fear Fair - Seymour, IN
11. Buford Haunted School - Buford, OH
12. The Haunted Cave - Lewisburg, OH
13. The Haunted Spook Coop - Waynesville, OH
DEAD ACRES: Rated the ninth best haunted attraction in the country by Hauntworld magazine, Dead Acres simply must be seen to be believed! Flames shoot out of the tops of giant silos as you wait to enter the most impressive haunted attraction in our area. Once inside, you immediately find yourself at the mercy of an enormous monster, that springs forth through double wooden doors, that weren't capable of restraining him! Haunted coffins, shake under their own power up ahead, their lids partially opening over and over again. You just know something is desperately seeking to escape, you just don't know what! Careful! You just might fing out! From here on, startles are intense, and basically non-stop. A large serpent comes to life right before your very eyes, spraying a mist from its mouth, and an huge inverted bat begins to move its wings after you disturb the slumber of its sleep. Many more similarly animated monsters are still to come, just waiting to wreck their havoc on all who enter the haunt formerly known as The Haunted Hoochie. Higlhly energetic characters take every advantage of the numerous distractions provided by their mechanical counterparts, grabbing at you from the rafters overhead, and behind panels in the walls. The unrestful bunch jump out of the darkness blocking your path and refuse to let you pass until they're good and ready! Hallways appear to be engulfed in flames as you continue to make your way through. The first of two entrapments is forthcoming, where the path ahead is closed off, and you're sequestered in a darkened area, before a caged clown. Suddenly, blinding strobes begin to quickly flash on and off making it even more difficult to see, and a booming voice begins to interract with the group - that of a blade waving lunatic who delivers an alarming surprise before releasing you to the caskets, skeletons, and evil clowns that lie ahead. You witness a bathroom scene, where a girl hopelessly seeks to avoid her attacker, leading to an incredible encounter with the headless horseman! Outside, a large fiend loudly clangs the iron blades of his weapons together, and you just know he plans to use them on you! The cellar to hellar offers an ax wielding madman, and a dark maze that must be transversed in order to escape, but you're still not safe! Sparks and chainsaws await your emergence from the maze. Dinner tables rattle, and more surprises materialize from underneath beds, and beneath a ladies dress! You accidentally disturb a mad nurse who readily turns her evil intentions on you! More attacks descend upon you in the form of a rabid dog, a near miss with a hit and run bus, and a spinning vortex all leading to second entrapment featuring a victim hanged by chains, and a horrific surprise before exiting into a cage maze, and your eventual salvation Dead Acres!
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, More or less, 20 minutes depending on the various entrapments.
ACTORS - 10, Not a lot of dialogue outside skits, but not much room for it either due to the intensity of the event. The most highly energetic crew in the business, especially the chainsaw ghouls that actually rub their gas guzzling noisemakers up against your legs!
SCARINESS - 9½, Numerous distractions provided by a boat load of outlandish props, perfectly capitalized upon by their first class crew. Not a lot of traditionally spooky music, but the soundtrack is designed to compliment the intense nature of the haunt, which it accomplishes dutifully.
DESIGN - 9½, A noticeable increase in course length, and nice variety between indoor and outdoor scenes. Structures are outstanding, but groups tend to bunch up as a result of the entrapments, which causes some of the more technoligically advanced scares to be missed. Props are perfectly positioned, and actors are well concealed and anxious to pounce!
PROPS - 9½, Just tons of state of the art scares. Timing might be occasionally improved upon (possibly with a reduction in group size), especially with the headless horseman.
VALUE - 9½, A little on the expensive side, and a parking surcharge, but a lot of bang for the buck.
Final Score: 9½, The most action packed adventure around, featuring the latest animatronics, and volumes of highly motivated characters combining to provide the best possible haunted house experience. This annual "Haunt of the Year" contender is in a league all to itself. Don't miss a chance to experience Dead Acres!
reviewed 10/19/06
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[shadow=red,left,300]City Blood-Ohio Haunt Reviews[/shadow]
Dead Acres-"Bringing The Pain"
A large and scary building lies off in the distance as large flames shoot up from its roof. Are you curious to what's in this evil structure and are you ready for Dead Acres? This haunt classic returns and is bringing the pain.
Length-9: It's non-stop terror from the moment you walk into this menacing place. There's rarely a moment where nothing is happening and it will take anywhere from 20-25 minutes to escape Dead Acres.
Design-10: Almost every inch of this haunt is intricately detailed with amazing lighting and effects. Due to popular demand Dead Acres has brought back some of the gory skits that have made Haunted Hoochie famous. At a certain point in the haunt you'll be told to get up against a chain link fence. Suddenly the door closes and blaring rock music immediately turns on. Out of nowhere quickly moving strobes come on and an actor appears. He takes out a machete as an evil clown sits in a chair waiting for his fait as he thrashes around. The killer quickly pulls back the machete and decapitates his victim as blood spays everywhere and the on looking crowd screams. There are only 2 Haunted Hoochie scenes that have been implemented into Dead Acres, but they are the highlight of the haunt. There are many detailed rooms throughout Dead Acres such as an authentic looking town in the outside area. Old huts stand still as ivy covers their windows and the old paint peels off. As you venture between the detailed and decaying town you'll walk near ponds full of various creatures and actors. Dead Acres is full of detailed sets, which will surprise and shock.
Props/Animatronics-10: This haunt is shock full of Scare Factory props and original animatronics created by the haunt's owner Tim May. There's not a moment when you're not safe from creatures and ghouls coming at you from every direction. It's quite nerve wrecking and the amount of high-end props and animatronics in this place is simply amazing. Large beasts, a headless horseman, moving furniture, impaled creatures only covers a small amount of what you'll see.
Acting-10: This year The Haunted Hoochie has made its presence at Dead Acres. A few of the classic and gory skits that made The Haunted Hoochie famous have been added into the mix and from the crowd's reaction, it's been a huge hit. Actors grab at you from every corner of the place while chainsaw freaks run their gas-powered weapons across your legs. There are some new scenes this year that will surely get to you, but you'll have to visit Dead Acres to experience them yourself.
Scare Affect-10: If Dead Acres doesn't catch you off guard at least once than you must be made of stone. Animatronics bust out of walls while actors come out of the darkest corners and spaces. It's a frightening experience and doesn't stop till you walk out of this evil place.
Fright Value: $15 is a reasonable price for one of the best haunts in the country and make sure to arrive early. The wait for just tickets can be over 2 hours long and the $25 VIP entrance really comes in handy.
Final Stab-9.8: There are far and few haunts around that pull at the senses like Dead Acres does. The amazing attention to detail and off the wall actors helps this haunt in being one of the best around. You would be a fool to miss out on this intensely scary haunt.