| THE DENT SCHOOLHOUSE:
Intimidation begins the second you first lay eyes on the
The Dent Schoolhouse.
Broken windows and doors of the old building are boarded up, and a lone
school bus stands guard in the courtyard just outside, it's warning lights
eerily blinking and flashing in the night. The adventure begins in
a dark, spooky graveyard inhabited by Damien
Reaper, who derives great pleasure in burying people alive!
Rest in Peace! Leaving the cemetery leads to an up close and personal
look at Dent District school bus 1031, then into the facility itself, where
vice principal Pruitt registers you for class, and explains the rules and
regulations. From there, it's onto the school nurse, who's busy tending
to a severely injured student. She unleashes the first of many surprises
you're about to experience, before sending you on. Mild locker and
bookcase mazes foreshadow a much wickeder, more unnerving counterpart that's
yet to come. Visits to classrooms, the science lab, library, kitchen
and cafeteria contain personalized scares, and give rise to various encounters
with diabolical members of the school staff. Chained cabinets, and
pots and pans jiggle about of their own volition, and bookcases appear
to be falling over on top of you. The basement plays host to
Doctor Carver's shop class, displaying the gruesome sight of a girl whose
head and legs still move about even though her midsection's been bisected
by the still turning blade of the treacherous teacher's table saw!
The school theme continues in the downstairs quarters with the debut of
a brand new prom dance scene, and a couple of confrontations with The
Janitor! "Exiting" the school into a wooded area exposes you
to more dangers in the form of hungry werewolves, a zombie infested funeral
parlor, and a schizo imprisoned psych ward, featuring a double surprise,
as well as an electrocution. Other scenes of death.follow, including
skeletons, a vampiress, a morgue that delivers a haunting surprise from
a sheet covered corpse lying on a gurney, and a coffin bound with chains,
inside of which some undead soul struggles to break free! Bloodzo's
Funhouse, also starring Fatso the clown is back for an encore
performance, that gives way to a darkened hallway containing a huge surprise,
and the aforementioned claustrophobic maze, en route to a spinning vortex,
hillbilly chainsaw false finish, and air gun shoot-out of The Dent Schoolhouse.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, More or less 20 minutes.
ACTORS - 9, Interactive dialogue, and hideous laughter
from fairly intense, original characters, and hardly any observable masks
(except for werewolf), however a few were in costume alone, with little
to no make-up. Noticeably fewer in number, and slightly less aggressive
in comparison to one year ago. Repeatedly running into Charlie
The Janitor terrorizing multiple areas of the basement is a plus, as
is Damien's relocation, but unoccupied school bus, and loss of last
year's standouts, like straightjacket schizo in the psych ward, and bloody
kitchen worker, are not, especially since their toned down replacements
are nowhere near as memorable.
SCARINESS - 9+, Startling, talkative characters, deceptive
animatronics, spooky lighting, and a fantastic complimentary soundtrack
throughout. Downsizing and softening characters is a step in the
wrong direction. The house itself is more frightening than ever,
but scare factor takes a slight hit as a result of diminished live performers.
DESIGN - 9½, No stone is left unturned, from the
cemetery to the shoot-out, as scenes and rooms exhibit unsurpassed detailing.
Connecting corridors along the progression of rooms are short and equally
as well decorated. School theme has been extended throughout the
basement. Non-related scenes have been relocated, or entirely eliminated
in favor of fresh, more relative ones, and the course has been lengthened.
Prom
Dance is quite elaborate and impressive, but somewhat anticlimactic.
"Huge surprise" and claustrophobic maze are tremendous additions, even
though they may create a bottleneck of sorts. At last!! The Janitor
is
in the basement! GREAT! And way overdue! The "false ending"
is unique, and a credit to their ingenuity, but would still like to see
one final extreme encounter involving Charlie as the culminating
climax.
PROPS - 9½, Good balance between those of technological
and more traditional varieties. Infinite scares provide clever distractions
that serve to captivate the audience, and allow the various characters
abundant opportunities on which to capitalize. Would really benefit
from a few high-end, impressive, "jaw-dropping" mechanical animatronics
strategically located near the finish.
VALUE - 9, Annually, among the elite haunted houses in
the tri-state region, $12 seems like a fair rate by today's standards.
NOTE: Discount coupon is valid only on specified dates.
RATING: 9+, The tradition continues as the
'06 restoration exhibits continued expansion. A reduction in the
acting department workforce leaves a few areas without a signature character,
while multiple encounters with The Janitor INSIDE the school is
a welcomed addition. When planning your Halloween activities, be
sure to schedule a visit to Cincinnati's Frightful Favorite - the 'ebn
sponsored icon known as THE DENT SCHOOLHOUSE!
NOTE: Upon revisiting, bus is now occupied,
and actors were noticeably more intense and comfortable in their roles. |
