| THE HOUSE OF NIGHTMARES:
Now delivering scares for the second consecutive year from Columbus, Ohio,
The
House of Nightmares welcomes visitors with eerie, suspenseful music
that follows you throughout the adventure. A brief entrapment in
the first room yields to a claustrophobic escape route through a darkened
maze. Deafening screams, and blasts of air lead to a variety of spooky
scenes, and evil monsters. Surprises are delayed in order to give
you a chance to take in all the décor, then characters spring forth
from their concealment, unleashing their startling tactics one by one.
Kitchens, libraries, and labs, of the old estate are visited, each meticulously
decorated, and housing a variety of creatures. Leatherface and Freddy
are part of the Nightmare, as is a swamp scene that contains a sudden
SURPRISE! A fog filled cemetery gives rise to more attacks, en route
to the gallows, where hangings are taking place, as the floor gives way
beneath the feet of ill-fated victims, and nooses tighten around their
necks. The execution scene yields to encounters with clowns, and
a spinning vortex finish to The House of Nightmares.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 8, Exactly15 minutes.
ACTORS - 8, No real standouts. A loud screaming,
somewhat intense cast occupies the premises, but not a great deal of dialogue,
and some undersized monsters. Some actors broke character in order
to direct us along the path. Loss of last year’s most memorable portrayal
- the limping doctor in The Happy Hill Insane Asylum hurts, and
hasn’t been replaced by anything nearly as memorable.
SCARINESS - 9, The scares are traditional, and accompanied
by appropriate mood setting music and sounds, but nothing overwhelmingly
impressive, other than the “sudden surprise.” Startles, and unnerving
emotional distress account for a majority of the fear.
PROPS - 8½, Lots of traditionally scary décor,
and the addition of claustrophobic walls, but could benefit from additional,
impressive pneumatics. Graveyard exhibits great detailing, while
“sudden surprise” is best.
DESIGN - 8, Well laid out, scary scenes and accompanying
music, progression of rooms makes sense, and a slightly longer than average
course, but much shorter than its counterpart at the original location.
Rooms are spaced fairly close together, although connecting corridors don’t
offer much to see. Continually drawing comparisons to the Mt.
Vernon House isn’t really fair, although difficult for those familiar
with its impressiveness to avoid.
VALUE - 7, $15 and $3 for parking is a lot to pay for
ANY 15 minute attraction. By all means, try to take advantage of
the $5 off coupon.
RATING: 8½, Judging from the crowds, this
years House is a huge success! Although not as good as it
once was (sorry, Toby), the new House is establishing itself in
a highly competitive market. Although no longer an annual "HAUNT
OF THE YEAR" contender, the passion still exists as The House of Nightmares
continues delivering good, quality scares for those seeking traditional
Halloween entertainment. A $5 discount coupon is unheard of, so do
yourself a favor, and take advantage of the offer if you can. |
