| PANIC BOX SPOOKHOUSE:
Horror movies play on a large, drive-in style screen outside
The Panic
Box, and go-go girls entertain at the Spook-a-go-go alongside
the queue line while you wait to enter the haunts. Panic
begins
to set in almost immediately, as you step into confrontations with an irate,
squealing Pig, and The Puppet Master from the Saw movies,
who comes riding up on a tricycle! Battle the fog, darkness, strobes,
deafening alarms, and disorienting music while you walk, duck down, and
even crawl your way past agitated, caged prisoners, loudly pounding on
walls, as well as the bars of their cells. Dé·jà vu
from the first two characters, then more assaults from blasts of air, and
a tricky dark maze, containing dead ends and secret passages. Relentless
attacks from Jason, and other screaming monsters lead to cabinets
opening and banging shut on their own, and animated blitzkriegs from every
direction imaginable! Floors rock, and give way beneath your feet
en route to the best lit toxic waste scene around, as the barrels actually
appear to glow from the radioactive material spewing forth from their containment.
A near miss with a hit and run driver, and a few more surprises, build
to a Leatherface chainsaw chase-out of this all out, onslaught barrage
courtesy of The Panic Box Spookhouse.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 7, 10 minutes.
ACTORS - 9, An energetically intense bunch - continuously
yelling, pounding, screaming, getting in your face, and ordering you to,
"Get Out!"
SCARINESS - 8½, Actors, sounds, lights, and mechanical
props all work together to just overwhelm your senses. Lengthening
the duration would elevate the fright level.
DESIGN - 8, Completely rebuilt for '07, and greatly improved
compared to our last visit a few years ago. Layout features
hidden passages, forces you to duck down and crawl, and exits near the
queue line for Krueger's Korn Maze. It's still a little on
the short side, and the correct path isn't always easy to determine, which
necessitated actors breaking character in order to point us in the right
direction.
PROPS - 7½, Some nice animatronics, but could
stand a little more decor.
VALUE - 8, Price is up a few dollars in comparison to
a few years ago, but pretty much on equal terms to what other area attractions
are asking.
RATING: 8, One of the most improved attractions
of the '07 season to date. An awesome accomplishment considering
everything has been redesigned from scratch. Rebuilding is responsible
for new scares just waiting to be discovered at Panic Box.
Cast is responsible for much of its success. Adding scenes and decor
would lengthen the experience, and raise the rating. Concession area
has some pretty tasty food too! We recommend the ribbon fries. |
 KRUEGER'S
KORN MAZE: The Korn Maze gets underway
in a realistic old house, occupied by chainsaw wielding lunatics that chase
you out the back door, where Michael Myers joins the fray, and the group
runs you into the cornfield itself. The Maze is cut into a
field of 7’ tall corn, and features several dead ends, winding loops, disorienting
music, fog, a cemetery and quite a few monsters including werewolves, chainsaw
packing madmen, and of course the path’s namesake, Freddy Krueger,
and climazes with a chainsaw chase-out.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 8½, We made it out in 15 minutes, but
the experience could easily last longer depending on your success in navigating
the maze.
ACTORS - 7, Michael and chainsaw ghouls combine
for a memorable beginning. The cornfield itself hides a variety of
masked monsters, that leap out of nowhere, but not hardly enough, and little
to no dialogue.
Freddy is a standout, as well he should be considering
the attraction bears his name.
SCARINESS - 7, The main scares come from the monsters
jumping out of the darkened cornfield, and from within as your emotional
state begins to deteriorate the longer you’re lost in the Maze,
and subjected to all the disorienting distractions. Can easily rate
higher, the longer you remain inside.
DESIGN - 8, Strobes, fog, and heavy metal music combine
to add confusion and disorientation to those lost in the Maze.
The cornfield is cut so that it’s not excessively difficult, but not all
that simple either, and the course is fairly lengthy.
PROPS – N/A, It’s a maze, therefore this category doesn’t
apply.
VALUE – 8, $10 on its own, or $8.50 as part of the two
haunt Panic Box combo (with the coupon).
RATING: 7½, The Korn Maze
is a lot of fun, and a nice, alternately themed compliment to the main
attraction. Although not overwhelmingly difficult, loops and dead
ends do exist, and the more people that become lost or trapped just makes
it that much more confusing and enjoyable. |
