| PSYCHO PATH:
A mystifying walk down a steep, eerily lit hill leads to the double door
entrance of the Psycho Path Sanitarium. The theme from Halloween
welcomes you into a long, dark tunnel having a full-size mirror at the
opposite end. As you approach, the reflection of Michael Myers
can be seen closing in on you from behind! Through a partially obscured
doorway hides a blood-soaked ghoul challenging your progression with a
large impressive knife, and from there it’s onto a bedroom decorated with
bloody dolls, and occupied by a “little girl” cowering in a corner, clutching
a large stuffed bunny rabbit to her face. As you approach, the innocent
“child” renders a sudden, startling surprise! Her closet serves as
the only escape route, and houses another high impact scare, as well as
a unique Slinky maze, accompanied by an appropriate soundtrack.
Still to come are encounters with a snorting creature that enjoys smelling
fear, and cemeteries, where fog emits from a grave, and monsters noisily
knock over monuments, and escape coffins trying to get to at you!
The surprise of the night lies just ahead! Whoever said cops were
your friends? Dead picnic areas, hysterical clowns, a restricted
crawl space, and a tricky door maze lead to experiences with a shovel pounding
gravedigger, an execution scene, and an interrupted surgical procedure,
where a patient/victim has her chest cavity laid wide open, while her legs
and head still move about! The “big finish” is just ahead, along
with one final unexpected surprise courtesy of Psycho Path.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 7, A bit on the short side, right around 10
minutes.
ACTORS - 8½, Impressive, energetic acting, and
some really gory characters created with excellent use of make-up, as well
as some dialogue and interaction. Noticeably more professional than
most, as would be expected from the Blue Jacket crew.
SCARINESS – 7½, Sounds set an appropriate mood
throughout. Loss of the ’05 hanging scene, and last year’s beheading
counterpart holds back the fright factor just a bit.
DESIGN - 8, To their credit, it’s different every year,
with this season’s rendition being one of their better recent efforts.
Still limited by its short duration, but introduction of door maze is quite
effective, and new scenes, while perhaps not as horrific as in the past,
deliver unexpected surprises. Can’t help but miss some of the most
impressive scenes from yesteryear.
PROPS - 8, Detailed rooms, but not much in the way of
animatronics on display here. The quality of acting compensates a
good deal for what's missing in the technologically advanced prop department.
Door maze is a great new addition, as is "surprise of the night!"
VALUE - 8, Still $10, the same it’s been for several
years now. Improved scares, raise the value.
RATING: 8, This year’s Sanitarium shows
significant improvement in comparison to last. Their 20th season
finds Psycho Path on track to achieve all time levels of success,
perhaps as early as next year! It won’t take much, perhaps a longer
experience, and additional impressive scares, which could even be accomplished
through a Hall of Fame type segment, returning some of their most unique
scares from years past. The theatrical talent of the cast is a major
advantage, and the event serves as the annual fundraiser for the non-profit
Blue
Jacket organization. Lend them your support, while enjoying some
quality seasonal scares. |
