| WAVERLY HILLS SANATORIUM:
Built
in the 1920's to house tuberculosis patients, The Sanatorium is purported
to be among the most legitimately haunted places in the world! An
all new beginning is on tap for '07 when the big wooden door gently swings
open on its own, and you enter into a face to face confrontation with a
devilish figure seated on a thrown, that's guarded by a 7' tall skeleton-like
being. Without speaking, they direct you onward, and eventually into
a minor entrapment in a room of "infamous" doors - one, 1408 (the movie:
1 + 4 + 0 + 8 = 13), another 502 (the room at Waverly where a nurse
once killed herself)! Selecting the correct one leads deeper into
the haunted house, where clasps of thunder and flashes of lightning accompany
your progression through the old, darkened hospital. Multiple encounters
with death and evil lie ahead in the form of werewolves, clowns, Freddie,
Michael Myers, Pinhead and many others. Witness an Exorcist-like
levitation scene, and the creation of a monster in a wicked laboratory
that even Dr. Frankenstein himself would be envious of! Explore the
dilemma of a prisoner shackled in a rubber room, traverse the Asylum
of the Damned, and challenge a spinning vortex en route to a Leatherface
chainsaw
cemetery chase-out of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, Nearly 20 minutes.
ACTORS - 9, No shortage of characters as every room was
occupied by various creatures, cleverly hidden in the darkness, and ready
to pounce. Good costuming and intensity, but not a great deal of
dialogue, thus no one really stands out. Introduction to the house
would be so much more intimidating if the creatures had something interesting
to say, rather than just point you in the right direction. Some characters,
clowns for example, seem misplaced at Waverly.
SCARINESS - 9½, The authenticity of the facility
itself provides a remarkable atmosphere. Soundtrack is loud, and
most effective, while darkness takes its toll on the emotions.
DESIGN - 8, Eliminating the guided tour segment from
a year ago is a plus, and the course displays significant change, beginning
in the grand lobby and extending to the end of the north wing. Although
the tour encompasses the morgue area, it's not capitalized upon, nor utilized
for what it once was, and most people don't even know they're there. The
bed levitation scene is outstanding, but other popular scenes have been
replaced with less memorable ones, upstairs floors are left unexplored,
and the overall length remains unchanged. Gone are the wake service
and cadaver/saw scenes, as well as the spark emitting electro-shock patient.
The rubber room incident is weaker, as the would be suicidal maniac no
longer breaks free of his chains to surprise and attack.
PROPS - 9, Comparable to years past.
VALUE - 7, Awesome attraction, but $20 is an awful lot
to pay for any 20 minute experience, and hurts the overall score.
RATING: 9, The Waverly Hills Sanatorium
is a highly intense adventure located in an original structure that's just
loaded with history. Proclamations that it's really haunted only
adds to the experience. Look for the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost
Hunters Live broadcast from Waverly on Halloween night! |
