Author: Christine Barger

Entertainer

HAUNTS – Scarehouse Windsor – Canada

SCAREHOUSE WINDSOR

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Windsor Scarehouse is a fun haunted attraction for adults and families. They have a wonderful location in Windsor, which is also very close to Detroit Michigan (even though it’s a different country). There are two main attractions this year: Scared Evil and Haunted Darkness (the blackout maze). I found Haunted Darkness to be disorientating, confusing and fun. I enjoyed the interactions with the actors throughout. I liked the theme of the nightmare purge in Scared Evil. I felt the use of animatronics very effective. The set and sound design were well done. The actors worked very hard and were dedicated to the scare. The costumes and makeup were great. Overall I found them both very well done and a lot of fun. Thank you to Scarehouse for inviting me out to attend your event.

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HAUNTS – Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest – CA

Six Flags Fright Fest Magic Mountain

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Six Flags Magic Mountain always has a quality Fright Fest event. If you enjoy roller coasters and haunted houses, then this event is a must see. Ride coasters all day then stay for the spooky evening activities. You can also continue to ride coasters during Fright Fest. The mazes are a small up charge, but worth it.
I’ve been to several different Fright Fests around the country and Magic Mountain is one of the top. They have more elaborate set designs in their mazes and streets, the actors are skilled, the stage shows are strong and the vibe is overall more of a fun Halloween event for adults rather than just kids and families like some of the other parks. I enjoy the passionate monsters that take to the streets and mazes around sundown during the Halloween season. They bring a special charm to this event that I find is lacking at many of the other Fright Fests as well.
The 2019 Magic Mountain Fright Fest did not bring with it many changes from the previous year, however may of the fan favorites held strong including the Nightmares scare zone, Willoughby House, Sewer of Souls and Red’s Revenge. Vault 666 returned with a bit of a facelift this season. They also did a coffin challenge this year where a handful of people stay in a coffin for 30 hours to win tickets and prizes.Overall it is a fun event for adults and families.
Thank you to Six Flags for inviting me to media night to experience this year’s event!

HAUNTS – The Shadow Space – CA

 

THE SHADOW SPACE

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The Shadow Space is an incredible immersive theatre performance in Hollywood, California.
The storytelling and immersion began upon arrival with our guides greeting, “Welcome to being dead” and request for our names and cause of death. We were given instructions about the way our ghostly skills could be used to haunt the living and rules that were not to be broken such as not to allow the living to walk through us. We were led into the home to observe and haunt a pair of couples with a few important secrets we were about to discover.
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I thought the storytelling, set, props, actors, immersion and overall event was magnificent. I found myself fully accepting my role as a ghost on the haunt. It was a lot of fun to play with the living by flicker lights and moving objects. Our guide and her trainee were charming and funny. I loved their relationship to each other and the audience. I was engaged watching the secrets unfold throughout the night. One of the standout moments for me was when I got separated from the rest of the ghosts and had a small private scene by one of the living. The puzzles and objects we were able to interact with were well designed and clever. I loved the twist at the end and found it all to be very entertaining and fun. I was a bit disappointed in scoring portion after the performance had ended. I would’ve much preferred to leave feeling the high of amazing performance than to discover we’d failed at a game I was unaware we were playing. Aside from that very small section after the show, I was completely impressed and blown away by this very professional immersive theatre experience and I highly recommend it.
Be sure to get your tickets and add yourself to their mailing list so you don’t miss out on any upcoming events by this creative company. Thank you to The Shadow Space for inviting us to be ghosts for an evening, it was an amazing time.
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HAUNTS – LA Haunted Hayride – CA

LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride is literally a Halloween haunted hayride located in the middle of a huge metropolitan area, but somehow maintains the charm of an event you’d expect to find on a farm in the middle of nowhere. This unique event stands out for its creativity and fun factor. There are three main attractions at the event, two walk through haunts and the hayride. There is also a stage in the midway, roaming monsters, food, mini escape rooms and more. Both of the walk through haunts were filled with scares around every corner by actors that appeared to be having a wonderful time scaring the guests. The midway monsters were wonderful. They all had very strong personalities that made for fun interactions. The hayride was well done. There were several impressive scenes with larger than life effects such as giant animatronics, stunts, and impressive sets. I especially enjoyed the scene on the old zoo cages. I find the old zoo to be a bit unsettling and intriguing on any given day, so it’s even more fascinating during LA Haunted Hayride. I’d highly recommend this event and would like to thank LA Haunted Hayride for inviting me to their media event. Be aware that as the season gets closer to Halloween the lines can be very long and the weather can be a bit more chilly for LA. Also remember you will be sitting in a wagon filled with hay, so consider wearing long pants and close toed shoes or boots. Dress appropriately and consider upgrading on busy nights for the best experience.

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WATCH ME TAKE MY PUPPET TO LA HAUNTED HAYRIDE HERE

 

HAUNTS – Rotten Manor – MI

ROTTEN MANOR

Rotten Manor had incredible potential, but was one of the experiences I’ve had at a haunted attraction.

There were a few great actors, beautiful sets and some cool moments. The actress in the gingerbread house and the actor with the pig mask that did the countdown were awesome! The gingerbread house scene was actually my favorite moment in the entire event. The set, scents, props, lighting and actress were all top notch. The payoff of the oven was lacking though…we expected something, anything in that moment but nothing happened. The foam rooms were creative, but there could’ve been fewer. The dark tunnels and tight spaces moments were great the first few times but did get a bit overused. The facades were gorgeous!!! We did meet a few very competent and kind staff members that seemed passionate about the haunt and customer service.

However, Rotten Manor had some of the worst crowd control I’ve ever seen at a haunted attraction. I’ve seen crowds with similar energy at haunts like Haunted Hoochie or House of Shock except at those events the cast and crew are able to keep the crowd in check. Unfortunately this staff and cast didn’t have the same expertise.

A few moments really stood out as disappointing. I asked the staff member that let us into the trail what the rules of the haunt were and he replied, “There are no rules” which seemed to be the major issue. We had an actress say ,”sorry I broke character” and then continue to talk about how hot the guys in front of us were instead of scaring us. The guys in front of us on the trail managed to hide away in the crypt and proceed to jump out and attempt to scare my husband and I but no one stopped them even though we waited and tried to stay far behind them we’d catch up to them harassing actors or making what appeared to be tiktok videos on different sets (with actors watching them do it). One of the actors just blew directly in my face as a “scare”, which isn’t scary but probably going to lead to me catching a cold. Inside the manor an actor separated my husband and I, which we’ve seen done effectively in other haunts, however there was no purpose or payoff we just ended up not being able to enjoy the haunt together. It was so packed we were often standing around waiting to move, I stood trapped in an airbag for a really long time due to lack of purging the line properly. I had strangers grabbing me and running into me through the majority of the dark sections because we were crowded in the space and couldn’t see.

There was a large crowd out, so lines were long. It was mostly frustrating because the people in front of us chained smoked even while standing in front of the NO SMOKING sign. Security appeared to say something to them but instead of putting out their cigarette they passed it around and tried to finish it then lit up again as soon as he walked away. It seemed security didn’t want to eject anyone even if they clearly were breaking the rules.

Overall the haunt has massive potential, but lacks tremendously in skilled actors and an overall effective staff. It seems a bit of training might change this from a hot mess to one of the nation’s top haunts. Unfortunately at the moment they are just a hot mess.

HAUNTS – Museum of Monsters – CA

MUSEUM OF MONSTERS

Museum of Monsters is a fun monster themed popup just in time for Halloween! It’s a perfect event for all ages. The monsters are creative and a little weird but not especially scary. It’s a great stop for anyone looking for fun Halloween Instagram pics too!

HAUNTS – The Sleepy Hollow Experience – GA

HAUNTS – The Sleepy Hollow Experience – GA

SERENBE PLAYHOUSE

The Sleepy Hollow Experience by Serenbe Playhouse is an interactive theatrical experience like none other. I was able to attend the afternoon performance before heading to the airport on Sunday after a long weekend of attending haunted attractions and escape rooms. It was a perfect sendoff from Georgia.

This story is brought to life by a handful of incredibly gifted musical performers. I loved being a part of the adventure as we physically journeyed throughout the Sleepy Hollow to the school house, bridge and party. I found strong connections to the characters and felt deeply involved in their stories. I was most impressed with the way they interacted with the audience in the break. I was taken aback by the skill of the horseman and the horse as well. I can’t say enough good things about this show. My only regret was that I was unable to see it at night due to scheduling conflicts. I highly recommend it.

Note: Be sure to arrive early and allow time for parking and walking to the location. There is a fair amount of walking outside, so dress accordingly.