Wayne Ave. Haunted Butcher House
“Death By Dismemberment”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Last year, Wayne Ave. Haunted Butcher House was voted the best haunted house in Dayton, OH on www.activedayton.com. 2012 would mark its second year of operation and we knew very little about the haunt. When we arrived, we were a little unsure about the neighborhood and the building gave me bad vibes. It had a haunted feel to it and made my skin crawl. The outside is decorated with various props like hanging body bags. Parked in front is an old school bus advertising for the haunt and inside the bus, it’s dark and creepy .
The haunt is inside an old brick building. The back wall is covered with a Boris Karloff Frankenstein Murall and there are various props that decorate the inside. Near the front entrance is where you pay for your ticket and get your hand stamped. We arrived at the haunt around 8:10 pm and a small line was starting to form inside. Minutes later we were told to exit the building and form a line near the outside steps. The line had about 10 people in it and the girl in front of us was petrified. Once she heard them call “Fresh Meat”, she began to panic. Creepy music played as she nervously walked up the steps with her boyfriend holding her arm. A few minutes later, it was our turn to enter Wayne Ave. Haunted Butcher House.
Wayne Ave. Haunted Butcher House is an old school haunt at heart. The scenes are entertaining, but its focus isn’t on high end animatronics or amazing detail. Its mission is to creep you out and to have you running in fear. Throughout the haunt you’ll be lead from behind by a guide who helps out if you were to get lost. He makes sure everyone is safe and everything goes as planned. While having a guide may seem like a great idea, it ruins the believability of a haunt when you have a chaperone following you around the entire time. If a person was to enter a real haunted house with evil ghouls, they would have to fend for themselves and make it out alive without anyone helping.
Wayne Ave. Haunted Butcher House has quite a few rooms that are tight and confining. If you are claustrophobic, you might have an uneasy feeling when going through some of the rooms. Scenes include a Freddy Krueger living room with a moving fireplace, an Exorcist shaking bed scene, a human marionette show, a vicious hanging,a live electrocution, a night club of the undead and more. My personal favorite is the night club of the undead featuring scantily clad women who will do anything to feast on your soul. The music played in the background reminds me of a track that would be used in an old 80’s horror movie. Many of the actors are young teens, but this doesn’t affect the intensity of the haunt. They are great actors and are great at getting your attention.
The haunt lasts under 10 minutes and will cost you $12 a ticket. This seems to be the going rate for the area, but it’s still a little pricey considering its length. $9-10 would be a much better deal. A coupon available on the haunt’s website would increase attendance since everyone loves a great value. Purchase your tickets online through TicketLeap to save time. Overall, Wayne Ave. Haunted Butcher House is a quality attraction with a dedicated cast and unique scenes. If you are in the Dayton, OH area be sure to check it out and bring your family and friends.
Length-7 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-7 Acting-7 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 7.2