The Dent Schoolhouse (Cincinnati, OH)
“The Legend of Charlie McFree”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
An old schoolhouse built in the late 1800’s is mysterious and quite frightening when the sun goes down. This is a house that the devil built. It’s been boarded up and no one dares to enter. There’s pure evil that walks its halls and a serial killer by the name of Charlie McFree makes his presence known. He’s the school’s janitor and tonight he’ll be mopping the floors that are drenched in blood. This is City Blood’s review of The Dent Schoolhouse.
The Dent Schoolhouse is one of the most over the top haunts you will ever visit. You’ll have a difficult time finding a more detailed experience. The queue line is modeled after a Fall Festival. There are jack-o lanterns, various Halloween booths and more. The Balloon Drop was pretty creative since it featured severed heads instead of balloons. A crazed clown interacted with customers as they waited to enter the haunt.
School is in session at The Dent Schoolhouse and you better not be tardy. Rooms are full of the mentally sick and depraved. No one is safe, not even the students. Children hang from hooks and the faculty is out to get you. Ghosts roam the halls of The Dent Schoolhouse. A teacher has hanged herself and her spirit watches as you try to flee. The school dance has been invaded by the living dead and a ghostly spectre with glowing eyes floats in the air.
The Dent Schoolhouse does a great job at incorporating symbols of Halloween into some of its scenes. One room features Halloween blow molds, hanging lights and victims that have been turned into scarecrows. You might even see a trick or treater or two. Scenes have just the right amount of lighting to highlight detail and the soundtrack is quite good. Zombies have become quite popular these days. The Dent Schoolhouse has its own army of flesh eaters that are waiting to take a bite out of you. There are undead children and there’s an impressive animatronic featuring zombies breaking down a door.
You’re going to see the usual characters you would meet in a schoolhouse including the school nurse, the lunch lady, the biology teacher and more. The school’s shower stall has been flooded and a bizarre woman wants to smell you. There are a lot of new scenes that have been added to The Dent Schoolhouse. One of the most frightening rooms is the playroom which features massive demonic toys. The scared temple is also a nice addition. The massive Necromancer animatronic is impressive and he loves to collect souls. You’ll explore different parts of the schoolhouse from the locker rooms to the dark basement.
The Dent Schoolhouse is roughly 18 minutes long. You no longer have to wait in line for Queen City Slaughter Yard since it’s pretty much a seamless transition into the next attraction. Queen City Slaughter Yard has been improved with more scenes and effects. It took us about 7 minutes to escape. We enjoyed the massive killer rat, the chainsaw maniacs and the bloody animal parts and severed limbs that decorated scenes. Queen City Slaughter Yard pales in comparison to The Dent Schoolhouse, but it makes your total experience around 25 minutes long. Queen City Slaughter Yard is a nice added bonus. The Dent Schoolhouse has been scored, but Queen City Slaughter Yard has not. It’s included in the price of admission and we don’t consider it a typical haunt.
Tickets are $20 and it includes admission to both The Dent Schoolhouse and Queen City Slaughter Yard. Fast Pass admission is $35 and you can go straight to the front of the line for $50. The Lights on Tour is $5 and it’s for children 5 and under. Experience The Dent Schoolhouse with the lights out for $20. Ghost Tours are $25 per person and you can only purchase your tickets online. Please visit http://www.frightsite.com for information on group rates.
There are plenty of concessions available such as candy, hot dogs, Busken Bakery pumpkin cookies, T-Shirts, Hoodies and more. The new food and refreshment menu uses an LED TV Screen that randomly drips blood. There are plenty of photo op stations and there’s a photo booth in the Fall Festival queue line. The Dent Schoolhouse is one of America’s best haunts and one of City Blood’s favorites. Take a trip through hell at The Dent Schoolhouse and tell them City Blood sent you.
Length-8 Design-10 Props/Animatronics-10 Acting-9 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 9.2
www.frightsite.com