The Dent Schoolhouse (Cincinnati, OH)
“The Standard in Scare”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
The Dent Schoolhouse opened in 1894 and shut down in 1950. There are rumors that it’s been taken over by spirits from beyond the grave. The stories of Charlie the Janitor hiding the bodies of missing children are what urban legends are made of. Will you have the courage to find out if these twisted tales are true? To say that The Dent Schoolhouse is over the top in terms of set design would be the understatement of the century. You could easily film a horror movie inside this drop dead gorgeous haunt. The attention to detail is something you don’t see at every haunt.
There are antiques, paint is peeling, walls are stained, brick and wood is exposed and there are old signs that decorate scenes. The catacombs are decorated with hundreds of skulls and there’s even running water in the sewer. There’s dust that covers many parts of the schoolhouse. It definitely has a lived in feel to it. The following description of scenes are in no particular order and is only a small part of what The Dent Schoolhouse has to offer in terms of scares.
CGI portraits of students decorate the wall. It’s like an alter for the dead. Some of the pictures are crossed out. If you have a fear of creepy dolls then look no further than The Dent Schoolhouse. One room has larger than life dolls. Which one will come alive? The library features falling book cases and a corpse behind a green light. A maze of school desks decorate the pathway. One of our favorite scenes has a schoolboy being paddled by a teacher as students point and laugh. The Dent Schoolhouse definitely has a warped sense of humor. A desperate woman couldn’t handle the horror and decided to hang herself.
Charlie’s basement is one the scariest sections of The Dent Schoolhouse. It’s dark and mysterious. There’s plenty of eye catching props and set pieces along the way. A student sits in his desk as he slams a pencil into his face. Children hang from hooks and there is a victim that’s been carved like a jack-o’-lantern. Severed heads with their faces carved hang from the ceiling. This haunt can be pretty gory at times. A screaming man is missing his legs next to a puddle of blood. A sink has a victim torn in half with its intestines spilling out. I’m getting a little wheezy describing all the gory goodness at The Dent Schoolhouse. You’ll eventually travel through a claustrophobic garbage dump made of body parts, guts and plenty of blood.
The Dent Schoolhouse has some incredible props that are perfect for their scenes and it’s tastefully done. You’re not going to see a random animatronic off to the side. The props you’ll see make sense. Mutant creatures missing their arms slowly twitch. The church is full of ghosts and an animated angel statue. The shock therapy room has a poor soul getting zapped to death and Dr. Dent’s laboratory includes a Frankenstein type monster. The circus is full of many clown props and even cotton candy cocoons. It reminded me a little of Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
There are plenty of aerial scares that you’re not going to see at many haunts besides The Dent Schoolhouse. A python warps around a poor girl and pulls her up into the ceiling. A ghost glides across the ceiling and a psychopath seemingly flies in his padded room. A ghoul shakes an opening in the ceiling of the freezer. Will you let him out? The large vampire bat monster was phenomenal. You have to see it to believe it. This is a very creative haunt. The bubble maze will have you drowning in suds, but you can always bypass this area if you’d like. One room features insects with a cockroach eating its victim.
(Here’s some of the petrifying props that can be seen at the Fall Festival .)
The actors are well hidden for the most part. There were a few times where I could tell where they were about to pop out, but this was a rare occurrence. Some standout actors include the clown that stood on her head, the man stuck in a bed mattress, Charlie the Janitor and the various aerial performers. The final section of The Dent Schoolhouse takes place outside. I consider this the least scary part of the haunt since there aren’t many scenes to speak of. You will encounter a chainsaw maniac though and experience the bubble maze I just mentioned. We enjoyed the new changes at the haunt and we think you will too. The quarantine area was very cool. There’s green lights and plenty of CO2 fog. Total tour time was around 20 minutes. It could be a little shorter if you bypass the bubble maze. You’ll exit into the Monster Midway.
There you’ll find photo op stations such as A Christmas Nightmare, Dent Daycare and much more. There are plenty of eye catching props and a skeleton DJ. Take a seat in the Electric Chair Simulator and kiss you sweet ass goodbye. Dent has 3 mini escape rooms, Pumpkin Smasher Axe Throwing, a Cincinnati Haunted House Museum, jack- o’-lantern showcase, mini donuts, fudge, the Spooky Shop and more. It’s $5 for 5 axe throws. Test your skills. The Cincinnati Haunted House Museum is dedicated to Randy Schadel of The House of Doom. You can also purchase your photo that was taken in the Fall Festival. If there isn’t something good to eat at the Monster Midway then you can always visit Dent’s concession stand near the ticket booth. There you’ll find pumpkin cookies, nachos, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, soda, Ghoul-Aid and just about anything you can think of.
The Dent Schoolhouse has a regular queue line and the Fall Festival. The queue line has a movie screen playing videos of Dent and then there is the Fall Festival. The Fall Festival has various booths such as Dracula’s Revenge, Costume Contest, Witch’s Brew, Bone Throw, Boo Blasters and more. There are many jack-o’-lanterns that decorate the Fall Festival. This is also where you get your picture taken. There are a variety of characters you’ll interact with like a witch that takes your ticket, a cat that takes your picture and a clown that lets you proceed through to the haunt.
General admission varies depending on when you visit. On Thursday it’s just $22.99 a person. Tickets are $5 more at the haunt. So be sure to purchase your tickets online. The Dent Schoolhouse has various events like Behind the Scenes, Ghost Tours, Lights on, Lights Out and A Christmas Nightmare. Free parking is available at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Christ Hospital down the street. Please visit www.dentschoolhouse.com for more information on events and pricing.
There’s not much else we can say about the Dent Schoolhouse. It’s one of those attractions that has become the standard in terms of set design, props and unique scares.
Length-9 Design-10 Props-10 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 9.0
www.dentschoolhouse.com