Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror (Springfield, OH)
“A Howling Good Time”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Bails of hay with jack-o-lantern faces, zombies, a witch and creatures from the unknown lead the way to Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror. An old hotel is surrounded by a massive tree and grim reapers guard the entrance to a place full of angry spirits. A werewolf wearing jeans and a plaid shirt walks around looking for his next victim. Meet a crazy maid and a creepy doll who love to scare visitors. Enter an elevator and be sure to press the red button. You’ll be taken to the 13th floor where you’ll witness some frightening scenes of murder, mayhem and pure terror.
This hotel is cursed and the paranormal activity is off the charts. The crew from Ghost Hunters would have a field day here. Books move by themselves in the haunted library, portraits come alive and a man has hanged himself because he couldn’t take it anymore. Face Your Fears is an intense haunt. Actors will get up close and personal. One scene involves two men getting in a fight which ultimately ends with murder. You might want to get a cold beer in the hotel’s bar, but watch out or you might lose your head. The decapitation scene is horrifying.
Face Your Fears features some unique characters. Our favorite was the half man, half wild boar creature. Other characters include Bobo the clown, Leatherface, Lessie Vernon from Behind the Mask, a killer scarecrow and more. There have been quite a few changes made this season. The new swamp is immersive and has thick fog. The haunted lake has a large alligator and a werewolf who howls at the moon. The audio at Face Your Fears is fantastic. Lights are synchronized to a thunderstorm soundtrack as you walk across a bridge. The thunderstorm soundtrack is so loud that you’ll be able to hear it before you even enter the haunt.
Face Your Fears includes many static and animated props. Their vortex tunnel is pretty impressive. Flight of the Bumble Bee plays in the background as you enter another dimension. There are a variety of scenes you’ll experience. One of my favorites involves a little girl who holds a large mallet in her hands as she threatens to kill you. She has you follow her to meet Bobo the killer clown in his toxic wasteland. This haunt has some of the best actors who play victims. The hotel is full of serial killers and the actors do a convincing job as they scream for help. We definitely didn’t expect a psychotic killer to chase a girl through the fog filled swamp.
The basement is very creepy, but a few of the actors didn’t really interact with us. Leatherface chased us with his gas powered chainsaw and he was definitely the standout character in the basement. The bedroom with a demonic possession was eye catching, but could have been more intense. Face Your Fears has one of the best facades. It’s simple, yet effective. Overall, we don’t have many complaints. This is a fun haunt and the hotel actually looks haunted.
Face Your Fears is 17 minutes long and tickets are $15 a piece. You won’t get bored as you wait in line. There are movies that play on the movie screen in the queue line area and there are various characters that interact with customers. There’s even a large fire pit with Face Your Fears etched into the metal. This is great for those who want to sit down and relax in front of the fire. It can get pretty chilly on a cool fall night. Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror is a hidden gem. The actors are scary, the hotel is bone chilling and it’s frightfully fun. We give it two severed thumbs up!
Length-8 Design-8 Props/Animtronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.2
www.faceyourfearshaunt.com