Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror (Springfield, OH)
“Extreme Screams”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
The cloak of darkness surrounds an old hotel that has a history of paranormal activity. There are tales of its dark past and children are told to beware as they walk near the spooky tree that people claim watches you. A witch leads the way to a place called Face Your Fears and flesh eating zombies are everywhere you turn. You might even see a few as you park your car.
It can get pretty chilly on a cold fall night, but thankfully there’s a large bonfire with the words Face Your Fears etched into the fire pit. Take a seat in a skull shaped chair or watch a horror movie on the movie screen next you. Face Your Fears is one of our favorite haunts in Ohio and for good reason. It’s quite intense and you might even become paralyzed with fear. This season, customers can experience a more extreme version of Face Your Fears. For an extra $2 they can purchase the touch upgrade where the characters are hands on and won’t let up until you leave.
You’ll be given a light up necklace that lets the actors know that it’s okay for them to torment, push and grab you. The 1940s hotel feels haunted and it has four floors of terror. It’s a downright creepy experience and hopefully you’ll survive the madness. Face Your Fears features 6 new scenes, but you didn’t actually think we would ruin all the surprises, did you? Enter an elevator and press the button. All hell breaks loose as the elevator malfunctions and comes crashing down. It’s a bumpy ride and get ready for unspeakable terror that’s lurking in the darkness.
The fear of the unknown is the least of your worries. Ghosts haunt the halls of this dilapidated hotel and demented killers have put you on their list of victims. Books mysterious move by themselves in the haunted library and something has gone horribly wrong in the nearby bedroom. A demonic possession has taken place and you better run for your life. Face Your Fears features some unique creatures that are sure to catch you off guard. One of our favorites is the pig faced killer that walks on stilts as he chases you with his massive blade.
This is a unique haunt with actors that love to scare you to death. Walk across a bridge in the Haunted Lake where a storm is brewing and a werewolf wants to eat you up. I was picked up in the air by the hairy beast as he howled in my face. There’s nowhere to hide at Face Your Fears and even the clowns want to kill you. The basement is one of the scariest sections of this haunt. It’s dark, dreary and creepy as hell. A zombie feasts on the intestines of a poor soul and I was locked up inside a cage before I was able to leave. But it wasn’t over yet. I would be forced to sit down as I watched a live chainsaw decapitation take place. It was horrifying and awesome at the same time.
Face Your Fears has a lot of sights to behold. Their 50 foot vortex tunnel is one of the best we’ve seen and there are some eye catching props you’ll encounter. A horde of Zombies bust through a wall as they lunge at you. A fog filled swamp is illuminated with green laser lights and you never know what is hiding. This is a fun attraction and quite physical especially with the $2 touch upgrade. There are a few scenes that could be improved. The bar scene wasn’t as scary as it could be. There was also a part where we walked past a zombie dressed up as a soldier. The actor just stared at us instead of trying to interact or catch us off guard. I was also expecting something else to happen when I was locked up in a cage.
Overall, this is a crazy haunt with great sound design, detailed sets and some insane characters. Total tour time was 15 minutes, but this varies depending on how fast you walk and your interaction with the various characters. Tickets are $15 a piece and you can get the touch upgrade for $2 more. There are T-Shirts and Hoodies available at the ticket booth. After you’ve survived Face Your Fears, be sure to enter their brand new corn maze known as the Creepy Corn Craze. It’s included in your price of admission. On October 20th Face Your Fears has their Sweetest Day Massacre special. Buy a couples package for just $25.00 and receive 2 tickets to the Hotel of Terror and Creepy Corn Craze along with optional touch passes for you and a date. That’s a $34 value. Please note that Creepy Corn Craze has not been scored and the amount of time you’re lost in the maze varies greatly.
Face Your Fears is waiting for you. Will you have the guts to enter?
Length-8 Design-8 Props/Animtronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.2
www.faceyourfearshaunt.com