Face Your Fears: Hotel of Terror (Springfield, OH)
“Kalypto’s Night Out”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
An old mysterious hotel from the 1850’s can be found in Springfield, Ohio. The moans from ghosts and screams of horror can be heard from within. A massive tree towers above you and evil gargoyles can be seen ready to swoop down. Skeletons climb the old hotel. Are you brave enough to walk through its haunted doors? Face Your Fears: Hotel of Terror is one of the most intense haunts in the Buckeye State. Be sure to purchase a touch pass. You’ll be given a glow necklace that alerts actors that they can be up close and personal while touching you. You’ll be grabbed, possibly separated from your group, placed on a table and you will need intensive therapy after it’s all said and done.
The sadistic clown known as Kalypto is played by Valerie Roach. She can be seen inside of the spinning vortex tunnel. She’s very intimating. She wouldn’t let me leave until I got on my hands and knees and barked like a dog. There were quite a few times where I was in disbelief as I was attacked by maniacal monsters that wanted to kill me. A psychopath with a boar like face cornered me with his massive hatchet type weapon. He’s one of my favorite characters at Face Your Fears that I expect to see every year, but I was still caught off guard.
A storm is brewing inside Face Your Fears. You’ll cross paths with a crazed fiend who jumps up and down on a bridge. You might think that you’re safe and sound when walking down a quiet hallway, but you would be dead wrong. Animatronic zombies bust out of the wall as they attack. The wine cellar is very detailed and needs an exterminator. A massive rat charged at us as we attempted to make it out alive. Face Your Fears has plenty of high tech animatronics. One of our favorites is the possessed girl inside the bedroom who contorts her body as she screams. The man getting eaten by a spider was also fantastic.
Many changes have been made this season. The new above ground New Orleans style cemetery is very elaborate and the church with the hooded ghouls will have you jumping a mile long. Which one is real and which one is fake? The stained glass inside of the church was a nice touch. The actors are insane at Face Your Fears. A witch tried to feed us a worm and inside the basement a cannibal reached into the chest of one of his victims to take a bite. Were those guts he pulled out?
Face Your Fears isn’t just in your face scares. There are some spooky elements that make the hotel appear as if it was really haunted. Books move by themselves in the library and a portrait of a young girl comes alive. There are few complaints we have for Face Your Fears. The cemetery could use some additional characters, but besides that we can’t think of anything that would greatly affect the overall score. This is an outstanding attraction that you need to check out this Halloween season.
Total tour time was 20 minutes. General admission is $20, Fast Pass is $30, VIP ticket is $40 (Includes Touch Pass) and you can add a touch pass for just $2 extra. Before entering the haunt, you’ll give an employee your phone number. When it’s your turn, you’ll receive a text message before entering the queue line. The virtual queue is a great way to explore the grounds while you’re waiting. Parking was by donation only and it benefited a Cheerleading Competition. There’s a photo op station before entering. Be sure to get your picture taken in front of the zombie. Movies play on the projector screen and there are large heaters at the ticket booth. You can also get warm and toasty in front of the large fire pit.
Food and drink concessions could be found at Last Rites LLC Food Truck. This includes cheese burgers, chili dogs, walking tacos, soda, Monster Energy and more. Jakes Art Creations offers T-Shirts, unique lanterns, hats etc. Don’t forget to check out their merchandise booth that features cool Face Your Fears shirts and so fourth. Face Your Fears even offers Axe Throwing. It’s a great way to take out your aggression. This haunt is very easy to find. There’s a light up sign out front and a school bus. The monsters at Face Your Fears: Hotel of Terror are out to get you. Will you survive the madness?
Length-9 Design-9 Props-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 9.0
www.faceyourfearshaunt.com