Fright Manor (Indianapolis, IN)
“Old School Scares”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Fright Manor has been scaring Indiana since 1982. Gas was $1.31 a gallon and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial was the highest grossing movie that year. Times have changed and so has Fright Manor. This old school haunt focuses on its bone chilling atmosphere and its off the wall characters. You’ll experience 2 frightful attractions. These are Psychomanthium and The Manor. We consider them themed sections that create one large haunt. It’s a spooktacular experience that lasts upwards of 20 minutes.The actors are up close and personal, but they don’t touch. Freddy Krueger called me by name and proceeded to intimidate the hell out of me. He was so intense that I walked the wrong direction as I tried to exit the scene.
There’s a handful of horror movie characters you’ll encounter. Camp Crystal Lake features a beautiful cabin facade and Jason’s mother. She was the killer in the original film. Thankfully they included Jason Voorhees for those who might not be horror movie buffs. You’ll also enter the glowing Jason Mask room where it’s your job to figure out where the actor is hiding. This is a classic scene you rarely see anymore. Fright Manor has some of the best cast we’ve seen in years at the haunt. Michael Myers kept staring at me and blocking the path. This actor was very dedicated in scaring me. We also couldn’t forget about Ghostface from the movie Scream. He’s hiding and he will find you. Other characters include the welder who makes sparks fly. Fright Manor even has its own resident killer clowns. Watch out or they’ll get you.
A few of the scenes we really enjoyed are the cold storage area, the polka dot room, the green swamp and more. There are so many different scenes you’ll walk through and they’re very entertaining. I noticed right away that more rooms feature their own haunting soundtrack. Great music and sound effects definitely help improve a haunt. Fright Manor is chock full of petrifying props. The skeleton shaking a cage is always one of my favorites. It’s simple, but effective. The Ghostly Trio was very eye catching and quite spooky. I’m not going to try to name all the props I saw because there are plenty. There was even a ghoul peeing in the toilet and a vomiting zombie. You’ll crawl, duck and enter different versions of the claustrophobia tunnel. Will you survive Fright Manor?
Tickets are $25 with a portion going towards the Southport Little League. FFA members get in for only $15 and must show proper ID. It’s $20 for the military, police, firefighters, and senior citizens with ID. It’s $5 off Friday night football. Bring your ticket stub for a discount. Fast Pass to Skip the line is $35 and a Season Pass is $65. There are concessions available where you purchased your tickets and don’t forget to take your picture in front of the Fright Manor decorations. This is one of the best versions of Fright Manor we’ve seen in years. The acting was better than ever, the audio was improved, the scenes were great and it was all around fun. Tell them City Blood sent you and be careful of the chainsaw maniacs. They’re out for blood.
Length-9 Design-8 Props-8 Acting-9 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 8.4
www.frightmanor.com