Ghostly Manor-“Medieval Mayhem”
Ghostly Manor is a very special haunt that is very different from other places you may visit this Halloween season. Unlike most haunts that close down late October or early November, Ghosly Manor is open most of the year. And when the Fall season comes knocking actors are added into the mix and the haunt becomes scarier than ever. The newest addition to Ghostly Manor for the ’09 season is their massive detailed castle facade that is just downright impressive to say the least. You can learn more about the facade and Ghostly Manor by reading the review. This is City Blood’s review of Ghostly Manor.
Length-8: Ghostly Manor is a very action packed haunt from the moment you enter its haunted doors till the moment you leave. But it ends too quickly and you are left wanting more. Your experience at this Sandusky Ohio haunt will be over in less then 15 minutes, but is great while it lasts.
Design-9: Ghostly Manor has always had some very detailed scenes and rooms, but the facade used before you entered the haunt was a bit lackluster and never lived up to how great the haunt actually was. Luckily this year owners Jayme and Bill Criscione have made some huge improvements to how the outside of Ghostly Manor looks. Instead of just looking like your typical haunted house, Ghostly Manor now resembles a frightening medieval castle including a pretty entertaining light show before entering the facility.
Suddenly lights will flash off and on as they are synchronized to Midnight Syndicate music when out of the blue fog comes rolling out of the castle and 2 creatures propell from the stone walls. This is possibly one of the most detailed facades in the industry and something you have to see for yourself to really appreciate. Once you step foot inside Ghostly Manor Thrill Center you will notice their detailed queue line full of animatronics and more. But it doesn’t end here. Scenes inside Ghostly Manor include a haunted office, a bloody slaughter house, a mad clown room, a thick swamp and a variety of sets that will impress.
Props/Animatronics-10: Ghostly Manor is full of a variety of animatronics and detailed set pieces. Before you ever enter the building you will see a massive castle facade that is complete with 2 Scare Factory Body Snatchers, a medievil dragon and much more. Once you enter inside the haunt you will surely be blown away by the plethora of props that are available. These include rising corpses, hanging body bags, CGI effects and much more. Every which way you turn there is always some type of impressive eye candy to gawk at. Many of the props at Ghostly Manor come from Scare Factory in Columbus, OH and are quite impressive, but a bit loud because of the air compressors these animatronics use. But either way you look at it, they are quite startling.
The reason they are so startling is because of how they are set up in the rooms they decorate. Instead of just having one prop in the corner to serve as a distraction before an actor pops out. The props are set up in a way where in some rooms they are on both sides of you as you enter a room. This isn’t the case with all the scenes, but is with quite a few. The biggest addition to the lineup of props this year is the brand new claustraphobia tunnel. Instead of being up high, it’s now low lying and creates an effect of you going through a swamp as vines hit your face. If you are a fan of high startle effects and animatronics you will be blown away by Ghostly Manor.
Acting-8: The night we visited Granny (AKA Tater) was entertaining customers who waited in line. Ghostly Manor won Granny’s services for a night earlier that year at an IAHA (International Association of Haunted Attractions) auction. Granny who is played by Scott Lynd is known for being over the top with his portrayal of the character Granny. Granny is an old broad who walks with a walker, drinks pea from a plastic bottle and smokes constantly while insulting those in line and cracking jokes.
It’s really enjoyable watching an actor like this at a trade He loves and many people don’t appreciate when going through haunts. All the characters you’ll come across at Ghostly Manor are great in the scenes they reside in, but could use more dialogue instead of busting out of drop pannels hidden in the various sets or yelling as they jump out of dark corners. The costumes and makeup is elaborate, but there were a few masks that just didn’t work. But overall Ghostly Manor has a great cast of dedicated actors.
Scare Effect-9: This is a scary haunt in many ways. The rooms are confining, the animatronics are well timed and for the most part the actors are spot on. Some scenes could be scarier if less people were let in the haunt at once, but Ghostly Manor will scare you in some way or the other.
Customer Service: The people who run Ghostly Manor are as nice as can be and are really organized even when there are large crowds. Parking is free and there is plenty of entertainment available inside the facility. This includes a large skating rink, XD 3D Theater, arcade games and more. If you aren’t able to find something fun to do at Ghostly Manor, then you’re not looking hard enough.
Fright Value: $11 is a great deal for such a high quality haunted attraction. Plus children 9 and under get in for only $6. There are many low budget haunts you will come across these days that have ticket prices upwards of $15 where as a haunt like Ghostly Manor is charging very little in comparison with a $1 off coupon available if you sign up for their news letter. So take advantage of this very reasonable haunt.
Final Stab-9.0: Some nice improvements have been made to Ghostly Manor this year from its amazing facade to some new effects and scenes that have been added. This really is a first rate haunt with a small ticket price. If you are in the area or are heading out to the Sandusky Ohio area then make sure and stop in at Ghostly Manor.