Ghostly Manor-“I Bid You Welcome”
Ohio is known as the roller coaster capital of the world because of Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. But if you are in the mood for real scares head on down to Ghostly Manor and get the fright of your life. Sadly this is a haunt that is overlooked by many people because it’s inside a skate center. But you would be surprised to know that Ghostly Manor is one of the best haunts in Ohio and you won’t find a bad review anywhere online to debate that.
Length-8: Your twisted trip through Ghostly Manor will take 15 minutes or more depending on how fast you run or how slow you walk in fear. There are very few dead spots, but a couple areas that are in need of some actors.
Design-9: On the outside you would never expect Ghostly Manor to resemble a dark and decrepit haunted mansion. But once inside you’ll be pleasantly surprised that this haunt is quite detailed and intricate in its design. A large percentage of the rooms center around the haunted manor theme with the exception of a couple scenes here and there. Rooms you’ll experience include a bloody slaughterhouse full of body bags, a forest where you must navigate through thick brush, a room infested with hanging heads covered in maggots and much more.
The variety of rooms is quite impressive, but Ghostly Manor would have a better flow to it if more rooms were centered around the haunted manor theme. It just doesn’t make too much sense to have a graveyard or clown house inside a haunted mansion. But many haunts use popular themes to please there customers.
Props/Animatronics-10: It’s obvious from the start that hundreds of thousands of dollars were invested in animatronics and spooky decor. Every popular animatronic that you can imagine lives at Ghostly Manor. But unlike many haunts around Ghostly Manor has animatronics coming at you in nearly every direction. You’ll be distracted by one prop and all of a sudden another animated prop will come busting out of the wall on the other side.
You may try to run, but there’s always something near by ready to be released. Props include the ever popular Impaler who’s 14 foot stature will intimidate anyone. Another fan favorite is the claustrophobia tunnel which is made of large air bags which simulates the feeling of being sucked in between dark tight walls. The addition of some more unique props from other companies besides Scare Factory would make the haunt much different than your typical Hollywood style haunt.
Acting-9: During the Summer Ghostly Manor is run by only a hand full of people since few actors are being used. But when the Fall season hits actors are hired to play different rules at the haunt. For the most part the actors are great due to their elaborate costumes, prosthetics and masks. But there are a few areas that primarily focus on animatronics and are crying out for a couple characters to jump out when you are being distracted by one of the many animated scares.
Scare Effect-9: An obstacle Ghostly Manor faces is making the exterior of the building look like a haunted manor. While the owners use a massive inflatable with flashing lights and a foggy hearse in the parking lot, most people associate the building with being a skating rink. A better facade needs to be purchased or built to create a creepier atmosphere. If you are visiting a haunted manor, it needs to look like one. But even though the building itself isn’t scary, the haunt inside sure is. Ghostly Manor is a sensory overload to say the least.
Fright Value: For only $11 you can experience one of the best haunts Ohio has to offer. Make sure and sign up for the Ghostly Manor Newsletter to get a discount on your ticket. Also don’t forget and check out the only place in the United States that has the incredible XD 3D Theater. It’s a unique 3D motion sensitive ride that has you traveling through a haunted mine. It’s intense and only $6 per person.
Final Stab-9.0: Ghostly Manor is an incredible haunt that has some of the most impressive props and scenes we’ve come across. With a few improvements here and there, this could be a perfect 10 haunt. Take a trip out to Sandusky, OH and forget about Cedar Point. Ghostly Manor is better and will create some frightening memories that are sure to last a life time.