*WELCOME TO CITY BLOOD’S 16TH ANNUAL HAUNT AWARDS!*
I’m so glad that you joined us for City Blood’s Haunt Awards. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Since 2004, City Blood has awarded haunts in everything from Best Props to Best Concessions. We appreciate all the blood, sweat and tears that goes into creating a frightening haunt and we thank all the haunt workers that are passionate about haunts and Halloween. We tour haunts that are theatrical and others that are in your face and hands on. We toured haunts in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and we experienced things that we won’t soon forget.
I can confidently say that it was an extreme year for haunts. I had blood poured on my head, I was buried alive, I was bitten by a vampire and I was even picked up by a howling werewolf. There were record crowds due to the great weather. Hell, we even had a Friday, the 13th with a Full Moon. We toured a few new haunts and we had a great Halloween. We only had five trick or treaters and it was very windy. I still enjoyed myself even if the night was a bit uneventful. I had to watch the one and only Halloween of course.
It was a strange season with Coney Island removing their classic rides and carnival games. We luckily got to visit before everything was taken down. Kings Island’s Vortex roller coaster had its final ride on October 27th. It’s been operating since 1987. In previous years we had an extensive season in review, but this time it’s different. We’re going to get right to it and not beat around the bush.
It’s now what you’ve all been waiting for. Drum roll, please. City Blood’s 2019 Haunt of the Year is none other than
1: The Dent Schoolhouse
What can I say about The Dent Schoolhouse that hasn’t been said a million times before? The Dent Schoolhouse is one of the best haunts in the nation. We’re impressed with the attention to detail, the incredible props, the crazy characters, the great makeup and of course the creativity. There’s something special about how most of the scenes are themed after a schoolhouse that’s been taken over by spirits, students, school staff, killers and creatures that are beyond comprehension. This is a world class haunted house that’s scary before ever stepping foot inside. We are ecstatic to say that The Dent Schoolhouse is City Blood’s 2019 Haunt of the Year.
The Rest of the Top 10
2: Fear Fair (Seymour, IN)
3: USS Nightmare (Newport, KY)
4: The Haunted Hotel (Louisville, KY)
5: The Devil’s Attic (Louisville, KY)
6: House of Trepidation (Indianapolis, IN)
7: Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride (Petersburg, KY)
8: Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror (Springfield, OH)
9: Nightmare on Edgewood (Indianapolis, IN)
10: The Mayhem Mansion (Morning View, KY)
THE REST OF THE AWARDS:
Below is a variety of awards we give out to haunts we’ve reviewed during the 2019 Haunt Season. We congratulate all the winners!
Ohio’s Best Haunt
The Dent Schoolhouse
Kentucky’s Best Haunt
USS Nightmare
Indiana’s Best Haunt
Fear Fair
Most Impressive Scream Park
Land of Illusion
Best Haunted House
The Dent Schoolhouse
Most Horrifying Haunted Trail
Middletown Haunted Trail
Most Frightful Haunted Hayride
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride
Best Old School Haunt
The Mayhem Mansion
Most Interactive Haunt
USS Nightmare’s RIP Experience
Most Physical Haunt
All Hallows Eve’ Terror Town
Most Unique Haunt
Wilmington Haunted Hollow Ride
Most Impressive Side Attraction (Not A Haunt)
Haunted Homecoming at Halloween Haunt
Best Bang For Your Buck
Land of Illusion
Most Halloween Spirit
The Dent Schoolhouse
Best Acting
The Devil’s Attic
Best Actor
Billy Edwards as Peaches at Fear Fair
Best Actress
Zoe Hall as Medusa at The Devil’s Attic
Best Young Actor
Dillon as the Ghillie Zombie at The Backwoods
Most Intimidating Character
The Blood Moon Beast played by Derrick Allen at Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror
Most Spooktacular Queue Line
The Dent Schoolhouse
Best Queue Line Theatrics
All Hallows’ Eve Terror Town
Best Queue Line Actor
Tom Gripshover as Remus at The Mayhem Mansion
Best Queue Line Actress
McKayla Kumher as Pip at Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods
Our Favorite Psycho Killer
The Boogeyman played by Jon Moran at Forgotten Forest (Brimstone Haunt)
Our Favorite Freak
Pip played by McKayla Kumher at Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods
Best Mad Doctor
Dr. Dent played by Luke Woytowich at The Dent Schoolhouse
Most Sinful Nun
Rahu Played by Jenny Hogan at The Haunted Hotel
Craziest Killer Clowns
Nightmare on Edgewood
Our Favorite Killer Clown
Ka’Blamo Mortem played by Daniel Ruwan at The Dent Schoolhouse
Most Unusual Character
Killer Rabbit with Crank Siren at Twisted Trails
Most Blood Thirsty Vampires
The Devil’s Attic
Most Wicked of Witches
Twisted Trails
Best Backwoods Hillbillies
Black Orchard Haunted House
Most Convincing Hillbilly
Tom Gripshover as Remus at The Mayhem Mansion
Most Insane Mental Patients
Nightmare on Edgewood
Hungriest Flesh Eating Zombies
Outbreak at Hanna Haunted Acres
Most Convincing Victims
Black Orchard Haunted House
Most Sadistic Chainsaw Maniacs
The Haunted Hotel
Most Mysterious Creature
Robed Ghouls at Fear Fair
Most Memorable Haunt Mascot
The Goatman at Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods
Best Costumes
USS Nightmare
Our Favorite Costume
Medusa played by Zoe Hall at The Devil’s Attic
Best Masks
The Devil’s Attic
Our Favorite Mask
Edmund “Metal Mouth Dorrance” played by Corey Sandlin at Literally, a Haunted House
Best Makeup
USS Nightmare
Most Unique Scene
Walk Through Jack-O’-Lantern at Twisted Trails
Funniest Scene
Prison Cell Spooning at Fear Fair Featuring Billy Edwards as Peaches
Most Shockingly Gory Scene
Church Sacrifice at All Hallows’ Eve Terror Town
Most Bizarre Scene
Fat Man Medicine Feeding at Malice Manor
Most Provocative Scene
Motel 69 at Fright Manor Featuring Christiana Schlueter Keith
Most Out of This World Alien Encounter
Area 49 at Middletown Haunted Trail (LOI)
Most Death Defying Scare
Impaler Balcony Collapse at USS Nightmare
Most Nerve Wrecking Vehicle Chases
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride
Most Effective Finale
Hanna Haunted Hayride‘s Combine Chase
Most Confusing Dark Maze
Dark Maze Inside Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall
Best Chain Maze
Chain Maze Inside Killer Klowns at Land of Illusion
Best Mirror Maze
Mirror Maze Inside C.H.A.O.S at Halloween Haunt
Best Corn Maze
Pandemic at Hanna Haunted Acres
Laboratory Dr. Frankenstein Would Be Jealous Of
The Dent Schoolhouse Featuring Experiment DS6
Most Spooktacular Graveyard
Wilmington Haunted Hollow Ride
Most Mesmerizing Swamp
Fear Fair
Most Realistic Thunder Storm
The Haunted Lake at Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror
Best Horror Movie Recreations
The Devil’s Attic
Best Set Design
The Dent Schoolhouse
Best Lighting
House of Trepidation
Best Sound Design
USS Nightmare
Best Use of Loud Sounds
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride
Best Use of Darkness
Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods
Best Use of Fog
Halloween Haunt at Kings Island
Best Use of Fire
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride
Best Use of Water
Malice Manor
Best Use of Religious Themes
Fright Manor’s Portal to Hell
Best Props
The Dent Schoolhouse
Favorite Animatronic Monster
USS Nightmare’s Impaler
Most Unique Animatronic
Killer Robot at Psychosis (Brimstone Haunt)
Most Intense Hellevator
The Haunted Hotel
Best Vortex Tunnel
USS Nightmare’s Tilting Vortex Tunnel
Best Claustrophobia Tunnel
The Dent Schoolhouse’s Gory Trash Heap
Best Actor Participation Prop
Reanimator at The Devil’s Attic
Most Eye Catching Special Effect
Fog Curtain at House of Trepidation
Most Impressive CGI Effects
Wilmington Haunted Hollow Ride
Best Fake Out
Severed Monkey Head Thrown by Rod Whitenack at Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods
Most Unique Location
USS Nightmare’s Haunted Steamboat
Scariest Looking Location
Haunted Mansion at The Mayhem Mansion
Best Backstory
The Mayhem Mansion
Best Concessions
All Hallows’ Eve Terror Town
Most Unique Concessions/Gift Shop
The Buckeye Trading Post at Highway 50 Fright Field
Most Reasonable Concessions
Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall
Best Haunt Apparel (T-Shirts, Hoodies, etc.)
The Dent Schoolhouse
Best Photo Op Stations
The Dent Schoolhouse
Most Impressive Hearse
Fire Breathing Hearse at Brimstone Haunted Hayride
Favorite Ticket Taker
Former Researcher played by Mary Eve Sieg at Literally, a Haunted House at Culbertson Mansion
Our Favorite Haunt Website
The Dent Schoolhouse
Best Haunt Ad/Trailer
The Dent Schoolhouse’s Scary Stories
THANKS FOR JOINING US. WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE AWARDS. SEE YOU NEXT TIME!