Haunted Cave at Lewisburg is one of those haunts that stands out from many in Ohio. Where else can you have a haunted adventure inside a dark and spooky cave that’s been infested with bats? Over the years this haunt has built up a reputation as being very unique and fun. It’s like nothing else you will experience in the great state of Ohio. This is the review of Haunted Cave at Lewisburg.
Length-10: Your journey through the dark and haunted cave will take around 45 minutes. There are some areas that rely a little too much on darkness while the various mazes take up a lot of time without much happening in them except for mass confusion. The night we visited we had to wait a few minutes in between scenes because of the large crowd of people ahead of us. So this took up some time further adding to the length of the haunt. Either way Haunted Cave at Lewisburg lasts close to 50 minutes with always something creepy and sinister lurking in the darkness.
Design-9: Haunted Cave at Lewisburg incorporates unique elements of the cave while creating some pretty impressive scenes that are hard to forget. This haunt must have one of the best graveyard scenes I’ve ever seen. Anything that would be inside a graveyard is in this scene from realistic tombstones, real candles to offer subtle lighting, a corpse flying out of a coffin, shaking caskets, pumpkins, ghosts flying in the air and more. It’s pretty impressive to say the least.
But Haunted Cave at Lewisburg isn’t just one large graveyard. There’s a large swamp scene, bloody doctor’s room, walk through jail cell, haunted forest, living walls and more. The second portion of the haunt consists of mostly confusing mazes. These are fun, but are a bit anti climactic when you compare it to the first half. The mazes are just nowhere near as frightening as the rest of the haunt is and that’s a shame since they take up a lot of time.
Cutting the mazes in half and adding more scenes towards the end would really make this haunt more consistent and make a better lasting impression on customers. There were also some areas of the haunt that used a little too much black plastic which is understandable why they use it, but some scenes looked a little tacky because of this. But either way you look at it, the designers do a great job creating scenes for people to enjoy. This is one of the best designed haunts in Ohio because of how it combines elements of the cave and unique yet frightening scenes.
Props/Animatronics-9: This haunt is full of impressive props you wouldn’t expect to see inside a cave. Haunted Cave at Lewisburg has always had some pretty nice eye candy, but this year they have gone hog wild. The hit animatronic of the season that many haunts are using is Pale Night Productions Asylum Door. During the 2009 haunt show in ST.Louis this prop that combined both CGI and an animatronic was first showcased and haunts just had to have it. Now this is a pretty impressive item, but unfortunately most haunts do not know where to place it so customers really notice it. This prop is close to $4,000 and should be implimeted into a major scene where it would be impossible for people to miss. But either way you look at it you’ll be impressed.
Other props include a Fright Props jumping Octopus, many claustrophobia tunnels, a snake spitting air, tons of detailed tombstones, ghouls flying overhead and much more. There are a few props that are left over from previous years that didn’t seem to have the effect they once did. At one point in the large graveyard scene you will see some skeletons spinning in a circle, but will soon realize that they are attached to a ceiling fan. This effect needs to be removed because it doesn’t improve the scene. But this isn’t the case with the majority of decor at Haunted Cave at Lewisburg.
Acting-8: The actors’ intensity has really been taken up a notch over the past few years. In previous years Haunted Cave at Lewisburg would use many young adult actors who were suitable actors, but never really stood out. This has all changed though since this haunt now has a good mixture of adult and young adult characters. And the cast of characters you’ll encounter in the cave are pretty intense in how they interact with people.
They’ll jump out of the water, grab your legs, spray you with water and more. It’s a heart racing experience to say the least and especially when it’s in complete darkness. There are some interesting characters you’ll meet along your way. These include Satan who releases fire, the professor who is an expert on spiders, the various graveyard dwellers, the hidden creatures in the water and of course the different actors who make their presence known by busting through the living walls.
Remember the classic scene from Nightmare on Elm Street where Freddy Krueger is seen pressing his face through the wall above Nancy’s bed. This effect can easily be achieved with spandex. All you need is an actor ready to press through the material making it look like a living wall. Overall the actors are memorable, but the outside characters could be more grotesque and intimidating in nature. This would really have people’s minds wonder what they were going to experience once inside the cave.
Scare Effect-9: Haunted Cave at Lewisburg is one of the most bone chilling haunts around. One of the techniques the makers use is low lighting. A dark part of the cave will be barely lit with a single light source when the lights will suddenly shut off completely. The feeling of being inside an actual underground cave is a really unique experience that few haunts can duplicate. You’ll feel alone, helpless and just plain scared at some parts of your journey. Haunted Cave at Lewisburg uses many unique effects such as loud gun shots, fire, air and water. If the actors don’t scare you the heat from the intense fire will. While the second half of the haunt which is made up of mostly haunted mazes doesn’t match the intensity of the first half of the haunt, the cave is still a pretty hair raising experience none the less.
Customer Service: The staff at this haunt is very friendly and even on busy nights when their stress level would be at an all time high. There are plenty of reasonable concessions available like hot dogs, pretzels, kettle corn, soft drinks and more. The parking is completely free and there are plenty of spaces for you to park.
Fright Value: The ticket price for Haunted Cave at Lewisburg is $11 which is a great deal considering all the unique things you’ll see at this haunt. But if you are wanting to save some cash don’t worry since there will more than likely be a worker walking around passing out $1 off coupons. You can print your own coupon out at www.hauntedcaveatlewisburg.com.
Final Stab-9.0: Haunted Cave at Lewisburg returns with many new changes that returning customers will appreciate while new visitors will get a kick out of it. There are few haunts out there that can match the creepy atmosphere that Haunted Cave at Lewisburg Creates. It’s like being in a twisted dark dream that you’ll never wake from. So if you are in the mood for classic Halloween fun with some twists and turns please make sure and head out to Lewisburg Ohio for Haunted Cave at Lewisburg.