Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall (Cincinnati, OH)
“Going Old School”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall Celebrates their 33rd year of fear. They’re Cincinnati’s longest running haunt. We walked past a small graveyard, a car with skeletons inside and we were greeted by a scarecrow on stilts as we waited in line. Every season, they use a different theme and this year it’s “Going Old School”. Your favorite scenes from the past return and they’re better than ever. This is a traditional haunt where the profits go towards charity. It’s not a big budget attraction with props costing thousands of dollars. They’re main objective is for customers to have a good time. For the most part, they achieve this. This is a great haunt for families, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary. There are plenty of bone chilling rooms that will surely make you jump.
You’ll explore rooms such as Satan’s lair. Bow down to Beelzebub and duck underneath his thrown. You’ll meet many crazy characters including Norman Bates in the Bates Motel. He’s dressed as his mother Norma. Other scenes include Dracula’s coffin, Bug Boy confrontation, the Witch’s cauldron, a spider infestation, a werewolf attack and more.
The acting is good for the most part, but the adult actors are more convincing. You’ll see many young actors at Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall because it’s an all volunteer haunt. Standout characters include the elevator attendant. He crashes into the walls of the elevator as it goes down to the 13th floor. Dracula is great as he tries to take a bite out of your neck. The witch in the witch’s cauldron scene was creepy to say the least. The gravedigger in the graveyard had the perfect coffin for us and wanted to bury us six feet under. Unfortunately there are a few actors here and there that resort to screaming or growling, but for the most part this isn’t the case. The acting is the best we’ve seen at Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall in years.
The scenes are quite memorable and there are a few props here and there that you’ll enjoy. The chain link maze seemed to be an after thought though and a way to add time to the haunt. Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall has one of the best vortex tunnels around and it’s homemade. Other props include a tilting bridge that moves underneath your weight like a teeter totter.
The final part of Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall features one of the best Dark Mazes around. This year the employee told customers how to escape which makes it very easy to navigate. That was a little disappointing since we are known for being bad at mazes. We were in and out in 7 minutes, but the time you’re in there might vary. The actual haunt not including the Dark Maze is 8 minutes which makes the total experience 15 minutes. It’s a pretty action packed experience and it was the most crowded we’ve seen it. The closer it gets to Halloween, the more people will show up.
General Admission is $12 per person with a $2 discount applied with a canned good donation. Fast passes are also available for $18 (no discounts). Get $4 off on Sept. 29th and 30th, combined with a canned good donation for $6 off. You must print a coupon out to redeem. Click here for the coupon. Bring any 2 cans of soup on Soupy Sundays for $6 off admission. That makes it only $6 per person which is an incredible deal. On Oct. 22nd from 6pm to 6:45pm., children get to go trick or treating through the (much less scary) Haunted Hall as well as getting a trip through the giant vortex tunnel! The cost is $5 per child and adults are free. There’s concessions such as popcorn, chips, hot cocoa and more. Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall is sponsored by the Madonna Council Knights of Columbus and assisted by youth organizations. It benefits these groups and other charities.
Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall is a frightfully fun haunt you can bring your friends and family to. It’s just the right amount of scares without being too scary. Hopefully you don’t become one of the executioner’s victims and watch out for the chainsaw maniacs. We recommend that you pay them a visit on Sunday and be sure to bring 2 cans of soup for $6 off admission.
Length-8 Design-7 Props-6 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7
Final Stab: 7.0
www.hauntedhallinfo.com