The Haunted Laboratory-“Experiments In Fear”
The Haunted Laboratory returns for another year of frightful fun for everyone. This year this classic haunt has been rated as one of the best by Hauntworld Magazine, Fangoria, AOL and other sources. The night we visited the line wasn’t too large, but there were plenty of people considering the weather and bad economy.
Length-10: Your trip through the haunted halls of The Haunted Laboratory will take around 25 minutes to complete. A new outside area has been added to the haunt adding length.
Design-9: The Haunted Laboratory is comprised of various rooms centering around the haunted laboratory theme. Rooms include a haunted scientists lab, Camp Crystal Lake, a vertical wind tunnel, a Tesla Coil Cage, a few mazes here and there and much more. The biggest addition in terms of design is the brand new outdoor area. After you exit The Haunted Laboratory you will enter a Boo Bus full of ghouls and corpses. Then after you make it out alive you’ll walk past different scenes that have Frankenstein, different frightening props and much more. This outdoor area adds length to the haunt, but more could be done with it. The addition of vibrating floors in the bus would make it scarier while more creative scenes and improved lighting would help this area stand out more. As it is, the outside area just doesn’t live up to how great the rest of the haunt is.
Props/Animatronics-10: The Haunted Laboratory is known for having some of the most detailed and original props around. Where else can you experience one of the largest tesla coils around or come face to face with a massive vertical wind tunnel. Decor includes alien pods, alien creatures, a dizzying vortex tunnel and everything you’ve come to love from The Haunted Laboratory. The majority of eye candy is one of a kind so you won’t be seeing these props anywhere else with the exception of a few. During good weather the 2nd Tesla coil is used on top of the building. But sometimes there are some repairs that needed to be made and it has to be shipped to California.
Acting-9: Characters at The Haunted Laboratory blend in with scenes like they are cameleons or bust out of doors built into sets. The acting is great, but a few characters were a little off on their timing. Instead of scaring two or 3 people they were only able to scare one while the person in front missed the action. The majority of characters reflect The Haunted Laboratory theme with the exception of a few. This is the case with Jason Vorhees.
His scene is very detailed, but the mask He’s wearing is cheap compared to the rest of his outfit. If you are going to include iconic horror movie characters, they need to look as authentic as possible. Since The Haunted Laboratory is 4 floors of Terror, there are so many actors that it’s difficult to count them all. The new outside area could use a few more characters though. But overall the acting is pretty impressive.
Scare Effect-9: This is a pretty scary haunt because it feels like a real laboratory instead of a haunt that’s been built for profit. The dark hallways in between a couple scenes use just the right amount of darkness while using lighting effects. The actors play traditional characters where a few are from some famous horror movies you’ll surely recognize. Once the outdoors area is improve the scare effect will be taken to a whole new level.
Customer Service: The Haunted Laboratory is a very organized haunt and doesn’t have some of the crowd control issues it use to. What I mean by this is customers catching up with other people and having to wait in between scenes. This is still somewhat an issue, but is a little hard to avoid when there are huge crowds. Parking is free and there are some concessions. The addition of more food and drinks would be appreciated.
Fright Value: $15 is a bit high for any haunt, but since you will be experiencing one of the best in the nation it’s not too bad of a price. There has been a price increase over the years, but hasn’t gotten out of control. Please taken advantage of the different discounts available at www.hshlab.com or purchase a combo ticket for only $26.
Final Stab-9.4: The Haunted Laboratory doesn’t get the huge crowds that The Haunted Schoolhouse gets, but is just as good. If you are in Akron, OH or just want to experience one of the best haunts around please make sure and visit The Haunted Laboratory. It’s a one of a kind haunt that has stood the test of time.