Hauntville (Elyria, OH)
“Eerie Elyria”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Hauntville is the only haunt in Elyria, OH. It’s across from Midway Mall and behind Olive Garden. You can see their search light from miles away. It would be the first haunt we would tour that evening and expectations were high. Last year was the first year we toured Hauntville which used to be located in Sandusky OH years ago. We were impressed with the variety of scenes and the great cast, but would we leave with a good impression this time? Our drive up to Elyria, OH took us around 4 hours. The view consisted of cornfield after cornfield followed by more corn.
Hauntville consists of 3 different themed haunts. They are Psycho Manor, The Dark Abyss and Cell Block 13. But we consider Hauntville more of a large haunted attraction made up of 3 different themed areas. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, it was our turn to enter Cell Block 13. Cell Block 13 is a dark and dangerous prison full of the most psychotic prisoners around. The first scene has you lining up against the wall as an intimidating warden yells at you and tries to get under your skin before you free yourself from the first room. From there you’ll enter different scenes like a security office, prison cells, a high voltage catwalk and everything you would expect from a haunted prison.
Hauntville is larger this year, but much of the attractions consist of too many areas where nothing is happening. I can’t tell you how many times I entered multiple rooms of dark space before experiencing an actual scene at Hauntville. There are also a few areas that need to be worked on. The haunt follows the theme of a prison to the t, but there were just too many rooms that needed some TLC. At one point I entered a dark room that featured a prison bunk, but without any actors.
Hauntville is a fun attraction and is larger than it’s ever been before at 20,000 square feet. The next two haunts you’ll enter are Psycho Manor and The Dark Abyss. Psycho Manor is the best attraction at Hauntville and is just like entering a decrepit Victorian mansion. Walls are falling apart and are aged. I thoroughly enjoyed this haunt, but the acting could be more consistent and crowds could be managed better. Quite a few times I ended up running into a large group of people that had already experienced the scene in front of me and the actor didn’t have enough time to get back in place when I entered.
The Dark Abyss is the last haunt at Hauntville and begins with a trip through the woods. The Dark Abyss exploits your darkest fears. Hauntville consists of 3 different themed haunts, but it’s essentially just one large attraction. You’ll venture through a graveyard, funhouse, funeral home and much more. There’s not a review long enough to talk about the variety of rooms available at Hauntville. At $15, it’s a great deal with lots of entertainment for your hard earned buck. Yes, there are areas the haunt needs to work on, but it’s still a great deal for how much entertainment is provided. Sign up to get a discount coupon good Thursdays and Sundays for $3.00 off admission! Visit http://www.elyriahauntedhouse.com for more information.
Length-9 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-7 Acting-7 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 7.6
http://www.elyriahauntedhouse.com