Hell’s Dungeon (Dayton, OH)
“It’s Showtime”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Dayton Ohio’s newest nightmare goes by the name of Hell’s Dungeon. This house of nightmares takes place in a 40,000 square foot building and the owner has plans to make it bigger and scarier next season. When we arrived, we were greeted by an evil nurse with a large needle ready to give us all our vaccines. Next to her was a coffin ride simulator for those who want to have the experience of being buried alive.
Once we entered the building and got our tickets, we were greeted by two little girls who wanted us to participate in a tea party, but what they’re serving is poison. Beetlejuice makes his presence known before a magician does a few card tricks. This all happens before you ever experience the actual haunt. This 26 minute haunt features a variety of rooms that are sure to appeal to a broad audience. If you enjoy clowns then you’re in for a treat at Hell’s Dungeon.
The Jugular circus is full of freaks and oddities from around the world. Be careful not to touch Spanky the Monkey. He bites. The clowns are on the prowl and will attack if you let them. A small clown with a large mallet kept getting closer and closer to hitting my feet. We enjoyed the 3D section that came alive once we put on 3D glasses. Hell’s Dungeon calls it Dark Visions 3D. There are interactive elements at Hell’s Dungeon. This includes a ring toss game and a CGI animatronic that will definitely catch you off guard if you’ve never seen it before. We loved the massive pumpkin that attacked us from the side in the pumpkin patch.
One of the highlights is a live child birth inside the Maniacal Asylum where you’re a participant. Help a poor woman give birth by pulling on the baby’s head. Hell’s Dungeon has something for everyone and some very colorful characters. A deranged hillbilly from the Firewood Family will do anything to protect her moonshine. Watch out or you’ll get shot. For the most part, Hell’s Dungeon isn’t a gory haunt, but there are a few scenes here and there that are quite disgusting. I enjoyed watching an unfortunate soul get her guts ripped out. No, it wasn’t my mind playing tricks on me. Other scenes include a laser swamp, butcher shop, doll baby room and much much more.
Overall, we enjoyed Hell’s Dungeon and we were impressed considering this is only their 2nd year. Yes, there are elements that need some work. There are a few dead spots here and there and some of the actors were unsure of what to do when we had to wait for another group to exit a room. There are some standout characters like Satan who goes by the name Rufus.
Tickets are $24 and Fast Pass is $34. It would benefit Hell’s Dungeon to advertise the haunt as having 3 attractions. Don’t forget to pick up your group photo that was taken before you entered. It’s $5 a piece. There are also Hell’s Dungeon T-Shirts, bracelets, stickers and cups available. Hell’s Dungeon is across from a Bingo Hall and behind Easttown Shopping Center off of Linden Avenue. This isn’t the easiest haunt to find since there’s very little signage indicating that there’s a haunt there. Illuminating the building with red lighting would do wonders. A Christmas to Dismember takes place on Friday December 10th from 7pm to 10pm and Saturday December 11th from 7 pm to midnight.
We’re looking forward to seeing what Hell’s Dungeon has for years to come. It’s a fun haunt with a good cast of characters.
Length-9 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7
Final Stab: 7.6
www.survivehellsdungeon.com