Mayhem Mansion-A Fist Full of Freaks
Mayhem Mansion is in its 2nd year of operation and it’s slowly becoming a good haunt with a lot of potential. If this haunt eventually becomes as frightening as the house it’s in, there’s no telling where this haunt will be like 3 years from now. The future is looking bright for this Kentucky haunt.
Length-7: Your tour through the haunted halls of Mayhem Mansion will take apoxomitely 10 minutes depending on if you survive or become part of its bloody history.
Design-7: Once you walk inside Mayhem Mansion a strange feeling overwhelms the senses. This place just feels haunted and an extreme feeling of dread is present. This is one of the few times I’ve felt uneasy in a haunt before I even experienced a scene or room. The majority of Mayhem Mansion consists of dark rooms with a few dark maze entrapments thrown into the mix.
It’s unique how a few of the frightening rooms only way of exiting is to find a secret door or exit yourself. If you aren’t able to exit, impending doom is sure to follow. Rooms include Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a bloody freezer, many mind numbing mazes and much more. More creative rooms would help in making this haunt a more hair raising experiencing. A few of the rooms were also a bit confusing due to multiple doors being opened. We were unsure where the entrance was to the next room in a few of the scenes.
Props/Animatronics-6: Mayhem Mansion doesn’t rely solely on high tech animatronics or detailed decor. Its bread and butter are its actors and they have an enthusiastic bunch to say the least. But a few animated props and detailed set pieces would create a more convincing experience. Currently scenes rely solely on how well the actors perform that night and if an actor is sick or not feeling well, the scene is going to fall flat. A few props to serve as distractions would help in making a few rooms more startling than creepy.
Acting-8: The characters you’ll encounter at Mayhem Mansion lack dialogue, but make up with shear intensity. You won’t find an actor come out of character the entire time you’re in Mayhem Mansion. They are dedicated in scaring the wits out of you and creating an enjoyable frightening experience scare seekers can enjoy. Unfortunately none of the scenes co inside with the frightening back story of Mayhem Mansion. In the future we would like to see a story created that slowly develops from scene to scene. This would help create an engaging experience that would have people coming back every year to see how the story has developed.
Scare Effect-8: As I mentioned before, Mayhem Mansion is a very creepy haunt. Without actors or scenes this haunt is scary. But as a haunt it’s even scarier. This haunt has a lot of potential, but more creativity needs to be used in order for it to be unique instead of your typical haunt.
Fright Value: $12 seems a bit high for a 2nd year haunt that has a small budget and lasts less than 15 minutes. But you have to remember that included in the Mayhem Mansion ticket price is the freakishly entertaining Pickled Brothers Sideshow and a small haunted trail known as “Terror on The Lakes”. So you are getting a lot of bang for your buck when you purchase a ticket for Mayhem Mansion.
Final Stab-7.0: Mayhem Mansion is in its only second year of operation and we walked away pretty impressed by how intense this haunt truly was. The mansion itself creates a haunting experience that few haunts can duplicate. As I mentioned before, this place feels haunted once you take step on its haunting grounds. Every haunt has to start somewhere and if more improvements are made over the years in the way of detailing and creativity this could be an incredible haunt.
Pickled Brothers Sideshow
Pickled Brothers Sideshow is a live performance show full of freaks and fun. You’ll experience sword swallowing, machette juggling, the bed of nails and even acts involving fire that defy death. Last year this event was part of USS Nightmare in Newport Kentucky, but this year it’s at Mayhem Mansion in Morningview Kentucky. Although Erik and Travis have more area to do what they wish a few things have been eliminated from the show such as the oddities exhibit which featured grotesche objects and monstrosoties from across America. Hopefully next year this is incorporated into the show. But either way The Pickled Brothers and Mayhem Mansion have teamed up for a great night of shocks and scares.
Scarecrow Shack
Outside of Mayhem Mansion is a unique gift shop known as “The Scarecrow Shack”. You’ll find homemade scarecrows that are pieces of art. There are a variety of homemade crafts such as fall wreaths, figures made of wood and much more for those who love to decorate. The Scarecrow Shack is a gorgeous place to say the least and owner Denny has big plans to expand. In the future there will be up to 10 shacks creating a country village for all to enjoy. The front of The Scarecrow Shack has a stage built for possible shows in the future and off to the side is an old well that will eventually have Plexiglass on top of it.