Nightmare Manor (Middletown, OH)
“A Very Touching Haunt “
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Nightmare Manor in Middletown, Ohio has improved greatly this season. This is mainly due to them introducing a touch pass option. For five more dollars you’ll be given a glow necklace that alerts actors that they can be physical and more intense. The haunt is now very unpredictable and you never know what’s lurking in the darkness. You’ll become part of the scene. The following scenes in this review are in no particular order. A werewolf in chains suddenly appeared out of nowhere and lunged at us. I was then grabbed by the butler who pulled me towards the werewolf while he held a severed werewolf head.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre scene had us wanting to run away, but we were grabbed and forced on our knees. We then leaned over a bucket as a hammer swung at our heads. It doesn’t end there. This season I had to enter the slide backwards and I was tormented by two killer clowns. One pulled the beanie over my eyes so I couldn’t see a thing for a second or two.
Nightmare Manor has a plethora of scenes that are centered around horror movie recreations. The Springwood Slasher Freddy Krueger can be found in the dark boiler room. Don’t let his sharp claws cut you. Ghostface wants to know what your favorite scary movie is. I reluctantly answered with “Scream”. Other horror movie icons you’ll encounter include The Boogeyman Michael Myers, Billy the Puppet from Saw, and much more. Positively do not open the case to let Annabel out.
The saw scene features a spiked ceiling that comes crashing down on you. Art the Clown made a brief appearance. Samara Morgan from the Ring crawls out of a TV and you have 7 days to make a copy of the tape. Meet The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers who seeks organs from humans to eat or replace the damaged ones.
Nightmare Manor doesn’t just rely on horror movie scenes. There are plenty of original scares and scary legends. Walk outside as the living dead slowly walk towards you. They’re waiting and they’re very very hungry. Enter a school bus that moves a little from the movement of zombies. There’s another werewolf attack outside. Walk past tepees before a hairy beast jumps out. Step in the circle as a witch torments you. The girl in the white suit who contorts her body was creepy to say the least. The voodoo queen was great as well.
You’re not going to see any animatronics at Nightmare Manor. It’s an old school style haunt with modern flare. There’s plenty of detail. The cemetery features a glowing full moon and so does the chained werewolf scene. There’s something hiding in the green glowing swamp. Are you brave enough to find out? There are some interesting props you’ll definitely notice. My favorite is the spinning vortex tunnel.
Nightmare Manor has really stepped up their game this season. It took us nearly 25 minutes to explore the scenes and escape in one piece. That’s 7 minutes longer than last season. This is because we decided to purchase a touch pass. It makes the haunt much more interactive which we love. General admission is $20 and $18 with a canned good donation. A Fast Pass is $30 which we definitely recommend. The closer it gets to Halloween, the bigger the crowds are going to get. A touch pass is a $5 add-on. Parking is $2.
Concessions are available at the Manor Monster Menu. This includes popcorn, chips, walking tacos, Monster Energy, soda, hot chocolate and much more. The prices are very reasonable. Nightmare Manor hoodies are for sale as well. Music plays as you wait in line and don’t forget to get your picture taken in front of the Nightmare Manor banner. Their Trick or Treat event takes place on Saturday, November 1st from 2-5PM. Walk through with the lights on with candy fun and spooky photo-ops. Costumes are encouraged and tickets are $10 per child.
Nightmare Manor is a haunt that features over 50 actors and 29 scenes of terror. This season it’s scarier than ever because of the touch pass and the scenes are very memorable. We definitely recommend that you visit this Middletown, Ohio haunt that’s sure to entertain and frighten you.
Length-9 Design-8 Props-7 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.2
www.nightmaremanorhaunt.com