Nightmare Manor (Middletown, OH)
“Middletown’s Monster Madness “
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
An old Cambridge Inn has boarded up windows and is illuminated with green lighting. Scary music plays in the background as a killer clown takes pictures with those lined up to experience pure horror. This haunt is known as Nightmare Manor. It’s a haunting experience where your favorite horror movies and legendary characters are brought to life. Before you enter the haunt, you’ll notice a photo op station. You can stand inside a coffin or sit on a hay bale in front of the Nightmare Manor banner. We waited only a short amount of time before it was our to enter.
Nightmare Manor doesn’t have a specific theme. It’s a mixture of bone chilling rooms that are sure to entertain and frighten you. We were put in a group of six and the family in front of us had a young girl. She was petrified as we traveled through the manor. You’ll meet your favorite horror movie characters like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. We wish these characters had their own separate scene with their own theme music, but it’s an intense scene none the less.
You’ll also meet Leatherface (AKA Bubba) who isn’t very happy. This elaborate Texas Chain Saw Massacre scene is simply crazy and will have you running for your life. Other movies you’ll experience include The Ring, Saw, Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jeepers Creepers and more. Positively don’t open the Annabelle case. The Jeepers Creeper reenactment was fantastic and so was The Ring room. Watch as Samara Morgan climbs out of a TV as a corpse is laying on a couch. He must have watched the tape and his seven days were up. On the other hand, the pirate ship scene wasn’t very effective and could definitely be replaced with something different.
Nightmare Manor has one of the largest zombie hordes where you’ll see a plethora of flesh eating freaks. You’ll eventually enter a bus to flee the madness. The actors portraying zombies never broke character which we really appreciate. The only downfall is that there are so many zombies and after a while it becomes a little monotonous and not as scary. Throwing in a couple more scenes instead would make it scarier and more entertaining. Other scenes include a cave with sandy floors, a cemetery and more. The werewolves at Nightmare Manor are very convincing. Our favorite was the chained up hairy beast who lunged at us. The slide that leads to a pit full of foam squares was a blast.
The acting is decent with the best performances coming from the older cast members. The voodoo queen, witch, and butler are some of the standouts. Some of the younger cast members resort to screaming or using lines such as “Get Out of My Graveyard”. Bloody Mary screamed her head off, but would have been more effective using meaningful dialogue. Nightmare Manor is mostly actor based instead of relying on animatronics. There are some eye catching props and special effects like the spinning vortex tunnel and the green laser fog swamp. Their mission is to scare you with real flesh and bone characters. Nightmare Manor is an old school style haunt in a sense with over 50 actors and 29 scenes.
Total tour time is 15 minutes. General Admission is $20 per victim. Groups of 15 or more get in for only $15. Military, Healthcare or First Responders only pay $15 with proper ID. Bring a non expired canned good donation for $2 off General Admission. Parking is $2. Nightmare Manor has plenty of tasty food and refreshing refreshments at their concession booth. Check out the Manor Monster Menu that offers popcorn, chips, zombie popsicles, cotton candy, hot dogs, hot chocolate, pop and more. There was a tarot card reader, temporary tattoos and more when we visited. Trick or Treat is 2-5pm and Black Out is 8-11pm on October 26th. The Christmas Haunt is on December 13th & 14 from 8:00 – 12:00 am.
Nightmare Manor reminds us of classic haunts from the past. If you’re a fan of horror movies then you’re going to have a great time at this Middletown, Ohio haunt. It’s fun, spooky and don’t you dare let the zombies attack.
Length-8 Design-7 Props-7 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7
Final Stab: 7.2
www.nightmaremanorhaunt.com