The Nightmare-“Cincinnati Mills Will Never Be The Same
A projector shines a horrific scene from Saw 2 on the concrete wall of Cincinnati Mills. A plastic banner reads The Nightmare. Are you ready to experience this new Ohio haunt? Sweet dreams and get ready for the most frightening experience you’ll ever have at Cincinnati Mills.
Length-7: It will take nearly 12 minutes to exit The Nightmare at Cincinnati Mills. There are few dead spots, but some rooms lack enough decor to truly make an impact on visitors who tour the haunt.
Design-7: The Nightmare is a dimly lit haunt, but fortunately there are glow in the dark arrows on the floor pointing you in the right direction. Rooms include a haunted cemetery, Saw room, psycho circus, Michael Myers trick door scene and much more. Scenes such as The Ring well room are creative, but seem like they were designed to extend the haunt. Many of the rooms are too wide to the point where it would be difficult to fill scenes with enough props. Many areas of The Nightmare need to be smaller and more narrow to have a bigger impact.
Props/Animatronics-7: Many of the rooms at The Nightmare are too wide and are calling out for more props. The props used such as haunted paintings, a ring well, body bags and more go great with the rooms, but the actors have to compensate for a shortage of eye candy. More props would greatly improve the score.
Acting-7: The characters you’ll come across are very enthusiastic, but are utilized in too many of the rooms you’ll enter. At one point you’ll enter into the haunted graveyard and all of a sudden just about every actor shows up out of nowhere. It’s surprising, but doesn’t make sense. Rotting zombies would greatly improve that scene. For a first year haunt, the actors are pretty decent and will do anything for a scare. Clowns leap out of the darkness while Leather Face appears at the count of 5. With time The Nightmare could have one of the best cast of actors in Cincinnati.
Scare Effect-7: The most frightening aspect of this haunt is the beginning where you are welcomed by the demented butler and told the rules through a Crypt Keeper type character. While this haunt is promising, some of the scenes don’t leave a lasting impression.
Fright Value: $10 is a bit high for a first year haunt that only lasts a little over 10 minutes. A discount coupon would attract more customers.
Final Stab-7.0: I was pleasantly surprised at how good The Nightmare was for a first year haunt. Unfortunately they are located in a mall that has stores closing ever other week. With an increase in advertising and more details and props incorporated into the rooms, this could be a great Cincinnati haunt. The Nightmare at Cincinnati Mills has a bright future if a few things here and there are improved. If you are in the Cincinnati area, make sure and visit The Nightmare. You’ve never experienced anything like it at Cincinnati Mills.