The Abyss-“Are You Afraid of The Dark?”
ScreamPark consists of 3 different haunts. These are Castle of Fear, Insanity Chaos Attraction and of course The Abyss. Many haunts across the country that include multiple attractions usually feature some type of dark maze in their arsenal. The Abyss is ScreamPark’s version of the classic dark maze.
Length-7: It will take anywhere from 10-12 minutes to exit The Abyss. There is always some type of twisted actor waiting to jump out at you or something that lurks in the shadows.
Design-7: I’m really unsure of what The Abyss is trying to accomplish. Is it a dark maze that was created to confuse and bewilder customers as they walk through? Or is it just a pitch black haunt that has actors jumping out at you from the darkest corners of every room. Unfortunately The Abyss isn’t a very confusing maze since you are walking one linear path with very few twists and turns in between. The route needs to be more confusing in order for The Abyss to be a truly frightening dark maze.
Props/Animatronics-6: There aren’t many props to speak of with the exception of a long claustrophobia tunnel as you exit and a few props that hang as you walk through the maze. The addition of some animatronics or static props that glow in the dark would add to the intensity of the haunt and distract customers before they are frightened by an actor. The inclusion of some air cannons and shock strips would really catch customers off guard and would have them in fear of what will happen to them next.
Acting-7: Many dark mazes you’ll walk through rely mostly on confusing paths and dead ends, but this doesn’t seem to be the main focus of The Abyss. This haunt is very actor driven and many of the actors are spot on unless you see them before they attempt to scare you. A big issue with this haunt is that it’s not dark enough and the cloth that many of the actors are using to hide behind is too light in color. So essentially if you are paying close attention to your surroundings as you walk through the maze you’ll more then likely be able to tell when an actor is going to jump out at you.
But not only is the cloth actors hide behind too light, you are also able to see the flashlights some of the actors use in order to see inside The Abyss. If a customer sees this it is going to ruin the scare the actor is trying to achieve. Even though some of the scares are ruined because of little things here and there, many of the actors are very intense and never come out of character. They are relentless to say the least. Hopefully as the season progresses many of these small errors will be fixed.
Scare Effect-7: One of the biggest fears people face these days is a fear of the dark. You never know what twisted creature or evil monster lives within the shadows of The Abyss. Not knowing what you are about to come face to face with can be truly frightening. The Abyss has the potential of becoming one of the best dark mazes around if few changes are made. One of the biggest changes that should be immediately made is the haunt being darker.
Some areas are just too bright and unfortunately you are able to see actors before they attempt to scare you. A great dark maze incorporates many of your senses such as touch, sound and smell. The addition of sinister scents would add another dimension to The Abyss and the possible use of water and air would help greatly. But overall this is a nerve wrecking, spine tingling haunt with many tense moments.
Customer Service: When we arrived we were a little unsure of where to park, so we parked at the nearby bar/nightclub. It was also a bit difficult finding the haunt since you have to walk a little to spot the building and will need to walk down an alley to enter ScreamPark. More signs need to be posted at nearby businesses so people aren’t confused where to go. The staff at ScreamPark couldn’t be any nicer. They are very helpful in answering questions and are always there to assist you. It’s a very organized haunt with people that really like what they are doing.
Fright Value: You can enjoy 3 quality haunts at ScreamPark for only $15. That equals $5 per haunt and you will have a hard time finding a deal like that anywhere. Please make sure and stop by their concession stand for a cold drink or something tasty to eat.
Final Stab-6.8: As it stands The Abyss is what you would expect from your standard dark maze, but with a few improvements this could be a pretty scary haunt. Currently the path is very easy to navigate through, the actors aren’t hidden well enough and it’s just not dark enough inside the haunt. A dark maze should be so pitch black that you are unable to see your hand in front of your face and are struggling to not run into a wall. I’m sure with time many improvements will be made and hopefully you’ll make it out of the darkness when you walk through The Abyss.