House of The Dead-“The Dead Shall Rise”
Every year Terror Town changes each of its haunts with the exception of House of The Dead and rightfully so. It’s one of the most impressive haunts in terms of design and high tech props. Plus it’s just a thrill ride from the moment you enter till the time you walk out. That’s if you walk out in one piece. This is the review of House of The Dead.
Length-8: Your journey through the dark halls and twisted corridors of The House of The Dead will take around 15 minutes to complete depending on your pace. There is always something action packed happening, but a few areas that are crying out for actors.
Design-9: House of The Dead is modeled after a delapitated home that has been taken over by ghouls and monsters that can be found in your worst nightmares. The haunting music that plays throughout this haunt is from the classic horror movie Amityvlille Horror. Various rooms have been made to look stained and aged since that’s what you would expect in a real haunted house. Unfotunately some standout rooms have been eliminated this year such as the Moster-Tronics haunted doll room that featured Mary Shaw from the 2007 horror movie Dead Silence. Even though this unique scene has been removed from the haunt, there are still some really creative and creepy scenes at House of The Dead. These include a nastly slaughter house, an intense Hellevator ride, an Exorcist possession bedroom and a variety of terrifying rooms that are sure to get the heart racing.
Props/Animatronics-10: House of The Dead has some of the latest and greatest animatronics you will come across in the haunt industry today. While some scenes don’t have that many actors, the amount of impressive eye candy that is present at this haunt is really impressive. These include a corpse with blood spurting out his wound, an intense Hellevator ride, haunted steps that move by themselves, a ghoul that flies over head, an animation of rats crawling over a drain and much more. The biggest addition in terms of props this year is the brand new lineup of werewolves from Nightscream Studios. Now these props were impressive to look at during Midwest Haunters Convention and Transworld, but to see them used in a haunt is something special.
As you exit House of The Dead you will be confronted with a group of werewolves on both sides of you who feast on a deer and are ready to attack. One area that House of The Dead seems to do better at than many haunts is its use of scents in various scenes. Built inside the walls are various scent dispensers and depending on what room you enter determines what you might smell. The strong aroma of a slaughter house of a diseased bathroom always gets your attention. Over the years there have been some props removed from the haunt such as Scare Factory’s Slayer which guarded a large entrance and the magotts that would drop on your head from above. I’m not sure if that effect wasn’t working right or what, but it feels abscent from the haunt.
Acting-8: The biggest area that House of The Dead that needs to be worked on is its use of actors. While there are characters present in scenes there just aren’t enough. The highlight of this haunt is its impressive array of animatronics, but more actors in scenes would balance things out. Most of the characters you’ll encounter come from drop down portraits, behind black curtains or in a dark corner where you would least expect them to be.
Scare Effect-9: House of The Dead could be a perfect 10 in terms of scares if more actors were implimented into scenes. But the overall abundance of perfectly timed props along with creative scenes and nasty scents creates a realistic scary experience. This is a scary haunt and if you aren’t paying attention closely to your surroundings you may be startled. The most impressive group of actors at Terror Town are the ghouls who magically appear inside The Hellevator. It’s surprising effect if it’s your first year visiting this haunt. But when it comes down to it the actors in House of The Dead compliment the animatronics well.
Customer Service: The staff at Terror Town are a pleasure to deal with. If you have a problem there is always someone there to assist you. The parking is safe and free plus once you step out of your car there are is a variety of entertainment available as well as plenty of concessions.
Fright Value: $11 is a great deal for a haunt that has spent so much money on sets and high end animatronics. This is a very high quality haunt with great production value and some unique elements you won’t see at very many haunts. Make sure and purchase a ticket for The Last Ride coffin ride simulator for $2 a ticket. The Last Ride simulates the coffin being transported to the cemetery in the back of a hearse as the hearse burns rubber and weaves back and forth. Then it is transported to the cemetery before you are buried alive. This version of The Last Ride is from the company Haunted Enterprises and features smells such as rose, burning rubber and the last scent you will have to guess for yourself. It’s one of the better coffin simulators I’ve experienced.
Final Stab-8.8: As you can see the score for this year’s House of The Dead is down a bit. This doesn’t mean that this isn’t an incredible haunt. It just means that a few things have been eliminated that made it stand out more. Either way you look at it this is a great haunt with a few areas that should be worked on for it to be just perfect. If you are looking for one of the most technologically advance haunts in Ohio and want to see things you won’t see anywhere else, then head down to Maumee Ohio to experience House of The Dead at Terror Town.