USS Nightmare (Newport, KY)
“The River Runs Red”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
A skull sits atop a haunted steamboat on the Ohio River. Every 30 minutes flames shoot high into the sky. The front reads USS Nightmare. Are you brave enough to enter the 2 deck death dredge? The Mitchell Museum is scarier than ever this season. The portraits have come alive and different objects are moving by themselves. Watch out for that corpse. Don’t be afraid to get closer. This is a great opening scene for a haunt that’s become a tradition for many over the years. USS Nightmare has a plethora of scenes that are sure to put a chill down your spine.
Enter the Crash Simulator where the boat rocks back and fourth, up, down and more. It’s not your typical Hellevator that you’ve experienced at some attractions. A crazed ghoul torments customers as they hear the haunted history of the boat. New this year is the chapel. This very detailed scene will have you confessing your sins. It features some surprises along the way. We loved the stained glass.
Other scenes include a haunted forest, the sleeping quarters, a clown maze, the machine shop, a hazardous waste zone, insane asylum, a foggy swamp, and much much more. The swamp glows green and includes metal poles you must navigate around. The kitchen serves some delicious delicacies and you’re on the menu. This is an immersive and detailed haunt. There’s paint that’s peeling, rust, antiques and old documents. You can’t beat the setting of an old dredging vessel. The lighting has been improved and the haunt does a great job with a few of its dark rooms.
USS Nightmare has many colorful characters. The night watchman holds his bottle of liquor as he swears that he never crashed the boat. It was the Lady in Red. She’s a succubus demon named Azza. The playroom is home to the Captain’s Daughter Anna who needs parts to make her doll. Your severed limbs would be perfect. The Bathroom has a unique fiend that blesses people with toilet water. A vampire’s Lair has blood suckers that want you to be their supreme sacrifice. The nurse wants to give you a lobotomy as a corpse rises from the dead. He has a sheet over his body. When we met the captain, he forced us to limbo underneath a severed leg. If you like chainsaws or sparking weapons then you’ll love USS Nightmare.
There’s plenty of delicious eye candy at USS Nightmare. The 13 Foot Impaler monster is the highlight. You’ll meet him twice throughout your haunted journey. Be careful or he might eat you up as you look down at him on the balcony. USS Nightmare does an incredible job showcasing this prop. The crew calls him Fluffy. He’s behind netting as if he was King Kong.
Their vortex tunnel is very unique. It spins around and around as the hand rails tilt back and forth. Other props include a vomiting ghoul, flying grim reaper, an animated werewolf, a corpse roasting over an open fire, a man on a spinning disk (Psycho Vision), animated CGI portholes and much much more. A boy dressed as a bunny rabbit holding a candy pale rips his mask off to reveal a corpse face. There’s some gory goodness at USS Nightmare. My personal favorite is the woman who has tubes draining blood out of her body. The 7 foot tall Mutant animatronic was at USS Nightmare last season and he returns. This sci-fi monster thrashes back and fourth as he sprays water.
Total tour time was 25 minutes, but could be longer if you get lost in the clown maze. It also depends on how fast you walk or run. The RIP Experience is USS Nightmare taken to another level. It’s like an interactive horror movie and an Escape Room rolled into one. There’s nothing else like it. You’ll explore secret areas of the boat, play games and the actors will touch you. It’s a more intense version of USS Nightmare and it lasted 45 minutes. That’s 20 minutes more than the regular tour. This isn’t something you want to miss out on.
We definitely recommend the RIP Experience over the regular tour. It’s more money, but it’s well worth it. You’ll be given a light up necklace that alerts actors that you are part of the RIP Experience. My favorite part was being forced to kneel as I was given a communion wafer to eat. I had makeup placed on my face as I was made into a clown. We had to stop the boat from crashing, but we failed miserably. I could go on and on about the interactive scares in the RIP Experience, but that would ruin it for you.
General Admission is $27-$38, Fast Pass is $39-$58 and Front of the Line is $56-$78. Lights on Matinee is Sunday, October 26th from 4pm-6m and tickets are just $10. Captain’s Season Pass is $103. Rip Date Night Package is only $206. It includes two RIP Fast Pass tickets, two USS Nightmare t-shirts and one photo! RIP General Admission is $42-53, Front of the Line is $71-$93. Please visit www.ussnightmare.com for pricing on Group Discounts. The Captain’s Extreme Tour is when USS Nightmare goes balls to the wall. Anything goes. There’s rough language, adult situations, extreme special effects, the actors will touch, separate you from your group and more. Tickets are $38-$78. River Roots Self Guided Tour is only $6 and takes place on October 8th-12th.
You’ll walk through the vessel to view some of the dredge’s first level original equipment (as surrounded by the haunted attraction set design). There are no intentions to scare and no tour guides available. USS Nightmare videos play while you wait in line. There is a photo-op station when you exit the haunt as well. There’s also concessions like candy, chips, water, soda, USS Nightmare T-Shirts and more. You can also purchase your picture that was taken in front of the green screen before you got in line. Free parking is available next to the boat. We recommend that you visit them on a Thursday or Sunday when they aren’t as crowded. You’re less likely to run into another group.
USS Nightmare is a legendary haunt that’s aged like a fine wine. There are plenty of new scenes, special effects and creepy characters that will haunt your dreams. So, head on down to Newport, Kentucky to have the ship scared out of you.
Length-9 Design-9 Props-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 9.0
www.ussnightmare.com