| MT. HEALTHY HAUNTED HALL:
A hooded, roaming fiend terrorizes the queue line that's hosted by a frightening
cemetery outside this year's Haunted Hall. The old graveyard
is home to a hanged victim barely clinging to life, a spooky looking
fountain of blood, and an undead body (animation) making one final attempt
to escape its earthen tomb! A skeletal watchman guards the premises,
peering down from an upstairs window with illuminated eyes, and mysteriously
waving a lantern back and forth beckoning visitors to the old haunted house.
The actual exploration begins up an ominous looking staircase and into
a non-trustworthy elevator that buzzes and thrashes about on its way to
parts unknown. Tragedy awaits in a mad scientist's lab that witnesses the
spark emitting creation of Frankenstein, and departs into a mirror
maze that's terrorized by a hyperactive, misdirecting clown. Spooky
music introduces a moving walkway, adorned with body bags en route to Dracula's
chamber that finds The Count lurking in the shadows of his most
recent victim, seen lying in a casket! Escaping through an upright
coffin leads to a mysterious skeleton encounter, then onto the outdoor
portion of the attraction that consists of some sort of military de-tox
zone, then confrontations with an Executioner, Norman at
the Bates Motel, and a stop for some BOOze at Spooker's Bar.
A spinning vortex leads the course into a fog-filled area populated by
werewolves that progresses into a Camp Crystal Lake confrontation
with Jason Voorhees, then an incinerating crematorium, and a face
to face confrontation with The Devil
himself who forces you to bow
down before him and crawl your way into a frightening cemetery! The
course concludes with its traditional dark maze finish, wrapping up this
year's Mount Healthy Haunted Hall entitled 21 Years of Gambling
with Your Life!
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, Difficult to determine a precise time due
to the uncertainty of the maze.
ACTORS - 8, All do a commendable job trying their best
to deliver quality scares. Trademark
Devil boasts improved
dialogue in comparison to a year ago, and Jason has a more intense
chainsaw pursuit. Drac has appropriately abandoned comedy,
but needs to acquire a more threatening presence. Due to the
nature of the attraction, there will always be a number of undersized actors,
and although they do their best to utilize them accordingly as victims,
or station them behind drop-down panels, there's just too many of them
to score higher. Total Characters = 41.
SCARINESS - 7½, Complimentary background music
enhances the frights. Characters are well hidden and quality scares
in just about every scene. Increased intensity would strengthen the
scares.
PROPS - 8, Good décor, some pneumatic surprises,
and a few unexpected startles you won't experience anyplace else.
Spinning floor is unique to Mt. Healthy. Dracula's
coffin door and secret maze passages are annual favorites.
DESIGN - 9, Every inch of space is utilized to its fullest
potential inside The Hall itself. Outdoor course has been
expanded once again, although detoxification addition seems to serve no
purpose. Fog-filled werewolf "forest" is excellently done, and the
maze is an outstanding finisher. All things considered from a budget
perspective, this is an annual masterpiece!
VALUE - 9½, Once again, no price increase for
the third consecutive yearr! Cost is still just $8 with a canned
good donation! The price can’t be beat considering the entertainment
value! This is the way it SHOULD be!
RATING: 8, One of the best kept secrets
in the tri-state area, The Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall never disappoints!
Customers exiting the attraction described it as "scary" and "fun."
What better recommendation could you ask for? Go with a group, and
ditch your friends in the maze! |
