Life's Little Curveballs

I'm very sorry I wasn't able to post any more lovely reviews for this Halloween season. Some things came up yesterday, then last night, Heaven gained another angel. My aunt, who had been battling cancer for quite some time now, can finally be at peace. Though the disease claimed her life, nothing can ever steal away our memories of her. Now, she can watch over us and protect us with her brother, my stepfather, whom we lost to the same disease in 1996. 

After things settle down from this new, sudden change in our lives, I promise to resume reviews of local venues, albeit I sadly won't have any further haunted houses to visit. Thanks to everyone for understanding and for visiting my blog so frequently. <3 b="b">

MAYBE a Review Tonight...?

Well, life has it's ups and downs, and one of those downs is that the haunted house season is coming to an end for many haunts this weekend. I'm trying like the devil to get to a couple tonight, but there always seem to be roadblocks. That pesky life thing, again, I suppose. I can't promise reviews tonight, simply because I don't know if I can get someone to go with me tonight, but if I can, you can count on a review before noon tomorrow!! I'll keep everyone posted!

Disappointment Followed by Family Fun

Well, I had a very disappointing start to the weekend. Two people bailed due to prior engagements, so we weren't able to do the run. So then, we were going to hit up Waverly Hills, but as soon as I got my socks on, the person I was going with decided she didn't want to go. I still don't understand why, but this whole weekend was one huge disappointing bust. Next weekend, we're planning to finish the run. Dunno how well that's gonna work out, but one way or another, I'm going to some damn haunted houses this weekend. It's our last chance for the damn season!!

However, to lift my spirits, my awesome hubby took me, my sister, and my cousins who are also my adopted brothers, to Gallrein Farms in Shelbyville. We had so much FUN!! I have been to a pumpkin patch before, but this place was enormous! Seriously, if you tried to count the number of pumpkins in this place, it would take you a week to get halfway through the patch. It was great, because you had to take a hayride to get to the patch, you picked your pumpkins, you took a hayride back, then you went inside the store to pay for your pumpkin, which was based on the weight. We bought 6 pumpkins, some Indian corn, and some smaller gourdes from the store, and altogether it came to $30. HELLO? Really? One of our pumpkins was two and a half times the size of my head, another was one and a half times the size of my head, and 3 others were still good sized pumpkins! I'd say we won on that deal. :)



Aside from just the pumpkin patch and hayride to the field, there was a horse-drawn hayride that just went around the farm, not for pumpkin pickin', a small petting zoo where you can buy corn to feed the animals, and you could buy tickets for kids to go on a little tractor ride, a bouncy house, and horseback riding. So much to do! Plus the food tent, which served hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, chips, and sodas. The food was surprisingly good, especially considering that they must have bought the food in bulk, and that's usually pretty low-quality food. I was impressed. It was reasonably priced, too, considering it was a commercialized place, and we all know those kinds of places suck money from your wallet like a black hole.

And let us not forget the best part for any parent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or any group with young children. There was the hay castle and the hay pit. Oh, they were itching like crazy later, but we let the kiddos loose and they ran themselves crazy! They climbed the castle and ran across the row of stacked hay bales and jumping in the hay pit and throwing it all around...it was hilarious and we scored some amazing photos from it.

So, we ended up spending less than $50 for a family of 5 to have all-day fun and left with 6 pumpkins plus a few other smaller gourds. The kids had a blast, the grown-ups had a blast, there's something there for everyone. The only complaint I had was having to carry the pumpkins from the store to the car, but that's just because I'm a pansy. They did have some carts that were available to haul your pumpkins from one place to another, but people kept taking them down to the parking lot and not returning them. It's just like going to the grocery store and watching people return their carts to the nearest empty parking space instead of taking the extra four steps to get to the cart corral, and heaven forbid they actually return them to the store...how lazy has our country gotten? But that rant is for another forum.



All in all, taking into consideration the layout of the place, the variety, the quality, the family friendliness, how nice the employees are, and the overall fun level, I'd honestly give this place 5 horses. It's the first 5 anything rating I've given any place. I'm so glad we went, we had so much fun and I highly recommend it to anyone in Kentucky looking for a pumpkin patch. We'll definitely be returning next year!

Dangerously Frustrated with Danger Run!!

Tonight was the biggest waste of time and money that I've experienced this Halloween season. The four of us decorated our vehicle and headed out to the Danger Run. We got there, got our clues, and were on our way. The clues this year were incredibly difficult, more so than previous years. It was poor wording at best, and there were several times it took all four of us to decipher the clue. Fine. We eventually made it to the haunt after an hour and 45 minutes. Not the worst ever, but far too long for so few clues, and most of our time was spent on the side of the road trying to figure out the meaning behind it. We checked in at the Danger Run tent, and the guy working there told us that the line was shorter for the zombie apocalypse part of the haunt, which was something none of us had tried before, so we decided to go for the shorter line. Boy, were we misled! The other line was zipping by us and as we approached TWO HOURS of waiting in line and still not even in the last-or second to last-zigzag of a line, we finally decided to bail. Our feet were killing us, we were cranky, and it was 1am already. Nearly 4 hours for nothing. Not one scare. Actually, there was one scare, made by Aly in the parking lot of Steak-N-Shake. Of course, we didn't get to go to the second part of the Run either.

What really rubbed me the wrong way was that I had tweeted about going to Danger Run and that we were almost to the first haunt. They tweeted back stating there were significant wait times for both haunts. Fine, whatever, significantly long I can handle. THAT, however, was unacceptable. I didn't pay good money for the waiting-in-line ride. It seriously was not moving, except when another group bailed. I have never in my life seen a haunted house move so slowly. I never saw anyone even go in, we all just seemed to stand there like sheep. Well, I grew tired of being a sheep. I tweeted my dissatisfaction, and I posted it on Facebook, and my only consolation was that it was a "very busy night for Danger Run so wait times are pretty long," and that our "tickets are good every night the haunts are open." That was after I told them that this was the one and only night my husband could go with us, so that was super helpful. (Please note the sarcasm.)

I'm not rating this one until I get the rest of the experience, although one thing I would like to suggest to Danger Run - GET NEW HAUNTS!!! I love Asylum, but you have used them for at least the last 3 years since I started going. I don't want to keep going to the same damn thing every year! You're supposed to change it up, we the customers want something new, something exciting. You've used Industrial in the past quite a bit too, so please change it up. Give us our money's worth!!

I'll be going back soon, and hopefully I can find someone to buy the ticket from me or find a way to get my hubby out of working that night, though I doubt it. Danger Run better shape up for the second half, and Asylum might wanna get more efficient. Next weekend, I EXPECT to be scared. And if you can't deliver, expect a crappy review. On all three attractions.

Tonight's Haunt...

I'm so incredibly excited, because tonight I'm heading out with my hubby, Aly, and her boyfriend, and we're going on the Danger Run!! This will be the third year in a row for me and Aly, and we love getting lost. I do know one area the run ventures into, and it should be really interesting on a Saturday night...either way, I'm sure we're gonna get lost, fight, and the whole 9 yards, but it's so worth it! I simply cannot wait. I will let you know how the run goes and how the two haunts are tonight.

**SPOILER ALERT**
If you haven't been on the run, and don't want to know which two haunts are on the run, I am going to post a review of the haunts separate from the run itself, so you've been warned!!

Interview with 7th Street Haunt

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the 7th Street Haunt, where I met Tracy and a few other folks working the haunt. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet the owner, Travis, but he was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me, just to get to know him and the haunt a little better. Read on for some awesome info!



LL:  First off, I was informed you ran the haunt in Indiana, Psychomania. I won't lie, it was my favorite haunt in the area. I was wondering, though, how much of Psychomania followed you to this new haunt, such as props, actors, and most importantly, influence?

Travis: I didn't run Psychomania, but I helped to create it and have been with the owners of that haunt for many years. If not for Phil Granger, one owner of the company that owned Psychomania, I would not be a haunt owner today. He got me into the scaring business when I was 16. 

But, enough about that. All the props that could be saved from Psychomania are in The 7th Street Haunt. I would say about 75% of what we have was saved out of the fire. The actors have slowly followed, many walking through it and saying, "Thank you for rebuilding a home for us," Then after seeing the haunt, they want to work in the business again. I only know how to build one kind of a haunted house, and its the traditional haunted house. That's what 31 Ways to Terror, all the way to Psychomania, was. It's something that a lot of haunts are moving away from, but these are my roots, and I can't forget where I came from.


LL:  I hear that for next year, you guys will be getting more space in the building, do you already have plans for how the haunt will be reworked, or if it will include a second haunt at the site?

Travis: Only time will tell. I can't let everything out of the bag, where's the fun in that?


LL:  You did a lot with how little time you had to prepare for the 2012 season, and I have to give credit when due. Most folks don't realize how much effort goes into putting together a successful haunted house. Could you give us an idea of some of the struggles, tears, and pain went into creating and running this new haunt?

Travis: Well, where to start? The hardest thing was dealing with the permits and getting everything the city of Louisville wanted from us to make this one of the safest haunts around, along with just getting it built. Some of our first guests may have gotten paint on them due to us painting walls minutes before we opened. I had no home life and slept very little-if any-for the last four months. But, as you could see, it was all worth it. We have a great haunt and are looking forward to next year.


LL:  There are some pretty unique rooms and features in the haunt. What do you think are the key factors that really set the 7th Street Haunt apart from the other haunted attractions in the Louisville area?

Travis: The 7th Street Haunt, like I said before, is a traditional haunted house. Its the backbone of the industry. We brought it all back to the basics. You may say unique, but I say traditional. With that beginning said we are trying to provide a haunt that will never double what another haunt does, and gives the guests a whole new look on haunts as a whole.


LL:  One last thing for you. It takes a very special type of person to come up with new and interesting ways to scare the bejeebers out of people. Where did you find the inspiration to open a haunted house initially, and what drives you to keep chasing that dream?

Travis: Years of working in haunts and watching horror movies have turned my mind into one that could be studied for years. I can't look anything with saying, "I could turn that into a prop." I watch people interact with others and see what makes them uneasy. 

But for the most part, my mother, Tracy Stanfield, is my inspiration. (I think you met her the other night.) As a child she was too scared to watch horror movies on her own, so I, at the age of 4 or younger, had to watch them with her. I said for years, "I will have a haunted house, and it would be great." She has always pushed me to follow my dream, and this is it. Who knew it would become a nightmare? 



Well, Travis, I must say, from one demented mind to another, this nightmare is a true accomplishment, and I genuinely enjoyed myself! One thing I want to share, going back to the props from Psychomania-the room with the doors. I remember that one when I went to Psychomania, and it was just as frustratingly nightmarish as before, especially with the actor guarding the doors. We were all kinds of turned around! It was nice to see so much of Psychomania in The 7th Street Haunt, because it truly was my favorite haunt in the area, and I was incredibly sad to hear of the devastation.. I'm so glad you're back and scaring the bejeebers out of us again! Thanks so much for the Q&A session, but especially for creating this masterpiece.

Coming Up...

Just a friendly reminder (like you could forget it!) this upcoming weekend I'll be on Danger Run with my friends, and after we're through beating each other with limericks and once we're not lost anymore, we get to hit up two haunts, plus review the Run itself. I have no doubt that the Danger Run will have us at each other's throats, and my dyslexia is going to have us lost in an unfavorable neighborhood. Again. I don't know the haunts that are included in the Run, so if I end up writing a review for the same one again, my apologies, but maybe the experience will be different. Also, we'll be visiting Asylum Haunted Scream Park soon, too. If I can do enough coercing, we might even make it a double hitter weekend and go to both haunts! Or, we might not make it till next weekend. But we're running out of time, so other than the Asylum, anything else you guys want us to review? 

Reviews NOT Haunted

Considering that it's Halloween season and I've been dyingly loyal to my haunted house reviews, I had some experiences yesterday that simply call for attention. Considering the biggest thing Louisville is known for, I decided that for things non-holiday related, I'll score my reviews on the Horse Scale, which will be outlined in the rating scale page. :)

**Update**
The different rating scales was a bad idea, but the pics were too cute for me to change (especially the jackass) so I left this one be. We're rating everything on stars now. 

First, there was T-Mobile near the old Bashford Manor Mall. Okay, I get that you were busy with your whopping two customers and there were only two of you working there. What really got under my skin was the fact that we waited THIRTY MINUTES and were never even acknowledged. Nobody said hi, nobody apologized for the wait, no estimate on how long it would be or anything. I don't want to know the details, but you know if it's something that's going to take a while, so freaking tell me. I would have left to go eat lunch then come back at a better time. But no, these people just blatantly ignored us, and the other 4 customers who came in after us. We finally used my husband's phone and located another T-Mobile location, and ALL the rest of the customers, including us, walked out. This was not the first time this location pissed me off, either. I understand busy. I worked in the customer service field for 13 years. I have worked in sales. I have worked in tech support. I know what it takes to make your customers happy. This was not it. I don't want special treatment, I just want fair treatment. I will not return to this store ever again. I'll give it half a Horse out of 5 just because the building had walls and wasn't covered in cockroaches. Which, to be honest, is rather surprising.

Which brings me to review #2 of the day. We went to the T-Mobile store on Outer Loop near Jefferson Mall. The moment we walked in, we were greeted by a gentleman (whose name escapes me now, but I wish I could remember) who wore a smile and was clean-cut. My demeanor immediately changed. This store was buzzing with activity, the employees all willing to help and acknowledge your existence, and I felt welcomed. It was such a change from the first store! The gentleman managed to fix my phone-which I'm still boggled on how he did it, because it wouldn't turn on when he tried the first time, it wouldn't accept a charge when he plugged it in, but when he tried to turn it on again, it magically came on with a full charge and it's been working ever since. I suppose he has the magic touch! But even while we were working on my phone, he was trying to ask pertinent questions, engage us in conversation, and determine our needs to make sure we had the right services for our family. And here's the best part. Instead of trying to force a sale on us, he saw that the plan we have is what works best for us, and told us not to change a thing. He passed on a sale because he is a good salesperson and a good customer service representative. What really impressed me is when he told us that he's new. They are definitely hiring quality people at this location. The store was clean, bright, and friendly. I would give them 4.5 Horses, only docking them because it looks a little dingy from the outside and because T-Mobile is on my list. And this list is not a good list. I left there with a smile on my face and a working phone. I loved it.

Now we move on to the third review. Okay. This one was tough for me. We went to Olive Garden on Outer Loop by Jefferson Mall. We walked in, were immediately seated, our server was right with us, and we ordered. So far, pretty darn good service. We didn't have time to finish our salad before the first pasta bowls arrived. (We had gotten their endless pasta bowls, because it's the only way I can afford to feed my husband. He's a bottomless pit!) So, we set aside the salad and started on our pasta. Yum! But just like every other Olive Garden restaurant, nothing out of the ordinary. I just love pasta. After a couple of bites, our server asks us if she should put in the order for the next bowl. Thinking we'd have a considerable wait since it was close to dinner time by then, we put in our order. About 4 bites later, our second bowls arrived. We had barely eaten our first bowls. Thankfully, the second round bowls were so hot that by the time we got finished with our first bowls, they were still hot. Well, I tried a different sauce, and didn't care for it, so I requested a third bowl, and it arrived in 2 minutes. All was right in pasta world. Until my hubby had to go to the bathroom. The server came by and said she was going to bring us a couple of to-go boxes, and I was thinking she was just going to drop them off to us just in case. Well, imagine my surprise when she comes back, I take a bite of food, and she grabs my bowl and dumps it into a box while I'm still chewing, a look of sheer shock plastered on my face. Then she dumped my husbands food in a box, took the silverware and bowls, and left. I just stared after her, wondering who the hell she thought she was to assume that since I was literally still eating that it was okay to take my food and box it up. No, I wasn't going to order more, but I couldn't even finish my meal because she took my fork! Then Andy came back, requested a to-go bowl while he finished his meal, and the server NEVER CAME BACK. Really? You decide where endless ends? We waited another 20 minutes for his to go box, and finally just left. Of course, he had to change the tip before leaving, because that was just rude. I give it 3 Horses. Not really worth returning. Which is sad, we go there frequently. But the nerve of that woman who started off great was just appalling. Another disappointing experience for the day.

So, to recap, since I just ranted for longer than I'm sure anyone cares enough to read....

T-Mobile near Bashford Manor = .5 Horse (aka- the Jackass)
T-Mobile near Jefferson Mall = 4.5 Horses
Olive Garden on Outer Loop = 3 Horses

Haunted Review - 7th Street Haunt

On our way to find the Devil's Attic, we just happened to pass another haunted house we had never heard of, and after checking out the website and making sure they were open, we decided to give it a shot. After all, the night was still young, and we were eager to be scared some more!

I had the pleasure of meeting Tracy, whose son owns the haunt, before going in. First off, I want to say she's one of the nicest people I've met, and bless her heart, we were the third review group of the evening and her son couldn't be there, so she was fending off the wolves alone, but she was handling it well. She gave me a little background, and it was a real pleasure to meet her.

After chatting with Tracy a bit, we headed over to have our picture taken, where we put Amy in a gown on a gurney and they gave me a fake knife and extra body parts. It was hilarious.

Then we entered the haunt. Once again, we didn't find a lot of the typical horror movie characters, which was nice. There were scenes from some movies, but it was tasteful and unique, not the most common horror movie scenes. The actors interacted with you quite a bit as well, especially the maid and the gentleman. I got dusted, apparently I was dirty. :)

I did notice the layout was a bit confusing, because when you're going through a series of hanging curtains, you expect to keep going through the curtains, so I ended up going the wrong way once. The space was a bit too big for some of the rooms and sections of the haunt, too. Not to the point that it was terrible, but it was hard for everyone to get scared, because you often saw what was coming. There was just a lot of wasted space that could have been condensed to squeeze more scares in. Again, it wasn't something that was really terrible, and it was still entertaining the whole way through, but the space just felt off.

There were a lot of screams in the haunt, and while a lot of it was the pop-out-and-scare tactic, there were a lot of creepy factors too. There was one room that literally almost made me pee my pants, which is a huge accomplishment. I absolutely HATE clowns. I cannot stress that enough. They are unnatural and terrifying. The clown room was stressful and horrifying, and I have to give major props to the clowns. They're the reason I went running off and ended up off course. At the time, I didn't care, I just had to get away.

The haunt was unique, and it has lots of potential, but the thing I have to keep in mind is what I learned after going through the haunted house. This is the first year for the 7th Street Haunt, and they had to throw this together in an incredibly short amount of time. Between June and now, they managed to turn a huge, empty building into a haunted attraction, and let's face it, renovations, preparations, set design, costume design, casting and auditions, props, storyline...that's a lot to put together in about 3-4 months. There is a lot of potential, and I can't wait to see what they do with more time. And more space.

I also learned from Tracy that many of the actors and contributors to the 7th Street Haunt came from the old Psychomania in Indiana, the one that burned down last year, making many of us shed tears because it was such a phenomenal haunt. Given the talent from Psychomania, I'm confident that the haunt will be ridiculously good with more time for planning and design.

There were a lot of good screams, the props and actors were exceptional, there are a lot of pluses to this haunt, and I have to give them credit, they did an awful lot with so little. Taking everything into consideration, as well as the experience and opinions of my pals, I would have to give this haunt 3.5 Ghosts. Which is still an above average rating, but I plan to revisit next year, and I guarantee next year will be better by a long shot, and I'm banking on a higher rating. I can't wait to see what next year brings.


www.HyperSmash.com

Haunted Review - Devil's Attic

So after the bust in Indiana, my pals Steph and Amy-and of course, me-decided to go head to another haunt. Despite cell phone issues for all three of us, we managed to navigate to The Devil's Attic. It was raining, and cold, so we were very glad when we were led inside to the warmth!



First off, there when we walked in, we were greeted by the Devil himself, and the screams began. I have to give credit, they had the pop-out-and-scare effect down pretty well, and they got more than a few screams out of the three of us based on that alone. The costumes were pretty phenomenal, too, starting with the Devil, and realistic. I love how a lot of haunted houses nowadays are steering away from the typical Freddy/Jason/Michael Meyers themed haunts, and this was no exception. It's a pleasant change to actually be scared and it not be the same damn characters you see everytime you go to a haunt.




As for the layout, they made pretty good use of the space, so it was just cozy enough to not make you wanna claw your eyes out. We heard the chainsaw guy shortly after we entered the haunt, but he was a bit of a surprise.

Actually, speaking of chainsaw guys, I knew Amy was terrified of the chainsaw, but I had no idea Steph was terrified of it too. I got used as a human shield by Steph, Amy took off running, and I barely stayed on my feet as she's pulling me backward but in awkward angles. Remind me to stay far, FAR away from Steph when the chainsaw guy comes out! If only we had pictures of that...


The biggest downside was that it was way too short. It literally only took 10 minutes-if that-from ticket purchase to getting back into the car. In all honesty, it just wasn't enough time to really work up a sweat or to get really really scared. It wasn't the absolute scariest haunted house in the world, but if it were longer, it might be better. It was entertaining, but other than the pop-out-and-scare factor, the actual scary part was about average. Nothing really phenomenal stood out to me that would make me want to keep going back. I may or may not revisit the haunt, but if I do, I'd recommend lowering the price. While it was fun, if we had gone during peak hours, we would have had a long ass wait for an extremely short haunt, and we would have still paid $20 for it. I don't think it's worth $20 when the only thing remarkable about the haunt was how remarkably short it was.

All in all, I'd give this haunt 3 Ghosts. Set design was pretty good, and the costumes were good, which really saved this haunt in my opinion. The fact that it relied too heavily on the startling jump-out scare tactic was a little disheartening, considering they could have done more with the storyline. I did get scared from it, but I was just expecting more. Not a bad haunt, a little overpriced, but worth visiting once.

What a Bust...

I know I said I would be reviewing Rails of Death last night, but the website didn't specify that it was an outdoor haunt. So my friends and I drove all the way from Mt. Washington to New Albany off 64, which is not a short drive, only to find out that it was closed. I'll admit I didn't think to ask if it was an outdoor haunt, and had no phone number to call to check on it when it started raining, but one would think the website would indicate if it was indoors or outdoors, so we were frustrated when we got there and not only did we not see any signs and have no idea where to go, but then we find out it IS an outdoor haunt and closed for rain. It would also have been incredibly helpful if they had put a sign outside somewhere stating why they were closed, since we had no clue what time they normally close. It was a very frustrating experience, because then my friends and I had to struggle with poor cell reception trying to find something to do for the night. Thankfully, there will be two new reviews on the way.

I don't know if I can get back out to Rails of Death this weekend, but I am willing to give it another shot. The storyline sounds good, because it specifically talks about clowns and stuff that I'm absolutely terrified of, so it sounds like it's worth the drive. If I can get back out there tonight, I will post a review, but no promises. I'm keeping up the idea that it's going to kick ass, so I'm trying to be as positive as possible about it, despite the frustration.

Stay tuned for two new Haunted Reviews!!

Coming Soon...

Okay, fans of all that goes bump in the night! Tonight, Aly bailed on me, but I have a new PIC, Steph, who's going to join me in investigating a BRAND NEW haunt for 2012!!

That's right, this is the first year the haunt has been open, and we are super excited! Please join me later tonight as I update my findings from New Albany's newest nightmare-inducing attraction, RAILS OF DEATH!!!  **Insert evil laughter here**

You can check out their website HERE for more information or to contact the haunt. Check back tonight or tomorrow morning (because let's face it, it's going to be LATE before I get home!!) for another Haunted Review, featuring Rails of Death in New Albany, off I-64. 

Happy Haunting!!!

A Bump in the Road, and Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

Well, I have stumbled upon two problems.

One, I caught a bug and now my throat is on fire, so I need this to be gone before the weekend or I won't be able to review any haunts this weekend.

Two, I plan to review a brand spanking new haunt in Indiana this weekend, and Aly bailed on me, so I need someone to cling to while I go through the haunt. Yes, I really do need someone, or I will not make it through the haunt. I don't care if it's a bunch of kindergarteners playing peek-a-boo in the dark at me, I'll freak out if I'm alone.

So, as you can see, this weekend might be a bust, which is definitely no good. I'll keep everyone posted on what's happening and if I secure a haunting buddy, I'll take lots of cold medicine through the week to feel better as soon as I can so I can get you guys a review.

Something else I wanna touch on is that I plan to review a few places, but I have a sort-of schedule in place for the coming weeks. This weekend is the haunt in Indiana, Rails of Death. (If I'm not still deathly ill.) Next weekend, we're doing Danger Run, which means not only am I going to review two haunted houses (possibly one I've already reviewed) but the Run itself. The following weekend we have to decide between Asylum Haunted Scream Park, Nightmare Forest, Field of Screams, Waverly, and the one in the cave in Horse Cave, KY, because let's face it, a haunted house in a cave has GOT to be creepy, right?

I don't know how we're going to fit all these haunts into just a few short weeks, but the sad news is that this isn't even all the haunts! We'd also like to go to The Devil's Attic, Deatherage Ice House, and a few others, but time just might not allow for those. :( The absolute most we can do in one night is two haunts, and that's only if the haunts don't have 3 or 4 attractions there. Of course, then we also run into the money issue, where I simply can't afford a $100 weekend every weekend, so we must pick and choose. Still taking votes on what haunts to visit, and we have one for Asylum. What else do you want me to review?? :)

Haunted Review - The Haunted Hotel

Our next stop brought us to another staple haunted attraction in Louisville, The Haunted Hotel. I had the honor and privilege of meeting owner Kevin Stich, who was very kind and generous toward our group, greeting us when we arrived and making sure we got to experience the best of The Haunted Hotel.

We were fortunate enough to get to enter The Hotel with just our group, which really made the experience all the more intimate. And horrifying.

Upon entering the haunt, we were greeted by a creepy hotel staff member, that showed us on our way to the elevator. Which I am now referring to as the death box of horror. Our "attendant" literally had Aly and me both clinging to the guys, and even the guys were shrinking away from his frightening demeanor and appearance. The elevator was especially terrifying for me, since I already hate elevators that work, let alone one that was so clearly malfunctioning. We moved through some pretty terrifying scenes, a lot of which did involve the shock value type of scares. One thing I will have to credit The Hotel with is the level of gory scenes. Body parts and pigs surround you in a couple of rooms, really hitting that gross-out button. I loved it.

There were several scares that really made me not only jump, but twist and try to get away. I won't lie, the scary factor-for me-was pretty high. I had the advantage of being in front, and I think the others got to see the scares before they got there and it made it less frightening for me, so it's definitely a haunt where you want to be in the front to get the best effect. That's not to say Aly and Nick weren't squawking, but their experience was a bit milder compared to mine.

There was one room that some may find offensive. Maintaining a biased position here, It seemed to be more shock value than scare, and among our group, that room was a bit less favorable. Religious patrons may want to take heed, this is in-your-face intense, and could be viewed as over the top and even crossing some lines. It's a gray area that is something to be determined by the viewer, but I felt it needed a mention, because I definitely wasn't prepared for it.

There were a lot of positives about this haunt, and it's really hard to write anything about it without giving away all the best parts. I can't really think of many negatives for The Haunted Hotel, save for the possibly questionable religious room. After taking into account the awesome gore factor, the screams, the "BOO" factor, the acting, the set design, and the overall experience, I would give this haunt 4 Ghosts. 

Don't get me wrong, to have that one room be so questionable and still get 4 Ghosts means The Haunted Hotel is definitely doing something right.

Before I go for the night, I want to thank Kevin for an exceptionally good time. My friends and I truly appreciate everything you've done to make our experience so incredible, and I can see why your haunt has been around for so many years! I also want to thank the creepy clown that terrified me for attempting to use his chainsaw to whittle off the love handles and carve a better bum. This guy may haunt my nightmares tonight. Many thanks to you and all the other monsters that contributed to my new need for extensive therapy and nightlights.

Also, within the next day or so, I'm going to be posting a brief Q&A with owner Kevin Stich, to gain some insider knowledge about The Haunted Hotel and it's history. Stay tuned, I have a lot of exciting things coming up to share with my fellow haunted house fiends.

It's been a screaming good night, and I wish you all to sleep like the dead. 

Haunted Review - Baxter Avenue Morgue

After a fun-filled evening with Aly, my hubby Andy, and our friend Nick, I'm grateful to be home and propping my feet up to write about our experiences at the haunted houses we visited tonight. We got a bit of a late start, and ended up visiting both haunts pretty close to peak times, so it was really hopping! But you won't have to fight the crowd to hear the reviews!

Our first haunt of the evening was Baxter Avenue Morgue. I was able to arrange a brief meeting with the PR Representatives Aidan and John, who also play key roles in the Vanderdark storyline. It was fun meeting with them, and they were more than willing to talk with me about the haunt, the history, what it's like working at The Morgue, and everything in between. They were incredibly friendly, and made it their point to show us a good time.

The line wasn't too long, and there was a dance troupe performing "Thriller" for us while we waited, which was pretty cool. It's not often you find entertainment in line, so that was the first unique part. The line was a bit slow to move, but that's to be expected at peak times, and with the addition of the VIP/Speedpass tickets, any haunted house line tends to move a bit slower. Once inside, though, we were greeted by one of the "morticians" who explained the three rules to us in a thoroughly creepy manner, then he sent us on our way.

Now, admittedly, I was mildy concerned as we were going in because we were in a group of about 10, and we were in the back. That's usually the worst place to be, because you see everything that's going on, so it's less scary. Not true with The Morgue. I found that the main focus of this haunt is not to jump out and say "BOO," but to add in the gore, the history, and the all-around creepy factor to make this experience like none other. It really didn't matter where you were in the group, you got scared, you got attacked, and you had fun. In fact, I'm pretty sure I received a bad batch of botox from the crazy guy with the syringe stabbing me in the forehead. I'm starting to feel a little weird...I may be returning in a body bag soon to become a permanent part of the cast.

The setup was fairly typical, almost like a maze leading from one room to another, but you won't find Freddy, Jason, or Michael Meyers here. This is a whole new approach to a haunted house, focusing on the medical aspect that this building was really once used as a mortuary. While I can't go into too many details without giving away important parts of The Morgue, be prepared to for a creepy treat that may induce nightmares.

I couldn't rate this haunt alone, though. While Andy was just along for the ride and nearly impossible to scare, Aly and Nick enjoyed the Morgue just as much as I did. Actually, Nick said it was his favorite, and even wants to join the scare crew. I personally found it interesting to experience a haunted house that was so unique in its setup and tactics, scaring me in new ways. It was a fleeting breath of fresh air, quickly driven back out of my lungs in a horrific scream.

Now, on to the rating. Three out of four of us screamed like little girls, including Nick, though he'll never admit it. While it didn't make me pee my pants (that, my friends, is an enormously difficult task, one which has never been accomplished), it was pretty intense, and the actors were really into their characters. It was incredibly gory, which is something that I personally loved, and something you don't see enough of in most haunted houses. There were some "BOO" moments, yes, but the creepy factor was the highlight. Even if nobody had jumped out, if there had been no actors at all, the set design was remarkable, and well-constructed, giving off an incredible creepy factor all on its own. Add in the talented actors, and you have one awesome haunt. If you take all the factors into consideration, then factor in not only my own personal experience but the group experience, we're looking at a 4.5 Ghosts. The price is right, all the parts are there, we didn't pee our pants, but it's above and beyond worth the money for a ticket.

A couple more things about our experience at the Morgue tonight before I leave you. The first, THANK YOU to Aidan, John, Bobby, and the creepy mask guy whose name I didn't catch that kept us entertained, took time out of their night to meet with and talk to us about the haunt and everything involved, and for helping to scare the bejeebers out of us. We all agreed that everyone we met and spoke with was incredibly friendly, which really added to the overall experience. Bobby took some time to chat with me during his break from scaring, giving me a rundown of the intense training all the actors go through for the parts, as well as how much fun it is to be a part of something like this. I really enjoyed talking with him and learning more about what it's like for the actors. It's pretty awesome that the actors will take the time out to talk to you about the job, the history of the haunt, and pretty much anything you want to know about it, as long as they have the time to do it. The second thing I have for everyone tonight: I simply HAD to get the review up right away, it was too much fun to delay it any longer, but I am doing a brief Q&A with Aidan (and possibly John, I'm hoping I get responses from both) via email so I didn't keep them from their true love of scaring for too long tonight, and I'm going to post it when I get the responses back. I'm really looking forward to this, simply because they were so awesome in person, and so passionate about their work, that it's contagious. Look for the Q&A session either Sunday or Monday, and get a the insider scoop on the Baxter Avenue Morgue! Thanks again for a 4.5 Ghost scare, and I'm really looking forward to coming back again soon.

Ready...Set...Scream!

With only a few hours before we leave for the haunts, Aly and I are starting to get ready for a night of terror and fright. In all fairness, I'm a pretty easy scare, and if anyone from the haunts reads this part before we get there, Aly is petrified of chinsaws. Haha, she's gonna get me for that one.

 And here's something exciting: I get to meet the owner of the Haunted Hotel and the PR folks at the Baxter Avenue Morgue! They may just have something to say, so keep checking back, because I'll have my phone on me and might be able to update between haunts.

A Hotel and a Morgue...?

I can barely rein in my excitement until tomorrow! Don't forget to check back to find out what my group has to say about the Baxter Avenue Morgue and the Haunted Hotel in Louisville. I have a feeling they're going to scare us to death, so we may be updating the blog from beyond the grave...how awesome would THAT be? 



But in all seriousness, I'll be posting an honest review if not tomorrow night then Sunday morning, depending on how late of a night it ends up becoming. I may even be posting a brief meet-and-greet with the folks running the haunts to give us a little more insight into what we're dealing with. It's mostly going to depend on how busy they are and if I can squeeze a couple of minutes out of their hectic evening! Stay tuned for more!

Coming Soon...

So, a decision has been made!! Aly and I poured over websites (and our bank accounts!) for hours, listing pros and cons, discussing driving times, and finding the ones that would be best for us. 

And the winner??

The Haunted Hotel and Baxter Avenue Morgue!

It's gonna be me, Aly, my hubby Andy, and our friend Nick, and I for one am totally psyched! Ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and other monsters, get your scariest faces on, we wanna pee our pants!!

And for the readers, we'll let you know exactly what we thought of it. :)

Pick Your Poison...

I am so freakin' ready for the weekend so I can go to another haunted house!! I'm still debating where to go, but Aly is on her way over and we're going to make a decision. Last chance to vote on where we should go this weekend! Options so far are:

• Haunted Hotel
• Baxter Ave Morgue
• Asylum Haunted Park
• Field of Screams
• Deatherage Ice House
• The Devil's Attic
• Nightmare Forest
• Waverly Hills Sanatorium
• Wolf Creek Haunted Forest
• Cave of Fear (long ass drive, but dude, it's in a CAVE)
• Culbertson Manor
• Fear Fair in Seymour, IN (possibly the longest drive)

If there's another one I left out, please feel free to comment and tell me about it, because I did all the searching I could and this is all I could find. Well, there's one that I'm going to that's only open on Halloween, and I'm doing Danger Run after Aly's BF gets back in the country. (Damn business trips spoil everything!! Lol!)  

What's your pleasure? :)

Haunt Suggestions??

I have SO many haunted houses I want to go to this Halloween season! But, time and money won't allow that. So I need to know what haunted houses YOU are most interested in. Tell me your favorite haunts, the ones you're most curious about, and which ones you think sucked. I'll do my best to make a good list for you! Oh, and if you work for a haunt, let me know which one, and if I can, I'll let you know before I head to your haunt, and you can scare me to the point of peeing my pants. I'll LOVE it!!

Comment with your choices for haunted reviews!! 

Haunted Review - Industrial Terrorplex

So, for those of you that don't know, I freakin' LOVE Halloween season. Partially because it's in my favorite season, partially because I get to dress up like a moron and hand out candy to kids that will likely rot their teeth out before they hit puberty, but mostly for the haunted houses. I love being scared out-of-my-mind-stupid while running breathlessly and screaming like a mad woman. It's fun and exhilarating, and it gives me something to really look forward to.

I just got home from visiting the Industrial Terrorplex, that houses not one but four separate haunts: Industrial Nightmare, Dementions, Infected, and Carnevil 3D. My best friend Aly and I splurged on the $28 Combo ticket for all four attractions, and here's what we found.

Initially, you have to purchase your tickets from the side entrance. Don't let the lines out in front of the building fool you like it did us! Go up the steps on the side of the building, in the set of doors, up a few more steps, and purchase your tickets. Then, they tell you to go to the back of the room, choose left or right, and you're on your way. I won't say what happened, but we chose left, and we'll just say it took us a while of running into walls and tripping over one another to find our way to the room where the line forms!! It was fun, though, and when we finally emerged, we were already starting to get a bit sweaty and breathless. Then came the wait. We got there at around 9:30pm (ish) and were in the 4th row of turnstiles from the front. Not too shabby, especially since the line moved pretty quick, but when you're hyped up and already off to a small start, you wanna keep going, and waiting was a bit hard to do. Or maybe it was the Red Bull...

Finally, you enter Industrial Nightmare. On a scale of 1-5 Ghosts, with 1 being "Boring enough to complain and definitely not worth your time" and 5 being "Peed my pants, sore throat from screaming, won't sleep for a week" kind of scary, I'd actually give this one a 3.5. It grabbed my attention from the very start, and while it was entertaining and fun, I wouldn't say it was the scariest haunted house ever. It did have several surprises, though, and the actors stayed in character, really making the haunt a lot of fun. It just needed a bit more scare factor. Oh, and the last couple of rooms...yeah, here's your heads up. If your timing is off, you're going to end up pretty cold when waiting in line for the next haunt!

Up next was Dementions. After you exit Industrial Nightmare, you follow the turnstiles to the next haunt, and wait outside in the cold air. You should probably bring a sweater or jacket, maybe more as the weather turns colder later into October. The line seemed to move quite a bit slower here, but this one was well worth the wait! My throat was sore, the actors still did a great job, and the ending was a twist. I had a lot of fun with this one, and on my Ghost scale, I give it 4.5 because I screamed like a little girl and Aly took off running at one point. Pretty good entertainment there!

The next part had an even longer wait, and it was actually Infected and Carnevil combined. Remember how I mentioned the line out front and how not to be fooled by it when you first get to the Terrorplex? Yeah, this haunt is what that line out front was waiting for. It was the longest wait by far, because once you get up the ramp and into the building, you have to go back down some really steep and dangerous steps and wait again in a smoke-filled room that kind of hurts the sinuses, eyes, and throat. We finally got to enter, and the next few minutes were spent screaming, butting heads trying to huddle together in fear, and cowering in the corner. Infected was off to a great start, and while the actors were still fairly good, it didn't have the scare factor that Dementions or Industrial Nightmare had. I still had fun, of course, but I didn't really get scared too much after that intro. They set it up to be badass, but didn't follow through. I give it 3 Ghosts.

We didn't even realize that we were transitioning from Infected to Carnevil, because we actually thought we had gotten behind the scenes and were somewhere we weren't supposed to be. Infected was super short, and there was just no real definition between the two haunts. The lady there just handed us 3D glasses and sent us on our way. It was like one really big acid trip (or at least what my mind would imagine as an acid trip) in Carnevil. Psychedelic colors with the 3D glasses really made for some interesting artwork. Again, though, it just didn't have a lot of scare factor, the actors here didn't really interact as much as with Industrial Nightmare or Dementions, it was super short like Infected, and I wasn't overly impressed. I'm absolutely petrified of clowns, and I screamed maybe once. I laughed the rest of the time. While I like to laugh, I paid to be scared, and Carnevil just didn't deliver. I feel I'm being generous by saying 2.5 Ghosts on this one, and the only reason they scored that high was because of the acid trip that was pretty sweet.

All-around, if I had to score the whole Terrorplex, we'll round it to 3.5 Ghosts, but if you drop off the last two, it would be 4 Ghosts. They do have a combo ticket for just Industrial Nightmare with Dementions, so if you're short on time or just looking to be scared, I would probably just go with that. If you are just looking for an experience or really into zombies and clowns, you can still purchase just those two or the all 4 combo ticket. If I go back, I will probably just buy the 2 haunt combo ticket and leave off Infected and Carnevil.

All in all, it was a good first night to the opening weekend for haunted houses in Louisville. Next weekend, Aly and I are headed out again, and while we're still debating where to go, we're thinking Baxter Avenue Morgue and Haunted Hotel, since their both within driving distance to one another in Louisville, but we'll have to see. Our moods change like the wind!

Until next week, have a SCREAMING good night!!

-Ash