House of Darkness

	Scare Factor	Acting	Sets/FX	Length	Overall
	6	6	7	6	6.25
	6	7	6	5	6
	8	9	9	3	7.25
	8	6	10	7	7.75
	5	6	4	4	4.75
	5	8	6	7	6.5
	7	6	7	4	6
	7	8	8	6	7.25
	6.5	7	7.13	5.25	6.47

Most of our reviews are now posted, although some individual reviews are still trickling in. Check back often!

Kris Kropelnicki

This haunt is a side show type of attraction at The Frightmare Compound and is included with your admission price to Frightmare. Although this is the first year for this attraction, it had some interesting set design and actors that were a fun way to end the evening.

This attraction is not very long, but again, it is a side show type of attraction so I didn’t expect it to be the length of a traditional haunted house. What length it had was used very well and some great effects were packed into this smaller space.

Acting was good here and a couple of the actors really went the extra mile to get my blood pumping. The actor that greeted me at the entrance for instance was delightfully demented and set things off right for me. There are actors in all shapes and sizes in here so you will have to look high and low to get a look at all of them. The variance of sizes in the actors was a plus for me simply because I couldn’t decide who I should be more afraid of.

The use of laser light and fog was done well and had me so disoriented that I couldn’t find my way out of the room. I love that I had to really regroup in order to navigate my way out!

The use of colored foam blocks hanging from the ceiling was a fun, yet somehow eerie twist on the body bag rooms, or other rooms that you typically have to work your way through. I was not alone in these spaces and some of the faces that I saw were less than happy, these clowns were more like running into Pennywise which was quite nerve racking.

Over time this haunt has the potential to grow and become an amazing production and I can’t wait to see how this evolves!!

Pros: Actor sizes, laser room, designs on walls
Cons: Shorter attraction, some actors lacked enthusiasm

Ryan Acker

New for 2011, House of Darkness is the second edition to the Frightmare Compound. To describe this haunt I would basically choose 2 words, short and sweet. As soon as you exit the main attraction, Frightmare, you encounter an actor asking you repeatedly, “I hope you’re not afraid of the dark!” As soon as his rant ends you walk into the newly founded House of Darkness. This haunt is basically nothing more than a couple of dark rooms and painted hallways. Actors in here did nothing more than provide some screams and the classic clown sounding laughs within this short and sweet haunt.

As you walked through there were some cool ideas that I haven’t seen within any other clown themed haunts. Walls with stripes gradually curving toward you allowed for a great effect within the strobe lights. Also, the few props that lined the walls looked great, but because of lack of lighting you could not see unless you were really looking. This is a very cool slide show haunt that is included within the ticket price for Frightmare. I’m sure Frightmare could find a way to either improve this haunt or incorporate it within the main attraction.

Pros: Cool effects, good props,
Cons: Short, not enough lighting, some bland areas.

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Steven Acker

This was a pretty nice little haunt, key word being little. I have no idea why this was considered a separate haunt from Frightmare, but I guess when I own my very own haunted house I can do whatever I please with it and have people say, "Why did he do that?" In this case I was asking this question because it was really short haunt and if it wasn't for the little walk from the end of the previous haunt to enter this one you wouldn't even realize that you left Frightmare, and you would just think that this was a great way to end it.

Aside from the shortness, they did a great job on this...the artwork was nice and there was a great laser tunnel and fog show and the jack in the box was a cool touch. You're greeted in the middle by a scary little clown (watch your ankles or he may try chewing on them) and I loved the clown with the huge teeth! I know quite a few people with clown phobias and this guy would definitely be sending them to the shrink for additional work.

If they multiplied the size of this haunt by 3 or 4 times, and keep doing the same great things they are now, this would be a spectacular separate haunt...until then it's just a great ending to Frightmare.

Pros: art, clown with teeth, laser tunnel
Cons: short, too short, way too short

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Kathie Holt

This is the second haunt you will transition into after you exit Frightmare. This review is for House of Darkness only. This haunt seemed rather short to me and once again the actors all just want you to get out so you feel somewhat compelled to just hurry along.

There are some really impressive props in this haunt including the artwork. Ignore the actors and stop to take a look. There is great use of fog and strobes here as well. Timed just right to make you feel a little disoriented. I really enjoyed the big laser vortex tunnel that had me a bit mesmerized for a moment.

There is one area where the walls seem to curve toward you and so it’s just corner after corner that someone could be hiding behind. If clowns freak you out as much as they do me, there is a 15 ft. tall clown that will give you the creeps for sure. Then, just the opposite, which was perfect placement, was a clown that is about 3 ft tall and yes he is real. He would be really cool if he didn’t just scream “Get out, get out!”. He is standing next to a giant polka dot box in a polka dot suit and top hat and I was hoping he would ask me to get in and see what was inside, but no such luck.

There are of course some areas that you will need to navigate your way through, whether it be curtains, hanging blocks, bodies, or of course the claustrophobic bags. There were a few places I had to crouch or crawl through that were not very pleasant and a bit harsh on the hands and knees. They made great use of the space with many different rooms to keep you guessing and plentiful props in every room. In fact, I am sure that I did not get to see them all. As I mentioned before there are two haunts at this location, and together they are great in a lot of ways because one would not be as awesome without the other. $20.00 for admission to both attractions is a steal of a deal so go check this one out. I understand the GO FAST energy drink reps like to hang out here to a cruise around on a little Segway encased in a giant GO FAST can. Great entertainment while you wait as well as the giant movie screen playing some great horror flicks.

Pros: Great use of space and loads of props, the makeup and masks were good and the use of strobes and fog.
Cons: I wish the actors were as great as their makeup. No one wants to go to a haunt to be told get out. The transition from one haunt to the next was a bit confusing. The guide is guiding you but you think it’s the exit. Clowns are supposed to be crazy fun not angry mean.

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Alex Gallegos

House of Darkness is at the same location as Frightmare, and is included in the cost of admission, which is good, because as a haunt of its own it is sorely disappointing. It is not really frightening, only one or two memorable actors, the sets are repetative, and stunningly short. It’s not so much a disappointment as it is… unfulfilled potential.

The entire house of darkness is circus themed, with creepy clowns and organ music in a building done up to look like a circus tent with red and white stripes. Here’s the thing, haunt creators; I have a feeling that you all think of Coulrophobia as much more prevalent than in fact it is. Clowns are fun. They have big red noses and goofy shoes, and they run around honking horns and riding comically small bicycles and playing with animals. I’ve had clowns at birthday parties as a kid, I’ve seen clowns at the circus, and I’ve enjoyed clowns my entire life.

I think that disliking clowns isn’t so much a deep seated fear in most people as it is the really cool thing to do on the Internet (as well as having asperger’s or tourette’s syndrome). Am I saying that everyone who claims to be creeped out by clowns is lying? No. Am I saying that it probably isn’t really a raging epidemic that really affects 90% of the population and leaves people wanting to whisper over and over, “can’t sleep… clowns will eat me…”? Yes. So for me, a person who’s relatively unafraid of clowns and all clown-like objects, this is basically just a haunt with a series of straight corridors, winding around one another and filled with fake smoke, filled with symbols of laughter. It’s the least scared I’ve been all year, and that includes opening my credit card bill after Christmas.

The actors ran by us and screamed “boo” a lot and that was about the extent of the acting. I was pleasantly surprised by one guy on stilts who reached out for us with a deranged expression and that was about it. The exit to the haunt was a corrugated metal tube with jagged rocks on the other side that I had to crawl through on hands and knees. Really? Let’s just abandon all semblance of trying to make things look dangerous but actually be safe, and just make it genuinely dangerous. That’s not scary, that’s just cruel, and I was annoyed enough that there was a very real chance of me going all Bruce Banner on the guy banging the aforementioned metal tube with a chain as I crawled through it.

Pros: One memorable actor, haunt ends before it becomes too annoying and repetitive.
Cons: Not scary if you aren’t afraid of clowns, way too short, hurt myself on the corrugated metal exit.

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Justeen Walters

House of Darkness is a second haunt located at Frightmare. The haunt by itself is very short but is included in the price for Frightmare. The transition from Frightmare to this haunt is not much of a transition and most people probably wouldn’t realize it was the second haunt, if it were not for the actor telling you that you were entering the House of Darkness. We were welcomed into the House of Darkness by a crazy clown ripping a curtain type piece of plastic aside for us to come in. This haunt was a clown themed haunt. The lack of lighting in this haunt made it kind of hard to see some of the props. I ended up walking through one of the rooms and am not sure if there were actually any props in there or not because it was too dark to see. The props that I did see were done well and seemed realistic. There was a laser/strobe room in there that was very good! It really threw me off balance! The actors did a good job staying in character and really played their parts well. My favorite was definitely the 15ft tall clown! I think they could have used more actors though. Like I said, the length of this haunt was very short and it honestly seemed more like an ending to Frightmare than a second haunt. This is the first year for House of Darkness so I’m excited to see what they do with it next year!

Pros- acting, costumes
Cons- length, not enough actors

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Alex Kratz

House of Darkness is a valiant attempt at a haunted circus, but it was just too short to really draw you in.

House of Darkness is the sister haunt of Frightmare and it comes up immediately after leaving Frightmare. While the two for one deal is great, House of Darkness left a lot to be desired. I am personally not scared of clowns so the circus theme kind of gets lost on me. While this isn't a bad haunted house, there are some thing that could be done to really make it so much more.

It's obvious that the set designers for House of Darkness have good ideas and were able implement some of them into the haunt. The use of fog was done in just the right way so I wasn't choking on it, but still could barely see at certain points. However, not being able to see could also be chalked up to just how dark it was in that one small building. While being very dark is appropriate to the name of the haunt, it would be nice if they added some more detail and props with a bit more light to really draw the audience in. The use of lasers in the fog was actually a really nice touch because of how disorienting it was. That is something I would like to see more of and in a haunted circus setting, it fits perfectly. The drainpipe exit is a nice touch but still, overall, the haunt is too short.

House of Darkness really has some great actors working there. This is where it becomes a problem for me because I just really don't care for clowns. I don't find them scary and the way I see it, there isn't much an actor can do with a clown other than jump out from darkness and go, “Boo”! It would be great for a place like House of Darkness to try and incorporate more elements of the circus into their haunt. Threats of wild animals, a ring master maybe even play on a fear of heights. I am happy about the variety however. It was nice to have a giant clown come up from behind and a small surprise in the middle.

I would say that House of Darkness feels like a side project. It's not bad by any means, but if it were given a good spit shine and some more space, it could really bring the whole haunt to life!

Pros: great use of fog, laser lights, good actors
Cons: too short, too dark, not much detail, clowns aren't scary

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Marlena Baker

House of Darkness was a small haunt right after Frightmare. It's got a clown theme, which usually isn't my thing. It's a short haunt, but it’s worth it. The acting was good, and the setting used some new ideas. This theme is something that I don't expect much from, but House of Darkness actually gave me some good scares.

The sets were the best part of it. The layout was okay, not all that creative, but not entirely linear. The props, however, were great. The art on the walls was especially creepy.

The actors were very enthusiastic, putting some energy behind their characters. The costumes were insane, twisting the idea of the clown in ways I'd never seen before. There was something more demonic, crazier, and just plain wrong about them. They got me several times, scaring me half to death.

House of Darkness is a brief moment of pure insanity. It's a haunt that uses clowns surprisingly well. The props especially helped create a scene to reinforce that insanity. It's the use of something made to be fun to scare people that makes it creepy. Most places can't do that well, but House of Darkness does.

Pros: great acting, good artwork
Cons: Short

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