The Realm

	Scare Factor	Acting	Sets/FX	Length	Overall
	6	6	7	7	6.5
	6	6	7	7	6.5

Kris Kropelnicki

I was asked if I would be interested in coming to review a home haunt that was, ‘really good’ in Greeley. The invitation was filled with so much enthusiasm, Halloween day or not, my interest was piqued and I was on my way up North. My drive up was rewarded with an incredibly refreshing, unique haunt experience that entertained and ‘wowed’ me! I would like to thank this haunt’s crew and the crew at Fear of All Fears for opening up the haunt, which was not scheduled to be running. I truly enjoyed this haunt and am anxious to watch it grow and reach its full potential.

Located in a very large outbuilding on the back side of the property, I found myself enjoying the walk up to the haunt entrance as I went under an arch and down a small tiki torch lit trail. Nothing elaborate here, just simplicity that added an air of mystery to the journey I was about to take.

I was led inside and into a small living room and asked to have a seat and told that someone would be coming for me soon. The door was closed and the sense of hospitality that had just been present was dissipating quickly. Sitting on the loveseat made me feel uneasy and vulnerable somehow; I felt, quite literally, like a sitting duck. There is a television on a high cloth covered table that is showing a quad split screen of what looks like security videos. Some suggestion of paranormal activity is also made. There is a deep maniacal voice that begins telling me the story behind the house as the chandelier lights above begin to flicker and dim. The menacing voice is thundering and the ceiling, made from black plastic begins to move up and down in time with the rumbling fury filling the room. Normally I would knock points off for black plastic, but in this instance it somehow fit in well with the room’s set and watching the ceiling ‘breathe’ was quite intense. I felt like the back story went on a bit too long and caught myself starting to lose interest a bit, but overall it was far more intriguing than annoying and the entire scene worked.

When I was told to leave the room I tried to go out the way I had come in and discovered that I was locked in. I quickly scanned the room and started looking when the exit was suddenly revealed and the actor that did so was very tall, aggressive and intimidating. The intimidation was backed up with an interesting weapon of choice and there were a couple of times that made me wonder if I might truly find myself on the receiving end of it.

Winding from room to room of this dilapidated house I noticed that the walls really had a plaster and lathe look and this lent credibility and authenticity to the theme. There were a few areas that lost that feel for a minute mostly due to plastic sheeting, but those moments were few and far between and not significant enough to interrupt the flow from room to room. The floor layout was done well, although not typical to how an actual house is laid out, the space was well used and gave the haunt a good feeling of length.

Details were abundant throughout the haunt and there were some great ideas brewing in the kitchen. Just when I thought I was sure I knew how to leave the room, an unexpected door flew open showing me the correct way to go. This was fantastic and I have never seen anything quite like this.

The kids’ room had a great jack-in-the-box that was very well done and was quite eerie in the way it worked. I never had toys like this when I was a kid!

Overall, this haunt was a fantastic experience. As it progresses and characters reach full development, This haunt has the potential to take on the best of the commercial haunts in the Metro area. Keep a weather eye on the horizon, great things are about to happen.

Pros: Excellent sets, props, creativity
Cons: Actors need character development, a couple of places lacked detail