With Halloween approaching, the most difficult of tasks was upon us – deciding what (and if) we would do in regards to a haunted house. The first problem is that admission fees have risen rather steeply in recent years, and the second is that our kids are at an age where they just might be ready to check some out. We’ve been to some local places where they might be able to deal with the goings-on, but we’ve also been to some where they most certainly couldn’t. So it’s a bit iffy.
Ultimately we decided that we’d try out the Nightmare on Independence. We did this for a few reasons. One, because it’s close – just a few minutes away. Though there are other places that aren’t too far, at least this one is close and we don’t have to worry about driving a ways and paying a lot as well. Two, because there just aren’t that many other options these days. Some open later and are a bit much, while others (the Jaycees house) seems to have closed entirely. Third, it seems that the Nightmare is on its last go-round, since a Wal-Mart will be opening in that space soon. So we went for it.
As our kids are still youngish (just 10 and 12), we definitely didn’t want to stay out too terribly late, both because as it gets later they can get grumpier (and we can as well). So we arrived at what was essentially the opening bell – just before 7:30. This was to try and stave off the effects of them getting too tired, which can affect almost anyone. I remember a few years back when we went to the Campground Massacre and I don’t think we even arrived until 11pm or something. By the time w stood in line and made it through the entrance it was well after midnight. Good for the atmosphere, horrible for the mood. The timing worked well. There was only one group ahead of us.
The downside to this was that there wasn’t a whole lot in terms of associated fright. You know, when there are a whole bunch of other people who are equally scared? That’s probably a good thing at this point, since it was the first time that our kids had been to a proper haunted house – but it’s certainly something to keep in mind. Also, the group ahead of us was a group of teenagers, and they had a tendency to blurt out cuss words at every bend. That was annoying – especially because between every one of them they would point out the “little man” behind them who was doing fine (our youngest). So it’s not like they weren’t aware of him. Anyway.
As to the venue itself, it was not bad at all, though I suspect it would be better later in the night. As it was, there was only a single actor out in the parking lot, and he was good – dressed in relatively normal clothes, he prowled with a bat and a chain saw, giving patrons a hard time. One unfortunate woman in a portable toilet got the best of it. Our youngest actually gave as good as the roamer did, which was impressive.
Inside the haunted house itself, there are two floors – one upstairs and one down. Mostly consisting of a maze-type layout, you simply wander about through a variety of scenes, most of which you can’t see very well. The strongest part of the attraction is the cast that wanders through doors cut into the walls, so you may see someone, then they disappear, only to reappear only moments later in a completely different area. The content is somewhat weak, but the overall effect isn’t bad. I suspect it would get better throughout the night as things get going.
We felt a bit rushed, not by the actors, but because there wasn’t really anything slowing us down. If a larger crowd was there, it might have taken longer, and thus we would have perhaps felt that a better value was had – as it was, a family of four spends $60 for less than an hour of “fright”. I’m not sure if that’s good or not. Though I’m not a huge fan of Scarowinds, from a family perspective, I think it would be money that is better spent – at least you get multiple attractions, and can go over and over on them (though there is significantly more standing in line, to be fair).
Did you visit the Nightmare (or any other local attractions)? What were your thoughts?