| FEAR FAIR:
An all new beginning launches the 2011 Fear Fair adventure.
The old building's been painted dark green to more closely resemble an
old army barracks, and boasts the identifying label of Hanger 17,
which houses a brand new terror you're about to experience - one you won't
soon forget! The story begins with revolving red lights, and a blasting
air raid siren inviting you past navy green barrels, and into a news flash
that entertains the queue line. Gaining entrance into a brief holding
room, customers are exposed to a CNN style special report.
These broadcasts announce some unknown catastrophe that's befallen Freeman
Field, interview live witnesses, and recap the storied history of the
site upon which you now stand. From the telecasts, we learn that
a poisonous gas is said to have leaked into Hanger 17, through which
a forceful exploration is about to be pursued. Upcoming events are
foreshadowed via a CGI door that gives us a peek into the "war zone," witnessing
armed soldiers pacing back and forth, and the claw like arms of some wretched
monster extending from the side. Suddenly, and without warning, the
military brigade opens fire, and bullets can be seen impacting the door,
that immediately slides open, permitting hand grenades to find their way
in, and they begin exploding with loud popping and flashes of light!
We're grabbed, and quickly whisked out of the room, and into a scene of
relentless chaos, where nurses encourage us along shouting, "Move it, move
it!" while assault rifles and even a machine gun blast away at a giant
winged Slayer-like creature overtaking a jeep! Hurried onto
the train, flesh-eating zombies are encountered, then upon reaching
our destination, the sight of a living dead girl feeding off a freshly
disemboweled corpse is revealed, as we make our way onto a flight of stairs,
and climb up into some kind of make-shift jail that imprisons an infected
soldier! Returning back down into a "restricted area" divulges various
ravenous nurses, some wearing gas masks, and lurking behind gurneys and
hospital curtains, growling and snarling at intruders. Exiting through
a tent wraps up the newly themed area of the attraction, and brings us
to the Fear Fair Film Fest, that's housed in the historic Vondee
Theater.. As The Fear Fair Movie plays before a small
crowd, an unexpected surprise takes place center stage emanating from the
feature presentation itself! A secret claustrophobic passage hidden
in the silver screen itself, delivers film buffs INTO their worst nightmares
- a world of authentic horror movie recreations beginning with a Jeepers
Creepers saga originating innocently enough in the midst of a peaceful
looking cornfield. Soon, things take a turn for the worst, as The
Creeper appears on the scene, slamming an axe up against the wall causing
the deadly weapon to explode in an eruption of sparks! Fleeing for
our lives takes us through a shotgun carrying old cat lady's cabin, and
onto a school bus that brings us face to face with vicious attacks and
murders of terrified students and visitors alike! The theme from
Halloween
serves as a tip-off that Michael Myers is nearby, and about to claim
another victim! Peering in through the front window of the realistic
facade of the Myers' home shockingly reveals
The Boogeyman
himself staring right back at you! Upon entering, there's no escape
from the horror, as the living room is decked out with homely décor,
and finds Uncle Ronnie duct taped to his recliner with his throat
slit! This unfortunate interruption to his enjoyment of Universal's
classic Dracula takes its toll on us as well, when the hallway quickly
deteriorates into a physical confrontation with
The Shape, the escape
from which leads through a murky basement straight out of Rob Zombie's
Halloween 2007, highlighted by an antique furnace, the trademark "MYERS"
gravestone, Laurie Strode screaming from above, scared to death
of what her own brother is about to do, and another conflict with pure
evil! Vacating the danger, brings the course into an elaborate laboratory
that finds Zee Doktor up to his old demented tricks, surprising
guests with lethal injections of fluid, re-animating a creation whose life
is restored right before your eyes, and energizing the electrical arcs
of a captivating Tesla coil! Passage into the next movie scene is
gained through a clothes-filled closet, into a Nightmare on Elm Street
segment, where Nancy Thompson screams in terror as the likeness
of Freddy Krueger emerges from the stretched wall above her bed!
Entering a bathroom disturbs a nude woman in the middle of a bubble bath
being tortured by ole Fred's piercing glove! Clearance into
Badham
Preschool allows for one final slay of an innocent FF for OVH
girl
before the boiler room fiend turns and sets his sights set on YOU!
Realistically steaming pipes are found upon passing through the aforementioned
furnace area, before entering into Friday the 13th's
Camp Crystal
Lake outdoor excursion through a campsite. Victims scream from
tents, and a poor soul burns alive while writhing in a sleeping bag hanged
above a profusely torched campfire! Multiple run-ins with the machete
grasping
Jason Vorhees are accompanied with various glimpses of
his previous kills, including a body bent in half on a metal cot, and a
woman viciously impaled by a stake. Other recreations include Hellraiser’s
Pinhead
welcoming new victims to Hell; Mother’s Blood, where
Vivian
threatens to feed cellar intruders to her daughter; and a multi Scream
Ghostface dual that continues all the way into the exploration of My
Bloody Valentine’s
Thunderbird Motel ,
where blood-covered chocolates
lay uneaten, and an innocent soul falls the victim to Harry Warden’s
deadly pickax! Hanniger Mine # 5 finds Warden himself lurking
deep inside, dragging his shovel through the adventurous shaft, and proudly
laying claim to his most recent accomplishment - the sight of his sharp
scoop stuck entirely through a young woman's mouth! Still to come
is Lambeth Asylum that restrains two straight-jacketed loonies,
and a cryotherapy surprise that segues into a gypsy announcing the appearance
of The Wolfman himself! A face to face confrontation with Saw’s
Pigface
introduces a group separation segment, the playing of a "game," and a most
horrific surprise! Furthering the atrocity reveals more of Jigsaw's
suffering challenges including a frozen subject who obviously failed to
survive the opportunity to determine her own fate within a lethal walk-in
freezer, Amanda being hindered by a devious reverse bear trap that
leaves her searching through someone's exposed stomach in desperate search
for a key that's necessary to unlock her hideous head contraption, then
up the stairs to other Saw related atrocities pantomimed by the
intimidating Jigsaw puppet under direct supervision of bed-ridden
John
Kramer overseeing his deadly games! The movie tour finally concludes
with a trip to Travis County Texas and a cannibalistic, multiple
Leatherface
engagement that envies the real Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as the
Fuller, Texas native has his sights set on adding some additional skin
to his already disfigured face in a hell-bent, double chainsaw pursuit
and chase-out of Fear Fair!
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, 22 minutes.
ACTORS - 9+, Western segment has been replaced with a
more aggressive military presence. Movie characters remain strong,
especially Jason, Leatherfaces, Freddy, Myers,
Creeper,
and Pigface. They're true to the characters they portray,
and arguably the most legitimate recreations you'll see in any haunted
attraction! Myers and Jason actually claim victims,
and most interact with groups via some sort of touching, grabbing, or threatening
confrontation. Victims also do a good job selling their own demise.
Dialogue still needs work, but shows signs of improvement, especially
in first half of attraction.
Cat woman deserves honorable mention.
Saw
tricycle has lost its child actor, yet others were more visible in comparison
to last season. Although they appropriately portray victims, they're
a bit underage for their roles, and are present in the Jason
scene,
which isn't consistent with the degree of accuracy the attraction strives
to achieve. Their presence unfortunately holds back the score.
In addition, a few other characters simply stand around and don't do anything,
and a some victims have been replaced this season with gory props, which
look appropriate, but aren't as effective as live prey. Total Characters
= 53 (up from 38).
SCARINESS - 9½, The authenticity of the entire
set promotes the fright value. Actors separate groups, grab, pull,
and even bite at their victims! Soundtrack provides incredible audio
enhancement, and is individually specialized for each and every scene.
Bathroom Saw scene remains an impressive scare. High impact
finish boosts the score.
DESIGN - 9½, Western segment has been eliminated
and replaced by the more active Hanger 17. Its scenes are
every bit as authentic as their movie counterparts, strengthening Fear
Fair's commitment to being the most realistically designed haunt in
the industry. Canoes are even present at Camp Crystal Lake,
as part of a makeover this season. Other new movie scenes make their
debut as well, although not sure many will recognize Mother's Blood.
Customers are rushed through the new first half with an army escort due
to the theme. It doesn't give them enough time to enjoy the mechanical
monster in the first scene, which is located off to the side, nor fully
appreciate the moving train, plus it causes the trickle down effect of
shortening the overall duration. It might be a good idea to actually
seat visitors aboard the train for some brief interactive segment, or abuse,
more along the lines of the various interactions with the horror movie
slashers, thus offering more of an opportunity to appreciate all that's
going on. Transformation INTO the movie recreations is cleverly accessed
first through white, then black claustrophobia foreshadowing entrance into
the dark world of horror films that's soon to come. As mentioned,
scenes have once again been updated, yet retain multiple attack zones to
provide the legendary slayers several opportunities to engage and provoke
scare seekers. Scenes are meticulously detailed, and for the most
part movie accurate. As has been stated in previous years' reviews,
award winning Saw scenario and Texas Chainsaw Massacre Village
are masterpieces! On the down side,
Fear Fair is being advertised
as "two full attractions" this season, which is misleading due to the fact
that Hanger 17 is brief (only 5 minutes), and segues directly into
the movie themed portion of the haunt. Reviewing them as a pair of
separate attractions would significantly lower the haunt's cumulative grade.
Pinhead needs to better utilize his voice enhancement gimmick,
Halloween
theme
can still be heard at entrance to Hanniger Mine, and pickax doesn't
emit sparks as it did in 2009. In addition, chainsaws are audible
when passing Infected Soldier, then again through claustrophobia.
PROPS - 10 Movie sets are complete to the extent that
it’s difficult to tell these fabrications from the originals! Tesla
coil remains the most impressive by far, and stands as the centerpiece
in a recently remodeled laboratory that showcases elaborate detailing.
Finally adding blood and gore via disemboweled props strengthens the attractions,
but actors for the most part remain blood-free, thus less menacing.
CGI door is new, and specifically portrays the scene that's about to be
encountered! "Bullets" actually impact the door, which uniquely slides
out of the way permitting entrance into its scene! That simply isn't
the case at other attractions, where a different route is provided, and
the door remains stationary. Jeep has likewise been added, and railroad
cars are authentic in their movement. The new animated "Slayer" monster
is an outstanding addition, but isn't appreciated to its fullest due to
positioning, and more so because customers are being pushed through the
scene. War-time machine gun and WW2 style décor add to the
legitimacy of Hanger 17.
VALUE - 10, No price increase for 2011. While cheaper
than many attractions, it's off the main path location makes it difficult
to attract newcomers. Successful check-in on Facebook rewards a free
“I survived Fear Fair” bracelet.
RATING: 9½, Fear Fair debuted its
brand new Hanger 17 segment at this year's HAuNTcon convention back
in April, and has since improved upon their product with newly expanded
scenes, as well as their customary attention to meticulous detailing.
This annual contender not only for best Indiana Attraction, but also the
coveted Haunt of the Year honors continues to impress, and better
itself each and every year. Saw surprise is the best of its
kind, and Leatherface finish is among the best in the business!
In addition, Fear Fair is offering Nyctophobia: Total
Darkness on Oct 20th and 27th where group size will be limited to 3,
and customers are forced to explore the haunt in complete darkness with
only a glow stick to light their way! Drive a little, scream a lot
at Fear Fair, "Indiana's Scariest Haunted House!" Live the
Horror! |
