| THE TERRORFEST includes THE
HOUSE OF NIGHTMARES & THE BREWERY BUTCHER:
The all new TerrorFest is located right in the heart
of Columbus, Ohio, and includes two separate attractions, one segueing
immediately into the next. Several actors, including a zombie dragging
a shovel and an insane laughing clown, will terrorize you while waiting
to purchase your tickets in the queue line. You are also treated
to a film that tells the story of the legendary Brewery Butcher,
a serial killer who haunts the very building you are about to enter.
As the first door opens, you will set foot into the first haunt, The
House of Nightmares. Immediately you are greeted by an insane
woman who has had her eyes gauged out and will not be satisfied until she
receives yours. “Give me your eyes!” Along the way you will
encounter falling pillars in a temple, insane patients in a mental ward,
a haunted library complete with a CGI librarian and falling bookshelves,
a crazed nurse displaying a recently amputated leg while her patient screams
in pain on the opposite end of the room, and a morgue containing caskets
nearly falling out of their holding places. The House of Nightmares
segues perfectly into The Brewery Butcher where the infamous serial
killer lurks in the darkness. You will immediately find yourself
in a fog-filled swamp scene with creatures reaching to grab your legs as
you pass through the bridges above them. One creature will block
your path and triggers the bridge to crash with tremendous force while
you are still standing on it! Up next is a skull covered vortex tunnel,
an impressive Plexiglas illusion of a bottomless pit, and a claustrophobic
passage where you are attacked from above by
The Brewery Butcher himself!
You will encounter several more crazed individuals warning you that you
are about to be chopped limb from limb before a final face-to-face encounter
with The Butcher and an intense chainsaw chaseout into the streets
of Columbus’s Brewery District.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 7½, Stopped the clock right at 14 minutes,
although it feels so much longer with all the various rooms and scenes
you will pass through.
ACTORS - The acting at The Terror Fest is fabulous
with quite a large number of actors, many very large and intimidating in
appearance and stature. There are at least two actors in every room
and often more. There were several times I was certain an actor was
a prop until the actor sprung to life. Scares are set up perfectly.
Many actors appear motionless in plain sight while you wait for them to
jump at you. Then you are unexpectedly ambushed in another direction
by a second actor. Both actors will continue to taunt you until you
leave their room. The final face-off with The Brewery Butcher
could have been more intense. Some interactive dialogue from The
Butcher himself could help create a more intense finish. Superb
costuming and make-up with very few masks. Masks that were used were
very realistic.
SCARINESS - Many dark and intimidating scenes paired
with a horde of intense and interactive actors creates quite an unnerving
experience. One of the members of our group said that he jumped from
being startled well over ten times.
DESIGN - The design of The Terror Fest is simply
phenomenal. There is always something impressive to look out.
The immaculate detail creates the illusion that you are actually entering
the scene whether it be a library, mental ward, or forest.
PROPS - Many were used, but some high end animatronics
would put this haunt into a whole other league. Falling pillars,
collapsing bridge, and bottomless pit are most effective. Vortex
tunnel is detailed with skulls, and claustrophobic passage is perhaps the
most intimidating one out there due to the fact of actually being attacked
from above while passing through.
VALUE - A little steep at $17 with a $5 parking surcharge.
This allows The Terror Fest to compete with other area attractions
that are about the same rate. Make sure to print off their $2 coupon
on the website. A fastpass is available for $27. |
