Thursday, October 28, 2010

2010 Terror Behind The Walls @ Eastern State Penitentiary Review

Sorry this took so long but I’ve had a hell of a cold and have also been busy working on my and Hubby’s Halloween costumes. 

Anyway…

Like I said in an older post I won free tickets from the Pottstown Mercury but they were for Thursdays and Sundays only.  Since I can barely get out of bed on a Monday we decided to go on Thursday 10/21/10.  We also decided to park in the zoo lot like they suggest and take the free shuttle to the prison.  I highly recommend this.  It wasn’t that expensive, it was simple to get to and leave from and kinda added to the experience.  We got to the parking lot around 7:30 PM and jumped on the Ghost Bus which is what they call the shuttle.  It was full but not crowded by the time we shoved off and the people onboard were mostly couples and small groups in their late 20’s to mid 40’s.  We made our way thru Fairmont Park and were told a ghost story and some of ESP’s history on the way which was pretty cool.  We got off the bus around 7:50PM and noticed a lot of guests and staff milling about making for a very festive atmosphere.  There were a lot of costumed actors on the street both helping and scaring people.  There was also music and eerie sounds.  Overall the block ESP is on feels very spooky and exciting.  We made our way to towards the ticket booth stopping on our way to fill out the required release forms.  FYI, be sure to do this before trying to buy tickets.  While signing our lives away we noticed the bushes moving.  Suddenly they jumped up and scared some teens.  Sooo cool.  Anyway, once we made it to the ticket booth (a trailer down the street from the main entrance) we were a bit dismayed to find that the 1st time slot available was 10:00PM.  Bummed out we were about to commit to that time but then we noticed that our comp tickets said we could upgrade for $5.00 per person and by-pass the line.  Yeah VIP!   I believe that paying customers have to pay double their ticket price for this option so needless to say we were very, very happy.   Tickets, VIP passes and waivers in hand we made our way back thru the escaped, crazy prisoners and screaming tweens to the main entrance.  It’s a bit plain Jane but I think that’s on purpose so that people don’t line up there.  There are corrals for each time slot where they want you to line up. 

Once inside the main entrance you go thru security then into the prison yard for pictures.  Yes we got a pic… no we didn’t buy it.  After pics there is a section of stanchion and then you are in receiving.  There are TV’s throughout the lines but we didn’t have time to watch them because there was zero wait for VIP.  After the line ends you make your way thru more of the yard, thru delousing and into the building for receiving.  There aren’t many actors in this area which gave me a sinking feeling that maybe the rest of the haunt would be that way.  Not so though which makes me wonder if maybe a few more people out here would be better.  Maybe not.  I’m honestly not sure if an underwhelming start was a good thing for this attraction or not.  Hmmmm?  After a brief reading of the rules (DON’T TOUCH THE BUILDING) you are then inside the cellblock area.    

The first part of the inside portion of TBTW is called Lock Down.  Really it is exactly what you expect and want from this haunt.  Cells, prisoners, spooky quiet, etc.  Perfect.  The floor is a bit uneven and you CAN’T TOUCH THE WALLS so wear good shoes but otherwise I have no complaints about this part.  Make sure you take your time and look around, up, etc.  There are some cool, subtle spooky things that you’ll miss if you don’t.  Keep an eye out for the Tesla coils.  Hubby LOVED them.  Overall I think this was my favorite part of the night.  On the way out of this attraction you make your way thru the central part of the prison.  The day tours clearly go thru here… you can tell by the placards and numbers on the walls.  There is a beautiful view if you look up and some creepy ass, decrepit halls and cells here.  Unfortunately you have to stay with the group they assign you to so we didn’t get to look at everything for as long as we would have liked.  Guess this is what the day tour is for but really we would have liked more time in this area in the dark with the screams and noises and stuff.  Maybe some stanchion here would have let you mosey thru the area and check everything out in a more organized fashion and at a slower pace.  Or maybe not. 

The next part of the haunt is The Infirmary.  You queue for this part outside and the actor playing the Dr. who lets you in stunk.  Sorry dude but your character was seriously lacking.  Not so much that it ruined the experience but bad nonetheless.  The attraction, in comparison, was quite good.  Not as good as the prior part but the props and stuff felt authentic.  Overall it was very well done.  Really this is what Pennhurst should try to do… highlight some of the architecture and the medical equipment and sprinkle in a few boos.  Didn’t top Lock Down but The Infirmary was definitely my #2… no pun intended.   

You are given 3D glasses as you enter The Experiment next.  It is your typical 3D/ black light haunted attraction but the actors and artwork are phenomenal.  Be on the lookout for people blending into and coming out of the walls and stuff.  They are sneaky and got some good scares this way.  There is a spinney tunnel thing in this part which doesn’t really make any sense but I guess people like it so I can understand why it’s there.  I don’t usually like to spoil the specifics of a haunt but I had to call out the tunnel because quite frankly it F’d a lot of people.  We were told on the bus home that puking happens often but there are actors around to help.  Our group got stuck in the damn thing for like 2 minutes cause someone ahead of us was freaking out.  Good thing Hubby kept his eyes closed or I would have seen the puking firsthand.   

Once thru the 3D part you turn in your glasses for a mini LED flashlight and you enter Night Watch.  This part is completely dark and it’s up to you and your flashlight how much light you want or don’t want.  I liked this concept and enjoyed this part.  Again don’t forget to look all around and up.  Lots of cool stuff can be found this way.  There were fewer actors in this part but you don’t mind since you are blundering through the darkness. 

When you exit Night Watch you have to give back your flashlight then you are led into a courtyard area full of vendors.  The picture people are here as are some souvenir and food vendors.  Also in this area is a place where you can catch a glimpse of Al Capone’s old cell.  It was pretty neat.  Only complaint is that there was nowhere to sit and eat or just hang.  Next is a museum which you can bypass if you want.  It was a bit cramped but cool.  Finally there is one last gift shop and then you are back on the street… exiting from the same place that you originally entered.  After a short walk we paid for our parking and caught the bus back to the lot.  The stoner bus employee asked the crowd some fun questions and gave some more history which was entertaining and appropriate.  We were back in the car right around 10:00PM which should have been the time we were starting the haunt.  Again, yay VIP. 

Overall we really enjoyed Terror Behind The Walls @ Eastern State Penitentiary.  So much so that we would have gone back again this year if we’d had more time.  We like the damn thing so much I think we might even do the day tour.  Yay ESP!  Keep up the good work and we’ll see you next year. Oh… and thanks again Pottstown Mercury.  Hubby and I plus the couple we gave our other pair of tickets to really enjoyed ourselves.

Next up maybe one more haunt and then my TR for the Roxxy’s 7 Deadly Sins Party.  Later.   

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Coming soon...

My review of Terror Behind The Walls At Eastern State Penitentiary.  Fighting a bad cold so...

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Haunts left to hit up.

Hoping to get to Eastern State Penn on Thursday night and Field of Screams either Friday night or Saturday.  Will keep you all posted.  Next Friday maybe Jason's Woods and Saturday party at The Roxxy.  Hopefully I can talk hubby into VIP.  Yeah bottle service!

2010 Shocktoberfest Review

Shocktoberfest...oh how the mighty have fallen.


So we ended up going to Shocktoberfest on Saturday 10/16/10.  It was not good.  I will explain...

We pulled into a very crowded lot around 8:30 PM and parked all the way up by the prison.  There was some confusion as to where to go so some people ended up parking IN the hayride.  Ugh.  The parking situation really was a cluster-f but more wranglers would easily fix this.  Once out of the car we walked past all of the attractions and made our way to the ticket booth.  Since we got to see the lines we decided that RIP passes were going to be the way to go.  $15.00 more per person was worth it to get us home and in bed before 2AM.  There was barely a line for the ticket booth which was unexpected given the parking lot... we were pleasantly surprised.  I suspect there would have been no line had there been a sign stating CASH ONLY on the ticket booth.  Lots of people were getting up to the cashier only to be sent over to the ATM and then to the back to the back of the line.  Just a suggestion.  Anyway, tickets in hand we made our way to the 3D Asylum first... it's right next to the ticket booth.  The regular line had about a 30-45 minute wait but we walked right up to the door.  In past this has been a favorite attraction not because it's innovative or great but because enough stuff was changed year to year, the 3D artwork was beautiful and the actors made it fun.  Not so this year.  Although the art was good it was exactly the same as last year.  Seriously... exactly the same paintings in exactly the same places.  Not one thing was different.  The rooms/ layout were also exactly the same.  The actors and props were... the same.  Same bang, same giant rat, same ghoul popping out from behind a barrel.  Seeing a trend here?  We came out disappointed to say the least.  The midway had a few new vendors and attractions and unlike years past was filled with a mixed crowd instead of a million tweens.  It was a nice atmosphere and kind of a cool place to hang before heading up to the prison and hayride.  After a cold apple cider and a hot churro we decided to do the prison next.  Just like in years past  the lines for the prison and hayride snake thru Club Shock which is Shocktoberfest's "nightclub".  I put that word in quotes BTW because it's insulting to real nightclubs to call a tent and a shoes in the dryer DJ a nightclub.  Haha.  Seriously it's not really that bad considering and it does appeal to the tween crowd.  The music was top 40/ hip hop.  Noticeably missing was Halloween music or imagery.  Would have been nice to hear the Halloween Theme Dance Mix after doing the Dougie.  Anyway, the RIP line for the prison was virtually nonexistent so we were on the bus and at the prison in no time.  The regular line had about a 45 minute wait.  The buses seem on the verge of breaking down but I think it adds to the experience.  Tour recording was the same as before.  Whatever.  Girls at the prison entrance were very good.  Prisoner outside was nice touch and good too.  Inside the prison was same set up as years before right down to the actor and prop placement.  Happily there were a lot of good actors in the prison who made it work.  Guy in the showers was really, really good.  Cudos!  Some of the effects in catwalk area weren't working.  I was sad about that and even sadder that I knew they weren't working.  Ugh.  Tunnels were the same but we enjoyed them despite this.  They really are a unique feature and th actors in there got a lot of scares with loud noises.  Outside areas needed more actors.  Did add a bus attraction in there that was new but only OK.  Left the prison feeling like I had been there and done that.  Oh well.  Once off the bus we made our way to the front of the line for the hayride.  There was 5 minute wait but we didn't mind.  The tweens humping in the club were plenty entertaining.  The regular line had an hour wait.  For some reason they now have you go to a staging area to watch a movie before you get on the wagon.  Of course the movie screen is tattered... the place is haunted people... but it was too tattered to actually see the movie.  Lame.  Luckily for us the people in our group realized that the tatters were perfect for shadow puppets and kept us entertained until we were allowed to board the wagon.  We were happy to see that despite the lines they were not seating people in the middle of the wagons.  Good move.  No one wants to wait an hour and pay $15.00 to be kicked by their fellow passengers the whole ride.  The hayride had the most changes of all the attractions but I can honestly say they were too little too late and not good.  The best parts of the hayride were honestly the parts outside of the buildings.  The actors were all very good and the props outside were good enough.  The damn stuff in the buildings however is awful.  The sound is terrible, the props look fake and it's just not scary.  The greenhouse is a freaking abomination.  Sooooo bad.  It's sad because the buildings used to be the best part of Shocktoberfest.  Now they just piss you off.  IMO they should ditch them,  lose the ornate props and get more actors.  Sorry but that's just how I feel.  Once off the hayride we felt really disappointed.  Although the actors and midway were good everything else was either the same as last year or shoddy.  I hate to admit it but I think this is our last year for for Shocktoberfest.  I'm sad but that's life. The Shocktoberfest era has ended and I  for one am mourning it's passing.  Later.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Blaaahhhh Mercury

So of course the ESP tickets we won are Thursday or Sunday only.  Blah.  We'll still go but now we have to figure where to go this Saturday night. 
Options:
Same old same old at Shocktoberfest but short drive
OR
Long ass drive to Frightland and new stuff. 

Hmmmmmm... decisions, decisions.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Eastern State Pennitentary Contest Winner

So... I won tickets to Eastern State Pennitentary from the Pottstown Mercury so we may be going there this weekend instead of Shocktoberfest.  I've never been so I'm kinda excited.  I haven't heard good things but I'm staying optomistic.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Pennhurst 10/09/2010

More catch up people.  Here's the Pennhurst 2010 review...

We had heard that lines can get really crazy so Hubby and I decided to go at 9:30PM on Friday the 8th and buy the $25.00 per person ($20.00 if you have a coupon which we did) tickets for our group. If you are a local I recommend this. Not only did we get to check the place out and look at the parking options we also walked right up to the ticket booth. On Saturday the 9th we got there at 7:15PM (heard it was better to go early) and parked onsite. FYI, you can also park on RT. 724 and take a shuttle bus to the campus. We liked the onsite parking better because you don’t have to wait around for the bus and also because you get to walk through the dark, creepy woods. The only thing you do miss by not taking the bus is a view of the haunted house before you get in up to it (bus drives you down the main promenade) but we didn’t care. After parking and trekking through the woods we made it to the ticket area around 7:30PM. There was a moderate line at the ticket booth… about a 10 minute wait. There was also a 10+ minute wait for people with internet tickets as they have to be scanned. Paper ticket line was empty however so we walked right in. There is security and you are searched so make sure you leave your booze and weapons in the car. Anyway, from the ticketing area you walk up a ramp and onto a raised walkway that snakes through the property. The crowd started about half way between the ticketing area and the Admin Building which was not bad. The out buildings are pretty much untouched and still crumbling. The abandoned playground equipment is still there and was lit up. They were playing some kid noises, laughing, music, etc. but it wasn’t really scary since there was a giant bonfire (stories high), a band, a random guy who lays on nails and some fireworks. I know this stuff works well at The Bates Motel but it’s unnecessary at Pennhurst. The entertainment ends up wrecking the mood. My advice… lose the circus acts and add a couple of effects or actors to enhance the mood not distract from it. A swing on the playground that swings by itself, a shadow that passes by a window or a door that bangs open and shut randomly would have been so much better. Also, I would have loved to see a patient and nurse out for a walk around the line or someone else working the crowd. Oh well. The wait in line ended up being about an hour and 45 minutes which was not that bad. The Admin. Building which hosts the haunted house is lit up in a dark and spooky way and the fact that you can see in the windows is cool. There was a fire breather right at the entrance and although he was cool I again think he distracts from the overall mood. Once at the base of the steps you are read the rules and let in with a “See what all the hype was about.” type statement. Liked it. Word to the wise… listen when they tell you not to take you phone or camera out inside the house. They did boot people and took their stuff. Just an FYI. They let about 15 people or so in as a group which is perfect. The very 1st room is a museum complete with a lady who worked at school in the 80’s answering questions. There are tons of pics and artifacts but honestly it was very hard to look at all of them they way I would have liked to. In future I think it would be better to move the museum to its own, separate building so you don’t feel like you have to rush through. Pay attention when you step through the portal into the haunted part… there is a cool effect that you could easily miss. The next room is playing a mini-movie that explains the fake back story that they had to make up to please the PC police. There is clearly a place to stand and watch but it feels weird to stop hang around for such a long time when there is a huge line of people still waiting to get in. Maybe this is something that they could project onto one of the buildings so you can watch while in line. Just a thought. After the 1st two rooms you enter a Dr.’s office and are administered a group Rorschach test. Kind of cool. The rest of the house is basically a mental hospital themed haunted house. As you may or may not know a lot of the rooms contain artifacts salvaged from the grounds like the morgue drawer, operating table, autopsy table, dentist chair, etc. Sadly this creepy fact is often lost. There is too much shit going on the rooms with major artifacts IMO. I would have had the stuff lit up eerily so guests could really get a good look. I would also have had the actors explaining the real stories in character. The dentist actor should have whispered that they used to pull the teeth of the patients who bit without anesthesia instead of threatening people unwanted dental procedures. That’s what makes the chair really creepy people. It also explains the large number of straps. Ugh! Anyway, after you are though the house you enter the underground tunnels. For those of you that don’t know under Pennhurst is a maze of tunnels connecting all of the buildings. This part was really, really cool. It was very dark, cold and enveloping. They pumped lots of fog in and made it so you can see down the dilapidated tunnels that aren’t renovated yet. They also had very good actors in this part including a very F’d up nurse who was jerky like the nurses in Silent Hill. Sooo good. My one complaint here is the placement of the LED and laser lighting. I do not want to see bulbs or fixtures damn it. It really takes you out of the experience. It would have been better if there were industrial/ commercial fixtures on the walls that blinked on and off or strobed when light was needed. This is what they had in the house and it worked very well. Just my opinion. The tunnel part took a while which surprised us. We exited around 9:30PM and were greeted by the smell of sauerkraut from the concession stand. Yum and yuck all at the same time. Weird placement of the food and swag stands BTW… would have been better over by the ticketing area. We were also greeted by a HUGE, GIGANTIC LINE and as we left the complex we realized its full extent. It actually went from the house, through the line on the raised walkway, past the ticketing area, through the woods and almost to the parking lot. We asked security what the wait was and he told us FIVE HOURS. OMG??!! Sooooo glad we went early and bought our tickets ahead of time. I cannot recommend this enough if you are going on a Saturday. Also be warned that the onsite lot closes when it reaches capacity and you are forced to do the whole bus thing. According to security this happened around 8:30 PM on the 9th. If you can’t make it early and have the cash you can pay $50.00 per person ($45.00 if you have the coupon) to do the VIP but the wait for was that was an hour when we left. Overall we really enjoyed Pennhurst. So much so that we may go back before the end of the season. Maybe next year they’ll open another building or two and eliminate some of the cheese. The typical haunted house stuff not necessary… the place is scary on its own. Seriously.

The Bates Motel- 10/01/2010

As I said... catch up...  Here's my review of The Bates Motel 2010.  Enjoy!

Was afraid that opening night was going to be a washout cause of all the rain but Bates' Facebook promised they'd be open and that it would not be a swamp. Just in case I wore my Wellies. Got there at 8:45 PM to a very empty parking lot. We were happy to see that it was pretty dry... not having to wash the car after spooky is always a good thing. Did a combo ticket for the hayride, haunted house and corn maze. Decided to do the hayride 1st in hopes of cleaner hay. There was hardly a wait... a few minutes… and some monsters were walking around entertaining the people in line. They really good job of staying in character. Noticed that the movie screen that faces the line was missing. Wonder if it will go up later in the season or if it was down due to the storms? Hope they put it up soon cause it really helps when the wait is long. Anyway, we hated the hayride. As I've said many times before the stupid soundtrack on the wagon messes up the spooky quiet of the woods. Sets were same as last year too for the most part. Felt kind of tired. Oh well. Got off the wagon and decided to do the corn maze next. No wait again so we walked right in. Got a monster to laugh and break character over a comment I made about a balloon thing that starts the maze feeling kinda like a vagina. Tee hee. Really liked (but not loved) the corn maze. Good sets, a good amount of quiet and very talented actors. Wish there were more actors actually. Some of the set pieces and vignettes were movie quality but frankly not that scary. It’s like “oooh a skeleton… oooh… a monster rat with a boom box behind it”. I think a well placed actor is more effective. Overall I’d give the corn maze a B. It was a little muddy but a lot of it was new and the actors did a good job. Last we hit the haunted house. Again there was no line so we pretty much walked right in. There were a lot of new scenes in the house this year as well as a cool new thing in the 1st room that I won’t spoil. Once again it was the actors that really made the attraction. I think the house ended up being my favorite part of the night. Believe it or not a few times I actually jumped. Good job cast! We got some cider and hot chocolate (guess who had which?) then bailed at around 10:00 PM. On our way out we noticed that there were still no lines and also that the crowd mulling around the fire pit and picnic tables had pretty much become Romper Room. WTF?? Overall we had a good time (as usual) at The Bates Motel. Good job all!

Next week….. PENNHURST!

Welcome to my blog.

Well here's my very first post on my very first blog. Bye bye cherry!  The point of this blog is to share my reviews of local haunted attractions.  I'll be playing catch up for the next week or so on reviews since I've been to quite a few places already this year.  As always feel free to ask any questions or make comments.  Or not.  Out.