Sorry this took so long. The Salem trip threw a monkey wrench into the works…
We visited Terror Behind The Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary on Saturday, 10/15/11. We bought our tickets and parking vouchers online at full price for the 6 of us. I hate paying the service fee but we didn’t want to schlep into the city just for tickets nor did I want to get there only to find out that they were sold out. Tickets were for 8 PM so we left Pottstown around 6:30 PM and made it to the Girard Ave. lot in plenty of time. The lot was about 60% full when we got there. It was well lit, had lots of attendants and a row of port o’ potties. I was happy to discover that the whole online purchase fee was money well spent as the event had sold out earlier in the day. After finding a spot and braving the port o’ potties we got in line for the bus. Since it was a Saturday they had plenty running so the wait was not a long one. The bus ride from last year was so much better and not just because we got to ride the trolley. The guide barely told us a story. Instead she used the ride to mess with some teen girls in the back of the bus. So disappointing. Once at the prison we were directed to the proper line and started our wait. While in line we saw many actors scaring people on the sidewalk which I like. They all had great costumes and makeup and stayed in character. Since we arrived on time we were within the prison walls within 15 to 20 minutes. Once inside we were subjected to the obligatory group picture then joined the line for Yard Out.
Yard Out
The line for this attraction is pretty cool because of the TV’s showing stuff about ESP. The actual attraction is basically you being processed for your prison stay. It is mostly outside and was pretty much the same as last year. The actors in this section are mainly guards and do a good enough job. There is music pumped in (or out as it were) which I usually hate but the volume level was good and the music itself was mostly creepy noises so it works here. Despite this I have to admit that for me this was a throw away attraction.
The Gauntlet
This is a new attraction for 2011 but I seem to remember their being one very similar last year. The entrance is cool and the rest is basically a walk through a cell block that has “cages” full of inmates and props in it. The actors in The Gauntlet do a good job. They yell a lot so the attraction is loud but I imagine a prison in turmoil probably would be deafening. I think my favorite part of this attraction was the Tessla coils. They created a good effect. Overall I was pretty happy with The Gauntlet.
Lockdown
This attraction is a tour through Cell Block 12. The best part is definitely the actors. They make weird noises to get the scares and are still and creepy a lot of the time which I like. There is a part with hooded inmates that was particularly spooky. This attraction is definitely my favorite since it is most like ESP in the day.
Infirmary
On the way to the entrance to this attraction there is a monster band playing spooky music. The night we were there a guy with a cello and a singer singing through a megaphone were performing. It was a really creepy effect and a REALLY, REALLY good touch. I really loved it in case you can’t tell. Anyway, once inside the Infirmary I suddenly remembered how good a medical haunt can be. Pennhurst should really take notes. The props are realistic and scary and the actors are excellent despite the fact that there aren’t that many. Soooo good.
Experiment
This is ESP’s 3D attraction and I will say it’s quite good. I have seen better art but what is there gets the job done. The actors blend into the art and props a lot so keep your eyes open. So fun.
Night Watch
They basically give you a tiny LED flashlight and send you into a totally dark maze with props and actors. The props are very, very good so be sure to flashlight away. The actors are also good and plentiful. They use weird noises to set you on edge like they did in Lockdown which was very effective. Keep an eye out when you get to the last room. I can’t say too much without spoiling the surprise but I will say that what happens in this room made such an impression on my haunt veteran husband that he went back in the exit and hung out for almost 10 minutes just to watch.
The Midway
There is of course the obligatory concession area at ESP. There is food, drinks and souvenirs. It is expensive but people were definitely buying. This is where you can check out the pics they took when you entered the complex too. We ended up buying our pic as it was very good but I won’t lie… it was overpriced. The best thing about the Midway was the actors. They constantly mess with people trying to shove hot dogs in their faces. They also take pics and as far as I could see NEVER broke character. Another good part about the Midway is the promo area for the daytime tour. There are coupons if you want to come back and a good look at the undecorated prison.
Break Out
This attraction is basically a bunch of props and fog in the space between the Midway and the exit. It’s got atmosphere and an actor or two but I wasn’t impressed.
Once you exit Break Out you have to snake through a mini museum and what is the gift shop and ticket area the other 11 months out of the year. If you have time definitely look around here. There are things to be learned which are cool and which add to the haunted attraction. When you are ready to leave the bus stop is a very short walk from the exit. We only waited about 10 minutes for a trolley and were back to our car around 11:30 PM. The guide on the bus talked about the prison a bit more that the 1st one did but once again Facebook somehow was the main topic on the ride home. UGH. ESP needs to get the actors from the prison on the busses next year.
Overall I had a really good time at TBTW @ ESP. I think it is my favorite haunt of the year… I think. In any case we will definitely be back next year.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Terror Behind the Walls review coming soon...
Since I am prepping for our Salem trip I have yet to write a proper review of this past Saturday's trip to TBTW@ESP. I will get to it tonight or tomorrow night cross my heart. Now... which witch hat will fit best in my suitcase. Hmmmm.....
Monday, October 10, 2011
Terror Behind The Walls coming up this weekend (maybe)...
Think the fam and I will be hitting up Terror Behind The Walls this Saturday night. Maybe Valley Of Fear if people don't feel like going into the city. We'll see...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
2011 Shocktoberfest Review From My Cuz
Since I'm basically boycotting Shocktoberfest this year there won't be a 2011 Leslie review for that haunt. That being said I am not a total hater so when my Cousin Ryan sent me a review of his 09/29/11 visit I thought "Why not?". Hope you all like it. If not then Ryan's home number is...
SHOCKTOBERFEST 2011
A first-timer's review
With spoilers
Hi all! First and foremost I must let everyone know this is my very first time to Shocktoberfest so I can not compare it to other years. This review will contain spoilers. If you wish to be scared to the fullest please do not read this review. I will however have a conclusion section at the bottom of this page that will not contain any spoilers.
Shocktoberfest is located outside of Reading Pennsylvania on Willow Glen Park. Willow Glen is also the name of the town where most of the rides "take place". Shocktoberfest was named one of Americas' top 13 haunts by Haunt World Magazine in 2006. There are 5 attractions that this haunt advertises; The Biohazard Hayride, The Prison of the Dead, The Unknown, The Monster Midway and Club Shock. The Monster Midway and Club Shock are free attractions where it will cost you $15 for 1, $26 for 2 or $34 for all 3 of the remaining attractions. They also offer a skip to the front of the line pass, aptly named RIP Pass, for an extra $15.
Finding the "Fest" was easy enough with the address provided on their site and a GPS. I wish that they had better signs to point the way as you got closer. There was only 1 sign outside the park that didn't even have a light on it. Seeing how this is mostly an after dark haunt some light up signs would really help point the way. My group arrived at 7:20 pm on a Friday night. All though we were some of the first people to get to the Fest the parking attendants where just horrible. We where waved on by one attendant at the front of the parking lot just to find no other employees down in the parking lot. Lucky for us there was still plenty of parking. Unfortunately as the night went on parking became much more sporadic as people just got to decide where they would park. Very disorganized, especially when it would only take 3 people who know what they're doing to ensure that everyone parked where they needed to.
After we locked our car we made our way to the ticket booth. The lines at this time were empty. The ticket windows were marked for buying tickets and picking up internet tickets. My party had preordered tickets online so we heading to the corresponding line. We did hit a little snag at the ticket window… apparently 2 of the tickets didn't have a bar code print out however they did have the serial number for the ticket. This caused some confusion so it took about 5 minutes for the ticket counter to locate and manually punch in the ticket numbers.
Turning your back to the ticket office, the lay-out of Shocktoberfest is as follows; to your right is the entrance to the new Unknown, straight ahead is the Midway, at the end of the midway is the entrance to both the prison and hayride. Club Shock is between both of the lines for those 2 rides. Also to the right of the ticket office was a stage where employees had groups stand in front of a Shocktoberfest banner and have their picture taken for the Facebook page.
I was intrigued by the thought of a "Monster Midway". I had visions of midway games hosted with zombies or some kind of horror theme to the games. Alas it's nothing more than a small carnival midway at best. They had 3 games to play; pop a balloon win a poster, knock down these metal milk cans, and shoot paintballs at this guy. Three games hardly makes a midway in my option. The one saving grace was that food options were plentiful on the other side of the midway. Anything from cheese steaks to tacos were available for your purchase and consumption from one of six vendors. Shocktoberfest's site warns “Beware of the Scare Zones as there is no safe place at Shocktoberfest!" There was not one thing scary about the midway. A disappointment from what I thought it would be.
The Monster Midway: C
My group then decided it was time to go to the Prison of the Dead. The line was short and it took us about 5 minutes to get on the bus to transport us to the prison. While on the bus you get an audio warning that's pretty much the same for all attractions. No lights, no smoking, no cell phones, NO TOUCHING THE ACTORS. Also included with the pregame warning was a small bit of back story on the prison itself. Once we arrived at the prison, a tour guide fleshed out the story of the prison more. The main points where that it was closed due to corruption and murder. You then enter another line to actually enter the prison. As you go though the door a guard yells "Fresh Meat!". The prison has 3 different types of areas that are prominent throughout; tunnels, woods/swamp and prison cells. I am not going to go into detail on every part of the walk though but some of the highlights are as follows… there are a ton of dark rooms in this walk through, bumping into walls and other people while not being able to see anything is always a favorite of mine.
The tunnels allowed some neat effects including trying to walk though it with a strobe light going off and actors hitting the sides with chains. During the prison cell area the amount of actors is nothing short of amazing. Around every dark turn there was a spook waiting for you. During one of the outside areas you realize that walking became more difficult, as you were walking on a trampoline type of floor. Near the end of the attraction you enter a bus like the one you came in on. Very quickly you realized it’s another dark room, with actors on the top jumping and slamming into the roof while you try to navigate through nothingness. As we left the attraction some of the actors fallowed us out to the bus. The highlight of our night came as the bus was playing an up beat pop song for our ride back. We looked out of the window to see a one of the actors in full zombie makeup dancing all out to the song.
Prison of the Dead: A
After such a good time with the prison we decided to give the Biohazard Hayride a try next. We stood in line for about 8 minutes before entering a small stable room. In the room we watched a quick video with the same warnings as the prison, a little bit of back story and on to the hayride we went. First thing that is of note for the hayride is that it’s pulled by a truck and not a tractor. This might not seem to be that big of deal but the truck is much more quite then most tractors. And seemed to give a smoother ride overall. The one thing that sets this hayride apart from other hayrides I have been on is the enclosed rooms that you enter though out the ride.
The ride starts with a girl being laser beamed to death and then the beam gets turned on us with a laser light show going on above our heads. You then wind though the woods, with all types of actors climbing on board pulling at your feet. During the ride you enter other enclosed room that include hydraulics as well as some great stories. The only down side was that in the first room it really felt like the hayride was going to have a story though out and it ending up just being a mishmash of small stories with no real end result. Just kind of left me wanting.
Biohazard Hayride: B+
At this point I would like to talk about Club Shock, but there is nothing to talk about. I don't know if it was because we were early into the season or not but Club Shock was nothing but a floor in the middle of the 2 lines with some benches and lights. There was no music and not one actor in the place.
Club Shock: F-
Finally we get to the new "Steam Punk" inspired The Unknown. Being the new attraction this haunt had the largest line. If you absolutely have to see this hit it first or pay for the RIP. After standing in line for about 15 mins we were let into a small building were we picked up some 3d glasses. We were told by the host for this building that 90% of the attraction was in 3D. You then get treated to a video with the warnings as usual. We then meet the stars of the new show Professor Strangewayes and Melinda Montague. In short they tell you that inside the main attraction that you will be face to face with all your fears. This is by far the best back story for any of the rides and the production for this video was worth note. Once "Eddie" is taken down (you'll have to figure that out yourself), you head to another line to enter the Unknown. They only let in small groups at a time so this line might take awhile to get though. It’s at this time I would like to note that the 3D glasses that are handed to you COMPLEATLY SUCK. They are just cardboard red and green glasses that make it imposable to see out of your left eye. More over they make the dark rooms even worse. The walk though itself has potential to be great but the issues is that all of the effects are triggered by the first person in your party so if you’re the last one in your party you don't get any of the effect. Being the last in a group of 6 I personally didn't see any of the effects at all. I would come in right as the effect was ending. This is a major flaw in the system that needs to be fixed. The 90% 3D was complete BS. As you walk around the labyrinth that is Strangewayes lab you will come across 4 or 5 screen that require you to have your glasses on to get the full effect. The story itself was satisfying in the way that it did have an ending. But basically it’s just a mediocre fun house with a few 3d effects put into it.
The Unknown: B-
Shocktoberfest ends with an overall grade of C. If going to this haunt don't worry about checking out Club Shock or The Monster Midway (aside form getting something to eat). Head straight for the main attractions and you will have spent your money well and be in and out of the park in short time. The cast was great at this haunt, aside from the snag at the ticket window we had no problems. This haunt combines its massive staff and its large area to create a huge scream park that should be fun for young and old adults alike. I would recommend everyone to stop in and enjoy the screams.
- Ryan Gatchel
SHOCKTOBERFEST 2011
A first-timer's review
With spoilers
Hi all! First and foremost I must let everyone know this is my very first time to Shocktoberfest so I can not compare it to other years. This review will contain spoilers. If you wish to be scared to the fullest please do not read this review. I will however have a conclusion section at the bottom of this page that will not contain any spoilers.
Shocktoberfest is located outside of Reading Pennsylvania on Willow Glen Park. Willow Glen is also the name of the town where most of the rides "take place". Shocktoberfest was named one of Americas' top 13 haunts by Haunt World Magazine in 2006. There are 5 attractions that this haunt advertises; The Biohazard Hayride, The Prison of the Dead, The Unknown, The Monster Midway and Club Shock. The Monster Midway and Club Shock are free attractions where it will cost you $15 for 1, $26 for 2 or $34 for all 3 of the remaining attractions. They also offer a skip to the front of the line pass, aptly named RIP Pass, for an extra $15.
Finding the "Fest" was easy enough with the address provided on their site and a GPS. I wish that they had better signs to point the way as you got closer. There was only 1 sign outside the park that didn't even have a light on it. Seeing how this is mostly an after dark haunt some light up signs would really help point the way. My group arrived at 7:20 pm on a Friday night. All though we were some of the first people to get to the Fest the parking attendants where just horrible. We where waved on by one attendant at the front of the parking lot just to find no other employees down in the parking lot. Lucky for us there was still plenty of parking. Unfortunately as the night went on parking became much more sporadic as people just got to decide where they would park. Very disorganized, especially when it would only take 3 people who know what they're doing to ensure that everyone parked where they needed to.
After we locked our car we made our way to the ticket booth. The lines at this time were empty. The ticket windows were marked for buying tickets and picking up internet tickets. My party had preordered tickets online so we heading to the corresponding line. We did hit a little snag at the ticket window… apparently 2 of the tickets didn't have a bar code print out however they did have the serial number for the ticket. This caused some confusion so it took about 5 minutes for the ticket counter to locate and manually punch in the ticket numbers.
Turning your back to the ticket office, the lay-out of Shocktoberfest is as follows; to your right is the entrance to the new Unknown, straight ahead is the Midway, at the end of the midway is the entrance to both the prison and hayride. Club Shock is between both of the lines for those 2 rides. Also to the right of the ticket office was a stage where employees had groups stand in front of a Shocktoberfest banner and have their picture taken for the Facebook page.
I was intrigued by the thought of a "Monster Midway". I had visions of midway games hosted with zombies or some kind of horror theme to the games. Alas it's nothing more than a small carnival midway at best. They had 3 games to play; pop a balloon win a poster, knock down these metal milk cans, and shoot paintballs at this guy. Three games hardly makes a midway in my option. The one saving grace was that food options were plentiful on the other side of the midway. Anything from cheese steaks to tacos were available for your purchase and consumption from one of six vendors. Shocktoberfest's site warns “Beware of the Scare Zones as there is no safe place at Shocktoberfest!" There was not one thing scary about the midway. A disappointment from what I thought it would be.
The Monster Midway: C
My group then decided it was time to go to the Prison of the Dead. The line was short and it took us about 5 minutes to get on the bus to transport us to the prison. While on the bus you get an audio warning that's pretty much the same for all attractions. No lights, no smoking, no cell phones, NO TOUCHING THE ACTORS. Also included with the pregame warning was a small bit of back story on the prison itself. Once we arrived at the prison, a tour guide fleshed out the story of the prison more. The main points where that it was closed due to corruption and murder. You then enter another line to actually enter the prison. As you go though the door a guard yells "Fresh Meat!". The prison has 3 different types of areas that are prominent throughout; tunnels, woods/swamp and prison cells. I am not going to go into detail on every part of the walk though but some of the highlights are as follows… there are a ton of dark rooms in this walk through, bumping into walls and other people while not being able to see anything is always a favorite of mine.
The tunnels allowed some neat effects including trying to walk though it with a strobe light going off and actors hitting the sides with chains. During the prison cell area the amount of actors is nothing short of amazing. Around every dark turn there was a spook waiting for you. During one of the outside areas you realize that walking became more difficult, as you were walking on a trampoline type of floor. Near the end of the attraction you enter a bus like the one you came in on. Very quickly you realized it’s another dark room, with actors on the top jumping and slamming into the roof while you try to navigate through nothingness. As we left the attraction some of the actors fallowed us out to the bus. The highlight of our night came as the bus was playing an up beat pop song for our ride back. We looked out of the window to see a one of the actors in full zombie makeup dancing all out to the song.
Prison of the Dead: A
After such a good time with the prison we decided to give the Biohazard Hayride a try next. We stood in line for about 8 minutes before entering a small stable room. In the room we watched a quick video with the same warnings as the prison, a little bit of back story and on to the hayride we went. First thing that is of note for the hayride is that it’s pulled by a truck and not a tractor. This might not seem to be that big of deal but the truck is much more quite then most tractors. And seemed to give a smoother ride overall. The one thing that sets this hayride apart from other hayrides I have been on is the enclosed rooms that you enter though out the ride.
The ride starts with a girl being laser beamed to death and then the beam gets turned on us with a laser light show going on above our heads. You then wind though the woods, with all types of actors climbing on board pulling at your feet. During the ride you enter other enclosed room that include hydraulics as well as some great stories. The only down side was that in the first room it really felt like the hayride was going to have a story though out and it ending up just being a mishmash of small stories with no real end result. Just kind of left me wanting.
Biohazard Hayride: B+
At this point I would like to talk about Club Shock, but there is nothing to talk about. I don't know if it was because we were early into the season or not but Club Shock was nothing but a floor in the middle of the 2 lines with some benches and lights. There was no music and not one actor in the place.
Club Shock: F-
Finally we get to the new "Steam Punk" inspired The Unknown. Being the new attraction this haunt had the largest line. If you absolutely have to see this hit it first or pay for the RIP. After standing in line for about 15 mins we were let into a small building were we picked up some 3d glasses. We were told by the host for this building that 90% of the attraction was in 3D. You then get treated to a video with the warnings as usual. We then meet the stars of the new show Professor Strangewayes and Melinda Montague. In short they tell you that inside the main attraction that you will be face to face with all your fears. This is by far the best back story for any of the rides and the production for this video was worth note. Once "Eddie" is taken down (you'll have to figure that out yourself), you head to another line to enter the Unknown. They only let in small groups at a time so this line might take awhile to get though. It’s at this time I would like to note that the 3D glasses that are handed to you COMPLEATLY SUCK. They are just cardboard red and green glasses that make it imposable to see out of your left eye. More over they make the dark rooms even worse. The walk though itself has potential to be great but the issues is that all of the effects are triggered by the first person in your party so if you’re the last one in your party you don't get any of the effect. Being the last in a group of 6 I personally didn't see any of the effects at all. I would come in right as the effect was ending. This is a major flaw in the system that needs to be fixed. The 90% 3D was complete BS. As you walk around the labyrinth that is Strangewayes lab you will come across 4 or 5 screen that require you to have your glasses on to get the full effect. The story itself was satisfying in the way that it did have an ending. But basically it’s just a mediocre fun house with a few 3d effects put into it.
The Unknown: B-
Shocktoberfest ends with an overall grade of C. If going to this haunt don't worry about checking out Club Shock or The Monster Midway (aside form getting something to eat). Head straight for the main attractions and you will have spent your money well and be in and out of the park in short time. The cast was great at this haunt, aside from the snag at the ticket window we had no problems. This haunt combines its massive staff and its large area to create a huge scream park that should be fun for young and old adults alike. I would recommend everyone to stop in and enjoy the screams.
- Ryan Gatchel
2011 Bates Motel Review
Sorry for the delay... the weather was nice and I got lazy. Enjoy!
The Bates Motel… 2 Outta 3 Ain’t Bad.
We decided at 7:30PM on Saturday, 10/01/2011 to hit The Bates Motel at Arasapha Farms. It was cool and cloudy with a possibility of rain in the forecast but we said “What the hell?” and jumped in the car anyway. We arrived around 8:30 PM and right off the bat noticed that there was no one at the entrance directing traffic due to the light crowds. The parking lot was about ¼ full and there was no line to speak of for tickets and minimal lines for the attractions. Not sure if this was due to the Phillies playoff game or the possibility of rain but we weren’t sorry.
The Courtyard
There was no fire pit or picnic tables in the courtyard area like in years past. I believe this is due to weather (thanks Mother Nature) but I’m not positive. I missed them truth be told. Hopefully this is a temporary thing. We also were happy to see projector at the hayride line once again. I really like the “hang” aspect of this Haunt. It suits the mood of the place and I am sure it encourages concessions sales.
The Bates Motel
We decided to do TBM 1st. As we were standing in line it started to sprinkle but since the line was only out to the 2nd set of stanchion we didn’t mind. I think the wait ended up being 15 minutes. TBM is almost always my favorite attraction at Bates and this year was no exception. Enough things were changed and enough stayed the same to satisfy. Both the old and the new props were good and used well and the actors as always were excellent. Overall TBM was very well done this year. Make sure you look up when you exit the attraction… the roof has some interesting residents.
The Haunted Corn Maze
I think this attraction is now called The Westward Trail. When we exited TBM we headed straight for this line since it was very short. There are now talking heads (literally) as you approach the entrance reading you the rules and yapping. It was a nice touch. Just as we entered the trail the sky finally decided to open up and pour on us. I think the suffocation feature right past the entrance was turned off because of the rain but we didn’t mind because we used the space to wait out the downpour. After about 5 minutes we realized that although it had let up a bit the rain was not going to stop so we hiked up our pants, zipped up our jackets, pulled our hoodie strings tight and ventured out into the mud. This attraction is mostly the same as in years past which is not a bad thing. We enjoyed ourselves despite the rain as did the other people around us. I especially like the structures and the casts within them. They are very well done and unique. I did find myself wishing for less of the animal animatronics though. Yes, rubber wolf I am talking to you. You really suck. Most of the vignettes featuring animal animatronics look bad and are not scary. When you have a naturally spooky environment like a corn field you don’t need a bunch of badly lit, uninspired hunks of rubber popping out at you. BTW, I do not mean the prop scarecrows in the corn. They are subtle and great. They blend in enough to make you jump when you realize they aren’t corn and make you scream when you realize they sometimes aren’t props. Boo Ha Ha!
The Hayride
By the time we were done the Trail I fully expected the hayride to be closed due to the torrential rain and resulting mud but it wasn’t. The projector was turned off (of course) so we didn’t get to see anything while waiting in line but since the line was basically nonexistent it really wasn’t a big loss. We were on the wagon in about 10 minutes but got stuck in the middle which really sucked. Honestly for what people pay to do a haunted hayride these days haunts should give them a seat around the outside of the wagon This is especially true on a night when there were only a few crazy wet people sloshing though the miserable, cold mud hole that was The Bates Motel. I think I would have enjoyed the hayride more had I not been required to sit in the muddiest hay with a stranger’s mucky shoe in my ass. Or maybe not. Once again I cannot say that I liked the hayride. The soundtrack that I always bash is still in place and is still distracting. They did add some new and surprisingly better music but will never be better than silence. The few new vignettes that were added/ changed had a distinct white trashy feel which I am honestly not sure if I liked or not. I think management was going for a Rob Zombie vibe but it ended up feeling more Wild & Wonderful Whites of WV instead. The animatronics on the hayride are really the worst part of this attraction. What do we have to do to persuade PA Haunts to ditch the hokey ass rubber monsters? No one is afraid of them and some people in our wagon this weekend actually booed a few of these ridiculous creatures. The tree monster, the hydraulic thing that is ass impaled and the mine creature need to be put on Craigslist ASAP. They truly hurt The Bates Hayride.
I keep thinking… 2 outta 3 ain’t bad when looking back over our 2011 Bates visit. We will definitely come back next year but will seriously considering skipping the hayride when we do. It’s a shame because snuggling up in a wagon on a crisp autumn night and taking a ride through a haunted woods is one of my favorite things about the Halloween season. Unfortunately the Bates Motel just doesn’t deliver here. Oh well... 2 outta 3 ain’t bad. See… there it is again.
The Bates Motel… 2 Outta 3 Ain’t Bad.
We decided at 7:30PM on Saturday, 10/01/2011 to hit The Bates Motel at Arasapha Farms. It was cool and cloudy with a possibility of rain in the forecast but we said “What the hell?” and jumped in the car anyway. We arrived around 8:30 PM and right off the bat noticed that there was no one at the entrance directing traffic due to the light crowds. The parking lot was about ¼ full and there was no line to speak of for tickets and minimal lines for the attractions. Not sure if this was due to the Phillies playoff game or the possibility of rain but we weren’t sorry.
The Courtyard
There was no fire pit or picnic tables in the courtyard area like in years past. I believe this is due to weather (thanks Mother Nature) but I’m not positive. I missed them truth be told. Hopefully this is a temporary thing. We also were happy to see projector at the hayride line once again. I really like the “hang” aspect of this Haunt. It suits the mood of the place and I am sure it encourages concessions sales.
The Bates Motel
We decided to do TBM 1st. As we were standing in line it started to sprinkle but since the line was only out to the 2nd set of stanchion we didn’t mind. I think the wait ended up being 15 minutes. TBM is almost always my favorite attraction at Bates and this year was no exception. Enough things were changed and enough stayed the same to satisfy. Both the old and the new props were good and used well and the actors as always were excellent. Overall TBM was very well done this year. Make sure you look up when you exit the attraction… the roof has some interesting residents.
The Haunted Corn Maze
I think this attraction is now called The Westward Trail. When we exited TBM we headed straight for this line since it was very short. There are now talking heads (literally) as you approach the entrance reading you the rules and yapping. It was a nice touch. Just as we entered the trail the sky finally decided to open up and pour on us. I think the suffocation feature right past the entrance was turned off because of the rain but we didn’t mind because we used the space to wait out the downpour. After about 5 minutes we realized that although it had let up a bit the rain was not going to stop so we hiked up our pants, zipped up our jackets, pulled our hoodie strings tight and ventured out into the mud. This attraction is mostly the same as in years past which is not a bad thing. We enjoyed ourselves despite the rain as did the other people around us. I especially like the structures and the casts within them. They are very well done and unique. I did find myself wishing for less of the animal animatronics though. Yes, rubber wolf I am talking to you. You really suck. Most of the vignettes featuring animal animatronics look bad and are not scary. When you have a naturally spooky environment like a corn field you don’t need a bunch of badly lit, uninspired hunks of rubber popping out at you. BTW, I do not mean the prop scarecrows in the corn. They are subtle and great. They blend in enough to make you jump when you realize they aren’t corn and make you scream when you realize they sometimes aren’t props. Boo Ha Ha!
The Hayride
By the time we were done the Trail I fully expected the hayride to be closed due to the torrential rain and resulting mud but it wasn’t. The projector was turned off (of course) so we didn’t get to see anything while waiting in line but since the line was basically nonexistent it really wasn’t a big loss. We were on the wagon in about 10 minutes but got stuck in the middle which really sucked. Honestly for what people pay to do a haunted hayride these days haunts should give them a seat around the outside of the wagon This is especially true on a night when there were only a few crazy wet people sloshing though the miserable, cold mud hole that was The Bates Motel. I think I would have enjoyed the hayride more had I not been required to sit in the muddiest hay with a stranger’s mucky shoe in my ass. Or maybe not. Once again I cannot say that I liked the hayride. The soundtrack that I always bash is still in place and is still distracting. They did add some new and surprisingly better music but will never be better than silence. The few new vignettes that were added/ changed had a distinct white trashy feel which I am honestly not sure if I liked or not. I think management was going for a Rob Zombie vibe but it ended up feeling more Wild & Wonderful Whites of WV instead. The animatronics on the hayride are really the worst part of this attraction. What do we have to do to persuade PA Haunts to ditch the hokey ass rubber monsters? No one is afraid of them and some people in our wagon this weekend actually booed a few of these ridiculous creatures. The tree monster, the hydraulic thing that is ass impaled and the mine creature need to be put on Craigslist ASAP. They truly hurt The Bates Hayride.
I keep thinking… 2 outta 3 ain’t bad when looking back over our 2011 Bates visit. We will definitely come back next year but will seriously considering skipping the hayride when we do. It’s a shame because snuggling up in a wagon on a crisp autumn night and taking a ride through a haunted woods is one of my favorite things about the Halloween season. Unfortunately the Bates Motel just doesn’t deliver here. Oh well... 2 outta 3 ain’t bad. See… there it is again.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Bates Motel review is on it's way...
Yes, we went on Saturday night. Yes, we got wet. Working on the full review tonight.
Monday, September 26, 2011
2011 Pennhurst Review
OK...so I actually got this review done tonight. Enjoy!
We arrived at about 7:30 PM on Saturday, September 24th and parked in the onsite lot. Although it was really, really muddy the staff did a good job telling us where to walk to avoid getting stuck or soaked. As always we enjoyed the walk through the woods to the ticket booths. The ticketing area has been rearranged this year and quite frankly I hate it. It makes no sense not to have guests enter the complex via the raised walkway like last year. I have a feeling the change is due to Management’s desire to force you through their new concession area but this is unnecessary. Put ticket booths and stanchion in the space around the raised walkway entrance… people will still go down to the concession area to buy tee shirts and hot dogs when they are done. Also new this year is a stupid fence maze called The Rat Race also located in the concession area. This is corny and again unnecessary. Food and souvenir stands are fine but Pennhurst is supposed to be a REAL haunted place… you don’t need to yuk it up to get people to come and spend their money so don’t. The effect is cheap and corny. Anyway, once you have a ticket, make it through security and past the concession area you ascend a staircase and are finally on the raised walkway and on your way to the attractions.
Asylum
This is the attraction that started it all so it was the 1st thing we did. It was pretty much same as last year and still quite good. The scenes are appropriate for the site and storyline. The actors all did a good job with their characters and were both disturbed and aggressive which was good. There was a little bit more medical gore this year but it felt right. I think they put more props in the rooms this year… a change I did not love. You don’t need rubber ghouls at Pennhurst if there are supposedly real ones lurking about. Fake looking, disemboweled corpses hanging from the roof are just plain silly. Overall I think this attraction is still quite good… enough things were changed and enough things stayed the same. I guess my only suggestions would be that overall less would be more. Oh… and keep your eyes open as you exit the attraction. There is a very, very cool special effect right before the door.
Dungeon
We did this attraction 2nd and the 1st thing I noticed is that the line sucks and will be really confusing on busy nights. You basically have to wait in the Asylum line till you’re right at the building and then go in a side door that isn’t marked (I didn't see a sign) and is shabby with has debris on the ground around it. They do have lots of staff members on hand to direct you but when people are in line and chatting I think the directions will be ignored. There may be a different line that they weren’t using due to the small crowds but it will still have to funnel into the same place as the Asylum line since that’s where the door is located. Because the entrance is so ho hum the attraction gets a little lost and lacks punch when entering it. I think it would be better if the Asylum & Dungeon were combined into 1 attraction. You could do the Asylum then exit through the side doors and continue on to the line for the Dungeon finally exiting through the back of the building and onto the raised walkway. Anyway, another issue I have with this attraction is the name of it. I really HATE the name Dungeon. The space is not a dungeon nor is it themed as a one so it why call it that? Why not just call it The Basement? Anyway, aside from the name and confusing entry way this attraction is actually pretty good and kind of scary. There was a small sound issue with TV screen cell doors and a bit of prop overload in some rooms but overall the effect is still good. The thought that less is more totally rings true here too however. Next year Management should work on not distracting from the creepy basement feel of this space… too much stuff, noise, etc. will ruin it.
Tunnels
We did this attraction 3rd and I was extremely disappointed. The Tunnels were just stupid this year. Stupid, stupid, stupid. In case you are confused about how I feel… I thought they were totally F-ing STUPID. Now that that is out of my system… having been in the tunnels before Pennhurst went public I was very, very excited to see what they were going to do with all the new space they made down there. They definitely did stuff but none of it was good. Basically everything eerie and frightening about this space was covered up. Instead of silence there is a ludicrous soundtrack. Instead of darkness there is distracting lighting everywhere. Instead of a desolate, abandoned tunnel system where real ghosts might be lurking there stupid killer bees, a lame crypt and a ridiculous nuclear disaster area. WTF??!! Why would there be bee hives underground? Why is there a crypt in the service tunnels of an abandoned mental hospital? This truly is the most disappointing haunted attraction I’ve ever been to. Please, please, please Management take my advice and take all of the hokey, corny stuff out of the tunnels ASAP. Your catch phrase is “The fear is real.” so why are you covering up everything that makes Pennhurst scary? Enhance not engulf. Ugh! As a side note... this attraction for some reason puts you outsided the security area when you're done. Not sure why and on busier nights you might have to wait in line to get back in so maybe do this one last if you don't want the hassle. Hopefully they change this for next year.
Ghost Hunt/ Mayflower Building Flashlight Tour
We did this attraction last and after the Tunnel debacle I was more than skeptical. Thankfully Management did 100% the right thing here. The building is basically exactly the same as it was when Pennhurst was abandoned in 1987. Of course some asbestos is missing and some graffiti has been added but the artwork kind of adds to the atmosphere… it is very Candyman. From what I remember a bunch of furniture and tons of papers are also gone too but basically it’s as close as you can get to the pre-public Pennhurst experience. The line was nonexistent on the 24th but there is a huge stanchion area off of the raised platform for this attraction (for others too I think). I can see it being full on Saturday nights as people will want to spend some time in this building. When it’s your turn to go in you are given 1 flashlight per group and sent in to explore the whole building as you see fit. There are no actors or effects nor are there any lights except in the stairwells. There are 2 floors with 10 or so rooms per floor. The third floor and basement are not open yet. This building was used as a dorm so most of the spaces are dorm rooms, lounges and bath facilities. The feeling is definitely eerie and if you go on a quiet night and wander away from your group and the flashlight it is very easy to find yourself alone in a pitch black room with a shiver up your spine. Sooo spooky. There are staff members positioned throughout the building for guest safety. They know a lot about the complex and tell a mean ghost story for sure. If you want the goods on what goes on at Pennhurst when the crowds go home definitely talk to these people. Our group had a cell phone ghost tracker app which was really fun. It has radar like screen which shows when ghosts near you. It also spits out words sometimes based on the spirit energy in the area. Very cool addition to this attraction for sure. Of course once people find out I’ve done the Ghost Hunt/ Mayflower Building Tour the 1st question I get asked is “Did you see a ghost?”. I don’t know honestly but what I do know is that a girl that night totally thinks she did because she freaked out to the point that security had to get her out of the building. She was so spooked in fact that she left the site and didn’t use the rest of her multipass. I say “Let this be a lesson” but not in the way you might be thinking. This lesson is for Management not visitors. Honestly why is it that the only building without actors or props is getting the most buzz? Why is this attraction the only local one I’ve ever been to that makes makes me want to spend the money to come back again this season crowds be damned? Hmmmmmm… I wonder?
Overall I enjoyed Pennhurst once again this year. I still wish they would let the “real fear” shine through a little more and let the fake ass fear stay in the prop closet but maybe that’s just me. I also wish they would ditch the bonfire, hang out concession area thing. This isn’t Bates Motel and we don’t want it to be. Here’s to 2012 unless the lure of The Mayflower brings me back in the next month. Ouch… my wallet.
We arrived at about 7:30 PM on Saturday, September 24th and parked in the onsite lot. Although it was really, really muddy the staff did a good job telling us where to walk to avoid getting stuck or soaked. As always we enjoyed the walk through the woods to the ticket booths. The ticketing area has been rearranged this year and quite frankly I hate it. It makes no sense not to have guests enter the complex via the raised walkway like last year. I have a feeling the change is due to Management’s desire to force you through their new concession area but this is unnecessary. Put ticket booths and stanchion in the space around the raised walkway entrance… people will still go down to the concession area to buy tee shirts and hot dogs when they are done. Also new this year is a stupid fence maze called The Rat Race also located in the concession area. This is corny and again unnecessary. Food and souvenir stands are fine but Pennhurst is supposed to be a REAL haunted place… you don’t need to yuk it up to get people to come and spend their money so don’t. The effect is cheap and corny. Anyway, once you have a ticket, make it through security and past the concession area you ascend a staircase and are finally on the raised walkway and on your way to the attractions.
Asylum
This is the attraction that started it all so it was the 1st thing we did. It was pretty much same as last year and still quite good. The scenes are appropriate for the site and storyline. The actors all did a good job with their characters and were both disturbed and aggressive which was good. There was a little bit more medical gore this year but it felt right. I think they put more props in the rooms this year… a change I did not love. You don’t need rubber ghouls at Pennhurst if there are supposedly real ones lurking about. Fake looking, disemboweled corpses hanging from the roof are just plain silly. Overall I think this attraction is still quite good… enough things were changed and enough things stayed the same. I guess my only suggestions would be that overall less would be more. Oh… and keep your eyes open as you exit the attraction. There is a very, very cool special effect right before the door.
Dungeon
We did this attraction 2nd and the 1st thing I noticed is that the line sucks and will be really confusing on busy nights. You basically have to wait in the Asylum line till you’re right at the building and then go in a side door that isn’t marked (I didn't see a sign) and is shabby with has debris on the ground around it. They do have lots of staff members on hand to direct you but when people are in line and chatting I think the directions will be ignored. There may be a different line that they weren’t using due to the small crowds but it will still have to funnel into the same place as the Asylum line since that’s where the door is located. Because the entrance is so ho hum the attraction gets a little lost and lacks punch when entering it. I think it would be better if the Asylum & Dungeon were combined into 1 attraction. You could do the Asylum then exit through the side doors and continue on to the line for the Dungeon finally exiting through the back of the building and onto the raised walkway. Anyway, another issue I have with this attraction is the name of it. I really HATE the name Dungeon. The space is not a dungeon nor is it themed as a one so it why call it that? Why not just call it The Basement? Anyway, aside from the name and confusing entry way this attraction is actually pretty good and kind of scary. There was a small sound issue with TV screen cell doors and a bit of prop overload in some rooms but overall the effect is still good. The thought that less is more totally rings true here too however. Next year Management should work on not distracting from the creepy basement feel of this space… too much stuff, noise, etc. will ruin it.
Tunnels
We did this attraction 3rd and I was extremely disappointed. The Tunnels were just stupid this year. Stupid, stupid, stupid. In case you are confused about how I feel… I thought they were totally F-ing STUPID. Now that that is out of my system… having been in the tunnels before Pennhurst went public I was very, very excited to see what they were going to do with all the new space they made down there. They definitely did stuff but none of it was good. Basically everything eerie and frightening about this space was covered up. Instead of silence there is a ludicrous soundtrack. Instead of darkness there is distracting lighting everywhere. Instead of a desolate, abandoned tunnel system where real ghosts might be lurking there stupid killer bees, a lame crypt and a ridiculous nuclear disaster area. WTF??!! Why would there be bee hives underground? Why is there a crypt in the service tunnels of an abandoned mental hospital? This truly is the most disappointing haunted attraction I’ve ever been to. Please, please, please Management take my advice and take all of the hokey, corny stuff out of the tunnels ASAP. Your catch phrase is “The fear is real.” so why are you covering up everything that makes Pennhurst scary? Enhance not engulf. Ugh! As a side note... this attraction for some reason puts you outsided the security area when you're done. Not sure why and on busier nights you might have to wait in line to get back in so maybe do this one last if you don't want the hassle. Hopefully they change this for next year.
Ghost Hunt/ Mayflower Building Flashlight Tour
We did this attraction last and after the Tunnel debacle I was more than skeptical. Thankfully Management did 100% the right thing here. The building is basically exactly the same as it was when Pennhurst was abandoned in 1987. Of course some asbestos is missing and some graffiti has been added but the artwork kind of adds to the atmosphere… it is very Candyman. From what I remember a bunch of furniture and tons of papers are also gone too but basically it’s as close as you can get to the pre-public Pennhurst experience. The line was nonexistent on the 24th but there is a huge stanchion area off of the raised platform for this attraction (for others too I think). I can see it being full on Saturday nights as people will want to spend some time in this building. When it’s your turn to go in you are given 1 flashlight per group and sent in to explore the whole building as you see fit. There are no actors or effects nor are there any lights except in the stairwells. There are 2 floors with 10 or so rooms per floor. The third floor and basement are not open yet. This building was used as a dorm so most of the spaces are dorm rooms, lounges and bath facilities. The feeling is definitely eerie and if you go on a quiet night and wander away from your group and the flashlight it is very easy to find yourself alone in a pitch black room with a shiver up your spine. Sooo spooky. There are staff members positioned throughout the building for guest safety. They know a lot about the complex and tell a mean ghost story for sure. If you want the goods on what goes on at Pennhurst when the crowds go home definitely talk to these people. Our group had a cell phone ghost tracker app which was really fun. It has radar like screen which shows when ghosts near you. It also spits out words sometimes based on the spirit energy in the area. Very cool addition to this attraction for sure. Of course once people find out I’ve done the Ghost Hunt/ Mayflower Building Tour the 1st question I get asked is “Did you see a ghost?”. I don’t know honestly but what I do know is that a girl that night totally thinks she did because she freaked out to the point that security had to get her out of the building. She was so spooked in fact that she left the site and didn’t use the rest of her multipass. I say “Let this be a lesson” but not in the way you might be thinking. This lesson is for Management not visitors. Honestly why is it that the only building without actors or props is getting the most buzz? Why is this attraction the only local one I’ve ever been to that makes makes me want to spend the money to come back again this season crowds be damned? Hmmmmmm… I wonder?
Overall I enjoyed Pennhurst once again this year. I still wish they would let the “real fear” shine through a little more and let the fake ass fear stay in the prop closet but maybe that’s just me. I also wish they would ditch the bonfire, hang out concession area thing. This isn’t Bates Motel and we don’t want it to be. Here’s to 2012 unless the lure of The Mayflower brings me back in the next month. Ouch… my wallet.
Coming soon....
Tomorrow my Pennhurst 2011 review. I know you all are holding your collective breath...
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Discount tickets abound!
So I got discount ticket e-mails for Bates & Pennhurst and Shocktoberfest too I think. Only downside is that there is a $4.50 per ticket surcharge. Ouch! Think we're going to buy the Pennhurst tickets anyway and do the VIP since we will only be able to go on a Saturday night this year. Exciting!! Anyone else buying haunt tickets now?
Monday, July 18, 2011
It will be that time soon!
So most haunts... local and not... are gearing up for the season. Are you ready?
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