CINCINNATI'S 2009 HAUNTED HOUSE NEWS AND REVIEWS PAGE

THE HOUSE OF DOOM!!!'S 2009 HAUNT AWARDS While no new events of note opened up in the area during 2009, what the Cincinnati area already had in place continued to be of excellent quality-every event we went to was improved and better than last year. In particular, the acting across the board was outstanding-the old days of lazy haunt actors standing around with masks pushed up on their heads and talking to friends seem to be long gone. Dent cemented its reputation as one of America's best haunts with an excellent new queue line movie and stepped up acting. The USS Nightmare displayed the consistency that has also put them among the top haunts in America. KI's there as well, introducing edgier events designed to appeal more to adults. Sandyland Acres continues to be a movie lover's dream and perhaps is the most festive, seasonal Halloween event in town. Junction Nightmare, housed in an excellent and convenient facility, displayed an outstanding combination of top-notch acting, great sets, and impressive special effects. The charity haunts were just as good, with the Dungeons Of Delhi doubling in size and Mt. Healthy expanding in size as well as adding an interesting theme. St. Rita's continued to lead the way in family friendly haunting. Mayhem Mansion vastly improved many aspects of their haunt (from sets to character makeup) and had perhaps the best backstory in town, not to mention the creepiest venue. Congratulations to all our winners and we hope your 2009 season was a success! 2009 HOUSE OF DOOM!!! Haunt Award Winners Best Overall Haunt (Haunt Of The Year)-The Dent Schoolhouse Best Charity Haunt-The Dungeons Of Delhi Best New Haunt-Kings Island's The Slaughter House Best Family Haunted Event-St. Rita's Haunted House Best Outdoor Event-Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride Best Multi Venue Haunt-Kings Island Halloween Haunt Best Facility-Junction Nightmare Moodiest Location-Mayhem Mansion Best Sets-The Dent Schoolhouse Best Crew Of Actors- Junction Nightmare and Mayhem Mansion were every bit as good as last year, but the Dent Schoolhouse and Dungeons Of Delhi really stepped it up-they're the co-winners for this year Most Intense Actors-Junction Nightmare Best Individual Actor-The Keeper (AKA *New Blood*) at the Dungeons Of Delhi, with The Bride Of Frankenstein at the Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall a close second HOD*s Favorite Haunt Character-Bug Boy, Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall Best Klown Area-the Dent Schoolhouse*s PTA Carnival Best Costuming-St. Rita*s Haunted House Best Masks-Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride Best Character Makeup-USS Nightmare Best Sound-USS Nightmare Best Lighting-The Dent Schoolhouse, USS Nightmare Best Line Entertainment-Jasper and Jynx along with the film "The Janitor" at the Dent Schoolhouse Best Separate Event (Upcharged Or Otherwise)-USS Nightmare-Nightmare Landing/Laser Rage Best Sinister Atmosphere-Mayhem Mansion Best Backstory And Theming-Mayhem Mansion Most Improved Event-The Dungeons Of Delhi, Mayhem Mansion Best Value-Dungeons Of Delhi Best Multi Venue Value-Kings Island Halloween Haunt Best Room-The Bride Of Frankenstein's Wedding, Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall Coolest Room-The Bates Motel and its Wall Of Fame at Dungeons Of Delhi Most Overlooked Longtime Classic Room-the Rat Lady at the USS Nightmare Favorite Effect-the low tech but excellent dropping chandelier at Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall, Junction Nightmare's Mirror Maze Favorite Extended Haunt Actor Performance-Reverend Emmett Rott's chair-throwing sermons on the deck of the Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall Best Sex Appeal-Kings Island Halloween Haunt, with Club Blood, Ghouls Gone Wild, and Hot Blooded Slave To The Biological Clock Award-Brian Robbe Toughest Black Maze-the Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall, twice as hard this year Biggest Rip Off-Haunts that charge for parking Best Haunt Website-The Dent Schoolhouse Best Overall Marketing-The Dent Schoolhouse Best Gift Shop-Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride, with videos of the event, calendars, mouse pads, and other unique items-not to mention Brenda's cool horror movie star autographed photos on display! Best T-Shirts-Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall's Bug Boy Shirt, The Dent Schoolhouse's Schoolhouse Shirt Best Regular Media Haunt Coverage-Citybeat's ScaryBeat section, running not once but twice this season! The HOD!!!*s Favorite Haunt Moment-trashing the competition at USS Nightmare's Laser Rage, and later watching Steve Novotni's three year old son Uly going through the Nightmare and loving every minute THE CINCINNATI HAUNTED HOUSE HALL OF FAME With their expansion to the second floor and a stepped up acting presence, it's time to honor the many years of quality charity haunting put on by the Dungeons of Delhi! Long considered the best haunt value in town, the event has consistently put on an excellent and creative show with pro haunt production values. With a quickly growing cast of memorable characters such as Mad Mark, Mad Matt, The Keeper, Scruffy, Chainsaw Cec, Ch33zd00dle/Hector and his brother, the Dark Lord, Gore, and more, the future looks bright for the longtime event. From here on out, the Cincinnati Haunted House Hall Of Fame will only be inducting a selection every other year (otherwise virtually every haunt from the 70*s and 80*s would end up being listed-and this is only for the very best). Our next inductee will be enshrined in 2011 and will be from years gone by. 2009 Inductee-1993-? Dungeons Of Delhi 2007 Inductee-1982-1997 Horseshoe Valley Haunted Trail 2006 Inductee-1990-? The Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall 2005 Inductee-1996-2004 Nightmare On Glenway/Nightmare Estates 2004 Inductee-1979-? THE Haunted House/The Dent Schoolhouse 2003 Inductee-1993-? USS Nightmare 2002 Inductee-1990*s Night Of Fright 2001 Inductee-1970-76 WSAI/Sycamore-Deer Park Jaycees Haunted House 2000 Inductee-1978-? St. Rita*s Haunted House 1999 Inductee-1978-1982 Hamilton/Fairfield Jaycees House On The Hill As always, thanks to our friends in the local haunt community (in the order we attended them-and forgive us if we inadvertently left someone out): Don Helbig at King's Island Halloween Haunt Josh Wells, Chuck Stross, Bud Stross, and all the actors at The Dent Schoolhouse Allen Rizzo, Brian Robbe, Steve Schreibeis, Tony, Jason, and Stampy at the USS Nightmare Joe Middendorf, Cecil Rouse, Jake Rouse, John Coletta Jr, Don McGinnis, and all the actors at the Dungeons Of Delhi Tom Flege and Steve Haverkos at St. Rita's Haunted House Brenda and Gene Webb and Gene's sister Pam along with the entire staff of Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride Betty Hancock at Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall, who gave me the biggest laugh I had all year-she rules! Bill Martz, Pat Martz, Randal Miller, Derek Tucker and Jeff Keener at Mayhem Mansion Bill Balfour and Dave Bloom at Junction Nightmare Steve Novotni at Citybeat And to all of the HOD!!!*s readers and the posters on the HOD!!!'s Message Board-thanks a million! You've kept us going these many years! The Dent Schoolhouse once again takes over Riverfest this September 6th. On the Ohio side of the river, the cast of the Schoolhouse will be lurking for you as they*re once again a part of the entertainment. Keep your eyes open for their booth and onstage appearance! Uncle Charlie, Dent*s homicidal janitor, has also informed us that the Schoolhouse will be hosting a birthday party for itself on October 22nd. The crusty old caretaker isn*t sure whether his long time home is 115 or 119 years old, but when you get to be that age, who*s counting? Obviously, math wasn*t one of Uncle Charlie*s best classes-but he did get straight A*s in cleanin* *n killin*. The Dungeons of Delhi returns, and has expanded to the second story of the old Thriftway building-adding 15 new rooms! Mad Mark says that among the new additions are a huge vortex tunnel, a revamped clown room, a creepy leaf hall, a Tunnel Of Death, a revamped and expanded Monster Garage, a cave leading to the Dark Lord, a Meat Room, and an appearance by Leatherface of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame. Longtime actor The Joker also reports that he'll be trying out a new character named 'Cheesedoodle'. We don't even want to try to speculate what in the heck THAT will end up being! The Mt. Healthy Haunted Hall has fulfilled the HOD!!!'s wishes! They've proclaimed the event's 20th anniversary as 'The Year of Bug Boy' and featured their unofficial mascot on the event's T-Shirts. The Bugster can now take his place next to the area's other haunt icons like Uncle Charlie, Bludzo, Damien Reaper, The Captain, and others. The Hall also has a nice looking new website complete with a slideshow video of last year's event and a great new video giving the dark legend and 'backstory' of the event, introducing a new character in the process-Reverend Emmett Rotts. Go check it out at http://www.hauntedhallinfo.com. And while on the subject of shirts-why has there never been a Bludzo the Clown shirt? Life will not be complete until the master of the spew's image is adorning some nice casual attire. The USS Nightmare is featuring a special all-day performance for the Labor Day holiday on Sunday, September 6th from Noon to 8 PM. This should be a huge success for the Nightmare considering the size of the crowds expected on the Riverfront for the annual Labor Day Fireworks. People attending the event will also be among the first to see the new expanded Nightmare Landing, featuring a floating barge with video games, concessions, and a 5000 square foot Laser Rage laser tag arena (check out http://www.laser-rage.com ). Rumor has it longtime Nightmare stalwart Brian Robbe has attempted to grow hair again to reduce the glare from his head, thereby decreasing his chances of being spotted and bringing down the wrath of the Fearless Leader's fiery light pistol. Sandyland Acres has skipped their annual appearance in the Florence Labor Day Parade and also gotten rid of their Corn Maze in order to concentrate all their efforts on making the Haunted Hayride even better. The event has developed a new signature character for this season-Mortimer Sneed. No details on the mysterious Mr. Sneed at the moment, although maybe they'll be answered in the October issue of Kentucky Living magazine-the Haunted Hayride will be the subject of a feature article. Yes, it was supposed to be the September issue, but it was moved to the far more appropriate month of October. Promotions for the upcoming year include Free Movie Night on Saturday, September 19th with a free showing of the 1960's classic Psycho (directed by Alfred Hitchcock) starting at dusk. The movie will be projected onto a 25 foot screen for your viewing pleasure. Sandyland will also be having its annual job fair on Sunday, August 30th at 6 PM for anyone who would like to join their crew of ghoulish actors for the upcoming season (you can also apply online at http://www.sandylandacres.com ). They're looking for all haunt actors (living or undead) 18 or older. Listen for Sandyland's radio ads on Mix 94.1 and Froggy 95.9 in Indiana and southern Kentucky for more information and special events. Dr. Fright's dark attraction manifested again this summer at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Festival in Florence over the weekend of July 10-12. While the event was a success both with local haunters and festival-goers, it looks like it will be the last appearance for the Fright Mansion at this location. It seems there's continual interference and trouble from some of the more bitter and narrow-minded members of the festival committee, who are continually looking for ways to shut the event down (and instead promote good clean Catholic family fun like getting sloppy drunk and gambling your money away). For example, Dr. Fright was forced by festival organizers to raise the admission prices and then got himself in a world of hot water when he lowered it without their OK. The Fright Mansion didn't receive so much as a 'thank you' from the festival staff (despite its annual position of being among the top moneymakers), didn't receive pizza to feed their volunteers, and was given crummy candy to pass out for the traditional Sunday 'Trick Or Treat' session. The 'junior' version of the Fright Mansion will still be appearing at Goodridge Elementary's Fright Night event and at Dr. Fright's home haunt in Burlington this October. The Dent Schoolhouse once again has been hard at work, tearing apart the old classrooms to make way for new ones. Some rooms (such as the Principal's office and nurse's office) have been moved, some scenes having their detail increased, others such as the gym being eliminated, with scenes such as the locker room and nursery reconfigured. Some of the new rooms for this year are an audio/video room with a live projection, a biology lab with several disgusting dissections in progress, and a truly chilling trek through the detention hall along a cramped corridor full of thrashing, straight jacketed students suspended from the ceiling. The event has also invested thousands of dollars into new animations, both for the purposes of eye candy and also to provide more distractions to help set up the real scares delivered by the live actors. A new queue line video has been shot, featuring an even bloodier and crueler killing spree by the event's front man Uncle Charlie McFree. The Fearless Leader was slated to cameo in the production, but a visit by relatives from overseas made him unavailable for filming. Maybe next year! The Schoolhouse continues to roll out a nice dose of off-season marketing, with videos ranging from Jasper and Jynx's 2008 Vacation Video to a series of Damien Reaper shorts. Uncle Charlie himself has been featured as a classic haunt icon in issue #51 of Haunted Attraction Magazine. Owners Chuck Stross, Josh Wells, Bud Stross, and actor Damien Reaper (along with the Fearless Leader) garnered the spotlight in a lengthy podcast done by Steve Novotni of CityBeat magazine (it's available at the CityBeat website at http://tinyurl.com/ogvggl ). The Schoolhouse was also named the area's best haunted house by Cincy magazine. As always, the event is looking for a few good creatures-call Leslie at (859) 466-8734 or email them at jobs@frightsite.com for more information. A welcome addition to the local haunt scene is the Corpse Cast podcast. It's conducted by Dan, Dan, and Troy (better known to area hauntgoers as hacktors Fatso, Damien Reaper, and Dr. Helldrake/Baby Zeus) and while the shows occasionally lack focus they're immensely entertaining. These guys LOVE what they're doing, and their enthusiasm for the haunt industry makes the show. Episode topics so far have ranged form the 'zombie holocaust' to the Midwest Haunter's Convention to an episode featuring Damien's drunken ramblings (with the most insane rendering of a ghost story you'll ever hear). Staff and ownership from the Dent Schoolhouse along with the HOD!!!'s Fearless Leader have been featured on another edition, with upcoming episodes planned with Brian Robbe and Steve Schreibeis of the USS Nightmare and Gene and Brenda Webb of Sandyland Acres. The show is already great listening and has a lot of potential-although it recently hit a snag when Fatso's laptop moved on to the next world. Hopefully that'll be rectified in the near future. Travis Fessler of the Pickled Brothers Sideshow is still enjoying great notoriety from his record setting stunt last October at Mayhem Mansion (where he set a record for stuffing Madagascar cockroaches into his mouth). Not only is he featured in this year's volume of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not", but he's also had airtime on MTV and been a guest on the Tonight Show (and in the process getting Kentucky's Mayhem Mansion some free publicity even AFTER the haunt season). Travis is still in the process of negotiating with several area haunts to host an event on their grounds. He promises that this year's attention-grabbing stunt will put the lives of both himself and brother Erik at great risk. More on that later...

About Our Hauntingly Good Ratings System

The ratings are based on a system I have developed for scoring haunted houses based on a weighted average for 14 different categories including outside appearance, quality of make up and costumes, lighting, sound, enthusiasm and readiness of guides and actors, length of tour and number of rooms, quality of room detailing, and more (for complete details, see Fright Times #10). It is based on the grading system used by most schools-0 to 100%. Since some of the attractions are so close in quality, I did not feel it was right to rate one over the other in some cases. Sometimes the position order will vary depending on whether the show is having a good or bad night. So, this year the ratings look like this: 1)Legendary-5 stars-anything over 95%. Anything on this level is something you will remember for years...it will be strong in all areas. 2)Excellent-4 stars-anything between 90-95%. Something that is a "must see". A terrifyingly good time that will impress you. A slight shortcoming in one area (usually acting) keeps it from being legendary. 3)Good-3 stars-anything between 80-89%. These attractions are worth your time. They are entertaining and will usually have one major shortcoming (usually location) or a couple of minor ones. 4)Average-2 stars-anything between 70-79%. Worth going to if you're bored or in the neighborhood. Not really worth a long trip or high admission price. They can be fun but come up short in several areas, usually graphics and actors. 5)The Pit Of Hell-1 or No stars-anything below 70%. Don't bother. These attractions take your money and deliver little in return. Short tour times, empty rooms, and few and lousy actors earmark these abominations.

LET'S CHECK OUT THE BEST HAUNTS FOR 2009!

These are numbered in the order I attended them-the numbers are just convenient break points and are NOT rankings. You'll find a ranking list below. 1) KINGS ISLAND HALLOWEEN HAUNT-5 Stars-KI had a breakthrough year for its annual Halloween event last year and followed it up with an even better effort. Gone are Red Beard's Revenge, The Worksite, and the Dead Awakening stage show-replacing them are Cut Throat Cove, the Hot Blooded stage show, and an excellent new indoor haunt, the Slaughter House. Returning are Tombstone Terror-tory, Death Row, Club Blood, Ghouls Gone Wild, Massacre Manor, Trail Of Terror, Carnevil, CornStalkers, Cemetery Drive, and last year's featured haunt, Urgent Scare. Most of the returning haunts are virtually the same as years past, but each has had some effects or set dressing added to give them a bit of a makeover. Of the new events, Slaughter House is easily the best, taking hauntgoers through the rather suspect storefront of a butcher shop and into the meat packing plant that supplies it-all the way into the 'cattle chute' at the end that herds customers towards the exit. It features highly detailed sets and eye candy with some nice effects (if you don't count the huge cutesy stuffed pigs in the pigpens). Cut Throat Cove is a transplanted and much larger version of Red Beard's Revenge, with an outdoor area passing over and along a lake. Hot Blooded is along the lines of Dead Awakening, using many of the same dancers, and features the damp cavern lair of a nest of vampires as the setting for a song and dance revue. It has some nice set pieces such as a vampire flying over the audience on a line to the stage, a bloody staking, and incredibly sexy dancers in skimpy outfits-always a high point. The park was jammed even on a rainy night, but all of the attractions were open. KI is to be commended for the training and recruitment of such a huge body of actors (numbering in the hundreds), and across the board they have high energy and enthusiasm. Costuming, makeup, set design, and effects are all top of the line. Strangely, lighting could use work-many highly detailed sets are pitch black, rendering their dressing useless (such as in the Slaughter House), and barren areas are overlit (as in Massacre Manor), exposing their shortcomings. Likewise, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of recorded sound for some of the indoor events (although ambient sound piped throughout the park is excellent). And on a misty night, there was far too much fog being used, literally making it a risky affair to take a step forward in many spots. Overall, this is a tremendously produced and executed event-KI is rated among the Top 10 Amusement Park Halloween Events by Hauntworld, and it's easy to see why. Check out our feature article on Halloween Haunt elsewhere on the site for more details on the individual events. 2) THE DENT SCHOOLHOUSE-5 Stars Plus-Amazing. Unbelievable. Stupendous. Every time I think Dent can't possibly find a way to top itself-it does. From the new queue line movie to the hillbilly shack at the end, this haunt is as good as it gets. It's got atmosphere, a creepy building, elaborate sets, animatronics, perfect lighting and sound, consistent theming, detailed character make-up (with attention even being lavished upon the teeth of most actors), effective costuming, and a group of the most distinctive and effective actors to be found. Damien Reaper, Calliope, Bludzo, Dr. "Highpockets" Helldrake, Fatso The Clown, Uncle Charlie, Jasper And Jynx, Skittles, Suicide Addams, and many more well established characters (that Damien Reaper will name off in our feature article) are on hand along with some new ones. Some of the makeup jobs are truly bizarre and frightening, not to be seen anywhere else in town. We were literally at a loss trying to find even one thing to complain about. The actors have become much more intense and relentless, even at the end of a long night of haunting where one might expect them to be tired-kudos to new acting director Leslie Wells. Charlie has become much more of a fearsome character, actually hunting down and taking away the schoolchildren now. The bus out front has a new driver, actors are crammed into spaces where you'd never believe one could fit, and you can't even trust the props in the background to stay put anymore. The Schoolhouse claims to have 12 all new rooms, and there were even more by my count. The hillbilly shack at the end qualifies as one of the more entertaining and startling scenes in town. Also new are the Audio/Video room, Charlie's cleaning closet, an expanded nursery, refitted locker room, Principal's Office, nurse's office, biology lab, expanded shop class…the list goes on and on. Extant rooms have had props added and thrashing animatronics seem to be everywhere to set up scares for the actors. Even the 45 minute long movie playing to keep the people in line entertained, "The Janitor", featuring the Schoolhouse's own Uncle Charlie, is top of the line and better than many low budget slasher films that have received theatrical releases. I gave it five stars, and was crushed that I wasn't available to act in it when given the chance. Dent was rated the sixth Best Haunt In America by Hauntworld magazine, and is one of Haunted Attraction's 25 Best Haunts. And they do it all without having to fall back on excessive amounts of gore and blood for shock value. We have lots more to say about the Schoolhouse, and you can read more about it in the feature article located elsewhere on the site. Highest recommendation! 3) USS NIGHTMARE-5 Stars-The Nightmare this year had the unfortunate task of fire department mandated rewiring of the ship, eating up virtually all of the limited amount of time the crew had to make changes on the boat. They still managed to turn a negative into a positive by redoing much of the lighting in the rewiring process, giving long time scenes new looks. They've also ramped up their character makeup, giving each of their characters a unique look designed by the event. Slowly but surely, more and more memorable signature characters have been added to the mix of 35-40 actors (like the Captain, Anna, the long time favorite Rat Lady, and the Vampire Overlord). You'll also see an area first-little people haunting the decks and bowels of the ship. It seems a lot of folks are terrified of little people, and the two on board the ship took full advantage of this. And of course, the Nightmare still has one of the most detailed and largest haunts in the area, with two full decks of terror (over 60 meticulously detailed scenes) and a tour time averaging 25-30 minutes. The original rusting and dilapidated ship's equipment is put to good use as natural set dressing-a far cry from the early days of the event when most of it was covered by wall panels. There are copious animatronics (the most impressive being the monstrous Impaler) and some nice mechanical effects as well (such as the feeding balcony next to the Captain's dining room). And despite what you may read elsewhere, the Nightmare DOES feature a consistent theme (read more about that in the feature article found elsewhere on the site, where we go into much more detail on the event). While the rewiring work was being done on the ship, the crew concurrently worked on putting together Nightmare Landing, the floating family fun center located at the end of the tour. This is a great place to hang out and extend an evening of haunting, with the centerpiece being the Laser Rage laser tag arena. We loved this even when getting trashed two weeks ago, and loved it even more this week when we were the ones doing the trashing! Overall, another solid year for the boat. 4) DUNGEONS OF DELHI-5 Stars-WOW! While the HOD!!! knew going in there had been plenty of changes at the Dungeons, even we weren*t prepared for what we saw. This year the event has expanded to the second floor and has several well executed *movie monster* scenes (provided by a Price Hill haunter whose event had gotten too big for his home) along with a larger and revamped *Monster Mart/Monster Garage* that takes up the entire loading dock. What we weren*t expecting were all the changes made on the first floor, over half of which are brand new. The scenes now number in the mid thirties and new rooms feature the Woods, a revamped graveyard, Hell, Madd Matt*s Shock Therapy, the Guillotine, Crystal Lake (the best venue a local Jason has had), a Saw acid tank room, an Insane Asylum, a Nursery, Crematorium (one of the best new additions!), Funeral Home, Hilly Bill's Kitchen, the Joker twins, a Michael Myers room, Leatherface, and a well staged Vortex. The event raised the volunteer age and now features a much older cast with some really big characters (Delhi cops in the graveyard will tower over the average hauntgoer), and the energy level and enthusiasm shown by them is off the charts. The Dungeons is beginning to restock its supply of homegrown *Icons* as well-with Madd Mark, Madd Matt, the *Joker Twins*, the Dark Lord, Gore, and the area*s most spastic and twisted vampire, the Keeper (known as *New Blood* last year). The Dungeons, while always among the elite of charity haunts, has taken the big step forward into being every bit as good as the pro haunts. The event*s single weak point, the rather featureless and mundane location (the rear of an old Thriftway store), has even been addressed. There are now huge painted murals on the outside walls and regular run-throughs by the characters in the queue line. In a day and age of theming, the Dungeons has resurrected the style of the *anything goes* haunts of years gone by and you*ll never know who (or what) you*ll run into next. Movie rooms compete with crazy themed rooms for a thoroughly enjoyable time. The Dungeons is an experience area hauntgoers will not want to miss-detail, length, and a great cast-it*s got it all. And it*s only $6!!!! You can read more about the event in the feature article located elsewhere on the site. Go see it. Now!    5) ST. RITA*S HAUNTED HOUSE-4 1/2 Stars-St. Rita*s has entered its 34th year of haunting and continues to provide a quality attraction year after year. There have been lots of changes made to the house this season and length has been added to the tour by switching back the path through the house several times, going through many rooms twice (on opposite sides of a natural divider such as a fence or hanging foliage, giving you a look at other groups and a preview of what*s to come). It was the most complex route through the three floor event I*ve experienced in its 32 years of operating in the old house on the hill-St. Rita*s makes better use of their space than any other local haunt. New rooms include a funeral parlor, a Freddy Krueger bedrom, a torture chamber, convict executioner, a cobwebbed hall of vctims, and a three room clown area. There are many animatronics, particularly pop-ups, and room detail is very good in spots (such as the Vampire dining room and Torture Chamber). The cast continues to be on the young side but does display a good level of enthusiasm and there are a LOT of them crammed into its many rooms. The highlight of the tour comes at the end (where it should) with a trek through a graveyard and mausoleum-at one point you*ll be attacked by several characters in quick succession from different directions, and the mausoleum has niches with living monuments and eerie slabs that bang open and shut by themselves. Makeup and particularly costuming continue to be solid, although the event could benefit by using a few more prosthetics or even masks. It remains one of the most enjoyable haunts to visit and also one of the more family friendly ones, offering flashlight tours to groups who want to break their children into the world of haunted houses slowly. There*s more to be said about the event in the feature article elsewhere on the HOD!!! 6) SANDYLAND ACRES HAUNTED HAYRIDE-4 1/2 Stars-there have been lots of changes made to the Hayride this year, starting with the introduction of a new signature character, Mortimer Sneed. Mortimer packs the wagons full of victims to send down the trail-his prior job in Whitechapel makes him familiar with this sort of thing. Most of the scenes along the way are based on popular horror movies, and Sandyland makes sure to have the most current version of each horror icon haunting the grounds-for example, the *Derek Mears* Jason from the Friday The 13th remake or the Halloween 2 remake Michael Myers. Other popular films to be found here are Psycho (particularly effective, utilizing one of the standing buildings as the Bates Motel and even has a representation of the Psycho Mansion in the background), Motel Hell, House Of 1000 Corpses, Jeepers Creepers, and Hostel. The Hostel Scene is particularly gruesome and well done. There are also the longtime Sandyland standbys-the Death Truck that attempts to ram the wagon and the striking Headless Horseman. The werewolves in the corn cribs, the graveyard, the Hellbillies (one of them carrying a mean *boom stick*), and a new clown area are in evidence as well. Missed was the giant bat creature that flew across a field last season. Costuming is spot on and the horror movie characters have excellent quality masks. The corn fields were much more in evidence this year (not having been knocked down by a windstorm like last year) and gave the Hayride a claustrophobic feeling while winding through them. Scares are well set up, using sound and special lighting to distract. Sandyland*s also in a perfect location-seemingly remote but easily accessible from I-275. It*s among the HOD!!!*s favorite stops, as it will give the feeling of fall and Halloween like no other event. Yep, we love it here! As always, you can find out more about the Hayride in the feature article located elsewhere on the site. Highly recommended! 7) MAYHEM MANSION-4 1/2 Stars-The Mansion has seen a huge upgrade in makeup and costuming since last year, and has begun the process of fleshing out some of the interior rooms. They*ve also given the house an excellent backstory based on reality which is related to each group before the tour (and handed out in hard copy at the ticket booth). They stick to the theming throughout and the story even references specific rooms found inside, giving the scenes more impact. The ticket line is integrated within the house this season and the queue line is covered by the front porch. A TV monitor shows the action inside the house live, giving those waiting something to keep them occupied and helping to build anticipation and excitement. The Mansion still provides the dark and sinister environment that the HOD!!! loved last year, along with the LOUDEST cast around. Entering through an open upstairs window, hauntgoers pass through the second floor where the children poisoned during the 30*s were sent by partying adults. A bedroom full of rats, a nursery (located in the event*s *haunted* room, and a bloody bedroom are the highlights here along with the trademark dark halls. Scenes such as the haunted well, the cell, and the spider*s lair on the ground floor make excellent use of the foundation rock and features of the mansion. Among other scenes and more dark hallways on the ground floor there*s also Sammy*s Dining Room (a most grisly repast), the wine cellar (which conveniently explains the presence of a traditional *dot ghost* room), the kitchen, the movie room, the chapel, a bar, and the hanging closet-where not only the hauntgoers but sometimes the staff have a hard time escaping from. The cliched chainsaw room at the end has been replaced by something a bit more personal and in your face-in my opinion, a good choice as it not only keeps the theme intact but helps to set the event apart from the crowd. While the cast is young, the event has done its best to place them in the proper context (the younger members are in the rooms kids would have been in during the 30*s), and they certainly don*t lack for enthusiasm. Limited touching and grabbing adds to the impact, and a chaotic, loud soundtrack and effective use of lighting does the same. The Mansion has taken a step up from last year, and while they fell just short of 4 1/2 stars, we*re giving it to them anyway since the tour also includes (weather permitting) the Terror On The Lakes Haunted Trail, a more sedate attraction that adds more value to the event. There*s also a Scarecrow*s Pumpkin Patch with a hay maze and pumpkin painting for kids during the daytime. The location and environment couldn*t be better, making this an attraction well worth the drive from Cincinnati and beyond. You can read more about the Mansion in the feature article elsewhere on the HOD!!! 8) MT. HEALTHY HAUNTED HALL-4 ˝ Stars-The Hall put up a new website this year along with a well done video giving the backstory of the event. Their new front man, undead preacher Reverend Emmett Rotts, provides an immediate presence. From his elevated position at an unholy pulpit sporting an inverted cross on the deck at the back of the haunt, he flings steel folding chairs at hauntgoers in an effort to get them to listen to his blasphemous sermon. As usual, the Hall is 100% new this year, being built from the ground up each season. This is its 20th season, and to celebrate, not only have they increased the number of scenes outside and doubled the size of the black maze, they've also made it "The Year Of Bug Boy". Yes, the Bugster's handsome mug graces the front of this year's "Two Decades Of Decay" T-Shirt at the Hall, and his room is even more chaotic than normal with books and bugs strewn everywhere-guess he's mad that his TV got repossessed. The Hall is an old school haunt and still uses classic monsters, so you'll see the Mummy, Dracula, and the Wolfman in nicely done rooms, along with Hall mainstay Satan. A new Crystal Lake area complete with multiple tents shows that the haunt keeps up with the newer slashers, too. There are a couple of the Hall's trademarked elaborate oddball rooms as well-the Bride of Frankenstein's Wedding and the Toy-turer (a clown with a bit too much time on his hands). The Bride's tent is particularly enjoyable, as it dishes up one surprise after another, including the return of our 'effect of the year' from a couple of years ago-and the dialogue is priceless. Want more? Well, there's Norman Bates, the Executioner's room, the Crypt, the Unknown Soldier, the Kreature Kages, the Junkyard, the Hall Of Portraits, and more. The Hall has a few effective homemade mechanical effects-the Hellavator, the spinning floor, breathing tunnel, the falling ceiling, and the area's best vortex tunnel. If you thought the black maze was tough before, it now takes up two full tents instead of just one. Even worse, monsters inside the maze like to roll barrels in front of key junctions just to further confound anyone who ventures in. Some in the crowd were so confused that they ended up backtracking, going back out the entrance, deciding to cut their losses, and leaving (only to be harangued by Reverend Rotts for their ineptitude). One group was inside for 45 minutes. It took the HOD!!! about 10 minutes, not bad considering the evil maze creature at first planted the barrel right before the exit. So depending on how much someone sucks at navigating the maze (and how long the ghouls inside want you to stay in there), a tour can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes. There's a nice mix of masks, standard make-up, and wound make-up. As with most charity haunts, much of the cast is young, but not as noticeable as in prior years, and they're among the best in interacting with and entertaining hauntgoers. The emphasis at the Hall is on entertainment, not blood, gore, and depravity. Well, OK, maybe depravity, but in a good kinda way. The Hall's a time machine where the best of a classic-style haunted house lives on, and one of the HOD!!!'s favorite annual stops. Read more about Reverend Rotts and his demonic congregation in the Haunted Hall feature located elsewhere on the site. 9) JUNCTION NIGHTMARE-4 1/2 Stars-the Junction features two haunts, Ripper's Revenge and the Fear Factory. Unlike many multi-events, you don't have to stand in line more than once-Fear Factory is entered immediately upon leaving Ripper's Revenge. The events work well together as they're completely different in tone and feel. The detailing, atmosphere, and costuming in Ripper's Revenge is excellent, conveying a real sense of the backalleys and squalid tenements of Victorian era London. Standout rooms include the clothes closet, roach hallway, Street of Shops, the Cemetery Gate, and the Mausoleum. Lighting has been toned down a bit from last year, making things darker and more menacing. The performances here are more theatrical, and the actors seem to relish their characters-many are reprising their roles from last year. Jack the Ripper appears at two points in the tour, the first a real surprise-he strikes and is gone in the blink of an eye, and sets up expectations he may cross your path at any moment. Fear Factory features much rowdier acting, and has a multitude of well done 'funhouse' style effects. The mirror maze is the HOD!!!'s personal favorite-easily the best one we've ever been in. It's surprising no one's walked through a mirror yet! There's a short but extremely fast-rotating vortex tunnel, a vibrating floor, a wind tunnel room, and a very effective dot room. The highlight is the chainlink fence maze, which contains 4 Klowns cut from the Captain Spaulding mold-all big guys who won't let you leave until THEY'RE ready to let you leave. The craziness level in here is high, to say the least. There are also a couple of hottie Kutie Klowns in a curtain maze who will have you going in circles as well. Actors in both attractions are liable to take a liking to you and decide to follow you throughout the event, breathing down your neck while assuring you that nothing bad will happen to you while they're there, nosiree. About the only complaint we had was the transition between the two haunts-it's a featureless couple of rooms with black plastic. Perhaps establishing the second haunt as a traveling carnival outside London and setting up some sort of tunnel/carny ticket booth would work better (the vortex would have been perfect to make this transition, acting as a 'time tunnel' or 'space warp'). Junction Nightmare remains a largely underappreciated haunt. It's got outstanding acting, a solid tour time (about 20 minutes), excellent rooms and effects, good theming in each attraction, and provides fright and fun in the same package. It's also in a great facility with ample free parking, is easy to get to (right off the highway), and admission can be as low as $7.50 using the coupons on their website. Perhaps the 'family friendly' atmosphere of EnterTRAINment Junction makes hauntgoers skittish about attending, but make no mistake-it's not a haunt for kids. There's more to be said about Junction Nightmare and you can find it in the feature article located elsewhere on the HOD!!!