Skelterbet
10-22-2006, 07:03 PM
In case you haven't heard, The Asylum is a local Haunt that recently was rated the number 1 Haunt for 2006 by the Haunted Denver Critics. It is located in the Boondocks parking lot (and you have to go through Boondocks to buy a ticket, then go back through to go see the Haunt - I bring this up because the lines get long and it would be worse if you waited through them before finding out where to get the tickets).
A Review of The Asylum in Haunted Denver format
Scare Factor: 6 (Decent)
I need to state up front that I do not scare easily or often. The way I see it, there are two basic types of Scares: The Startle Effect (where something jumps out at you from a place you weren't expecting it) and The Atmosphere Effect (where the look and feel build sufficient tension to the point that you don't want to go into the next room but you can't help it). A good Haunt should have both effects. The Asylum started out very well setting up the right atmosphere for a good Haunt and utilized the Startle Effect at opportune moments. Walking in I was impressed with the initial look and feel and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of walking through the bloody reception area and down the hallway. The hallway was lined with doors that had little windows at the top. This set a great tone for the rest of the Haunt. That said, it didn't scare me.
Actors: 9 (Excellent)
The actors (patients?) in The Asylum were great overall. The gentleman that explains the rules was perfect and many of the patients (actors?) stayed in character and were suitably creepy. The Chainsaw Guy (why isn't there ever a Chainsaw Girl?) deserves special mention: he was behind a set of slats and started the chainsaw...and then he just watched people walk by. Initially people were ready to run, but then they saw he couldn't get to them so they started walking by; of course, he pushed the slats open, revved up the chainsaw and went to town. His timing was perfect. Overall, the makeup was good (the gentleman at the beginning deserves honarable mention - great makeup).
Set Design/Props/FX: 7 (Pretty Good)
The Asylum set started off excellent and then gradually went down from there. Most of the Haunt is a continuous hallway with a couple of alcoves thrown in and a room or two. Given the limited space they had to work in, I think they did pretty good. The props looked good. One thing: I understand having a guy getting electrocuted in the Electric Chair (well...sort of - executions are in prisons, not asylums...but I digress - it worked), but I don't understand the need to put two guys getting electrocuted at different parts of the Haunt. If you really want to use both of them in a mental institution environment, maybe you could use them together...sort of like a psychological experiment that failed or something (a la Mengele or something)? I don't know, but seeing the same thing again bothered me. I did like the "Phobia Research" area concept.
Length: 8 (Very Good)
I was unable to time my trip through The Asylum (mainly because the rain was obscuring my watch too much to read), but the length was good. I felt I definately received my monies worth. My only complaint is that the crowd was so big that by the end we were one big Conga Line dancing to the tune of a crazed Chainsaw Guy. That said, I love watching other people get scared, and was happy to see it occur throughout the line.
Overall score for The Asylum: 8 (Very Good) (I round fractions to whole numbers).
Some notes: I went to The Asylum last year and was thunderstruck that it received such a great rating. Last year I was not impressed with the set, the length, the actors (except for the girl singing "Rubber Ducky"), or the scares. I am happy to report that it has improved significantly from last year. Overall, I really enjoyed going through it this year. People that are avoiding it because it is inside a series of tents are really missing out.
A Review of The Asylum in Haunted Denver format
Scare Factor: 6 (Decent)
I need to state up front that I do not scare easily or often. The way I see it, there are two basic types of Scares: The Startle Effect (where something jumps out at you from a place you weren't expecting it) and The Atmosphere Effect (where the look and feel build sufficient tension to the point that you don't want to go into the next room but you can't help it). A good Haunt should have both effects. The Asylum started out very well setting up the right atmosphere for a good Haunt and utilized the Startle Effect at opportune moments. Walking in I was impressed with the initial look and feel and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of walking through the bloody reception area and down the hallway. The hallway was lined with doors that had little windows at the top. This set a great tone for the rest of the Haunt. That said, it didn't scare me.
Actors: 9 (Excellent)
The actors (patients?) in The Asylum were great overall. The gentleman that explains the rules was perfect and many of the patients (actors?) stayed in character and were suitably creepy. The Chainsaw Guy (why isn't there ever a Chainsaw Girl?) deserves special mention: he was behind a set of slats and started the chainsaw...and then he just watched people walk by. Initially people were ready to run, but then they saw he couldn't get to them so they started walking by; of course, he pushed the slats open, revved up the chainsaw and went to town. His timing was perfect. Overall, the makeup was good (the gentleman at the beginning deserves honarable mention - great makeup).
Set Design/Props/FX: 7 (Pretty Good)
The Asylum set started off excellent and then gradually went down from there. Most of the Haunt is a continuous hallway with a couple of alcoves thrown in and a room or two. Given the limited space they had to work in, I think they did pretty good. The props looked good. One thing: I understand having a guy getting electrocuted in the Electric Chair (well...sort of - executions are in prisons, not asylums...but I digress - it worked), but I don't understand the need to put two guys getting electrocuted at different parts of the Haunt. If you really want to use both of them in a mental institution environment, maybe you could use them together...sort of like a psychological experiment that failed or something (a la Mengele or something)? I don't know, but seeing the same thing again bothered me. I did like the "Phobia Research" area concept.
Length: 8 (Very Good)
I was unable to time my trip through The Asylum (mainly because the rain was obscuring my watch too much to read), but the length was good. I felt I definately received my monies worth. My only complaint is that the crowd was so big that by the end we were one big Conga Line dancing to the tune of a crazed Chainsaw Guy. That said, I love watching other people get scared, and was happy to see it occur throughout the line.
Overall score for The Asylum: 8 (Very Good) (I round fractions to whole numbers).
Some notes: I went to The Asylum last year and was thunderstruck that it received such a great rating. Last year I was not impressed with the set, the length, the actors (except for the girl singing "Rubber Ducky"), or the scares. I am happy to report that it has improved significantly from last year. Overall, I really enjoyed going through it this year. People that are avoiding it because it is inside a series of tents are really missing out.