What Am I Missing?

[Edvard_Grieg]

Please know this is being asked as an honest question and not meant to be incindiary.

What is the big deal with the Asylum? I went last year and I was incredibly disappointed. I went with a couple of friends after reading the rave reviews. We paid a fair amount of money for the VIP tickets as the normal line was insane, and they are just herding people in- there were groups right in front and behind us---that in and of its self ruined the illusion, but on top of that there were just so many other things.

One of the people in front of us had a kid (under 10) who was getting freaked out, and we watched as one of the actors took them out and away (and saw how they were hiding outside the attraction). Beyond that, the upper covering (black tarps?) was so scattered and letting the moonlight in, that it was pretty obvious you were walking through a parking lot with plywood walls.

Maybe I'm spoiled with scenery etc at Frightmare, but I don't understand how the Asylum gets such a great reputation. Did I just end up there on an off night?

[Njisonfire]

I totally agree with you, I went ON halloween night last year and felt that I was just walking around in the dark, alot of nothingness. I dont see what the big deal was.

[Luv2BScared]

I went to several haunts numerous times last season and had a different experience evey time I went. The possibility that it was an off night is very plausible. I have encountered off nights at most of the haunts in town. It is a live show that you are going to, and with that there is a large element of unforseen events that can and do occur. Actors not showing up, visitors that are bottle-necking the haunt, having to stop everything to get someone out that is too afraid, actors not having enough time to re-set themselves, or the room they are working. Timing of groups in a haunt is critical to the overall experience, and all haunt owners know that. Groups are sent in at set intervals to try to maintain perfect timing. Once inside, it is difficult to maintain that. People that run through catch up to the group ahead of them. People that walk too slow get caught up to. Unfortunately, there is only so much that actors at any haunt can do to keep the pace moving smoothly. Some haunts send groups in with a guide to keep them well paced, and it does work pretty well, but the distraction of the guide can change the experience for the visitor. What then, is the solution? Sending groups in only once every ten minutes? Then people are upset about the long wait in line. There is no easy answer, and haunt owners are constantly looking for a solution to problems such as those. But again, it is a live performance, not taped and edited, so there are unexpected elements. For me, that is one of the things that I enjoy the most. The unexpected.

[Strobelight]

Luv2bescared,
I'm sure what you have said is true, towards the end of the month. But last night we went up there and thought the same thing as the previous posts. It must have been around 7:30 or so and it was dead. And some of the groups walking out said it was not even scary. For being the 2nd weekend one would think this would be ironed out by now.
This was the first time that I have seen so many peps saying the same thing.
You could hear some screams coming within but it seemed like the was nothing to set the mood.
I'll wait maybe til next weekend, if it seems better.
What rooms have changed if any?

[Edvard_Grieg]

I can definitely understand the crux of timing with a haunted house. I went to Field of Screams last weekend (first time ever), and the beginning was absolutely awesome, but there was a decent wait between groups as they reset the first room. Luckily since it was opening weekend (I think?) there was hardly anyone there, so it wasn't a big deal, but I could see how it would have been bad when it's really busy.

With that though, I noticed gaps where actors should have been etc, and admittedly, with one room that has a laser and essentially pitch black maze, my group and I were stuck for awhile and people caught up to us :-( So I understand how that can be tough- admittedly I thought some low level light would have been helpful (and hopefully prevented my buddy from walking straight into a wall)

I understand how a house can be off, and those criticism are fair, I guess with the &#39;rave&#39; reviews for it I felt it was way at the other extreme <shrug> I&#39;m looking forward to Frightmare again (I enjoy it every year), and Field of Corpses for the first time next weekend.

Are there any recommendations for other haunts that really have good atmosphere etc, or are these pretty much in a league of their own?

Thanks all!

[floydfan]

I think one thing people always need to remember is that every individual is different. We all like different aspects and have different ideas of what a good haunt is. My self I have always enjoyed the asylum, for me it is exactly what i am looking for in a haunt. But I hate frightmare. Frightmare has never scared me, I am usually on the brink of boredom. For some reason it just doesn&#39;t do anything to creep me out or impress me. There are plenty of people who have the same experience i do, but there are also plenty of people who are completely opposite from that. People who are near boredom in the asylum and love frightmare. Basically we will never see a haunt that pleases everyone because we all look for something different. The asylum has been a very successful haunted house, so they are obviously managing to deliver the scares to a certain demographic that keep returning for more. And that is really what all haunters try to do, keep there core fans happy and keep them coming back for more. This is why attractions like frightmare and Nightmare factory productions have been around for so long, they deliver what the people in there respective areas want.

[Eric]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (floydfan @ Oct 7 2007, 08:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=2389)</div>
I think one thing people always need to remember is that every individual is different. We all like different aspects and have different ideas of what a good haunt is. My self I have always enjoyed the asylum, for me it is exactly what i am looking for in a haunt. But I hate frightmare. Frightmare has never scared me, I am usually on the brink of boredom. For some reason it just doesn&#39;t do anything to creep me out or impress me. There are plenty of people who have the same experience i do, but there are also plenty of people who are completely opposite from that. People who are near boredom in the asylum and love frightmare. Basically we will never see a haunt that pleases everyone because we all look for something different. The asylum has been a very successful haunted house, so they are obviously managing to deliver the scares to a certain demographic that keep returning for more. And that is really what all haunters try to do, keep there core fans happy and keep them coming back for more. This is why attractions like frightmare and Nightmare factory productions have been around for so long, they deliver what the people in there respective areas want.[/b]


You have hit the nail on the head.. I love most the haunt&#39;s I can get to but sadly when you work one you don&#39;t get the opportunity.

Needless to say I rate haunt&#39;s differently then a lot of people since I don&#39;t get scared.

I use actor&#39;s, how well they stay in character and timing,

The use of space and set design. if you go to the Asylum this year they have increased the size with the limited space they have and the sets are very well done with what they have to work with.

Then the last is how effective was it, I useally wait till a group is ahead of us to stop and catch up to see their reactions or I wait. I wanna see how anyone else will react to it.

But that&#39;s just me.

[Luv2BScared]

Strobelight: Tonight was a perfect example of what I posted earlier. I revisited a haunt I have already seen this season. (And no, I&#39;m not mentioning names) Timing on my first visit was perfect. Tonight, I went in a full 15 minutes behind the group ahead of me because being Sunday night, it was very slow at the haunt and I had that option. Low and behold, although I walked at a normal steady pace, I caught up to the group ahead of me. They were scared, and stopped at every scene and completly froze, therefore holding up the entire haunt. So, again, timing is key, but haunt owners have little if no control over reactions from visitors.
Weeknights are always slower at haunts, that&#39;s a given. Haunt owners do the very best they can to deliver the same show every time, every night. They do make changes to actors lines, costumes, placement, if they find something is not working out, they change it for the better. Haunt owners do not invest the kind of time, effort and money it takes to run a haunt to deliver a ho-hum experience. They invest their lives into what they are doing, and they want the public to walk out feeling entertained. That&#39;s really what a haunt is about, it&#39;s about entertainment. I have been to many haunts that did not scare me at all, that doesn&#39;t make it a bad haunt. If the set design, props, actors and attention to detail are there, it&#39;s still a very entertaining haunt. I have to look past the intent to scare, and really look at the set I am in. Is it authentic? Are the sounds, smells, lighting and props accurate? It has to be a full suspension of disbelief to work. How does a room I&#39;m in make me feel? Do I really feel like I am standing in Norman Bates&#39; house? When a haunt really makes you feel the surroundings, that for me makes a great attraction. Being scared or startled once or twice in a haunt is great, but it&#39;s instant gratification. I enjoy scenes that are so authentic and believable that I will talk about them for weeks and months to come.

[Edvard_Grieg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Luv2BScared @ Oct 7 2007, 09:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=2394)</div>
Strobelight: Tonight was a perfect example of what I posted earlier. I revisited a haunt I have already seen this season. (And no, I&#39;m not mentioning names) Timing on my first visit was perfect. Tonight, I went in a full 15 minutes behind the group ahead of me because being Sunday night, it was very slow at the haunt and I had that option. Low and behold, although I walked at a normal steady pace, I caught up to the group ahead of me. They were scared, and stopped at every scene and completly froze, therefore holding up the entire haunt. So, again, timing is key, but haunt owners have little if no control over reactions from visitors.
Weeknights are always slower at haunts, that&#39;s a given. Haunt owners do the very best they can to deliver the same show every time, every night. They do make changes to actors lines, costumes, placement, if they find something is not working out, they change it for the better. Haunt owners do not invest the kind of time, effort and money it takes to run a haunt to deliver a ho-hum experience. They invest their lives into what they are doing, and they want the public to walk out feeling entertained. That&#39;s really what a haunt is about, it&#39;s about entertainment. I have been to many haunts that did not scare me at all, that doesn&#39;t make it a bad haunt. If the set design, props, actors and attention to detail are there, it&#39;s still a very entertaining haunt. I have to look past the intent to scare, and really look at the set I am in. Is it authentic? Are the sounds, smells, lighting and props accurate? It has to be a full suspension of disbelief to work. How does a room I&#39;m in make me feel? Do I really feel like I am standing in Norman Bates&#39; house? When a haunt really makes you feel the surroundings, that for me makes a great attraction. Being scared or startled once or twice in a haunt is great, but it&#39;s instant gratification. I enjoy scenes that are so authentic and believable that I will talk about them for weeks and months to come.[/b]

I completely agree with you, that it takes a lot to scare me, and I am the same in that I get immersed with the detail that is used in the haunt itself. I honestly haven&#39;t been to many, but I think I&#39;ll try and give the Asylum another shot this year.

What are some other good haunts that really have that &#39;authentic&#39; feeling of actually being somewhere else?

[Luv2BScared]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (floydfan @ Oct 7 2007, 09:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=2389)</div>
I think one thing people always need to remember is that every individual is different. We all like different aspects and have different ideas of what a good haunt is. My self I have always enjoyed the asylum, for me it is exactly what i am looking for in a haunt. But I hate frightmare. Frightmare has never scared me, I am usually on the brink of boredom. For some reason it just doesn&#39;t do anything to creep me out or impress me. There are plenty of people who have the same experience i do, but there are also plenty of people who are completely opposite from that. People who are near boredom in the asylum and love frightmare. Basically we will never see a haunt that pleases everyone because we all look for something different. The asylum has been a very successful haunted house, so they are obviously managing to deliver the scares to a certain demographic that keep returning for more. And that is really what all haunters try to do, keep there core fans happy and keep them coming back for more. This is why attractions like frightmare and Nightmare factory productions have been around for so long, they deliver what the people in there respective areas want.[/b]

This is very true. Ten of us can all witness an event, and we will all walk away feeling different about it. A car accident for instance: I may walk away feeling very badly for those involved thinking of their injuries, damages, expenses, etc.

You may walk away feling horrified at what you just saw and fearful of ever getting into a a vehicle again.

Someone else may walk away feeling like that was the coolest thing they had ever seen. The squealing tires, the sound of metal crashing into metal.

We are all individuals, and our perception filters are different. Stephen King once described it in an interview that way. He said some people have very fine filters that keep the worst of the horror out, some have almost no filter that lets everything through. I agree with that. But on the flip side, I have always found something to enjoy from every haunt I visit.
That is also why we have a team of 8 reviewing haunts. We range in age, background and personality. We are all very different which enables us to give a well rounded review of the haunts we visit.

[Blueeyes1785]

I agree whole heartedly at everything said here.

Just reminds me of last night, even though our people were timing groups at the beginning and the middle of the haunt, when they ended up in my room we had a few lines of about 15 to 20 people walking through. The lines never seemed to end.

It&#39;s sooo hard to space out customers.

[Big Perm]

As far as line spacing goes I suppose that I&#39;ve come to terms with the fact that I will probably run into a group in front of me and have a group behind me catch up. The more busy the attraction the higher the probability. Really, there are two ways around this:

Go to a guided tour haunted house where they regulate the spacing and don&#39;t complain about waiting in line for upwards of 2 hours, or...

go to a self-guided attraction and realize that we&#39;re not exactly an accurate slice of the demographic, we don&#39;t get scared as easily (in general) and bolt through and we want to take the time to see what&#39;s going on and so we&#39;ll probably see other people no matter the circumstance.