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Haunt Tour Pt 2 Rich Hanf

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  • Haunt Tour Pt 2 Rich Hanf

    Before you guys read this, please scroll down to read my part 1. I think it will help to keep this review in perspective. Part 3 is forthcoming. Thanks Rich

    General Info…a combo ticket to see all 4 shows was a staggering $64 with a vip upgrade of $10 PER SHOW. That means seeing all 4 houses with the upgrade cost $104.
    Rich Hanf the Customer…well there are both positives and negatives here. If I were going through as a customer I would have extremely mixed feelings. To start with…both The Beast and the Edge of Hell are extremely LONG attractions. I heard it said of both attractions that by the time it was over people were “ready” to get out of there. The Beast especially. I have no way of knowing for real, but my guess is that you spend a minimum of 60% of your time there in absolute total darkness. The same is true with the Edge of Hell but The Beast really stood out for me. Other than a “Black Out House” which is completely dark on purpose, I have never spent more time in total darkness…but that’s not all. In addition there were actual dead ends, hidden doors, and loop arounds that made it almost impossible to find our way out. I can’t tell you how many times people pulled out there cell phones and used them for light. This extended darkness really served to dramatically slow you down and extend the time you spent in the haunt. On one hand, as a customer you would want as long an experience as possible but I would want that longevity to be enjoyable. I heard a lot of people…and I’ll include myself amongst them…starting to get aggravated by our inability to navigate through all that darkness. There was one area that had a small maze of doors. There were strobes going hard and fast and of course the volume throughout the entire attraction was nothing short of ear splitting. After being unable to find our way out, we just said to the actor there…listen…this sucks, just get us out of here. By that time our nerves were just shot and the strobe didn’t help the impending headache were all seemed to share. It is only fair to mention that just past this area was yet another slide. As Ben mentioned to me…this “lost area” could actually serve as a “moving cue’ function that would help prevent a log jam at the slide. If that was the case that area would change from being aggravating to brilliantly conceived (but aggravating). That said, there was just such a jam up at another slide just past the live alligator (yes I said the live alligator). This area BTW had the best use of the Distortions animatronic alligator that I have ever seen. Very well used and very effective.
    In addition, the darkness really served to set one up for some of the more unpleasant experiences I personally had there. Aside from walking into a low hanging cave entrance (as usual…leading with my head)…the darkness allowed you to get too close to the animatronics that suddenly activates with both light and sound and then comes flying out to hit you in the face (like my face needs THAT kind of help) . Lastly, the darkness sets you up for the crotch level dog that comes flying out and nailed me in the family jewels. I mentioned that particular one to others and was informed that I was by far not the only one to experience that particular joy…but was told that it was not an animatronic, rather a puppet. That means that someone hit me and the others there on purpose. When I mentioned that fact to Amber Arnett Bequeth (the point person for Full Moon Inc), she thought it was funny. Why am I thinking that she would be the first in line at the lawyers office if one of my animatronic grabbed and twisted one of her breasts? That said, I do so greatly admire her completely unapologetic attitude. If I didn’t know better I’d guess she was from Jersey.
    Lastly…I have to mention the actors. I mentioned earlier how some of them were nothing short of brilliant. The pride, attention to detail, their willingness and ability to get into character…from a vampire girl to Saint Peter to a street walking hooker in old London all added so much to the experience. That said, that praise was not intended for everyone. I would have thought that a group of people who have been haunting for what…say 35 years…would have thought to teach their actors that screaming full voice up close into someone’s ear is neither scary or funny. As I mentioned before, the volume in these shows was nothing short of ear splitting. Add to that loud air cannon blasts at ear level and really loud blasts at ear level and the last thing I needed was these A-Holes screaming dead on into my ear. After 6 or 8 times I had had enough and I told an actor that if he came near me again I was going to knock him out!!! Can you imagine…I threatened a haunted house actor…but that was how obnoxious they were. I ended up going through the rest of the house with my fingers in my ears every time I though some untrained actor would jump out and do his best to bust my ear drum…which I’m certain Amber would have thought was funny.
    The Chamber of Edgar Alan Poe was so cool. Here you are entering a room, seeing an open floor with cut up body parts in it with the thump, thump, thump of the “tell tale heart” when just around the corner something is almost certain to ruin it. BTW…is the brilliance of recreating the works of EAP wasted on today’s youth who seem not to know that Paul McCartney was once in a group prior to WINGS? (Just a thought)
    What was so weird for me (and so many others) was that every time you saw something more creative, more brilliantly used , more stunning than you had ever seen before…something that just took your breath away…it was always countered by something to down the experience…and every time you were hurt, aggravated, pissed off and just wanting to get the hell out, they countered by showing you something so over the top fabulous that as a haunter you had no choice but to love it and continue.
    Whether it was recreating movie sets in the Macabre Cinema, recreating the stories of Edgar Alan Poe, or the creative brilliance of Hell and Beast…I feel they did both themselves and us a disservice by the physical drawbacks I experienced in the shows.

  • #2
    I don't know, they sound rather arrogant and pompous to me....

    DA

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    • #3
      These haunts are great! I dont believe the owners are anything like that. Although I have never met them in person. I have spoken with Amber on the phone before and she was very nice and sincere. And answered all my questions. Those dobermen pinchers that got ahold of you Rich are Death Studios hand puppets. First time I went through Edge I thought they were animatronic too. LOL!
      Damon
      Damon Carson

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