OVERALL RATING :

Scare Factor

Actors

Set Design

Length

Rank: #17 out of 21

RAW SCORE : 6.625

RATING

REVIEW

This is a haunted house that has a lot of potential. It has a great story. The girl at the beginning of the haunt does great. She really gets into her role. The only bad thing about the beginning was the chainsaw from another room was so loud I didn't even catch everything she was saying.

The set in the beginning was improved from last year. The walls felt like halls and the set was pretty good. The rest of the haunt went downhill. There were many rooms that did nothing. There were few monsters or effects. I counted probably five people throughout the whole haunt. Not all of the rooms followed the main theme. There were a couple jumps here and there. The monsters I did see were already in the open and added a couple cheesy lines that weren't scary. The set was also very dark. I was hoping that it would make it scarier but it didn't.

There wasn't anything that stood out about this haunt to bring me back again this season.

PROS

Good beginning and set

CONS

Few actors, many dead spots

RATING

REVIEW

I like the concept of this haunt being a haunted hotel. The beginning started out really well and I noticed the improvements with the "lobby" this year. The bellhop explaining the backstory in the elevator was a nice touch, but the chainsaws nearby made it hard to concentrate on her. I liked the idea of the 13th door being some sort of passageway to whatever awaited us on the 13th floor, but thought the storyline was a little confusing to follow. I don't want to have to think too much in a haunt... just enjoy it.

There were a few good scares, mostly with animatronics popping out. I noticed several missed occasions for scares, though. A few more actors might have done the trick. The few that were there did okay, but nothing too memorable, with the exception of the bellhop.

The sets are decent and most of the rooms stick with the hotel theme. I found it confusing where we were supposed to go in several rooms. Making it hard to find an exit briefly is one thing, but being able to easily wander backstage ruins the illusion.

Overall, I thought the theme was fairly well thought out, but maybe too difficult to explain quickly and that the sets were decent. I didn't like that many of the rooms were too dark to see much detail.

PROS

Fairly consistent theme, good variety of rooms

CONS

Too dark, too many curtains, path was confusing

RATING

REVIEW

This was a really dark haunt. I like the beginning actor in the "elevator." She was enthusiastic (although I couldn't hear the storyline above the roar of a chainsaw), but after that I counted maybe four actors all together. The animatronics used were cheap and few. Lots of rooms had potential to capitalize on the dark factor, but never came through with a scare - just more curtains to walk through. The theme was inconsistent, i.e. neon paint? They had me confused because they have you walk through the 13th door In the beginning (rather than the end like previous years) and then somehow make your way to the 13th floor - which is it? I found this haunt disappointing.

PROS

Um...

CONS

Poor set design, very few actors, not creative

RATING

REVIEW

I was a little confused in this haunt. We went through the 13th door, were told to look for the 13th floor, and in the end it was a bit of a bore.

A great idea and concept, but in the end it was found wanting. The hotel theme is a great and original idea, and I loved the introduction by the bellhop. However, the introduction was less than it could have been because it was hard to hear with the chainsaw running in the background.

Inside, the monsters were nowhere to be found and the animatronics were too many, and too cheesy to have a good effect. The length was about right but could have been a little longer if there were people to fill the space. The theme was really good but there were a few random rooms that had nothing to do with the 13th Door or Floor.

PROS

Great theme, good ideas

CONS

Cheesy effects, random rooms that didn't match theme

RATING

REVIEW

This is one haunt that I liked for many reasons.

The theme is an old haunted hotel, and they did a great job of maintaining that throughout. There were so many rooms to this haunt I really felt as though I was going from floor to floor, and sometimes hopelessly lost. This also helped add to the length of this one. I didn't feel like I was rushed in and out. The majority of the time we were in this haunt we were in some of the darkest rooms I have been in, which added to the creepiness. Keep your eyes on the mirrors, they have some great things to offer.

Some areas, though, were so dark we had no idea where to go, and that was a bit frustrating.

Although there were some great props and details here, it would have been better if the lighting wasn't quite so dark. There were things in rooms that just couldn't be seen because there wasn't enough lighting, and I felt that I wasn't getting the full experience.

The actors did a good job, but the bellhop in the beginning talked too fast to fully understand, and watch out for the swinging doors at the end of the hall or you just might get knocked out!

I liked this quite a bit, and I think they are on the right track to having a really great haunt.

PROS

Great theme consistency, lots of great rooms

CONS

Needed more actors, too dark in some places

RATING

REVIEW

The concept for 13th Door was pretty cool...I think?

The hotel entry and bellhop seemed to indicate a cohesive theme and story line, but poor acoustics and timing made it very hard to hear the bellhop's introduction over the grinding chain saw in the background. Despite not being able to hear her every word, the bellhop was very animated and seemed to do a good job. She had my attention as I desperately strained to hear her over the power tools.

Unfortunately, things didn't improve drastically from there. The props were generally good, but involved too many poorly-timed animatronics and similar effects used repeatedly. The actual actors were few and far between, but the two I remember besides the bellhop gave it their all, even if they weren't particularly scary.

The 13th Door felt rather long and at times was a bit boring. There are elements of creepiness and some parts felt maze-like, which gave the impression of a large hotel and complicated floor plan.

This haunt just didn't rank as particularly frightening to me, so it may be better suited for families with younger kids.

PROS

Neat idea, some cool rooms in the set

CONS

Where were the actors?!, seemed like the effects were reused throughout

RATING

REVIEW

I love the idea of this haunt. The entry feels like a run-down hotel lobby, and the elevator (while not particularly convincing) provides a fun setup for the rest of the haunt.

The 13th Door is at its best in the spots where it focuses on authentic design, such as in the various bedrooms, washroom, bathroom, and more. In these rooms, there were plenty of things to keep my eyes busy, causing me to let down my guard just in time for a good scare.

This haunt also made good use of sounds, with creepy voices ranging from whispers to shrieks that added a fun element to this haunt.

As there weren't many actors in this haunt, most of the scares depended on the sets, which would have been great had they not been augmented with a surplus of neon paint and curtains. As authentic as some rooms were, others were equally uninspiring. I've been in haunts where it felt like the hallways are on fire, and this isn't achieved by painting neon orange, green, and blue flames on black walls.

Though a few aspects could have been maximized with a little more energy and creativity, this is still a good place to have a fun time.

PROS

Fun theme, some good rooms, great opening

CONS

Few actors, lots of dead space in hallways

RATING 7.0 (Pretty Good)

REVIEW

Walking down the hallway to the door we had to walk through, the one with the big "13" on it, was pretty creepy. I really liked the fact that they made us open the door ourselves. Interaction where I, as a visitor, must actually physically participate is always a plus.

This haunt was very dark, literally. There wasn't much light so I had trouble at times seeing where I was going and what was in front of me. This can be good and bad, but either way helped in the overall feel of the haunt as being scary. There weren't enough actors. There were many times where a good actor could have provided and intensified a scare, but this just didn't happen as much as I would have liked it to. For instance, the slanted room with the vertical lines in it and the couch would have been perfect for a scare. I was disappointed when nothing happened.

This haunt used a lot of curtains. Again, having to physically do something in a haunt such as pulling over a curtain so you can walk through the room gets me involved in the haunt, and I totally like that.

However, one might say that this haunt had way too many curtains. A few strategically placed would have been great. But it started getting to the point that these curtains just became a nuisance.

Length was really good in relation to the haunt as a whole. Overall, not bad.

PROS

Dark atmosphere, length

CONS

Not enough actors, some overused props