OVERALL RATING :

Scare Factor

Actors

Set Design

Length

RAW SCORE : 8.688

RATING

REVIEW

I’ll admit like the farm feeling of Frightmare. I like that the vast majority of it is tangible. I like the walls made of hay and the barn at the end and the waterfalls and fences. This year, they added a castle entrance, and it too has that nice tangibility. The actors hide well in the haunt and when they execute a scare, they did a great job. The problem for me was largely that I liked the scenery too much. I found myself messing around looking at the detail and not running from ghouls. I can’t say whether this was a fault of the haunt, or a flaw in me. After all, it’s a great thing to have engaging scenery. But it’s also a great thing to scare patrons on.

I liked that there were numerous levels winding me around the farm and up through the barn. I really enjoyed the way the ground would squish in places or walkways would seem to give out beneath me. Yet I can’t shake the feeling that these elements were fun, not terrifying. Perhaps it was the lighting or the temperature outside or my interest in all the things to touch, but for me the pervasive feeling of Frightmare was that I wanted to hang out, maybe become a monster myself.

PROS

Great environment

CONS

Though scary, strangely comfortable

RATING

REVIEW

Frightmare is one of those haunts that is consistently good, as far as I'm concerned. It's what I call a total immersion experience. From beginning to end, it surrounds the haunt-goer with sights, sounds, smells and is totally dripping with atmosphere!

They have totally changed up the façade this year and have re-done the entire pathway. I felt like we were going around in circles. In fact, at least twice, we asked each other if we had already seen a particular scene or character. I was totally confused as to where I was. There was water everywhere, it seemed: buckets dripping in the mine shaft, the pond we had to walk over, and the water in the cave (one of the coolest strobe effects, by the way). The audio seemed improved as well with speakers everywhere, so there was always something for our ears to do.

The Dracula guy at the beginning pulled off the role well. He reminded me of the classic Bela Lugosi Dracula. My favorite scenes include the mineshaft, the cornfield, the crypts, and the all-new, um, hospital scene in the barn! I didn't have a lot of scares where I actually jumped or screamed, but I really truly felt like I was transported to each of the locations in the haunt. For me, total immersion is key to an enjoyable haunt. Frightmare hasn't let me down before, and this year was no exception.

PROS: CONS:

PROS

Complete sensory experience, new look and trail

CONS

Not as many frights as in the past

RATING

REVIEW

Frightmare has changed a lot this year. The addition of a new castle façade that serves as a queue organizer really brings a great aesthetic to the haunt. You’ll still hear that great ominous voice warning you to enter at your own risk – another effect I wish more haunt owners would incorporate into their designs. Inside the haunt, you’ll find that they have changed the layout and direction a bit, although they still keep their traditional mining tunnels, cave structures, and cattle herding gates as primary pathways.

This haunt always has been one of those attractions where the attention to set design keeps your head turning as you want to soak everything in. Some of the actors and costumes this year were great and they really had a follow through to their lines. Some were better than others though as every once in awhile you’ll just get a halfhearted “argh!” and then the actor just stands there and looks at you. Some of the costumes and makeup are pretty creepy however, and that more than makes up for it. The gigantic clowns they have in this haunt really are unnerving, especially because they loom over you as you snake by and they just seem monstrous.  There are no real extremely dark situations in this one, which is what usually creeps me out nowadays, but that’s the tradeoff for having an intricate production that you actually want to see instead of having it hidden by the dark. We did have one issue with timing, but that was only because the group ahead of us was extremely slow, nothing to do with their setup or queue times. Overall, Frightmare is always a great haunt to attend. And I always recommend it every year.

PROS

Costume design is very creative

CONS

Lack of really dark suspenseful areas take away from scare factor.

RATING

REVIEW

Another AWSOME haunt!!!!! WOW. It was a perfect night to go a-haunting; cool and windy, making cornstalks rustle and hairs stand on end. The scares start before you even get through the door, here! And it just gets better throughout. There are some really great performers in this house with great senses of humor and timing. At one point the hangman asks one of our team to “Help” him by tying a rope around my throat so he’ll have a girl to “hang” around with. Priceless!

As we twist and turn we are treated to some fabulous scenery and some of the best set design I’ve seen yet. Like a well planned garden that offers constant vistas, no angle or perspective is wasted, I saw no dead space. Visually I will say this one is close to my heart, and it is all very realistic; you could really see yourself lost in the mines, the cemetery, the spider’s cave. They cover all the popular themes that people seem to want from their haunts, and the flow from one set to another is effortless and feels so natural, that I didn’t feel like, “Where did the neon clowns come from?”

A note or two on sound and smell; I am coming to the conclusion that these are important characters in a haunt and can be as vital to the overall experience as set design and good acting. Frightmare, whether by design or accident has some wonderful aromas that heighten the experience. Their use of well placed, well disguised speakers emitting all kinds of spooky noises reinforced the whole sense of continuity and ensured that there were no lulls in which my adrenaline would drop. There might be a little room to work on timing the groups, as we ran into the one before us and were almost caught by the one behind. It didn’t spoil my ride, though!!

PROS

Beginning to end, FAB-U-LUS!!!!

CONS

I didn’t want it to be over!

RATING

REVIEW

Big changes this year at Frightmare and every one of them got the job done!

From the outside all the way through the haunt the changes are everywhere and really brought authenticity and realism to the attraction. The new front entrance is a castle theme and does a great job getting you in the mood to be scared. The lighting in this area is very well done. Once inside, the first actor I encountered had a great costume and did a very good job getting our group on our way. The new sets include caves, with some great lighting and weaving paths.

A lot of the old favorites are still there but have been given new life with a new layout. The authentic farm equipment that is rusty and long forgotten really sets the mood here. The mineshafts are great, and have some very good actors in there.

Jeepers Creepers, the mini cornfield has some good scares, as does the hay field. Scarecrows creep me out, and I was feeling pretty nervous in this area. The final room has changed and holds a gory surprise, the acting is well done, and the sets are good, although it felt like the haunt came to a very abrupt end. I would recommend adding Frightmare to your top 3 list of must see houses!

PROS

Great new sets, lighting, new layout

CONS

Ends too abruptly, some lag time, could use more actors in areas

RATING

REVIEW

This haunt has been a big contender for  a long time now. And every year it kicks more butt. Frightmare was redesigned from last year and is totally different. If you want a haunt with tons of cool ideas then this is a good haunt to go to. It definitely had my eyes captivated. We did catch up to other groups, which was little frustrating.  But bottle necking in a haunt is not that uncommon.

The set design here is really great and they have good actors too! The costumes were all interesting and different. There were miners, clowns and crazy doctors. They had everything but the kitchen sink! I like the room with the fountain and the strobe, because it creates a really cool effect. Some things looked so real it was hard to determine what was going to jump out or move. Be on the look out because I did my fare share of duck and run. I think the haunt was well worth the price.

PROS

Sweet actors, set design and costume!

CONS

I can’t think of any

RATING

REVIEW

This haunt is always one of my favorites to go to because they change it up so much every year.  I love seeing changes in haunts each year to bring in some variety and scares that I'm not particularly expecting.  Also, you can't get much more real than having a haunt in actual barns on a farm.

The authenticity of this haunt is so great; just the natural landscape is scary in and of itself.  So the props/set/and special effects were perfect, and I just have to say that I absolutely loved the flickering lights!  A lot of haunts don't use that effect.  Acting and length were excellent, but with a little more effort and a longer haunt, they could have been perfect.  While the natural scares that come from this haunt were great, I felt that they could have played on this effect a little more to really get to me.  A little more enthusiasm would go a long way...especially in this kind of setting.  Overall, I really enjoyed this haunt and would as usual recommend it to all haunt lovers!

PROS

Set doesn't get better than this!

CONS

A little more enthusiasm

RATING

REVIEW

This year a new facade beckons those brave enough to face their fears at Frightmare. The castle like structure is very solid and authentic. They've done away with the large automated piece that you used to watch while waiting in line. Instead the new rampart and turrets conceal the entrance. I then was ushered into the structure by a thickly accented pale man sporting the likeness of a vampire. One of many pleasant changes from what has been a really successful formula at Frightmare for the past few years.

The castle theme continues with a decent through some cave like areas and into winding paths of mayhem. The past theme that sort of resembled a farm full of terror has gone by the wayside in favor of some new ideas and characters. There are still mines, hay bales, and other Colorado style scenery from the past. In fact all of the sets are as stellar as always with lots to look at and elements touching all the senses.

The actors were varied as well. Some capitalized on surprise tactics, but most had a nice lurking quality that didn't let up. The horned mask fellow that breathed down my neck and followed us for a while was particularly creepy. The girl with prairie garb was insistent and unsettling in making us leave her house and as always the clowns were pure nerve wracking joy. For some reason the length didn't seem quite as long as other years and the timing of groups appeared troubling. We caught up with one in front of us and I had the pleasure of being joined by two adolescent boys who critiqued the actors out loud as we went. Despite the timing on the night we were there I would say that Frightmare lives up to its name. The sets are impressive, detailed and really make you feel immersed in a new world with some startling characters.

PROS

Great sets that stimulate all the senses

CONS

Seemed shorter than last year