OVERALL RATING :

Scare Factor

Actors

Set Design

Length

RANK #16 out of 21

RAW SCORE : 6.766

RATING

REVIEW

Last year, I felt like they swapped the signs out side for Realm of Terror and Primitive Fear. Actually they did. They kept it the same this year. They did a better job covering the ceilings up. I liked that I wasn't always staring at the sky. It is definitely a makeshift set. The walls are plywood and painted. Way too many bare spots. They missed out a lot on great spots for scares.

I did like the foam room and a screaming inmate that got ripped into a hole. That was pretty cool. There is not a theme and each room did not fit together. I was not scared at all. There were some spots that make you jump but Ho-Hum is a great description for scare factor.

More attention was paid to the set but not enough. Like I said before, I would like to see them make one excellent haunt rather than three just to pull more money. I would not go back to this haunt this season.

PROS

Cool effects and change in set

CONS

Bare spots, not scary

RATING

REVIEW

Primitive Fear generally has scenes and effects that I haven't seen in many, if any, other houses in the area. One new effect was a foam room made to look like a cave. The floor was even covered in the stuff, making it hard to walk...almost like being on uneven or muddy ground. Another cool effect is that of things coming at one's head: logs, people, spiders, whatever. Many of the rooms are broken up with maze-like passageways between them which gives a lot of variety in the settings.

The scare factor comes from the moments of disorientation from strobe lights, complete darkness, and the general creepiness of the settings like the toxic waste dump and the "spotted room." This haunt strikes a good balance of light and dark, which is a tricky thing to do. I didn't find myself looking up at the ceiling as much this year, so either they camouflaged it better, or there was enough to keep me looking around me instead of up!

Overall, this is a decent haunt that kept us moving throughout. I would like to see more enthusiasm from the actors at Hauntplex and build on the atmosphere created from the sets.

PROS

Various scenes, unique effects

CONS

Actors in street clothes

RATING

REVIEW

I liked this attraction the best out of the three located at Hauntplex. Great prop design in each room, lots of detail, and the actors were really into their roles. Theme was of a primitive jungle vibe in most rooms. Inside and outside haunt made it interesting. Some rooms that standout include a very trippy blacklight room, a foam room with a "surprise," optical illusion painted circular hallway with strobes, and of course the "WATCH YOUR HEAD!" room - you'll see.

PROS

Creative scares, detailed set design, good length

CONS

Jungle theme isn't very scary

RATING

REVIEW

I almost died at Primitive Fear! Not because I was scared to death but because the automatic door malfunctioned and crushed me into the wall. Rest assured, the owner was very helpful and addressed the problem, but now I have a phobia of automatic doors (this makes shopping a bear). I'm just glad this happened to me and not a small child as they might have been injured, but now the problem can be fixed (Haunted Denver Saves Lives).

All in all, Primitive Fear makes good effort at scaring the audience and putting them in a freaky setting. There are lots of unexpected places for monsters to hide, with good camouflage to maximize the surprise factor. I think the length is about right as it ends naturally and one doesn't feel like it was too short.

I think some of the actors still needed to find their groove, as it was opening night; then this would be a killer haunt.

PROS

Nifty props, well-hidden actors, moving walls and doors

CONS

Dead spots & missed opportunities, weak scare factor, unenthusiastic actors

RATING

REVIEW

They have made changes this year that I felt were worth seeing. The walkways are dark and windy, and the scenes along the way were done well. I liked the room with the skeletons on the walls, and the room with the huge snake was very cool.

There is a place that looked as if we were entering a cave, and it got better from there once we were in that room. That was a great surprise and, something I have not seen any other haunts do. For me it was more entertaining than scary, but a great effect nonetheless. The creativity in this haunt from the shaking bridge, and then feeling trapped in the compound area, to the log swinging down was top notch. I really like the length of this one as it is not too long, but it doesn't leave you feeling like you got gypped either.

The actors did a good job, and they were placed consistently throughout the haunt. Some of the costumes and makeup could have been a bit better in my book, but in the end they got the job done.

PROS

Great new props/rooms, good actors

CONS

Makeup/costumes, inconsistent theme

RATING

REVIEW

While I gave this only a "pretty good" scare factor (and overall), I think it had a lot of really innovative effects. I spent a lot of time ducking flying objects, which was a new type of scare for me. I thought the tribal or "primitive" theme was pretty cohesive throughout the haunt and allowed for really interesting props I'd never seen before. I particularly liked the cave and strobe tunnel. Its clear that someone creative is behind the design of this haunt.

Overall, I really liked the theme and the execution of the sets, despite what seemed to be overused animatronics. Unfortunately, the actors didn't capitalize on my nerves enough, thus the lower actor score and only "pretty good" scare factor. That said, it was opening night and this haunt has some really great potential. I definitely screamed and I loved that I had to duck for cover!

PROS

Unusual themes, never-seen (by me) effects, creepy music, having to duck

CONS

Opening night, actor timing, animatronics

RATING

REVIEW

Even though this was my least favorite of the three Hauntplex haunts, this was still a decent haunt. I like that they're not afraid to try out new ideas that I haven't already seen at other haunts. The downside to this is that some of the ideas work out great, while others fall a little short.

The best room in this haunt had monsters materializing from out of the sky, which is a great effect! I wish that all of the actors could have been as enthusiastic about their parts as these ones who literally dropped in on our unsuspecting group.

I'm not sure what mood was supposed to be set by the opening, with music that made me wonder whether I was entering a haunt or a rave, but things picked up, and the experience combined made for a fun, decent haunt.

PROS

Creative, original ideas with a few good scare spots

CONS

Weak opening, acting needs improvement

RATING

REVIEW

One of my favorite things about this haunt is the entrance way. It totally sets the stage and the mood and gets you pumped and a little on edge to walk through. It's a fairly large opening that's dark with fog streaming out, and they hold this suspense for a short period, which is awesome. They also used some other great props that I haven't seen before and I always dig new ideas.

For instance, they used a room completely covered in a soft foam which is kind of hard to walk on creating a little disillusionment. They had someone fall out of the ceiling in this room onto a foam bed - that was great! The red laser was utilized quite well, and so was the chain fence floor.

However, I was a little disappointed in the actors in this haunt. They really were just average, nothing special or extraordinary about they way they attempt to scare you. I'm not saying that each actor must give an Oscar-winning performance, but a little more effort would go a long way, and I think overall scores would increase if the quality and quantity of actors increased.

Length was good, but it would get a little too long if you choose to go through the maze at the end. Overall, not bad, but could have been better.

PROS

Good set ideas, good use of props good length

CONS

Not the best acting, decent scare but could have been higher