Nightmare Dungeon in upstate South Carolina is set inside of a huge, sprawling, two-story farm house. Though you aren’t too far off from the interstate, there is plenty of empty, open space surrounding the house to give it that feeling of isolation. This attraction features a main haunt ($25) and a smaller add-on haunt ($5) all contained within the walls of the old farmhouse ‘ that allegedly has some frightening stories of its own! It’s an old-school haunted house that does more with less and if you have the time, you should swing by and give it a shot.

There are comparatively few actors inside the Nightmare Dungeon. Around three dozen actors lurk inside, performing small scenes and frightening guests. Visitors are led through the haunt with the aid of a guide ‘ probably helpful given the twisting passages, tight hallways and the overall journey up and down again. We wish that the actors in the various scenes would have had more interactive dialogue, but with as many visitors as there are pouring through the Dungeon each night, it must be tough to keep up with more than a growl. We especially liked the plaintive cries of the caged girl before the buzz saw apparently split her from her words. The guides were entertaining as well.

Just like the details within the haunt itself, the costumes at Nightmare Dungeon are tailored to provide that extra layer of realism. Beyond the makeup and a few of the masks, there was a great deal of care applied to the costumes that the actors were wearing. A few of the individuals were wearing complete character costumes, from the top of their creepy heads to the bottom of their scary, stomping toes!

The staff at the ticket booth are friendly folks and quick to help. Inside the haunt there are some steep steps up and down as well as some narrow passages, but nothing that is unmanageable. The only thing of concern was a scare from above while traversing a set of stairs down to the first floor of the house. It’s one that you can see coming so it shouldn’t be too startling; just remember to keep your eyes on your path and pay attention to your guide! They’ll keep you safe while you navigate the house.

Outside, the Nightmare Dungeon is beautiful. No fa������ade, no warehouse walls ‘ just an old house and some effective lighting to get you in the mood. There is music playing ‘ on our visit it was decidedly non-standard haunt music that was still appropriate. From the time you pull up til the time you leave, you can tell you are at a haunted HOUSE. That was a refreshing change from the vast number of trails that we’ve visited across the state.

Nightmare Dungeon does some interesting things with set design. As you move through the haunt, you can actually see glimpses of scenes through small windows or cut-outs in the walls. These glimpses are usually from different angles than when you actually reach the room/scene and let you get little previews that are full of details. The actors work within their scenes but can also use those little windows to not only let you have a small vignette of what’s to come, but also launch part-way through them to reach out for you! From the creepy initial interaction with your guide to the final blaring scare at the end of the second haunt, Nightmare Dungeon does quite a bit with what they have.

This haunt actually changes its theme a bit every year, so if you went this year, be prepared for something different next year. If you went some years ago, visit again and see what’s changed. It won’t be the same experience again.

Nightmare Dungeon this year is mostly an old-school haunt. There are some traditional scenes and scares as you move through the haunt; some of these are executed particularly well. Though there are lots of dark or dimly lit hallways, you know there’s always something else coming around the next bend that will serve to make you jump or set you on edge.

There are lots of sudden shocks and jump scares scattered throughout the Dungeon. Some of these you can anticipate if you’re a frequent visitor of haunted attractions, but some come at you like a barreling car in the darkness. You do get some little preview glimpses of things as mentioned before, but honestly, those little glimpses don’t do a lot to ease the fear because you approach scenes from different angles. We would have liked more scenes or even more time spent in them because of the details hiding in plain view.

This haunt moves you through very quickly. From the front door to the back is probably a 12 minute trip. At a cost of $30, that only comes out to .40 minutes of screams per dollar. However, given the size of the house and the twisting nature of all the passages, we’re not sure how much more can be fit inside. In the future, we hear that the haunt is going to start to expand back out into the yard or even have additions built onto it; that’s something we look forward to. The line for Nightmare Dungeon can be long. It winds around two sides of the house and across a small yard. Even with pulling groups of 6-10 people through with alternating guides, it can take a while to navigate the line. Since there’s not a fast pass option, be sure to get there early!