Features:
✓-Free Parking✓-Food/Concessions✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Original Characters✓-All-Outdoor Attraction
How Do We Get These Scores?
Our Rating System
UPDATE FOR 2022: Our former “Atmosphere” and “Theme” categories have now been combined and renamed “Immersion.” Our intent with this is to give more appropriate credit to attractions that have shown a clear focus on achieving and maintaining better customer experiences (both inside and outside the attractions) and developing creative storylines.
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Final Score: 8.38
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 8.44
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.32
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.86
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.55
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.34
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.01
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.22
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.28
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Summary:
A PETRIFIED FOREST returns for 2018 with two new trails, THE HUNTED and THE FAMILY’S SWAMP. This attraction takes place on an empty lot and is built from scratch within a short amount of time leading up to the season.
A PETRIFIED FOREST builds two original haunts every year featuring unique themes, characters, and layouts. The trails always promise to be dark, twisted, and filled with scares around every corner. Located close to the Orlando theme parks, A PETRIFIED FOREST offers a nice alternative for those not interested in the crowds and expense that comes with large theme park attractions.
Cast: 8.44
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8.63
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8.25
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.63
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.38
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8.38
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A PETRIFIED FOREST employs a large number of performers to work in their haunted trails. The cast in THE SWAMP had strong story-based performances, even looping in the performers within the general scare grounds into their story. Sissy, one of the atmosphere performers, has a story for how she relates to all of the other atmosphere performers, and even gives you tips and things to look out for upon entering THE SWAMP. The priest character continued his scene and dialogue despite losing power for a few minutes to the entire trail, and assisted in guiding Guests through his scene in the dark while not losing character.
Performers in THE HUNTED seemed to lack overall direction and character descriptions, as performances often were confusing, with unclear dialogue and scares not driven by a consistent story between all performers, resulting in minimal scares and a confusing experience overall.
Costuming: 8.32
How Did We Get This Score?
Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):
(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 8.38
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8.25
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.13
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8.5
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.38
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Costuming at A PETRIFIED FOREST is rather simple for the most part, consisting of distressed street clothes, plus various specialty accessories, and some specialty costumes and pieces.
Masks in THE SWAMP are extremely successful, with a naturalistic swamp-like texture and animalistic aggression to them, especially when matched with strong performers. Makeup is simple and effective in creating unique characters. Atmosphere characters were more detailed than the performers in the trails, due to light levels and the length of time they will be interacting with Guests.
A PETRIFIED FOREST’s simple, yet effective approach to Costuming helps to bring a wide variety of characters to life on the trails.
Customer Service: 8.86
How Did We Get This Score?
Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):
(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 8.75
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 8
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.5
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.5
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Employees are dedicated to providing great Guest service, especially including the friendly ticket booth and front of house personnel. Though not all of the employees are as engaging and friendly, the team gets the job done and manages their operation. Our host for the backstage tour was friendly, energetic, and engaging, providing a fun experience for all guests, of varying haunt knowledge and experience.
The attraction is easy to locate via GPS, including the free offsite parking lot and the Terror Trolley (optional transportation to the front of the haunt).
Though it is to be expected with trails in the woods, there are obviously moments of uneven footing. However, at A PETRIFIED FOREST, it seems like there are a good amount of tree roots and long grass/small brush, so it is advised to wear good shoes, and certainly no open toed shoes on these trails. There are also some areas where it is unclear where the path goes next, and with a wrong turn, Guests can quickly end up in the middle of a pile of brush or behind a set piece.
Atmosphere: 8.55
How Did We Get This Score?
Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):
(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 8.25
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 9
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A PETRIFIED FOREST installs a fence surrounding their attraction, blocking them off from the busy main road and creating their own, more private location and home for their attractions.
Once inside the fenced perimeter, scary characters roam and music fills the air, creating an atmosphere very different from the other side of the fence. When we visited, a DJ was playing club-type music, whereas in previous years, live bands had been featured onstage. We personally would much rather enjoy the live music, which gave a very original vibe vs the canned DJ music, but we are unsure if live music is still featured on certain nights.
Special Effects: 8.34
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8.5
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8.5
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 8.5
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.25
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A PETRIFIED FOREST is very much an ‘old-school’ haunt, with very few advanced special effects, one of which being the ever so popular ‘laser swamp’ effect, aptly placed in THE SWAMP attraction. Creative and original scenic design is certainly present here, including the wasp hallway, bridges through the woods, shipping crate stunts, and the interstate disaster scene, among others.
Unfortunately, lighting is very generic in most places, featuring color washes or dark scenes, which do no favors to the details of the scenes, either washing them out, or keeping them too dark to see, also making it hard for actors to effectively scare Guests. Some more refined and defined lighting through pin lighting would go a long way in creating focus points and distractions through scenic elements, adding to the scare potential.
A PETRIFIED FOREST created some impressive bridges through the trees in THE SWAMP, however, they were only lightly used for scares, missing out on some great potential as Guests traverse the narrow, twisted bridges. The facades of both attractions are very impressive and detailed, creating very distinguished landmarks and photo opportunities for each attraction.
THE HUNTED features a new technology to the attraction, ‘Z TAG’, a small beacon on a necklace displaying ‘health status’ indicated by a blinking light. Characters are to touch the beacon and affect the health status until the Guests are to locate a doctor, allowing the status to be restored. Unfortunately, while this an interesting technology, falls a bit flat and cumbersome at A PETRIFIED FOREST. The directions were unclear and the attraction didn’t have enough Z TAG necklaces for the all the Guests within the haunt at a given time, so they began sending one per group (also indicating desire to be touched by actors), limiting the interactivity, which the haunt relies on heavily for its theming and overall experience. An interactive attraction could have perhaps been more effective with a simpler (and cheaper) setup in order for the attraction to stay focused on the story and the scares.
Theme: 8.01
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 7.88
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 8
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8.25
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A PETRIFIED FOREST brings two new and original themed haunts to life each year, creating new experiences and content for each subsequent year.
This year features the post apocalyptic THE HUNTED, and THE FAMILY’S SWAMP. Both attractions are heavily themed, though there are some incongruous sections that don’t seem to fit among the rest of the attraction (shipping container ‘fire’ scene among a swamp theme), and the theme in THE HUNTED becoming cluttered due to a lack of story-based dialogue and character intent. Despite the specific storyline, however, the post apocalyptic world comes to life quite successfully in this attraction.
Scare Factor: 8.22
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.25
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.25
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.38
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 7.5
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A PETRIFIED FOREST packs in many good scares which are most effective when hidden in dark corners of the woods. THE SWAMP was very focused on providing great scares in and among the effects and heavily textured trails.
THE HUNTED, as mentioned above, gets bogged down by a cumbersome technology, and unfortunately does not provide very many scares. The scares that did hit, however, were effective and strong. SISSY, an atmosphere performer, delivers many strong scares through her impressive skills with a chainsaw and her creepy baby doll.
Entertainment & Value: 8.28
How Did We Get This Score?
Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 8
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8.5
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 8
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 9
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A PETRIFIED FOREST offers single scare trail tickets at $15.00 online or double scare trail combo tickets for $25, providing options for every budget. VIP tickets are $33 online plus fees. It took our group about 18 minutes to tour both trails.
They also feature a variety of offerings within the scare grounds, including a pet adoption agency, gift shop, concessions, characters, and live music/DJ. The ticket price is fair for those looking for a full night of entertainment and plan on enjoying the atmosphere beyond just the haunted attractions. A PETRIFIED FOREST also offers a backstage tour, giving a behind the scenes glimpse at the trails, including information on construction, design, performers, and even the opportunity to scare some unsuspecting Guests.
How Did We Get These Scores
Our Rating System
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Promo Images:
Click to Enlarge
Awards:
2018
