Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 7.75

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 6.36

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 6.1

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 6.63

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 7.43

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 6.63

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 7.17

The “Money Back” haunt, also known as The Beast House, holds the title of Nashville’s only real haunted house. Once the residence of the Kechem family, the property witnessed a gruesome incident where Mr. Kechem tragically ended the lives of his entire family before taking his own. Subsequently, the space transformed into the Starlite Dinner Club until 2014, eventually evolving into the chilling Beast House in 2017.

With a lineup of four attractions, two of which come at an additional cost, The Beast House offers an immersive experience. The main attractions include Beast House, Chaos, The Beast Jump (an extra charge), and The Beast Challenge (also extra), where participants have the opportunity to reclaim their admission fee. The controversial aspect lies in The Beast Challenge, reminiscent of Fear Factor, featuring a series of daring tasks involving eating, drinking, and doing something extraordinary. Successfully navigate the challenges, and not only do you get your money back, but you also secure a spot on the survivor wall with a picture!

The Beast House cast left a lasting impression on our group, delivering an exceptionally active and engaging performance that resonated from start to finish. There was a seamless flow of energy, and we never experienced a shortage of cast members or prolonged waits for surprises. Jump scares were a frequent delight, with actors expertly popping out from every conceivable corner. The interactive element was heightened by their permission to touch us—resulting in ankle grabs and shoulder taps that added an extra layer of intensity.

The amount of animatronics was definitely felt and, skillfully utilized by the actors. They strategically positioned themselves out of sight, capitalizing on our focus on the animatronics, and delivered good distraction scares. While the cast excelled in creating suspenseful moments, the only drawback was the limited dialogue. Though there were plenty of screams and intense stares, there was a noticeable absence of substantial verbal interaction. Some actors invited us to play or complimented our appearance, but deeper interaction through dialogue was somewhat lacking.

Entering the costuming realm of the Beast House, it’s crucial to note that the haunt itself was enveloped in profound darkness. Despite the limited visibility, the figures we encountered were adorned in costumes that were far from store-bought. These outfits were distressed, emanating an aura of death or antiquity. Amidst the shadowy corridors, a few standout makeup creations caught our attention.

One memorable instance was a female actor, drenched in blood yet sporting a captivating prosthetic on her mouth. Another striking feature was a gentleman donning a remarkable mask, seemingly afflicted with facial boils. However, the makeup and masks we could distinguish were a mix of standard haunted house fare, including familiar faces like clowns, oversized babies, and a peculiar rabbit.

Navigating through the haunt, the theme consistency became somewhat elusive. Initially encountering what appeared to be children, the journey later led us to a room suggestive of a hospital setting, complete with a curious bathroom. Attempting to decipher the theme proved challenging, with speculations pointing towards an aged home, possibly the infamous Kechem family residence—an aspect we’ll delve into later.

On the night of our visit, a lone queue actor, a clown armed with a chainsaw—albeit sans the actual chain bar—added an extra layer of suspense. Despite the unconventional chainsaw, this character sported a fantastic homemade costume, complemented by a uniquely captivating mask.

Embracing the convenience suggested by the Beast House website, we opted to secure our tickets online, a move endorsed for both time and cost savings. Upon our arrival, the staff efficiently guided us to our designated parking spot. A well-marked path then ushered us towards the front entrance and midway area, seamlessly setting the stage for our haunted adventure.

At the ticket booth in the midway, we encountered a friendly attendant who smoothly facilitated our check-in process. She handed us our tickets, along with complimentary Beast House rubber wristbands, before sending us off to delve into the haunting experience. Notably, the ticketing area featured a minute tracker, indicating the wait time based on the type of purchased ticket. In our case, it displayed an optimistic 22 minutes, though reality would later prove this estimate to be very inaccurate.

The midway area served as an intriguing prelude to our haunted experience, adorned with a collection of animatronics, towering 12-foot skeletons, and a hearse that set an ominous tone. Adding an interactive twist, a live feed on the projection screen showcased fellow patrons navigating the haunt, injecting an element of excitement and fear!

Entering the first house, we found ourselves wanting for a more pronounced storyline, with the information we received online serving as our primary narrative guide. It seemed that the haunt itself lacked a definitive presentation of the original owners’ story. We believe incorporating this crucial background information through signage or a pre-entry video would enhance the overall experience, ensuring patrons are immersed in the haunting tale.

The journey through the haunt was fluid, with no bottlenecking or conga lines to disrupt the flow. While theming was somewhat scarce, the haunt compensated with unexpected surprises like squishy floors, moving/sliding floors, and a disorienting vortex tunnel. Exiting the first haunt, the transition to Chaos was simply a walk through the backlot and queue line. Once inside Chaos, the adventure involved navigating a fog-filled, low-visibility fence maze. Despite the lack of a clear storyline, the disorienting nature of Chaos lived up to its name, providing a thrilling and challenging experience.

Post-Chaos, the journey led back to the midway, strategically located there was the merchandise area. The ambiance was enhanced by a fire pit, inviting patrons to relax while watching the live feed of others braving the haunts. Additionally, the opportunity to witness the daring Beast Jump added an extra layer of entertainment to the overall haunt experience.

The special effects experience at Beast House was quite a bit louder than others we have visited with its pervasive and sometimes overpowering soundtrack. The atmosphere was charged with music that reverberated throughout, complemented by activated sounds from animatronics. Each animatronic came alive with its own distinctive auditory element, contributing to the overall intense volume.

While the scene designs leaned towards simplicity, featuring white walls adorned with blood splatter or plain black walls, certain scenes offered more elaborate elements. Notably, the bathroom scene elevated the experience by incorporating smell effects and surprise water sprays, with the front of our group getting an unexpected soaking. However, some caution is warranted as certain animatronics, such as the snakehead, displayed an element of risk. The rapid and forceful motion of this animatronic posed a potential hazard, as evident from my own close encounter. I was almost pancaked between the snake and the wall, but stepped back just in time!

Despite these concerns, the haunt showcased effective animatronic utilization. An exemplary instance was the hospital bed animatronic featuring a woman who skillfully slid out of bed, creating a genuinely unsettling and memorable moment.

The Chaos portion of the house strategically leveraged fog and lighting to induce disorientation. The thick fog demanded a tight grip on the person in front, with the risk of losing sight of them in the dense haze. Strobe lighting intensified the chaos, creating an environment where navigating through the fog became a gripping challenge. This segment effectively amplified the overall thrill factor, adding a layer of unpredictability to the haunt experience.

The Beast House left a lasting impression with its genuinely frightening atmosphere, enhanced by the unexpected element of being touched in this haunt, creating thrilling surprises. Despite being part of a smaller group, the intensity of scares was not compromised, ensuring that no one emerged untouched or unafraid. The dedication of the actors was evident, delivering a variety of scares and fully immersing themselves in their roles. The haunt’s clever use of darkness and fog, in Chaos, heightened the suspense, keeping the element of surprise intact even for the more predictable scares.

However, a notable drawback surfaced in the absence of a compelling finale in both attractions. The Beast House concluded abruptly, with no climactic finale to cap off the experience, leaving us exiting into the night without a memorable send-off. The planned chainsaw finale in Chaos encountered technical difficulties, dampening the intended impact. While the initial hiccup is understandable, the lack of a subsequent attempt or an alternative scare tactic detracted from the overall conclusion. In the world of haunts, a powerful finale can elevate the entire experience, and it seems like this was a missed opportunity for Beast House to leave its patrons with a lasting, spine-chilling impression.

General admission to The Beast House was $29.99 (plus online fees) which is around the average for the area. Based on the general admission ticket price and a 19-minute duration for both haunts the MDP (Minutes per Dollar) was at .60. While this is not far off from the standard, the desire for a longer duration inside the haunt is understandable. The 48-minute wait in line presented a bit of a lull in entertainment options, with the midway and live feed not offering an optimal viewing for those in the queue. The occasional interaction with Mr. Jingles the clown added a touch of engagement to the wait.

Overall, the experience was deemed positive, despite the desire for a more extended duration inside the haunt and limited entertainment during the wait, the night out was enjoyable, setting the stage for potential return visits to witness the evolution of the Beast House!