The fields of Brimstone are home to over 80 monsters and staff each night. Of the three haunts, Forgotten Forest had the heaviest population while Psychosis had the least. We saw a significant drop in the number of screams and growls from the cast, most of whom delivered compelling and impactful dialogue. There were a considerable number of stand-out actors, many of which have been around since the Springboro days.
Most of the interactions that happened on the hayride were extensive. Many of the cast boarded the wagon in an attempt to get up close and personal with its victims. Dialogue was well thought out in segments, the most memorial being from the circus clowns and the bounty hunter in the woodshop, warning patrons that “Sometimes, dead is better.” We were also hit from multiple angles, startling us on numerous occasions.
There were a few segments where dialogue was overshadowed by the sounds of the motor equipment and music, specifically in the barn, butcher shack and Frank’s Body Shop, but the actors did their best to project their voices so the entire group could hear. A few of these speaking roles were also accompanied by masks, making their vocals less clear. Providing some sort of voice enhancement to the cast members could increase this score.
There was one specific encounter in Psychosis that left our group feeling a bit uneasy. When we walked into a bloody bathroom, a bigger man touting the face of a previous victim was lying semi-naked in a bathtub covered in blood (and potentially feces). We locked eyes for a minute, concerned as if we had just interrupted a murderous, intimate moment. The gaze in his eyes was similar to the way one would look at their Door Dash driver, and we left abruptly in hopes of avoiding being his next meal!
Other interactions were quick and aggressive, the dark hallways made it hard for us to tell when we would be attacked next! Most of the scares came in the form of animatronics and there were a few vacant spaces, specifically in the room that resembled a lounge. There were a couple of instances where the maniacs departed from the action rather abruptly, leaving us wanting a bit more engagement. The chainsaw finale was rather intense and the clown did a good job of not chasing our group too far out of the door as the exit is accessed via stairs.
The trail cast was the most energetic and convincing of the night, with some solid dialogue and intimidating assaults! Right off the bat, the mine worker screamed at us about being late for work, sending us off with cautionary warnings about the terrors awaiting in the mine shaft. The students at East Pines high school jumped, climbed, crawled and swung throughout the bus and the doctor in the emergency room drank the fluids from her medical equipment!
Many of the monsters leaped out from unexpected areas, really using their sets to their advantage. Some of the characters carried weapons, banging and slamming them onto barrels and props. There was a good balance of startles both in and between scenes and some of the startles came when we least expected them, especially in the play room!
“Toys never forgive, and toys never forget!”
Other standouts include the Boogieman, the witch in the attic, the vampire in the cemetery, the fisherman at the beach shop and the girl with the melting face in the biohazard area. We attempted to break character on multiple occurrences but the cast stayed true to their respected personas. There were a few “get out” moments that could be enhanced with more creative dialogue, but overall, the cast did a good job during their confrontations.
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