✓-Free Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-Handicap Accessible✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-Optional Games/Midway✓-Special Events✓-“Hi-Tech” Attraction✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Original Characters✓-Indoor Waiting Line✓-All-Indoor Attraction✓-Family Friendly
This attraction was reviewed on September 28, 2019 by Team Cleaverland.
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: 8.65
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 8.57
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.92
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.28
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.76
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.71
(5% of Final Score) Theme:
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.95
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.6
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Summary:
Carnage. What a great name! This is the third year for Carnage Haunted House. It’s also the final season in its current, original spot before moving to a bigger location next year.
Carnage has earned some fine accolades in its brief existence, and we agree that it’s got a lot going for it.
Cast: 8.57
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8.1
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8.9
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.7
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.5
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8.4
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A strong cast delivered convincing performances and several prolonged interactions.
Some of the standouts: the first character, a gravedigger, welcomed us into the creepy cemetery to help give the rules in an amusing fashion. Next up was the voodoo bayou queen, a very strong performer who took top honors for the night. She really set the stage for the early part of the haunt.
Soon after, a psycho killer and his pitiful victims provoked a strong reaction from us. Slabs the butcher invited us to take a close look at how the sausage is made.
There was an intense barber who wanted to give Sweeney Todd a run for his money, and last but no way least, a real life husband and wife team who played an obstetrician and pregnant patient. They had us watching with jaws open at a highly original and surprising scene.
There were some other ‘victim’ roles besides the ones just mentioned, a few more than usual it seemed, and they were all carried out with aplomb and healthy lungs.
Nearly 30 actors in all seemed to be a good total for the size and length of the walkthrough, but given the size of the crew, there were still several areas where opportunities appeared to be missed and we went unmolested.
Costuming: 8.92
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?: 9.2
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9.1Explanation:
The voodoo woman’s costume was fantastic.
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 9
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8.4
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.8
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The costuming is impressive, detailed and distressed’especially in the early going, from queue actors to the rule giver and especially the voodoo lady, who wore an elaborate and magnificent get-up, certainly the best one we’ve seen through the early part of this season. There was a mix of masks and makeup. It was all worn and applied well, with some excellent subtle makeup effects.
Customer Service: 9.28
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?: 9.7
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.5
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.3
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 8.4
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Carnage was one of the easiest places ever to find, if you’re having trouble locating it you probably shouldn’t leave the house. It really couldn’t be closer to the highway unless they set up shop right on the exit ramp. A large banner and vehicle out front announce its presence.
Parking is on-site, and it’s all free, unlike previous years in which the overflow area carried a charge. Staff will direct you into the lot.
Everyone we met, from box office to security on down to the gift shop attendants and cafe guy, was genuinely friendly and engaging. The sizable gift shop stocks a nice assortment of keychains, some handmade jewelry, shot glasses, shirts and more.
Based on what we sampled, the Stab & Grab Gore-met Shack is the real meal deal, with tasty fare at very reasonable prices. After a long day of driving and haunt going, the $4 Italian sausage sandwich with all the fixin’s really hit the spot.
Accessibility is good, security is very visible, and the fire suppression and alarm system we were told about sounds like comprehensive, state of the art technology. It’s clear that safety is a priority to them.
Their website is a little less content-rich than some others, but gets the job done with necessary info. There’s also a pretty heavy social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Atmosphere: 8.76
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?: 8.6
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 9
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Twenty-four hour party people will want to report to Carnage for a fright fiesta! The exterior of the warehouse that holds the haunt is pretty nondescript, but everything around it is loud and lively.
Movies are projected onto the warehouse wall; the night we visited, it was the original Night of the Living Dead, and the previous night was The Nightmare Before Christmas, so someone has good taste in horror films! A DJ spun Halloween hits like ‘Thriller,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ and ‘Living Dead Girl,’ keeping the energy up. (Carnage also hosts live music on select nights.) Wave after wave of bubbles filled the air and broke into smoke upon impact.
The snack shack is in the back along with a couple of zombie patrol vehicles that should not be missed. Not that they can be missed as their flashing lights can be seen from everywhere, but please go and take a closer look, they’re done up to the max and feature props galore.
The four queue actors we saw while checking out the scene and standing in the outside line were great. Their makeup/masks and costumes held up really well under the bright lights outside and they were quite entertaining.
Special Effects: 8.71
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 7.8
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 9.2
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9.3
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.5
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.8
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Fans of detailed sets will take notice. If you know what you’re looking at and what it takes to achieve it, you’ll be impressed.
In the first room, the voodoo shack, we were treated to a barrage of effects that set the tone nicely. From there it was a veritable packed funhouse of sets, props, pneumatics, animatronics, actormatronics, and other mechanisms.
Not only that, before you even get into the house proper, a mechanised bag of bones takes the lead in giving out the rules, while the live gravedigger is there to chime in for some chuckle-worthy interaction. In short, there’s something for everyone and it’s all very well done!
Theme: N/A
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?:
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?:
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?:
This score is left “N/A” when we believe the haunt is trying to target a random variety of themes or phobias, rather than a single overarching “Theme” or “storyline.”
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The opening section sets up and explores a bayou environment. Later, it turns into more of a random sequence of rooms and settings, including a nursery, funeral home, and barber shop. A theme is not mentioned on the website or elsewhere, so we consider this section as not applicable.
Scare Factor: 7.95
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 7.8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.8
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8.8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.4
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 5.5Explanation:
Unless we missed something or something missed us, we were kind of surprised to pull aside the final curtain to find the gift shop. There is a semi-hidden scare still waiting, but it wasn’t effective for us.
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The scares came from everywhere and everything, even seemingly innocuous places or things. Trust nothing once you enter. We got attacked by small woodland critters, as well as a large swamp creature. Even ordinary household objects got in on the act and lunged at us from the wall.
In the deranged killer room, which featured a couple of unfortunate victims hanging on to their last bits of life, we experienced something we don’t feel a lot of, considering the typical subject matter, but probably should: feelings of revulsion. Kudos!
The detailed sets themselves can be plenty disturbing, from a creepy taxidermy display to the unsettling nursery filled with terrifying tots that want to get a closer look at their visitors.
Entertainment & Value: 8.6
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?: 9
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8.6
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 8.5
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 8
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Admission is $20, fast pass for $35 or $27 online, which is a substantial discount. You can get a flyer at the box office for a reciprocal $3 discount at two nearby attractions. (Note, hold onto your ticket stub or have your receipt from online purchase to redeem. Also, discount at one of the other two haunts is good only for the opening weekend, the first weekend in October.)
It took us 20 minutes to get through Carnage, making for a 1.0 MPD (minutes of entertainment/dollar spent) which more or less the haunt industry average. We were wishing it would have lasted a bit longer, but mostly because it was a good experience; 20 minutes is still pretty good. Considering the overall high quality of what’s on offer here, plus the entertainment outside, it’s still a good value. Hopefully next year’s move will result in a longer time.
Oh, one last thing as a final bit of value, each scene incorporates an Easter egg related to a horror movie. See how many you can find’we think we spotted a couple, but between jumping, screaming, and taking in the sets and effects, it can get hard to keep your mind on Easter eggs!
Remember, they’re moving on up to bigger and better digs next year. With what they were able to accomplish in just a few years, we can’t wait to see what they can do with a bigger site and longer walk through. We’ll be back to see what happens and we hope you will too, meanwhile if you’re in the Columbus area you should check ’em out this year!
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!
