Chippewa Lake Slaughterhouse Review (2017)

Slaughterhouse was very well staffed. We would have liked to have seen a few more actors on the trail walking out of the haunt, back to the parking area, though. They weren’t much for dialogue, which was a little disappointing and often drew us out of atmosphere of the haunt. A lot of them would just stand in their room and wait for us to enter and then make a loud noise by slamming something into something else. There were a few characters that would interact though. One was a young lady dragging her fetus around the room, saying that it would not work as a sacrifice and then hinted that Katie may be pregnant and the lady would need her baby instead. Another man was looking for the perfect specimen for a skin replacement. What little dialogue was used, was very effective’we would have just like to have seen a lot more that contributed to the theme.

The costumes were gorgeous and we didn’t see anything glaringly out of place. They were very well detailed and they all fit the theme. There was a ‘Hills Have Eyes’ meets ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ vibe going on and the costumes helped with that. They rely heavily on masks at Slaughterhouse but, for the most part, they are very high-quality, silicone masks that fit well and were worn properly. We only saw one or two that seemed a little too large for their wearer. The actors do need to work on speaking through the masks though so that they can help solidify the theme and add to the suspension of disbelief. The few makeup jobs that we saw, were well done and not ruined by over-gorifying. They complimented the theme properly.

There isn’t a lot of signage on the way to Slaughterhouse and only a small sign at the end of their driveway. GPS took us straight there but, we almost missed their driveway due to the small sign. Once you pull in though, there are several parking attendants that guide you into a parking spot. The parking area is not very well lit, but it is an actual parking lot and there are attendants there to give you a sense of security. Departing your vehicle, there are several lit signs that direct you to the haunt and ticket office. Beyond the lot though, we didn’t see much non-acting staff other than the ticket booth operator, the guy that sent us into the haunt and a security officer. They do have their rules posted on signs on the way to the queue line but don’t reiterate them to you prior to sending you into the haunt’so, make sure you read the signs. We would consider the haunt handicap accessible. The wide walkways and open rooms provide ample room for a wheelchair, just know that you do have to traverse some outdoor trail leading up to and exiting the haunt. They are very level and well-tended though. There were no major safety concerns, however we did get tripped up on a pallet leaning against a wall inside the haunt and a small, empty burn barrel on the trail leaving the haunt. They have two port-o-potties and a foot-operated pump sink to wash your hands in.

Once you exit your vehicle, you are pretty much fair game. There are a couple people roaming the driveway leading to the ticket booth/queue line area that may pop out and get you on your walk up. The d������������������cor leading to the queue line, and in the queue line itself, lets you know that you are at a haunt and hints subtly at the overall theme. Remnants of those that have come and never left litter the area, building upon the possible demise that may lay ahead. The cacophony of screams and chainsaws coming from the haunt reassures you that you are in for a good time.

Slaughterhouse doesn’t overdo it with purchased special effects. You are in an abandoned slaughterhouse and it doesn’t require a booming soundtrack to get you into that mindset. Honestly, having music playing throughout the haunt would have killed the experience and we are glad that they didn’t do that. A couple of scenes had old radios playing appropriate music but, most of their ‘soundtrack’ comes from the actors and patrons’which works well in that setting. The sets are gorgeously decorated and the theme flows well throughout the haunt. As we mentioned in the summary, it is slightly unnerving to realize that the bloodstains you see may be actual bloodstains left over from when the building was actually used as a slaughterhouse. If that isn’t realism, we don’t know what is. There is a laser swamp in one room, which was used well, even though it could have used a bit more fog. They did have one very unique effect (which we won’t spoil) that left one of our group mates on the ground. It was highly creative and well executed. They do well to try and space the groups out when entering the haunt, however, the actors inside need to work on maintaining that spacing throughout the haunt. We caught up to the group ahead of us, were found by the group behind us, and finished the haunt as one very large group.

While the sets and costumes were beautiful, and the overall theme was executed artfully, the lack of interactivity from the actors’both verbally and physically’lessened the scariness of the haunt. Not long after entering the haunt, you can realize that the person standing in the room is going to slam something into something else to make a loud noise and that’s about it. The laser swamp and the other (secret) special effect were among the few non-predictable scares that were provided. The main focus of the actors was on the front of the group, with a few actors following behind a group as they exited the room to try and grab a scare from the back. Sometimes, it just seemed that the actors took away from the ambience in the room. We would like to see the actors get a bit more training in interacting with patrons and driving home the narrative of the theme.

Slaughterhouse has done a fantastic job of using their space. They didn’t cram it full of just ‘stuff’ to make it look fuller. They know when enough is enough. The queue line is pretty bare, with a couple of actors roaming around to keep waiting patrons entertained, one of which was the venerable Jeff Stover, who is always a treat to see. The wait doesn’t feel very long but, it would have been nice to have a little extra entertainment to make the wait seem even less, even if it was just some ambient music.

Overall though, we felt like $20 was a fair price to pay for the experience we had.