Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 8.1

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 8

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9.47

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 7.68

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 7.86

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 8

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 8.43

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 8.18

Eastaboga Manor in Eastaboga, Alabama, has been offering scares to its visitors since 2018. Centered around a Victorian house built in 1891, the attraction spans 5 acres and features a variety of smaller buildings and outdoor scenes, creating a unique old-school haunt experience.

The owner of Eastaboga Manor brings over 30 years of experience to the haunt. He started with home haunt operations in 1990 before expanding into larger setups. Over the years, he has incorporated elements from previous haunts, including the Mall Massacre and Alabama Asylum, into his scare repertoire.

In addition to the main haunted attraction, visitors can enjoy a midway area that includes a 6-minute escape room. This experience is available for an additional $10 on top of the regular haunted attraction ticket, providing an exciting challenge for those looking to test their problem-solving skills amidst the spooky atmosphere. And it’s train car theme is part of the overall story of Eastaboga Manor.

At Eastaboga Manor, the cast is diverse and engaging, using actors of a variety of ages. Many of the actors are family members, including very young ones who play roles to fit their size and stature, contributing to the immersive atmosphere alongside the adult performers.

The Mad Hatter and RahRah create a lively and whimsical environment as they interact with guests in the queue line and midway area. Their creepy yet friendly demeanor and readiness to pose for photos add a touch of charm and excitement, ensuring that everyone feels included in the experience at Eastaboga.

In the church scene, a funeral is underway. The minister’s sermon captivated our small audience. In true southern style, his oration encouraged us to linger to hear more until it culminated in a communal response of “Amen”!

Amidst fluorescently painted walls, the clown girl’s playful antics and infectious laughter were a credit to her character. Her oversized sledgehammer served as both a comedic prop and a playful obstacle, as she informed us that guests have to dance in order to exit the room, making for a memorable interaction (and causing us to come up with our best dance moves on the spot!). Respect given to the makeup artist for a great job on her look!

As guests transition into the junkyard area, the manic energy of the actor claiming ownership over every item adds a layer of humor and absurdity. His insistence that “Everything is MINE!” not only entertains but also sets clear boundaries for what guests can touch, making us question the motivations of this character.

Overall, the cast at Eastaboga Manor delivers a blend of humor and engagement, drawing guests into the eerie experience.

On a typical night at Eastaboga Manor, there are about 40 costumed characters who inhabit the various scenes. The actors wear a mixture of masks and makeup. We got a sneak peek at their backstage prep areas. In the makeup room, their talented artists were creating elaborate makeup effects for the night.

Costumes were appropriately fitted for each actor, and the final presentation always seemed appropriate for the room or scene that they occupied.

From witches and clowns to a butcher and a pumpkin-headed scarecrow, all of the creatures felt at home in their creepy scenes. Many of the characters are created by the actors after being assigned to a certain scene in the haunt, so kudos to them for making great choices to enhance the story!

Some costuming choices were subtle yet effective, as we were startled by a figure in a simple black cloak. All we initially noticed was the fluorescent orange glow of its horns appearing from the darkness! Many of the costumes were quite elaborate and hand-built by the team. If you visit, take your time in the furnace/boiler room. There’s an actor with his head encased in a metal cage. It is a standout costume and makeup combination!

Eastaboga Manor’s website is a valuable resource for visitors, providing essential information such as operating dates and a link to purchase tickets. It also includes a general description of what guests can expect during their haunting experience. Guests can easily find the attraction, as GPS will reliably guide them to the on-site parking lot, which offers free parking.

At the ticket booth, attendees have the convenience of purchasing their tickets using either cash or a credit card. General admission to the haunt is $20. For those looking to enhance their visit, the escape room can be added to the haunt ticket for a total of $30, offering a $5 savings compared to purchasing the escape room separately. On especially busy nights, a $45 VIP option is available, allowing guests to bypass the wait in line.

In addition to the haunting activities, food and drinks can be purchased in the midway area, ensuring that visitors can refuel after their frightful adventures inside the manor and keep the creepy fun going. A gift shop is also available, offering affordably-priced merchandise, including custom Eastaboga Manor t-shirts for fans as a memory of their experience.

The midway features entertaining games, including a haunt-themed ring toss and a brain toss game for a few dollars. Participants have the chance to win Eastaboga Manor-themed merchandise if they succeed in sinking a brain into the open skulls, or tossing rings around the feet and arms of zombie babies!

As you make your entry into the haunt you hear a recording explaining some of the history of the haunt. Boxcar Joe was hired to help the Higgins family set up a farm, however, Boxcar Joe soon fell in love with Mrs. Higgings. This adoration from afar drove Boxcar Joe a little crazy. He later killed the whole family because of his unrequited love. Boxcar Joe disappeared, but some people say they see him passing by on the train. During your visit, you might hear the train pass by the back of the property. Be sure to look for Boxcar Joe if you see the train! You can also expect to encounter various members of the Higgins family as you make your way through the haunt.

Despite the fact the haunt is outside of the main house, you’ll soon forget that you are walking on dirt or gravel as you take in the grimy walls of the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and bedrooms. Most of the settings you will encounter would be expected to be part of a farmhouse or farmyard, so there are only a few sights that might pull you from the storyline. The clown area comes to mind… but then, as the story goes… a family of clowns moved into the house at one point and were all murdered, too.

The cast also makes great efforts to interact with you. Expect to be invited for dinner… not that you’d choose to take up that invitation. Several characters encourage you to stay and become a part of the Manor.

Eastaboga Manor incorporates several old-school haunt effects within its walls. A well-timed train horn at the beginning catches you off guard as it blasts while a secret door opens and allows you deeper into the haunt. The traditional vortex tunnel will disorient you, and an airbag squeeze passage will give you a jolt of claustrophobia! Some cool, well-timed props jump to life when triggered by motion detectors (We prefer these to the animatronics in other haunts that almost never deliver a true scare).

In an outside area, we encountered a laser swamp with fog that obscured bridges and walkways through the bayou. We really wanted some alligator action here since we were previously warned about possibly becoming gator-bait!

Eastaboga Manor uses well-placed lighting to enhance their scenes and props. Shrouded figures often had just the right amount of uplighting to bring attention to their presence. And speaking of light, we mentioned the funeral scene actor, but we didn’t mention the floating candles in the room… lots of them!

In the butcher/slaughter room, we saw a body that was cut in half hanging on a wall with intestines trailing down. As we passed by (avoiding the butcher), the head moved, and arms waved at us. This is one of those old-school special effects that still gets reactions from visitors.

Aside from occasional music, the biggest sound you might note is the use of shotgun shots in a couple of scenes and with the midway characters. Eastaboga creates authentic gunshots using blanks that will definitely make you cover your ears for a moment.

Eastaboga Manor uses a wide variety of tactics to disorient and scare the visitors.

Jump/startle scares are commonplace in every haunt. You can expect characters and creatures to surprise you from hidden spots in rooms simply by making a quick appearance through a drop panel. On at least one occasion, the actor wasn’t hidden; they were crouched down in plain sight, and we simply overlooked them. They achieved some startle scare points for that one!

The Manor also taps into several common phobias with their inclusion of clowns and creepy dolls. If one of your fears relates to tight, enclosed spaces, you’ll get to make your way through claustrophobia bags as you progress through the Manor.

Several characters achieve their scares by intimidation. The actors move into your personal space and either question you or suggest things like donating an arm or becoming ‘gator-bait for the swamp reptiles. Intimidation doesn’t always occur using words, however. Several characters were appropriately silent and stared us down as we walked through their respective areas.

We also encountered mild touches of gore in whatever was on the dinner plates in the dining room, as well as the various body parts in the butcher’s room. Gore adds a visual layer to the scene, contributing to your feeling of unease.

All of these scare elements come together to let you know that something is definitely amiss inside the walls of Eastaboga Manor!

The ticket price for a walk through at Eastaboga Manor is $20, and guests can expect an immersive experience, spending about 19 minutes exploring the various frightful rooms and scenes. This results in an impressive value of 0.96 MPD (minutes per dollar) in the area, making it a great deal for those looking for a thrilling adventure.

In addition to the haunting, the midway area features standing tables where guests can enjoy food and drinks while soaking in the atmosphere. It’s a perfect spot for people-watching and waiting for friends who might be experiencing the haunt or playing midway games.

To enhance the ambiance, the midway plays cool and creepy music to set the spooky mood. On select nights, visitors may also be treated to extra entertainment on their small stage in the midway, with a live band or a DJ spinning. They also have nights when the local radio station does remote broadcasts from the haunt, adding an extra layer of excitement to the overall experience at Eastaboga Manor.