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: 8.83
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 9.08
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 9.11
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.35
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.35
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.71
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.8
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.33
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.88
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Summary:
Team Giraffic Shark returned to ENIGMA HAUNT for their second consecutive year, excited to see what was new for 2018. The creative team at ENIGMA did not disappoint with large upgrades, and general improvements for this season.
ENIGMA features three themed walk through attractions: CURSED, TWISTED MAYHEM, and REALMS OF TERROR and they are all linked together in one continuous experience, separated by a short interior queue to space Guests out once again before entering REALMS OF TERROR. When in Boca Raton during the Halloween season, one MUST make a point to visit ENIGMA HAUNT, as it’s one of the most entertaining haunted attractions in South Florida.
Cast: 9.08
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8.75
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 9
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 9.25
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 9.5
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Guests first get acquainted with cast members in the queue, where characters like Sammy hang out. Sammy hosts an entertaining, impressive, and comical fire-eating act. Guests may run into Sammy again once inside, as he assists with grouping Guests and welcoming them to the attraction prior to sending them on their way in.
Performers throughout the attraction are dedicated to providing scares as well as character-based stories throughout the attraction. ENIGMA HAUNT utilizes a few child actors, with a parent performing in the same scene and this is a great opportunity for young people to get their first taste of performing in a haunted attraction while maintaining safe working conditions for youngsters.
Besides Sammy, and the three-faced man in the queue, the most impressive in the attraction itself was the character who introduced Guests to his mutant ‘dachshund,’ and continued with the group for quite some time to show off and introduce Guests to his portion of the attraction and its inhabitants. Little Red Riding Hood delivered a great story and objectives to Guests while using her spiel to ensure they were spaced out accordingly prior to moving forward.
Costuming: 9.11
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
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.75
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9.25
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 9.5
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Costumes are thorough and creative, matching the themes appropriately while delivering strong character looks throughout all sections of the attraction. Some favorites include the unique three-faced mask seen on one of the queue actors, and some of the mutant characters towards the end of the attraction, including one with an oversized mask with a bulgy eye. Jack Frost also had a fun look and though his mask was a bit cumbersome (as is expected for silicone masks), he still was able to deliver clear and effective dialogue through the mask. Oversized clown mask choices seemed to work pretty well without inhibiting performance, or becoming too static feeling as clown masks frequently do.
Customer Service: 9.35
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?: 8.5
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.25
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.75
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The folks at ENIGMA HAUNT were fantastic hosts, featuring a friendly and helpful ticket booth staff, as well as other employees including in the gift shop, and specific hosts for the evening, Ivonne and Billy. Employees are appropriately stationed throughout the attraction to help Guests navigate the stairs between sections, and other hard-to-navigate areas. There are no concerns navigating the attraction regarding safety, though if Guests need to exit, they are given the appropriate method for doing so, and there are Emergency Exits in nearly every scene should they be needed.
Atmosphere: 8.35
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?: 8.25
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8.5
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ENIGMA HAUNT takes place in an old storefront, two-story gym, with little atmosphere provided outside the attraction, until Guests enter the extended queue side yard. Here Guests are entertained with lights, scenery, music, and performances to help evoke the Halloween and haunted themes prior to entering the attraction.
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?: 8.25
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 9
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.75
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.5
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ENIGMA HAUNT employs a variety of different effects from old school, tried and true effects to more high-end and impressive special effects. Some include their impressive ‘rules board’ at the entrance to haunt, and various animatronic figures peppered throughout the attraction.
Some other favorite effects included the Looking Glass Pepper’s Ghost effect, elevator, and the return of the slanted corner room in TWISTED MAYHEM, providing disorienting experiences to lead into great scares. It seems as though lighting has improved this year, with more pin lighting and programming to allow various show elements to happen on cue, as well as appropriately lighting and highlighting key elements throughout the attractions.
Theme: 8.8
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 9
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8
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ENIGMA HAUNT delivers three distinct attractions, all within one main attraction. Each of them have a common theme, but they are told in an original way that only ENIGMA truly can.
Clown sections, though partially UV, do not fully rely on UV lighting and paint to convey a clown atmosphere. CURSED takes a different approach on voodoo with their attraction being somewhat unique and original. REALMS OF TERROR heavily features Fairy Tales that have turned into nightmares. The theme is rather consistent throughout the entire attraction, with a few things to pull Guests out of the illusion (a couple piles of performer belongings were spotted).
Scare Factor: 8.33
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8.25
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.75
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8
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ENIGMA provided some solid scares to the group throughout each of the sections, with some unexpected surprises. Unfortunately, most scares seemed to skip the first person in the group, as it seemed as though they were waiting to scare the middle of the group. While normally appreciated to scare more than just the first person, this tactic was a bit too highly used, as a lot of scares were missed from the person in the front of the line. ENIGMA has a good balance of effects-driven and performer-driven scares, creating a nice variety throughout the attraction. Performer scares could continue to be more aggressive and developed, though are working well currently as a nice solid foundation. The ending could use a ramp up of energy and intensity, though hard to manage without having some Guests fly down a long flight of exit stairs beyond the end of the haunt.
Entertainment & Value: 8.88
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?: 8.5
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 8.75
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 9.5
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ENIGMA HAUNT offers a few different ticket options (one including REALMS OF TERROR only, the longest attraction out of the three) for $30, and a pass for all three attractions begins at $35, making a clear choice to spend a little extra money and get the extra sections (CURSED and TWISTED MAYHEM) adding on over a minute per dollar spent for the additional charge!
If time is an issue and the haunt is crowded, a VIP option is available, though ENIGMA does a great job at making the queue entertainment very entertaining and engaging, assisting Guests in making their wait time fly by. ENIGMA HAUNT is not to be missed for those in the area, and well worth a reasonable drive to see.
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!
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