Somewhere deep in Springfield, Ohio is a dark path that will lead you back to a haunted hotel that the Edwards Family owned. The hotel will bring you face to face with your nightmares.
After many years of being in the business, some haunts fall flat; but not this one. Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror has made changes and enhancements that are creepy good. So, go and see if you can check out, once you have checked in.
“What’s your phobia?”
During your journey through the hotel, you will only come across about 25 morbidly disgruntled souls. We were stunned that the number was so low. The cast does an amazing job at providing frightful delight and being up in your face nearly nonstop so it seems like you encounter so many more creatures. There is less breathing time because dead zones don’t exist, so if the panic attack is setting in, you won’t get a breather. The cast does an amazing job at storytelling their scenes while at the same time painting the bigger picture of the theme.
Not one of them broke character; not even when pulling me by my ponytail. Yes, you heard me right if you pay the additional money for the touch pass, the cast REALLY wants to become your friend.
Shout out to the creepy guy who let us down the elevator who only stared at me like I was disgusting but I am sure he wanted to laugh at my reaction. Another one that caught my attention was the bartender who was throwing drinks around, you know, the little details and he got them right.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror is impressive in the costuming department. You will be screaming through the haunt or running from someone who is trying to grab you, so you might not notice the details of these tormented souls. At this haunt, you will not see your standard Spirit Halloween store costumes. However, what you will get are original and amazing creatures that are top notch. You will see masks used so effectively in this haunt that as you are running in terror you won’t even realize it is just a mask.
Each costume was so well put together that they became a very realistic part of the scene and the storytelling. We were impressed that the cast does most of their own makeup with special help from Chrissy Messaros.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
Remember this is an attraction with stairs and the waiting area is outside so please wear appropriate footwear. When you are running for your life on a swing bridge, flip-flops may not be the best idea. When you get in the general area you will see a well-lit sign that will help guide you to the haunt. Be careful and don’t hit any animals on your way in like we did (you are way out in the country). One tricky thing to remember when making the trip to this haunt is that you want the gravel driveway before the sign, not the one after it.
This haunt does contains stairs. So please try to remember this so you don’t knock your group members down while trying to escape. The stairs also make this haunt not handicap accessible. Plenty of parking and everything else is a smooth, natural transition from tickets, to the queue line and the entrance of the haunt. There are some amazing people who work the haunt and they are easy to find for any questions or concerns. If you need any details, you can easily find anything you need on their Facebook page or website.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror does atmosphere correct. You take a long windy dark road all the way to the back and there sits the hotel like a beacon of deadly light. Before you even get out of your car, you can hear and feel the rumbles of what seem to be thunder!
When you exit your car, the sounds bring anticipation to your soul. The way they have their queue line set up makes you wind around a massive tree with branches that lean out, like those haunted trees you see in cartoons or movies. You will also get to take in the fa������������������ade of the haunt from many angles which also invites fear to set in.
The anticipation continues to build as you stand at the front of the line waiting for your group to be released into the entrance of the hotel. Seeing people run out and hearing their screams in the distance makes you second guess why you are standing in that line.
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
From swaying bridges, laser swamps, and falling elevators, there is no shortage of special effects at Face Your Fears! They had a prop that was on a bed in one scene that I thought was so real that I became fixated with staring at it to see if it was breathing.
However, they don’t just have the heavy hitters. Some of their special effects come from small things that are in the details. This haunt is a good blend of the bigger items as well as creative and unique special effects. Every scene is complete and well put together. It is a very cohesive haunt which makes the special effects flow better together and which makes for more of a cohesive show. It was a self-guided tour, but we never encountered any props that hadn’t been reset or where the timing was off.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror has a theme and they execute it well. You may not know the backstory unless you go to the web page and read the story, but I encourage you to do this so everything becomes a full circle. The storytelling is amazing if you are brave enough to pay attention to it. Once you set foot in the entrance you will realize it is a hotel right away. Every room is consistent with the theme and you will continue to understand it the further you make it.
Just in case you are in a hurry, an excerpt of the story is about the Edwards Siblings. Their mom owned the hotel but after a while, they got tired of her so they ‘took over’ the hotel. However, when people checked in they didn’t always get to check out after the siblings took over. After a while, the workers of the hotel eventually decided to investigate the basement to find true terror. They called the police but in good, old-fashioned stories the townspeople do what they do by creating a mob and they killed the siblings or, so they thought. But hey, it’s just a story. So we think. The hotel is open and booking guests. You can see for yourself…
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
You want to go to a haunt where everyone in your group gets a piece of the action right? Well, here you go! For $2.00 you can get the touch pass. If you are a seasoned haunt goer this enhances your experience. There’s nothing like getting dragged around by your ponytail by a creature with half a face (safely). How about someone in your group getting pinned against the wall while you are being heckled to move along and leave them by themselves? With the touch pass, no one is safe and the predictability is basically thrown out one of their upper story windows. You have no idea when it will happen, who it will happen to or which character wants to keep you.
If you don’t want to be touched or are a novice at haunted houses, this haunt still provides scares for everyone in the group and you have the option to not be touched. Face Your Fears does a stellar job at using the completes scenes and characters to enhance your fright experience, especially when it comes to hiding spots!
1291 Cold Springs Road, Springfield, Ohio 45502