✓-Free Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-Food/Concessions✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-“Extreme” Attraction✓-You may be touched✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Original Characters✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line✓-Indoor/Outdoor Attraction✓-Family Friendly
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: 9.09
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 9.03
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 9.07
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.04
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 9.3
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 9.18
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 9.05
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 9.05
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 9.02
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Summary:
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?”
Cast: 9.03
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 9.25
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 9.15
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.75
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.9
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 9
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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.
Costuming: 9.07
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?: 9.15
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 9.25
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 9
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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.
Customer Service: 9.04
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?: 8.9
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.15
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.15
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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.
Atmosphere: 9.3
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?: 9.5
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 9
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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.
Special Effects: 9.18
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9.15
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 9.25
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9.25
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 9
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 9.35
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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.
Theme: 9.05
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9.15
(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?: 9
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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…
Scare Factor: 9.05
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.95
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 9.15
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 9
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 9.25
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 9
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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!
Entertainment & Value: 9.02
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?: 9
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 9
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 9.15
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Face Your Fears Hotel of Terror is a hidden gem with a great value that I don’t think some people are aware of. From the moment you pull in, the anticipation is amazing!
They provide a concession stand, fire pit, and movies playing on a big screen to keep you entertained while waiting in line. They also have lost souls roaming around looking to take you in and make you a part of their scenery.
General Admission is $15.00. Our group tried to free ourselves from the monsters within for about 20 minutes (longer than last year at 16 minutes). This great entertainment is 1.33 minutes for every dollar you spend which is a pretty good value! They pack everything into their hotel, so space is full of frightfully fun fear!
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!
