Fear Columbus Review (2021)

The cast at this attraction was enthralling. Fear Columbus is a large haunt with two distinct areas plus all the additions. It takes an impressive team who is all in every operational night to keep it the haunt you do not want to miss. Thankfully, they hold a very large cast and on most operational nights you will encounter at least fifty of them, if not more.

Fear Columbus has a lot of cast members that you will interact with both before and after the haunt. They are the ones that do things that you may not even be aware of behind the scenes that keep this haunt up and running. They are ready for anything from questions to large emergencies. We’d like to give a shout-out to Marco for being available to answer everyone’s questions and direct people in the correct way.

Inside of The Summoning and Aftermath Anarchy, you will find dozens of highly trained actors who keep up the energy all night. Both areas combined make up a very large venue to go through. However, the cast handles it without missing a beat. However, your heart might miss one or two strolling through this haunt. You will be too scared to notice, but some of the cast members have become skilled in the availability to float around in their area. This gives them the ability to get more scares out of each member in your group while giving you the illusion that there are way more actors in the haunt. They are also skilled in using things around them to enhance scares. This is a haunt that has a lot of interaction. They like to go off the cusp, interacting and ad-libbing with guests making every experience unique.

Some of the highlights for us that you will have to keep an eye out for on your trip are Satan who was spotlighted and living their best self, the chainsaw fella who was also spotlighted and was putting on a slicing good time. Last but not least, don’t forget to look up; there was a patient who was hanging by a chain giving the hospital employees a show.

Fear Columbus features elaborate costumes and makeup. They got an amazing bonus when they were offered an intern from the Columbus Academy of Art and Design (CCAD). The intern worked all summer on some exclusive pieces for them. All the interns have stayed on through haunt season to make sure costumes stay in their best shape and enhance the actors in the scene. Some masks are utilized at this haunt and when they are, they’re amazing pieces that I couldn’t get enough of to look at.

You will never see an incomplete costume or half-assed costume at Fear Columbus. Each actor has an amazing team of makeup artists and costume designers to help put the details together. You will be running like hell when you notice some of these details on the masks. If you take one of the specialty tours, be sure to marvel at all the unique and well-done costuming. This is great considering what a small design team they have and how many people they need to put together every night.

There were so many great looks to take away from this haunt, but we wanted to spotlight a few. The all-white morph suit was very basic but worked amazing in its role and scene inside the haunt. Also, there is a white Demon in The Summoning that will catch your attention and the details are amazing. One last one is the nurse that gets the gas mask stuck to her face.

There is a wealth of details and information on the Fear Columbus Haunted House Website. I recommend starting there to make your plans. The website is packed with everything you can think of for your night ahead. Things like FAQ, what to expect, videos, directions, parking information, and options for you to purchase your tickets in advance. By the way, all tickets must be purchased in advance there are no door sales. When you buy your tickets, you will get a confirmation email plus an additional email with everything you need to know before you go, and it goes into great detail with everything you need to know.

Fear Columbus may be new this year, but they have been around since summer. The haunt is well advertised with radio spots and giant billboards. It is located in an old strip mall and can be easily found with GPS. One thing that we noticed last year that they maintained this year was the ample amount of free parking in a well-lit parking lot.

Outside, you will see Columbus Police Department making a presence keeping patrons and cars safe. They will also give you a space to hide if one of the demons the cult conjured up happened to escape outside the building. You will show your timed ticket to cast who are working outside and they will navigate you to where you need to be. If you didn’t pre-purchase tickets, they can help you walk through this process as well. All guests are required to go through a walk-through metal detector and security checkpoint handled by a professional trained third-party security company. With many sold-out nights, the extra layer of security is a nice bonus.

Fear Columbus has your safety in mind when it comes to COVID also. They follow current mandates and requirements for the haunt industry and location. Wearing a mask is highly encouraged while attending. We also noticed several areas with hand sanitizer and masks for your use.

The entire haunt attraction is ADA accessible. A standard-non-powered wheelchair can navigate through the haunt with no problems.

Nick and his team have many plans in place for the safety of their patrons and to keep the haunt up and running during mishaps. The front of the house staff is ready to help with anything and is easy to spot with their Fear Columbus shirts.

Arriving at Fear Columbus is the start of your journey. The huge sign on the building lets you know you made it. When you get out of the car the glow of the light and the music will help boost your energy and summons you to the front of the building. Here you will see people chatting as well as fleeing the exit, leaving in horror. You may also come across escaped beasts of many sizes and shapes who are down to get the haunting started early.

When you get inside the lights quickly dim and the party music is over. It is time for things to get real quickly. You will be greeted by a cast member who helps you get in the appropriate line according to your ticket. The queue line inside faces a large house/cabin fa������������������ade with giant creatures who look like they are ready to suck your soul out of your body. There are giant posters with warnings and rules for the haunt as well as a TV on a loop showing haunted things.

When you reach the front of your line you can hear the screams of people running from the lost souls that have been summoned back. You will meet an energetic cast member who gives you the rules and such and they send you on your way into the danger.

Approximately 40,000 square feet can be a lot of space for a haunt of this scale to miss the mark, creating the chance for dead spaces to pop up their ugly heads and lose patron’s attention. However, this is not the case at Fear Columbus. They embrace the size of the haunt and it is easy to see why operational nights are sold out. With the dead zones at a minimum, a state-of-the-art sound system, professionally designed lighting, and movie-quality set design, it is no wonder Fear Columbus has become a fan favorite!

In The Summoning, each room was completely done and it felt very immersive. The lighting set the mood through each room. Each scene completed the last one giving you a cohesive storyline throughout the whole haunt. You could hear the spells being recited and the sounds of spirits as you traveled through the scenes. Some of the well-decorated scenes in these areas were the library where you can find all the spells you will ever need and the hallway of candles where the spirits light them to let you know they are there. And we can’t forget about the warped portal of hell. Some of the other larger special effects in this area were the collapsible walls and the vortex tunnel.

In Aftermath Anarchy, it is what you would envision for a post-apocalyptic city. When I mean city, it includes everything from a diner, a store, the streets, a home, a hospital, and more. It is very well laid out and is a complete storyline. Using that state-of-the-art sound system puts the best touches on scenes. One example is when we entered the store, we heard announcements about what was on sale and daily specials. In the hospital, we heard loud and clear “Code 3.” Those audio delights just help create that immersive experience in the scenes.

Some of the smaller details that I found enjoyable were the old Marlboro Cigarette sign inside the convenience store, the rotary phone on the wall of the home, the crash scene with real cars in the streets, and there is a lot more to take in. One scene that had great special effects was the garden/greenhouse area. The lighting and fog were well done. If you are afraid of snakes or man-eating plants this may not be your area. There was a high laser swamp that added a unique touch by layering it with another special effect.

Throughout the haunt, large items are featured in scenes. These large props made a few people in the group ahead of us fall to the ground in terror. The props love to get up close and personal and I enjoyed each of them.

Fear Columbus does not utilize an overall theme for the haunt. However, it is broken into two sections and those two sections have very distinct themes.

The Summoning:
Journey through the house of a cult that has set out to summon the worst entities imaginable. You will come face-to-face with these cult members and the demons they have brought to this world. The second half of the attraction takes you deep into the demon’s lair.

Aftermath Anarchy:
You will experience a post-apocalyptic city that is in total chaos. This attraction might even feel more like an action movie than a haunted house at some points. You will walk the city streets of Rapture filled with full-size storefronts, overturned cars, and a giant asylum with patients running loose. The city is in complete anarchy, and they are dropping you right in the middle of it.

No matter what, their goal is to scare the hell out of you and hope you have nightmares.

Fear Columbus has been massively updated in every single scene. Including all-new characters, a majorly updated sound and lighting system, more props and scenic details, and over double the scares we received last year. They offer a variety of scares between the two areas of hauntingly good times. The Summoning will have your members experience sounds and sights and the worst entities enter the space. The Aftermath Anarchy will give you first-hand experiences on how to survive true chaos where things are out to eat you.

The two areas make sure there is something to scare the front of your group all the way to the back of your group. You will experience an immersive assault on your senses. Everything from the emergency alert which automatically sends you into fight or flight to smells, drop doors, and everything in between. Distractions are good at this haunt to keep the scares flowing.

This is a self-guided haunt and bottlenecking can happen when the group in front of you falls to the floor in terror. When you bottleneck with other groups the group sizes become large to adequate but it seems the crew still gives appropriate scares. Fear Columbus does their best at a pause between the two haunts and timing between entrances.

Creating Fear for people who visit Columbus is what they are aiming to do, and they are successful at just that. Sometimes it is scaring the bejesus out of you and other times it is the eerily friendly banter as they follow you to your car.

General Admission pricing is dependent on when you choose to attend. There is a calendar on the website to help you determine the prices. NO DOOR SALES. TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE this year. Take the time to secure your tickets online and there are lots of options. Not sure what date you are going yet? Your date and entry time can be changed online after your purchase as long as your new time is not sold out.

On the night we attended, General Admission was $24.99. It took us about 28 minutes to get through, which provided us about 1.12 minutes of entertainment for every $1.00 that night. However, there are lots of variables that go with this’

General Admission ranges from $19.99, $24.99, and $29.99. General Admission is base pricing. This ticket is subject to waiting in the General Admission line and wait times vary based on the night you’re attending. Weekends in Mid-October to Halloween seem to be prime time and will cost you more.

Your walk-through time will depend on if you run through because you are completely terrified, if your group gets held up, and other things that may not be in your control. Fear Columbus also offers some pricier ticket options for those who are not patient to wait. However, with these prices you are not necessarily getting the most bang for your buck; you are getting convenience.

Fast Pass- Reduce your wait time! Roughly 1/3 the wait of the general admission line. Includes access to both haunted houses via the fast pass line.

Immediate Access- Eliminates your wait time! Arrive on-site and be the next group to enter the attraction. Includes access to both haunted houses via the fast pass line. We had immediate access passes and for the night we attended they were $44.99 per a person. For the three of us, our total was $134.97, which can be pricy, but again, you are paying for the convenience.

If you’re ready to gather the whole group and go, they also have group discounts as well. Groups of 10-19 can purchase tickets right from their website and discounts will be automatically applied. Discounts vary by date and group size. They can offer special discounts and accommodations for groups of 20+. Reach out to the haunt from the website to arrange your large group.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the additional things. On-Site is Merchandising and Photo Ops. They also offer a Behind the Screams Tour. Get a behind-the-scenes look on a 60+ minute guided tour complete with VIP access to the haunted house after. They also offer a Private Tour in which you get to experience the haunted house in VIP style with a private entrance, no wait, and a VIP host to guide your evening. Their end-of-the-season Black Out event and Krampus are coming soon, so be on the lookout for those.

As you can see, Fear Columbus offers many options so that everyone in your group has a good time. Whether you want to wait, grab a group, or partake in a VIP Experience, there is something for everyone!