Here we go again!
True to form, Fear Columbus, in Columbus, Ohio, has once again set the bar high for an outstanding haunted house experience. Here, guests can enjoy a fully interactive midway with photo ops, games, food, lively music, projection imaging, and lots of interesting lighting. Once inside, the party continues with 3 differently themed attractions that carry on the tradition Fear Columbus has set for itself as an immersive haunted house.
Visitors are treated to heart-pounding sound effects and brilliant lighting, coupled with excellent wall-to-wall set details and some of the most interesting costuming around. This haunt is most definitely a haunt that must be on everyone’s must-see list!
In all three attractions, actors were everywhere! They were hidden behind doors, walls, and around corners. Dearly Departed fooled us time and time again with mannequins and actors holding perfectly still until we approached the danger zone. Then, they would spring out at us, often reaching out with hands or a sharp knife. We often thought we were approaching a prop but were only right about half the time. The manic, grieving actor in the bedroom scene had us scurrying out of the room so fast, that we didn’t get a chance to look around much at all! All we knew at that moment was that we needed to get past them somehow.
Fright Fest at Fearwood High also used hidey-holes but also came for us head-on, from the sides, or even from behind. Some were loud, and we noticed an uptick of weaponry: either using them to bang on things around us or holding them to us/waving them around us in very threatening manners. Here, we also noticed a similarity in the way the afflicted characters would twitch and jerk their bodies and a few had finger-tip clackers they would jut out at us.
Oddballs Feast of Freaks featured clowns and treated us to a center-stage show. At one point, as we made our way through, a clown shocked us when they climbed over the “safety” barrier to separate us and put us on edge. They also used big show-stopping puppets and animatronics. The sound system enhanced our feeling of urgency, which actors took full advantage of. Actors then used their mannerisms to finish the job. This is not the style of haunt where guests will participate in any discourse with characters, as they prefer a “stab-and-go” method, often followed by an unexpected second attack for the next victim in line.
How complete, unique, detailed were the costumes, accessories? – (35% of score)
Were the masks, makeup creative, detailed, realistic? – (30% of score)
How appropriate were the costumes for the respective scenes, themes? – (20% of score)
How believable-, detailed-looking were the queue actors? (See Note if N/A) – (15% of score)
At every turn in all three attractions, costuming was complete and well done. Not only that, but the variety of costumes and characters kept us invested in what was to come. With Fearwood High’s setting being broader than the other two attractions, we saw more varieties of costuming there. Dearly Departed and Oddballs also had differently styled costumes, including cloaks and fully dressed mourners, while Oddballs also played with different circus-styled costumes; we didn’t spot any repeated costumes.
The masks all fit well and had great detailing and texture to them. The makeup was also well done and detailed, enhancing the actors’ performances. Costumes all fit in well with their scenes and attractions. Queue actors stationed in front of their attractions also fit with the theme we were about to enter. All were detailed well.
The feature characters in the attractions were detailed well and designed creatively. Scraps, from Feast of Freaks, comes to mind as they are a clown, but the custom costume is very unique and well-designed, stepping away just enough from the traditional clown suit to get our attention. In Dearly Departed, the mourning mortician in the luxe bedroom scene also featured a fully detailed costume, allowing us to figure out exactly who they were. The featured stage performer in Fearwood High was also appropriately staged with blood and distressed make-up sporting an equally distressed and bloodied evening dress that fit in well with the lounge scene.
How easy was it to locate, park at, navigate the premises? – (25% of score)
Safety (Only dock points for TRULY DANGEROUS hazards!) – (30% of score)
How professional, helpful, friendly were the staff members? – (25% of score)
How easy was it to find pertinent information before arrival? – (20% of score)
Locating and parking at the property was simple. There is ample paved space to park the car and enjoy the entrance and exit of the haunt. There is excellent signage and music, so there’s no question as to where customers need to go on the property. When you pull up to the property, be prepared for a Halloween Celebration because that is exactly what Fear Columbus brings.
There were no safety concerns of note. There is ample security and additional staff throughout. There is a no-bag policy. The available staff is professional and courteous. QR codes are available at the entrance for anyone who didn’t purchase a ticket online (tickets are available online only.)
Any questions? Visit the dedicated website for all the necessary details one could possibly need to prepare for a visit.
How well did the pre-haunt areas ("vibe") prepare you for the attraction/s? – (25% of score)
How obvious, creative, believable was the storyline? (See Note if N/A) – (20% of score)
Were you completely, consistently immersed inside the attraction/s? – (40% of score)
How well did the "vibe" flow after, between the attraction/s? – (15% of score)
As previously stated, the pre-haunt areas are designed to celebrate the season, as well as equipped to handle the large volume of customers who descend on the property to get spooky. Decorations, lighting, music, games, food, and multiple photo ops, in addition to queue actors moving about, provide many entertainment opportunities.
We chose not to read the provided storylines on the website before our visit to see if we could determine them on-site. The storylines of the attractions were somewhat discernable. Dearly Departed begins with a funeral setting and quickly descends into a house of madness and evil. Robed figures and cult symbols made us suspect the grieving mourners have opened Pandora’s Box. Fright Fest at Fearwood High takes us through a community, and namely a high school, whose residents have fallen under some sort of unknown affliction resulting in violence and anarchy. Oddballs Feast of Freaks may be the attraction with the more difficult storyline to detect. We do know the clowns are angry, unhinged, and bloodthirsty. We understood the overall theme but didn’t come away with a storyline per se.
Inside the attractions, we faced a barrage of overstimulation every second. Fear left no stone unturned as they hit us with FEARsome acting, detailed costumes, state-of-the-art lights and sounds, strategically placed animatronics, and precisely detailed sets.
How effective were the sound effects? – (20% of score)
How realistic were the scene designs, details? – (30% of score)
How effective, realistic were the props, animatronics? – (30% of score)
How well did they use creative, special, sensory effects? – (20% of score)
Special effects, along with other areas, are where Fear Columbus shines. Their use of sound and lighting is unparalleled and makes guests feel ALL the feels. Right out of the gate, waiting to enter the first attraction, Dearly Departed, we were immersed in a fully detailed facade and were captured by the reverberating sound and lighting effects. Set detailing in every inch of the place was evident, and included all the tiny details we could pick up along the way. No doubt we couldn’t possibly pick out everything, as there was simply too much good stuff to see! Just as we found ourselves leaning in to get a good look, an actor or animatronic would come out of nowhere, and we quickly refocused our attention on getting away from them! This eye for detail and design followed through with all of the attractions, making us want to stay but also feeling the need to leave urgently at the same time! While sticking to the storyline and theme, Fear does an excellent job of keeping each set uniquely detailed, keeping guests guessing what they will think of next.
The movie-quality sounds throughout the haunt were played on quality speakers. Not only that, but the variety of sounds kept our attention and added to our anxiety. The varieties of sounds were all appropriate for the sets they were used in. We could hear yelling and screaming throughout, which served to keep us off balance and on edge.
The scene designs and details were absolutely amazing. We felt like we were stepping into a new scene in a horror film over and over. Each design felt strategically placed. The costumes and scene designs were unique to each other and enhanced the experience.
Animatronics enhanced, not competed with, the other elements of all three attractions. Some were massive and visually stimulating, while others were more tucked away to get us when least expected. Special effects included during the haunt (not an exhaustive list): air cannons, lights, fog, a laser tunnel, projectors, animatronics, ambient sounds and music, flickering lights, compression tunnel, different colors of lighting, clickers, poppers, and many more.
How scary was it? – (35% of score)
How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? – (15% of score)
How predictable were the scares? – (25% of score)
How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? – (10% of score)
How strong was the ending / finale? – (15% of score)
How scary was it? Fear earns its name, keeping us on edge our entire time inside. We were subjected to more pop-up antics than we can count. We became participants in each section, feeling like we were starring in a movie production amid a chest-pounding soundtrack and sensory-overloading light shows. We were tricked by decoys and distractions. We enjoyed the ways in which the people in line were startled in different ways. People in front might get accosted by an actor, while those in the middle or back might get a popper, an unexpected burst of light or sound shot at them, or some animatronic engagement.
With the entire show being high in energy and intensity, the finales of each were equally intense.
How satisfied with the entertainment provided by the MAIN attraction/s? – (50% of score)
How satisfied with OTHER entertainment INCLUDED with the ticket price? – (25% of score)
How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s? – (25% of score)
General admission tickets are $19.99, with a total walk-through of nearly 24 minutes, giving us mathematically an outstanding minutes per dollar ratio of 1.18. Even without looking at the math, the sheer enjoyment to be had for 19.99 can’t be beaten! To further stretch the pocketbook, we always take advantage of their summer pre-sale for an even bigger discount. Fear’s name is getting out, so expect a wait, especially if purchasing general admission tickets. If you haven’t been, we only have one question -why?!
2605 Northland Plaza Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43231