Free Parking, Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site, Handicap Accessible, Food/Concessions, Gift Shop/Souvenirs, Optional Games/Midway, Special Events, You will NOT be touched, Original Characters, Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line, Covered Outdoor Waiting Line, Indoor/Outdoor Attraction
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!
Hide This
Final Score: 8.76
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 9.18
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.85
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.93
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 9.35
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.95
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.73
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.03
Hide This
Summary:
Behind the Cumming Fairgrounds in Forsyth County lurks a sinister estate, a home to the strange and wicked things living on the evil energy of the town. The House of Four Scythes is a non-profit haunt with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
The production team behind 2019’s Cumming Scare Fair is back this year with a polished, terrifying, traditional haunted manor experience. Don’t let the unassuming exterior of the fairgrounds building fool you; once we stepped through their gates, we saw everything we love about haunts and more! In addition, this is easily the most illness safe haunt we’ve seen so far.
Cast: 9.18
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
(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)?: 9.5
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 9.5
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 9
Hide This
Four Scythes’ volunteer cast is the heart and soul of the haunt. There was so much passion for spooking and scaring! The dedication to their characters was simply wonderful. The authenticity of the motions and speech of each actor gave so much depth to the experience! These aren’t just people looking to spook customers, but rather actors exploring and enriching the characters they’ve created.
Before entering, we met a very happy clown that was excited to have us play with her in the Carnival of Screams after the main attraction. Several of the actors had a way of moving to blend in with the animatronics and scenery. The best example was one of the first actors we saw in the haunt, the shoveler!
Costuming: 8.85
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?: 8.5
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.5
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9.5
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 9
Hide This
The House of Four Scythes haunted attraction had creative ways of outfitting their actors to look as their characters should while incorporating their safety masks. We were very impressed by the creativity used in both hiding and using these to their advantage. Some safety masks had half-faced designs or prosthetics on top of them.
Costuming overall had an uncanny valley feel, which they often used with striking effect to blend in with the set and animatronics. One actor wore a full face mask that made her look like an old woman doll, giving us chills when she spoke to us. One very tall person was dressed similarly to two large statues in his room, and his motion caused us to wonder if the others were real as well. There were many nods to classic characters, such as Annabelle, the Shining Girls, and Regan. The creativity in making the reference obvious while creating clearly original characters was very impressive.
Customer Service: 8.93
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?: 7
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 10
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.5
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9
Hide This
The House of Four Scythes staff really impressed us with their attentiveness to their customers’ experience and safety. With timed ticketing, mask requirements and checks, security cameras, and frequent sanitation stations, we felt that they were really watching out for us and others. When we arrived for our scheduled timeslot, actors were returning to their positions after a full haunt cleaning break where they sanitized any surfaces that might be touched by customers.
We had a later timeslot and the staff of the fairgrounds had gone home, leaving parking and finding where to enter the haunt a bit confusing. But it seems that isn’t a norm and wasn’t such an issue for most other customers.
Atmosphere: 8
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
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8
Hide This
Four Scythes’ atmosphere was a tricky thing to score for us. Located in the Cumming Fairgrounds while the Cumming Fair is set up, the exterior of this haunt largely depends on what is going on at the moment. They are very limited in what they can put out front.
When we arrived, the fair was closed and created a spooky atmosphere for us to walk through to get to the attraction. Actors were out front, creeping and greeting and clearly enjoying themselves. A few photo ops were available and looked great. Overall, we felt like they did a great job with what they had to work with. The actors really made the difference, getting us in the mood to get spooked!
Special Effects: 9.35
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 9.5
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9.5
(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?: 10
Hide This
The House of Four Scythes was packed with innovative, unique, well-executed special effects around every turn. No two were quite alike! Creaks and groans and pops followed us between billowing curtains, floating beds, slamming cabinets, and monsters jumping out of tables. Background soundtracks in some scenes built tension, and slams and bangs came at all the right times.
After going through, we stopped the owners and asked them to let us know which things were automatic and which were run by actors, as it was so hard to tell the difference. The scenes were so completely decorated that we felt we could go through four or five more times and not see it all! No detail was out of place as we were led through the estate. If there were a lights-on tour of this haunt, we would clear a day to go see it for sure!
Theme: 8.95
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9.5
(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
Hide This
The House of Four Scythes is an estate of death and evil. When we entered, we were actually taken to a faux outdoor area leading up to the manor. This was a wonderful transition from the fairgrounds into their haunted house, adding to the suspension of disbelief. From there to the very end of the experience, we were in the world of the haunt. Each scene flowed nicely into the next, holding our attention and belief.
While a haunted house is a very trope-ic theme, House of Four Scythes was able to portray it in a new and innovative way.
Scare Factor: 8.73
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 9
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 9
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 9
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8
Hide This
Four Scythes is that kind of scary that keeps you on your toes and gets you while you’re laughing. Frights and startles and creeps were at every turn. Each scene had unique scares that kept us guessing. They tended to not focus on either of us more than the other, meaning no one in your group will be safe from the frights! And the finale had people running screaming from the building! We were laughing with delight any time we weren’t being scared.
Entertainment & Value: 8.03
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?: 9.5
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 7.5
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 7
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 8
Hide This
The House of Four Scythes has used their available space and resources marvelously. Fun photo ops are available after the estate. And don’t forget to play with the clowns in the Carnival of Screams as well, which is included with your ticket!
With a 20 dollar admission for about ten minutes to walk through, it was just a little short. But the high quality of this haunt made up for it. And don’t forget that proceeds go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life! The amount of fun packed into The House of Four Scythes makes this a charity haunt that Team NecroNomAPeach very highly recommends!
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!
