Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a beautiful place to be in during October. In the morning, you can see hot air balloons in the sky. There are farmers markets and corn mazes, as well as people selling roasted green chilies and pinion.
Located in a strip mall in the suburbs of Albuquerque is a unique haunted house with a unique theme called Haunted House NM. This first-year haunt offers a family version of the haunt during the day and a scarier version for adults later in the evening. Regarding this haunted house, we experienced both the family and adult versions… Once you enter the doors, your journey begins!
When one thinks of haunted attractions, they think of characters that actors play, and how this can add to the experience. With Haunted House NM, we experienced a small cast that used the space of the haunt to their full advantage. Multiple times we had the same actor scaring us again and again.
Actors during the family show and adult show stayed in character. The cast in this haunt are a variety of ages, ranging from adults to children. While walking through, we had some good interactions with the actors, several times we even had several actors follow us. There was variety with the characters including those who silently stalked us, and others were sneaky with great hiding places.
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)
The costuming is simple, but it fits with the theme. All of the actors wear black robes, with the theme of this haunt as being occult, and this adds believability. The masks in the haunt are of retail variety and good quality. We noticed masks such as Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, as well as others. They were tucked under the robes to help enhance the looks of their costumes. Makeup was not used within the haunt. The costuming fit the theme, as all the monsters were being summoned through the cult.
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)
The customer service was great, the haunt owner and his family greet every group that goes through. There were several parking spots we saw in the lit parking lot, and a sign at the entrance of the haunt.
Throughout our walk, we felt safe. There were also marked emergency exits throughout the haunt. Every member of the staff we encountered was very friendly and professional. They were happy to answer any questions we had.
Their Facebook page and haunt website are mapped out well, with the hours of operation for both the family-friendly and adult haunts. The address is listed as well, and once added to GPS for navigation, the haunt is easy to get to. They also have discount options for the haunt on both their website and Facebook page.
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)
Entering the doors into Haunted House NM, there is a small waiting area where the music and ambiance can be heard, setting the vibe of this haunt. The storyline of the haunt flowed the entire time. Walking through, there were symbols and bloody writing on the walls, letting us know that something sinister was afoot.
Immersion flowed throughout as well. During the family-friendly version, some of the props and rooms for the adult show were covered, changing the foot path through the haunt. The music playing throughout the haunt also added to the believability. The cultist vibe flowed throughout both the family and adult versions as well.
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)
This is an old-school, actor-based haunted house. The use of the effects they have were very well done. As soon as we entered the doors, we could hear evil-sounding death metal blaring that continued throughout the haunt. This music not only helped to build anticipation, it added to the theme.
They used props throughout this haunt. They also used the walls by banging on them or wrinkling plastic around the walls to add to the anxiety and suspense. There was black tarp for the path that had neon paint splattered on it. While being what some might think of as basic, it added to the confusion of where to go. The haunted house transitions from the family haunt to the adult version involves either removing or moving the tarp to open new rooms that were closed off during the family show. These additional rooms contained things that might be too scary for kids. The walls of the rooms had cult symbols and writing in blood that helped guests understand that this is an unholy place.
Each section has props and theming that would fit in a cult’s meeting place. There were desks, body bags and limbs scattered about. One scene, in particular, got embedded into our minds: a bathroom, but instead of the nasty-looking toilet one might expect, there is a summoning circle complete with candles and offerings that was used to summon the monsters.
One of us got a scare, jumping backward! This is someone who has been acting at haunts for years. The timing of the actor was perfect! Walking through, we did not see any animatronics in the haunted house. The special effects that were used were effective. The fog was added to certain areas, and the strobe lights were also well-timed.
The effect that got us the most was a strong air blast from a hose that shot air through several spots. From how the air blast was used, we thought it was an actor with a hose that moved behind the tarps. This got us a few times, and it resulted in a good jump scare.
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)
Haunted House NM had a good amount of scares throughout. We did notice, on our run through, that we had a few more scares during the family haunt, compared to the adult haunt.
The actors in the haunt did a great job of scaring everyone in our group. We also appreciated how close the actors got to us when they were following the back of the group. With the unique design of the haunt, it was hard for us to tell where the scares would come from. The actors did a great job of hiding within some of the props and posing out from the tarp.
We also appreciated that there were certain doors we had to open without knowing what was on the other side. The finale had a good scare before exiting the haunt!
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)
Overall, we thought that Haunted House NM was a fun and scary haunt to walk through. With the family show, it is a great way for younger members of the community to experience what could be their first haunted house without scaring them out of their minds.
With the adult show, it is a good haunt for introducing guests to what haunting is all about. There is only a haunted house at the location, so nothing else was including with the admission price for guests to partake in. The price of the haunt ($20 during our visit) is also reasonable, and they do offer discounts as well. However, the haunt comes in on the short side at only 12 minutes, bringing their MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 0.48 where the national average is closer to a 1:1 ratio.
Haunted House NM is a great haunt to visit with your family or friends in the Albuquerque area. It offers a rare family haunt experience that is both fun and scary!
2828 Carlisle Blvd NE, Suite D, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110