Hauntophobia at Blackberry Creek Review (2021)

There were some rooms with a variety of props and one actor to try to avoid. We also noticed some sneaky transitions without actors, but animatronics to get our attention in different ways. The cast overall made the haunt feel adequately staffed, as we did not spot areas of inactivity, except for those places that were intended to be as such. There were different kinds of characters around, from asylum staff and patients, pig man, Michael and Jason, clowns, vampires, Regan from Exorcist, and swamp lady.

While most of the cast was not overly verbal, we saw all characters behaving appropriately for their set and costuming. Michael was not messing around with his knife, he came at us in more than one hiding area, and stabbed at us like he meant it. The creepy characters were creepy, and more than one followed us out of their area. We thoroughly enjoyed Little Regan, from The Exorcist. Her timing with throwing her doll and her overall performance was spot on. We left her area trying our best not to tick her off any further and to make it out of there alive! While crawling on all fours in a foggy corridor, we were surprised more than once by a sudden face-to-face session with an actor waiting for us.

While we did experience some personalized dialogue while in the crawling maze, we did not experience much elsewhere. For example, asking questions like ‘Do you wanna play?’ needs a response when answered with a ‘Yes, what are we playing?’ We did hear some ‘What are you doing here?’ phrases as well.

GPS brought us to the exact location without a problem. Approaching the property, we saw the large painted sign directing us to make our turn toward the parking lot. The parking lot was lit with two full lamps in addition to a motion sensor to provide light to see in the dark.

There was staff posted at the parking lot, wearing bright vests available to answer any questions we might have about parking or the haunt itself. We were parked directly across the street from the entrance that was lit up through the open door.

We were asked questions at the ticketing booth, in order to better serve our needs, with respect to crawling and tight spaces. They accommodate both. We were asked to sign a waiver before continuing on through the old school to the haunted area. There was a table with some merchandise available including various clothing with the haunt name.

The queue line was in the gymnasium and offered plenty of social distant spacing. Once we got to the entry of the basement stairs, staff reminded us of the rules to the haunt before sending us down below the school. During the traverse throughout the haunt, there were no glaring issues with regard to safety. Our group entered together as our own traveling group and never mixed with another group.

There is a website for FAQ and other helpful information. Coupled with the Facebook page, we could easily gather useful information including ticketing, address, contact information, phone numbers, calendar, and hours of operation. Online sales were not available at the time of our review.

While there was a sign by the turn-off to the haunt to let us know we were at a haunted attraction, having a lit sign could offer a little more attention and help customers find the way to the parking lot. While the building was dark and creepy, having some Halloween decorations outside could also have been another way to build up some anticipation for the haunt once inside. As we walked around to take pictures, we did find a decorated door guarded by coffins but this didn’t seem to be the entrance or something that all groups may see before entering.

The actual ticket booth was in the building with no music or decorations, which would have provided another opportunity to create a fun atmosphere before actually starting the haunt. A queue actor dressed in costume to entertain the group as people enter the property and waiting area would also help get people excited about the rest of the haunt.

There was a lot of space here to play with as far as additional entertainment opportunities. Playing mood music or sounds outside could also help set the tone of ‘This is a haunted house. Prepare yourself!’

The sounds provided in the actual haunt were plentiful and varied. Each matched up well with the scene they were played in. We were treated with loud metal music in the butcher scene, to melodic and creepy music with the coffin room, to the soft sounds of insects in a jungle or woodland scene. Carnival music was provided in the clown area.

To be a young haunt, they had a nice selection of animatronics and props. Everything appeared to be in good working order. We enjoyed weaving through the IV bags and tubing hanging from the ceiling early on. We also noticed the light element in the furnace down in the basement, with plenty of hanging meat. We were blown away by the spinning tunnel we were challenged to walk through while wearing 3D glasses! All the tricks I know and use to successfully make that long, slanted walk, did not work with those 3D glasses. We saw classic, rocking and shaking mannequins and huge puppets. We took note of the many rooms whose treatments went from floor to ceiling, including the ceiling, most noted in the woodland room and the clown area. The Michael Myers area had a very well-done entrance to the motel section of the attraction. We were not expecting the massive semi-truck surprise near the Pet Cemetery section. For a second, we felt like we were playing the role of Gage Creed.

While the crawling section offered thick fog that allowed characters to easily corner us, the flooring did become a bit painful on the body after a bit of time down there. Throughout most of the haunt, we stayed in the moment. We were able to overhear some actors on break behind one of the walls and could see the light from their cell phones as we walked past the area to the next scene.

There was plenty of pop scares to go around. We saw dropdowns, creepers, shadow people, screamers, stabbers, and were threatened more than once. The semi-truck was especially loud and actually got us twice before we could get out of the way.

Sometimes the scares hit the people in front, but sometimes, the actors would wait for the middle and end people. Of course, the creepers love the end of the line folk. The Pet Cemetery section had a great distraction scare and the foggy crawling space would get anybody who isn’t a fan of mazes or getting lost. They provided gross things to look at and challenged us physically.