Horror at Industrial Park Review (2019)

The cast at Horror at Industrial Park really made this haunt. As we were walking to the haunt, the owner, Mark, became a cast member too, taking a unique role by introducing the eeriness of the location. Once inside, Joe welcomed our group and went over the introduction to the actual theme. He was hilarious! As we walked through the haunt, he and his family followed us through. It was impressive and sold the idea that we were in the family’s home and they were all getting ready for dinner with us. It was so entertaining seeing Joe and Caroline bickering exactly like a brother and sister.

As we continued, we met some of the more odd members of the family and finally we met Mama. Mama was a strong character, very proud of her children and very ready for dinner, aka our group. The ending brought us face to face with the true nature of the family, which was both terrifying and hilarious. At Horror at Industrial Park we met and survived the family dinner, but didn’t stay for dessert!

Horror at Industrial Park has very distinct characters and they had very distinct looks. Each main character was developed from top to bottom. Even the people within the insane asylum (that their cousin let in the middle of their house) also had corresponding outfits.

Our group appreciated the outfits for the creepy nurse and for the crazed cousin who was shirtless, but had on a spooky mask. The character at the end was dressed so very scary with his devilish mask and black robes. It was evident that the outfit helped him embrace that persona with his movements and mannerisms. Because we spent so long with each of the characters as we continually encountered them, we were able to really appreciate the detailing of the costumes at Horror at Industrial Park.

Horror at Industrial Park has extremely friendly and helpful staff. Each person we interacted with has a love for what they are doing and a passion for their haunt and the haunt community. Our group really appreciated that their staff had advertisements for other local haunts nearby, clearly understanding the comradery of the haunting community.

Horror at Industrial Park is a temporary haunt and there had been questions about whether they were going to open this year. We are so glad that they did open. This delayed their setup, so they were missing some signage to show where ticketing is, but we know there are plans to get lighting and signs up in the waiting area so things are a bit more clear. However, plenty of friendly staff members were there and happily aided people in finding their way.

The delay in setting up has also affected the atmosphere in Horror at Industrial Park. The waiting area was a bit bland with a few creepy objects on the walls, but that will probably be improved as they finish setup. Our group was very impressed with how they handled the ‘waiting line.’ Instead of an actual line, the groups get a buzz (like for a restaurant table) and it buzzes when it’s time to go get scared. Once buzzed, the group went with the owner Mark and he walked us out and told us the scary story of the area. The moment the buzzer goes off, the creeps and spooks begin.

The moment people enter Horror at Industrial Park, the ambiance is set. The first room, with its yellow lamplight and soft playing 50’s/60’s music playing was both creepy but yet homey. It felt exactly like a person’s home, maybe a crazy person, but a person’s. As the middle area happens, where the cousin put the insane asylum in, the entire mood changes; lighting gets lower and the area feels more confined and topsy-turvey. Again, towards the end, as people enter the actual place where the meat is prepared for dinner, the feel changes again. The lighting turns red and the base picks up with the music. The jump scares for special effects were intended to be hokey, as Joe comes out laughing as he activates the horn he was trying to fix. Finally at the ending, with the strobe, the vocals were heard over the speakers so things appeared to be closer than they were, and the chainsaws were all very effective.

Horror at Industrial Park had a wonderfully developed storyline that was told clearly as our group went through the haunt. The creepy location aided in selling the story of the deranged family within the isolated area on the outskirts of Johnson City. The parts of the story that were a logical leap, like insane asylums within a meatpacking house, were discussed in the introduction of the story so they didn’t feel disjointed. Thanks to the interactivity of the characters, and by seeing the same characters throughout the haunt, it really made the haunt feel conjoined. The perception is that our group was just wandering through these odd people’s house as they went about their normal people-eating, asylum-hoarding, nutty family day.

Horror at Industrial Park was legitimately a terrifying experience. The haunt did a great back and forth between hilariously entertaining and intense and scary, which made the scary parts more impactful. Additionally, they built up to their ending. The ending was so very scary, with a large character moving as the strobe light slowly came back on. We couldn’t see him move, but knew that when the light would return, he’d be closer. The added effect of playing his breathy voice in the speakers as he asked us to scream in a spine-chilling tone that was both coaxing and eerie, was highly effective. Then ending back with the same character as the beginning (Joe) and a chainsaw, was hilarious and fun.

The scares within Horror at Industrial Park were varied and kept our group guessing as to where and when the next heart-leaping jump would happen. As our group went along, we would see a character (like the nurse on the bed) and we would expect them to do one thing, but they would do something completely different than expected. It was a great way to get our scares and creeps.