Hysteria Review (2019)

The all-volunteer cast seemed to thoroughly enjoy working in this haunt. They were lively and would lightly touch or grab at you to show you just how serious they were. Sometimes they would scream at you or scream just to be screaming. Other times they would whisper, or not even talk at all. Some would just laugh at you. They were an interactive crew, inviting/insisting you join them for the world’s most disgusting dinner or into playing a shocking round of the Ouija board. I think they may have enjoyed their time with us a little too much in the maze section by encouraging us to pick (the wrong) doors, time’. and time’. and time again.

There was a broad age group, from younger-looking children to teens and young adults. They taunted us as we had to make decisions, or they were just generally intimidating us. When they compliment you on your eyes, claiming they are pretty and they really like them, be careful because they may try to keep them for their collection! My eyes are blue, and wouldn’t you know it -blue was the color she needed!

Now, the actual location of the haunted house is hidden and secret, so you will be hooded and left outside with nothing but a string to use to feel your way to the house! Cast members are in the dark jostling the rope on you, whispering in your ear, or touching your hand, head, and shoulder.

From little creatures wearing black costumes with white masks to a traditional witch wearing a black dress in green face paint acting as a guide to get you hooded and on your way in the dark, there were many varieties of characters and costumes.

The dinner party members were dressed in their Sunday best for a gruesome dinner. I am surprised at how clean they were after being in such a filthy kitchen. We met a ghillie suit actor waiting for us in a long, strangely-lit hall. There were little girls everywhere, some in traditional-looking white gowns, while others were wearing more modern-looking pjs, all the while putting us in tight quarters with a clown/Momo hybrid character. You won’t have to look far to find a clown or two. We had a swamp creature join us in the sewage swamp area.

With the variety of costumes, the quality of them was also varied. Some were nice street clothing, appropriate for the dinner setting. We did recognize some store bought costumes, but not many. Each character looked complete. Makeup didn’t appear fancy or intricate. There seemed to be much more masks and the use of makeup was minimal, aside from the green-faced witch. Everyone else without masks had a basic ghostly white appearance to their faces.

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Sales staff behave as though they love being there. They answer any questions you have, and show appreciation for your business.

The road leading to the haunt is winding and narrow. It is easy to pass the road leading to the gravel parking lot, if you miss the small Hysteria sign on the street. There was a huge lighted blow up skeleton character in the parking area to help get your attention. Parking space seemed appropriate in size, but wasn’t lit at all, aside from what came off the blow up and through the windows of nearby buildings. Because we parked near the middle of the building, we first went toward the road side of the building, but quickly determined the back was where we needed to start, as the front was in total darkness with no decoration. Sure enough, the back end of the building had lights, more blow ups and decorations lined up making a path to the ticket area.

Hysteria has both a webpage and Facebook. From those, vital information like address, contact info, and dates are available. If you so desire, you can purchase tickets from their website. We could find no major issues with safety. They even thought of covering any drains and also placing lights in them, so you can see them well in the dark.

Inside the attractions, we never saw or heard other groups. They did a fabulous job of keeping groups together, yet separate from everybody else.

There is a lit up area at the back of the business indicating where to start your adventure. There are several blow ups, and additional props guiding the path to the ticket area. There are also tables set up with ticket prices and information about what to expect. Appropriate Halloween music was playing as well.

Once you purchase your tickets, you are guided to the haunted trail to get started. While there wasn’t anybody entertaining you at the ticket booth area, there were several props to check out and enjoy on your own. You don’t spend much time in this area anyway, as you have a lot of ground to cover, and are sent on your way quickly to the trail.

There were plenty of special effects here. I hope you like to get a little wet because there is a surprise shot of water you never see coming. They fabricated the illusion of an elevator ride, with a creepy passenger. You even get a choice between a slide through sewage or to go on a jarring coffin ride. They included one of the classics, a sparking hand tool against a metal fence.

There was a soundtrack playing creepy music. You hear tons of screaming from the young actors. Be careful at the card table, you will get the shock of your life! The air compressors were working overtime tonight. If you didn’t already know, never trust a clown. They don’t talk, but boy, they have their crazy horns that do their talking for them.

Scenes were decorated appropriately. The bedrooms looked like bedrooms with a bed and chairs, the kitchen looked like a kitchen with an oven, a table and large walk-in refrigerator, etc. However, some areas were large and a little unclear as to what they were supposed to be.

An added bonus to the combo ticket is the ability to participate in a virtual reality (VR) experience. To go along with the haunted mansion theme, in the VR room, you enter and try to survive a VR haunted mansion that plays tricks on your sense of balance, and has plenty of jump scares. There is also a headset allowing for audio opportunities along with what you are seeing. If you experience motion sickness easily, you might want to take some Dramamine before attempting. If you are unfamiliar with the VR experience, prepare to get weirded out, (in a good way!)

Also included in the combo ticket is a lovely, well-lit laser trail’ that just happens to be haunted.

This place is entertaining. We experienced some new things here we had never experienced before. We were startled more than once in more than one way. If you don’t like electric jolts, the dark, your head covered, have a fear of being lost, dislike tight spaces, experience vertigo easily, sparking machinery makes you uncomfortable, hate getting screamed at, threatened with harm or creeped out by clowns, then they have you covered (though maybe not in a good way.)

The scares were evenly distributed to everyone, front and back. The finale could use a little more scare in it to make it a grand finale.