How Do We Get These Scores?
Our Rating System
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!
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Final Score: 8.02
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7.93
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.35
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.99
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 7.7
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.7
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.03
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.76
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.94
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Summary:
LEGENDS OF OBLIVION opens its doors for the first time this year at the Lee Civic Center in Fort Myers, Florida. Wayne Anderson is a special effects artist known for his makeup and special effects in several films, TV shows, as well as the SyFy reality show, FaceOff. He took the huge (and daunting) challenge of opening a full scale haunted house with help from family and friends, having only a few months to create all scenic and makeup, with only a few weeks to install on location.
Especially considering the conditions presented, Wayne and team pulled off a massive feat, creating an original, scary, creative attraction showcasing Wayne’s phenomenal makeup and special effects. We can’t wait to see LEGENDS OF OBLIVION grow over the coming years as the team develops more experience and has more time to develop details each year.
Cast: 7.93
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 7.75
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 7.75
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8.25
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The Cast for LEGENDS OF OBLIVION hosts quite a range of talent levels, from clearly experienced performers to those just getting their toes wet in scare acting. Some great acts were experienced, especially by the actor on microphone about halfway through the attraction, those in the opening corridors, the creepy lurking of the iconic character in a lot of the online marketing (who seems to have been recently slimed), as well as other performers peppered through the attraction.
Some rely on the standard screams, generic phrasing and scare tactics, and interactions that lack the same depth as the more experienced performers. We feel that further attention to storytelling detail and scare training would really help convey the story and characters, and keep Guests anchored in the world that the creative team has worked so hard to manifest.
Costuming: 8.35
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?: 8
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.5
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9.25
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.25
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LEGENDS OF OBLIVION’s extensive special effects makeup and masks is the true flagship of this attraction. Featuring Wayne Anderson’s incredibly-detailed makeup and mask work, original characters come to life throughout the attraction.
Most effective are the large-scale prosthetics and masks as, unfortunately, some of the more subtle (though incredibly beautiful and detailed, as seen on social media, including some VERY impressive vein work) paint jobs get lost in the very low light of the attraction.
Costumes are similarly well done, and an effort is made to carry the detail and texture from the incredible makeup down through the costuming without becoming too busy overall. In some places, where there is more light and performer visibility, we feel that additional details could be added to the costuming to create more complete looks. However, for the most part, the detail of the costumes is well matched to the amount of visibility that Guests have.
Customer Service: 8.99
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?: 8
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.5
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.75
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 8.5
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All employees at LEGENDS OF OBLIVION were extremely helpful and friendly, including the general venue hosts, helping to point Guests in the right direction of the haunt, driving guests via tram to the attraction building, and assisting in returning Guests to their cars at the end of the night.
Haunt-specific employees were also very friendly and engaging, discussing the haunt and plans for the future; it was great to see all of Wayne’s family and friends eager to help him bring his dream to life and support his passion behind this, even though some of them definitely don’t want anything to do with all things scary. The attraction is a very safe walk through and, although very dark at times, never feels unsafe or as though Guests are truly lost.
Atmosphere: 7.7
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?: 7.5
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8
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LEGENDS OF OBLIVION calls a civic center home, being built under an open-air pavilion. The creative team has done some work to create a few atmospheric elements to designate the attraction as a haunted one, though they have spent their time on the details and scenes inside the attraction moreso than developing an immersive atmosphere… which, for this location, would be an enormous feat.
The attraction is still very clearly a haunted one with creepy characters roaming, a themed pumpkin patch nearby, screams and sounds echoing from the building, and fog pouring out of the dark oblivion.
Special Effects: 7.7
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8.5
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 7.25
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8
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As a first year haunt, LEGENDS OF OBLIVION has done a great job developing a strong layout (which in and of itself takes an incredible amount of time and work, just building the framework and walls going into a haunt this size) with special effects and scenic details peppered throughout. It seems as though these details have been added right up and until opening (and, in some cases, even after opening).
With more time to focus on finessing details, it is expected that the overall scenic designs will be more detailed and perfected, which is a very time consuming and often tedious process that’s nearly impossible to master in the first year of a haunt this size (with the build and install timeline they had to work with).
There were many areas where black walls with simple painting or ‘plant-on’ d������cor was used (i.e. spider webs, foam spray, etc.) was used to create an atmosphere, and it was clear that some of these details were rushed in comparison to some of the other areas with great detail and thought made evident. It will be great to see what this creative team is capable of with more time in 2019.
Some commonly-used effects were implemented in the attraction in creative and original ways, unlike the ways we’ve seen them used in many other attractions. For example, lasers, in addition to a unique laser swamp application, were used vertically to create portals that rendered Guests blind to what was on the other side when walking through.
The attraction also very effectively used misdirection to its benefit, featuring several ‘choose your own path’ moments, some of which led to dead ends, and some disorienting hairpin turns in near darkness. With further Cast training and script development, these moments could be even more effective, with appropriate, themed dialogue to point Guests in the right (or wrong) direction.
Theme: 8.03
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 8
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 8.25
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 7.5
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LEGENDS OF OBLIVION has a very defined theme and story. However, unfortunately, we were not privy to the storyline prior to going through the attraction, and a simple blurb to read (whether online or posted in the queue) would have made the theme infinitely more clear. There is a short video in the opening room of the attraction, but the audio is nearly impossible to hear with all the other cacophony of the haunt echoing in the pavilion. The theme presents itself and it’s not exceptionally difficult to figure out the general picture, but we feel it would be great to have more details as far as the specific story that the creative team worked so hard to produce.
Scare Factor: 7.76
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 7.5
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 7.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 7.75
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LEGENDS OF OBLIVION packs in some good scares, including actors hiding in the darkness, or among foggy rooms and dark corners (including aggressive plague mask performers in a white out room).
It seemed to us that scare opportunities will continue to improve as the scenic treatment gets more and more detailed over the coming years, along with the continued addition and adjustment of special effects.
LEGENDS OF OBLIVION has laid a solid foundation as a first year haunt, and it will be exciting to watch them ramp up their scare game in years to come.
Entertainment & Value: 7.94
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?: 8
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 7.75
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 7.5
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 9
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LEGENDS OF OBLIVION has a few ticket options, including a Fast Pass upgrade, along with access to its nearby escape room and pumpkin patch (with children under 12 free to the pumpkin patch).
As a brand new attraction of its walkthrough length (see Score Sheet below for more details), we find the ticket price to be a bit high for the main attraction, though not completely beyond reason. Once the attraction develops and, perhaps, as the experience lengthens with a more-complex maze and more ‘show rooms,’ this ticket price should end up right on par with other attractions of its type.
Overall, Team Giraffic Shark enjoyed their visit to LEGENDS OF OBLIVION and found it well worth the drive from Orlando. This attraction will certainly be one to watch, as we expect exponential growth from this creative team in the coming years.
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!
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