Legends of Oblivion Haunted House Review (2018)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.