Lessons In Fear Review (2017)

Lessons in Fear is staffed by volunteers but, that does not take away from their dedication. They could definitely use a few more actors, as most of the haunt is a little light on coverage. The folks down in ‘Contagion’ did a great job of utilizing their secret passageways to hit us several times as we passed through. They covered a lot of ground very quickly. We also would have liked to see a bit more dialogue, most of the actors just kind of screamed at us. The lunatic in the shock therapy room was fantastic with his walk and I was a little concerned when he asked if we wanted to see his sparkles. Another fantastic character was the lady in the spider room. Katie was really caught off guard when she popped up. Baphomet in the altar room was another notable character. Their movement and dialogue were great, even though they were a little difficult to understand through the mask.

Two of the costumes that really stood out to us were the Scarecrow in Slaughterville and Baphomet in the altar room. The scarecrow had so many subtle details, that we really had to take some time to catch them all and Baphomet was just an all around beautiful costume. Along with those two though, you had your standard psycho garb, a few clowns and some other stand-alone characters. The lady in the spider room had a very simple costume but, it worked great for her character. All of the costumes were well put together and nothing really looked cheap or thrown together. There were a few masks, which made dialogue a little difficult but, worked well with the characters wearing them. Their makeup team could use a little practice making a cohesive full-body look. It was a little simple and sloppy but it was by no means, horrible’just needs a little help.

Lessons in Fear definitely takes safety very seriously. All the stairways are brightly lit and the steps outside in Slaughterville are painted along the edge to make them more visible. There are marked exits everywhere (a benefit of using an old school building) and everything felt very secure. Our only two safety concerns would be the dark parking lot and one section on ‘Contagion’ where an actor was kicking their leg out from under a sheet into the walkway. Someone could be tripped pretty easy if they aren’t paying attention. Other than that, the entire staff is fantastic. There are a great number of security personnel walking around in very bright t-shirts and Jared, at the ticket booth, is incredibly friendly and enthusiastic. If you can find Perrysville, you can find Lessons in Fear. They sit on the main street coming into town and have a couple of lighted signs in front of the building, along with their hearse. Slaughterville IS the queue line and they keep you entertained with a movie and a few roaming actors.

The majority of the effects in this haunt are all hand-made and some of our favorite effects were very simple yet effective. I think our favorite was the shock therapy room. They abandoned the standard wooden wall sections for chain link fencing and placed a beautiful chasing LED at the top-center of the room. The light catches your attention immediately as you enter the room and gives the actor a chance to pop up and get you. The runner-up would be the altar room. Two large altars sit in the middle of the room, surrounded by four large pillars. Fog fills the room, but all you notice is the green laser line that cuts through the room at waist height. After a while, it gives you the feeling that you are wading through a bog. There are several animatronics, most of which are made in-house, that are well-placed but, the timing seemed a little off on a couple of them. Overall, while the effects were often simple, they were well used.

As we said before, this haunt has several themes and it can be difficult to tell where one ends and the next begins, without asking. Although, you generally have to walk up stairs to get from one section to the other, there is some ‘flow-through’ between them that blurs the separation. Once you know which is which though, it is easy to tell what and who is supposed to be where and they all fit in nicely. While most of the themes are pretty standard fare for haunted houses, the Dead and Breakfast is quite unique and is decorated beautifully. The Art Room was an excellent touch as well, and not something we have ever seen done before.