MadWorld Haunted House Review (2016)

Masks and costuming are given a lot of attention at MadWorld. While makeup falls just a little behind, it’s likely a factor of the sheer number of actors (nearly 100) scattered across the haunt. Costumes and actors all fit well within their respective scenes and, like the scenes around them, many of the actors have lots of details and little touches that really help to bring things to life. We really liked the attention to detail paid to the queue entertainers’ outfits.

Music and masked actors stalk the waiting area and a huge fa������������������ade helps to get you in the mood for some scares. The entrance to the site is decorated with a huge, gaping skull from whose mouth guests exit. Occasional bouts of flame erupt from somewhere near the site entrance and beckon people in. The music and movies playing inside are of a more carnival-like atmosphere, but they are still entertaining. With creatures like vampires, living dolls, giant monstrosities and more wandering around, you firmly feel like you’re within a haunt while you wait.

There are a lot of effects inside MadWorld that you have probably seen or experienced somewhere else. However, they are being used in a variety of ways here, such as being integrated into their scenes instead of standing apart. An elevator journey, a crazy floor that walks under your feet, squeeze tunnels and vortex lasers are all here… blended with attention to detail into the sets. In addition to sights and sounds, there are scents drifting through the obscuring fog as well.

There isn’t really a unifying theme across MadWorld’s haunt. At first, it seems as if there will be when you check into a decrepit and crumbling hotel, but once you descend into the hotel’s rickety elevator, you venture through a variety of scenes from traditional horror scares ‘ asylums, haunted woods, butcher shops and so on.

We ventured through MadWorld as part of a group of eight. Scenes worked to push scares through the whole group and, though some scares were predictable, they were still very effective. There were even times that one of our reviewers had to go back to fetch one of our group members who was cowering or hiding from a monster.