Madworld Haunted House Review (2021)

Just past the reaper-topped entrance gate, MadWorld holds a large queue-area that houses a number of waiting monsters in highly detailed costumes and makeup. The attraction’s webpage does give some brief backstory for this motley assortment of cult sacrifices, cursed souls, psycho-clowns, monsters and more. These cast members get heavily into their roles, maintaining the illusion that beyond the MadWorld gates, visitors are transported to a place where anything is possible.

Inside the haunt itself there are scores upon scores of actors portraying a wide variety of characters ready to scream or startle. As we moved from area to area within the haunt, we found that each of the gatekeepers to their respective realms were always very chatty and interactive ‘ a bit of personalization that we love.

Occasionally, we lost bits of the dialogue as thunderous roars, screams, and other sounds tore through the area, but the diverse variety of the cast was very much appreciated.

As mentioned above, the costuming, makeup, and masks present at MadWorld are a joy to behold. While the costumed crew out in the waiting area are perhaps the most detailed and complete, there are occasionally characters within that have similar levels of detail.

The costuming details are immersive, with each internal setting of the haunt tied together with the crew haunting that area. While it is easy to focus on the elaborate queue-line actors or the individual gate-keepers to each internal piece, the multitudinous horde of other actors inside are also all well-appointed.

There were a few instances of things that stood out, taking us out of the immersive environment, but we feel that the vast majority of guests will be too busy screaming to take notice of minor flaws.

MadWorld has a large number of non-costumed staff all wearing branded shirts. These engaging and friendly folk can be found not only in the various booths for merchandise and tickets, but also wandering through the crowds ensuring that the night is fun for everyone.

Just off I-85, MadWorld is easy enough to locate ‘ the occasional gout of flame and the sky-roving searchlights also help. Online, they maintain a presence across a variety of social media platforms, including a dedicated website with information about ticket prices, some of the monsters, the various internal attractions and more. There is a wavier that must be completed prior to entering; guests can fill it out on terminals beside the ticket booth or on their phones via following a link.

MadWorld is, predominately, an outdoor haunt. Though the trail runs through interior scenes before dipping back out into the woods for a chance to cool down, guests should be prepared for a bit of a walk. The path from the front door to the exit is over a half mile ‘ comfortable outdoor walking shoes are a must. There are a few steeper ramps exiting or entering various scenes, but all of these have handrails to help mount the walk and face the fears beyond.

Through the towering arched gate by the ticket booth, the sights and sounds of MadWorld are a raucous carnival for the senses. Pop music competes with spooky soundtracks from the haunt itself. The scents of fried food are cut through by the smoke from a bonfire or the exhaust from a chainsaw. The laughter and chatter of the crowd are occasionally pierced through by the screams of those falling victim to the sudden appearance of one or more of the line actors.

While the outside monsters don’t necessarily reveal the variety of locations within the haunt, they definitely help create an appropriate mood and festive attitude.

In order to create an immersive environment, to make guests feel like they are actually in the different places of this MadWorld, great attention to detail has been given to the various scenes and locations. Between each of these areas, there are brief periods of wooded trail that give guests a chance to catch their breath and calm down before plunging into somewhere new.

The details of each of the scenes are focused in appropriate lighting. Sounds can be a bit overwhelming in some places, but these noises do not bleed over into other scenes. In other words, though the sounds can be exceedingly loud, they are so distracting in adjacent scenes. Scents are even present in some scenes, customized and unique enough to make an impact and draw visitors into these different places.

Whether delivering creepy one-liners, explosively bursting from a wall, or looming with some menacing stares, the assortment of costumed creepies at MadWorld worked hard to spread scares around to our entire group.

While we personally would have liked a bit more variety, there are still plenty of jump scares and screams ready to leap out and deliver shocks and scares to make this haunt a fun night out.

Since we arrived before the gates opened, we were fortunate enough to be one of the first groups through on the night of our visit. Despite the sizable crowd already forming out front, once we were through the initial check-in at the front doors of the haunt, we never again saw any other guests until after we had exited the haunt. That isolation really helps bring home the scares and makes the experience all the more valuable.

MadWorld does it’s best to provide an evening of entertainment at one location. The haunt itself took us under thirty minutes to walk through, but there is enough excitement in the waiting area for guests to spend easily that much time or more just soaking up the environment, not to mention the carnival games, face-painting, mini-golf, short escape rooms, and variety of food options.

The waiting area is probably as much of an attraction as the haunt itself with its detailed monsters and assortment of entertainment options. While inside the haunt itself, space has been effectively used to give guests moments of respite from the terrifying scenes that play on multiple senses.

General Admission for MadWorld is $30. Though FastPass to the front of the line is nearly double that, if you arrive late it could easily be your best option given how popular this haunt is and how crowded the line can get on a busy night. MadWorld also offers, for a small upcharge, a No Scare medallion. These light-emitting pendants keep monsters away from individuals both in the waiting area and inside the haunt ‘ allowing families to bring along younger children or for others to bring along that one friend who is a little uneasy about things that go bump in the night. While the various other pieces of entertainment (escape rooms, carnival games, mini-golf) are an additional cost, there is a combo ticket for $55 that grants general admission plus enough attraction tickets to do any of two of these.