Maniac Mountain Haunted House
Full Review

1659 Teter Road, Buckhannon, WV 26201
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Multiple HauntsHaunted Corn FieldHaunted FarmHaunted House
Maniac Mountain Haunted House Facebook PageManiac Mountain Haunted House WebsiteManiac Mountain Haunted House Twitter PageManiac Mountain Haunted House on InstagramManiac Mountain Haunted House on YouTubeTickets to Maniac Mountain Haunted House
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Features:

✓-Free Parking
✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site
✓-Food/Concessions
✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs
✓-Optional Games/Midway
✓-“Hi-Tech” Attraction
✓-“Extreme” Attraction
✓-You may be touched
✓-Original Characters
✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line
✓-Indoor/Outdoor Attraction


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This attraction was reviewed on October 9, 2021 by Team Teachers of Terror.

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Final Score: 8.45

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Summary:

A classic tale of deceit and murder, punishment and bloody revenge, the manor is home to a successful coal baron and his lovely wife. While others may assume we have a happy couple here, all was not well. The young wife begins an illicit affair that ends with a single murder and a hanging. From there, tensions rise to a massacre of epic proportions. As the Maniacs living in the surrounding mountain seek revenge for their lost member, no one is safe. This leads to a house forever cursed, a cornfield that is stained with the blood of the innocent (and craving more), and a junkyard over-run with madmen, AKA the Maniacs.

This haunted attraction features three parts: Hell House, Killing Field, and Death Metal. This is a mostly outdoor complex, so dress and plan your trip with this in mind.

General Admission tickets cost $40 and VIP cost $60. Recommended age for this haunt is 13 and older.


Cast: 7.95

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Hell House and Death Metal most certainly had plenty of actors throughout. We were coming up face to face with someone at nearly every turn. It felt like there was an actor tucked away in every nook and cranny in the place. Killing Field had some actors but also had long stretches of time with no sounds or action. This can be an effective tactic to use, as a person can get a little nervous about getting lost inside a dark and massive cornfield, but only if used in moderation.

The actors were on point. They displayed a variety of emotions and behaviors. Some were stealthy and would lurk around. Some would run at us or after us. Some would block our way through and just stare at us, while others yelled and banged things. Still, some would say scary things and others could throw out an unexpected joke or two.

The clown in the junkyard section was prepared with a response when we answered, “Yes,” to his invitation to join him and his group. All of a sudden we found ourselves swearing oaths and dancing like fools at the clown’s command. The tall plant guy in the garden had something to say after we told him we liked tall guys. This is a secret I am keeping with me, but it raised my eyebrows! One lady in the kitchen seemed ‘friendly’ enough at first when she invited us to dinner, but then threatened to bash us if we tried to take her man! After showing off her axe, in my face, we were convinced she meant business.

Death Metal had many characters whose look gave a Mad Max feel. Others were more like mutated critters, while we also found a traveling clown or two. We met some people with various conditions, like being burned or paralyzed. We had characters coming at us from all sides, even from above, and they even shot at us with fully automatic weapons.

Hell House had all kinds of dark and mysterious characters. We started with a partially hidden young lady who crept up on us and served as a screamer. We met a doll-loving girl who also doesn’t take too kindly to being told no. We ended up taking a stroll through the garden and met with a variety of plant and statue-type creatures. Returning to the house, we almost became dinner before being forced to the basement to see all the punishments that have been dealt out over the years by basement creatures and maniacs. We again found ourselves in a kind of privacy fence maze with kids threatening us with tainted water and oversized bloodied creatures.

Killing Field was very dark, so we mostly saw dark outlines and silhouettes of characters. Every once in a while, we would see a mask or face if they popped out close to one of the candles lighting the path. We were chased by something big and loud that also has a wild man that decided to run us out with his chainsaw.


Costuming: 8.13

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All the costumes we could see appeared to fit as they should and looked complete. They were dirtied, bloodied, and tattered; and frankly, some looked like they probably smelled (in a good and convincing way). Everything that should be hidden or covered was hidden and covered. Most costumes looked custom, of the costumes we could see. There was one girl at the piano in Hell House that appeared to have a hood over most of her face as if she were wearing a hoodie of some sort. It was unclear to us exactly what she was. The folks on stilts had appropriate fabric covering the legs to the ground. The circus clown had a nice ringmaster ensemble, which provided a nice break from the traditional clown jumpsuit we often see.

The masks were all detailed and very different from one another. All fit well and fit with the costume and scene. They were custom-made and appeared to be of high quality. Make-up was bloodied, or scarred, We saw some ghostly pale faces and some injured faces. All make-up did appear to also fit in nicely with the character and scene.


Customer Service: 10

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Maniac Mountain has a Facebook account as well as a website. Important, and basic information is available including options to purchase tickets online, calendar, address, directions, and contact information.

GPS got us to the property with no trouble. There was a large sign by the road indicating where to make the turn to get to the large, open field parking lot. Upon arrival, we saw three men working to help direct parking. Directly ahead, we could see a well-lit building and some very large structures in the background. Making our way to the ticket booth, we signed a waiver and walked on to the haunt. Immediately, we found a directional sign indicating the locations of the three attractions.

The staff was friendly and enjoyable to talk to. Staff members were moving about the property and stationed at the entrance of each attraction. No safety concerns were noted.


Atmosphere: 9

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When we first arrived at 7 pm, the overall feel of the place was calm and quiet, much like the beginnings of a festival before the real action begins. Once the people began pouring in to start lining up for the attraction of their choice, the feeling started to change to one of more excitement. Once the starting siren wailed in the night air, a switch was flipped and the excitement turned to electricity.

Each entrance had just enough light to help customers find their way to the waiting areas without being too bright to hinder the spooky mood. Sprinkled throughout the area were Halloween-themed decorations with a very large inflatable Grim Reaper, string lights, fodder shocks, 12-foot skeletons, candles, and fire elements. Once darkness took hold and the attractions began sending in customers, the night was filled with simulated gunfire and screams and cheers of everyone moving around. We were entertained by two pyrotechnic wonders who were moving about playing with fire in mesmerizing fashion.


Special Effects: 8.9

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One word: pyrotechnics. Death Metal not only used them to create the awesome signage at the entrance to their domain, but also included them inside. There is just something about seeing a car on fire to put a person on high alert. They created stationary fully automatic guns that fired on us more than once. Their use of metal to make excessively loud bangs was masterful. They also included the spark tools that startle the unsuspecting. Lighting was just enough to allow us to see. In addition to all of this, we were treated to some very heavy metal music to really put us on edge and feeling amped.

Hell House: The music inside added to the overall creepy feel of the place. The props and treatment of the house definitely told the story of a place long-neglected and no doubt haunted. Vines and holes through the ceiling and walls, abandoned books on shelves, and a playing piano all added to the haunted feel of this place. The kitchen is nasty, with blood and bones strung everywhere. The bathroom was also blackened with what appeared to be mold. In the garden, we found some springing animatronics.

Killing Field had chainsaws. They also effectively whispered in tones that, although I couldn’t tell exactly what they said, I was sure they were whispering about me. At one point I could hear the sounds of crickets. The cornfield was very dark, with candles spread out to offer a little clue as to the path we needed to take.


Theme: 8.3

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The theme I read online was very interesting, but did not translate onto the grounds easily. An easy fix to this could be to add some queue actors to represent the Baron, his wife, and a Maniac or two. Also, include the story within the dialogue of the characters to tie everything together.

By simply walking the grounds, one would assume the theme would be simply a crazed town, which is also ok, just not as inspired as the background provided on the website.


Scare Factor: 8

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We were approached by someone nearly all the time. We were subjected to jump scares, loud bangs, gunfire, verbal threats, scenes with a lot of gore, creepy lurking characters that just made us uncomfortable, and animatronics that flashed light and shook violently. Scares were evenly divided out in our group, with the scares coming from all directions.


Entertainment & Value: 7.9

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Ticket prices: General admission is $40 and includes all three attractions. The VIP ticket, at $60, also includes all three attractions as well as a shorter wait. The minutes per dollar ratio is 0.7 minutes per dollar, putting this on the pricier side. With that said, the quality of costuming, acting, and overall entertainment is also something to be considered. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here and are looking forward to watching what happens each year.


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8.5/10 (19 Guest Reviews)

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