Dragons House of Horrors has been operating in New Mexico for many years, even recieving a Guinness World Record for longest haunted house in 2015. Adapting to COVID-19 guidelines this year, Dragons House of Horrors created a unique drive through haunted attraction.
Utilizing a massive parking lot for the layout, Mile of Terror uses a maze like layout that victims must navigate throughout scenes inspired from their indoor haunt. I talked with one of the owners who said that they had a challenge with how to create a haunt that is still terrifying while easing the concerns of patrons due to the pandemic. Patrons must wear a mask if they have the windows down or, if the guest wants to experience the haunt without wearing a mask, they must have the windows rolled up. The owner said that they have a FM radio station with a custom soundtrack and that they only operate on Fridays and Saturdays. Cars are separated so all can enjoy the experience and there are concessions set up to enjoy while you wait.
Mile of Terror has a good size cast of characters that are ready to pounce on guests. Full of energy, these creatures come right up to the vehicle; but not to worry, they will not lean in the car windows.
Each section has unique characters that interact with you. From the demented clowns to an extremely creepy grandma that I think is related to Leatherface, each one has their own persona and character. Perfectly using their environment as well as creeping around your vehicle, I never knew when the next nightmarish creature would appear. I especially loved the purger that followed next to my car while I was driving around.
Also, I greatly appreciated that Mile of Terror has a strict 2 to 3 mile per hour speed limit, or the idle speed of an automatic car, to make sure that the actors remain safe. From creepy stares to otherworldly noises each actor provided excellent scares.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
While navigating through this unique drive through experience, the attention to detail in the costuming is outstanding. Each actor has a unique costume, ranging from creepy clown attire, to bloody lab clothes; each costume has unique details that pop out in the headlights. I loved that the clothing was dirty and torn and, in some cases, quite disgusting. Even the face masks were custom designed for each character!
The makeup was also very detailed, with realistic looking blood and wounds and clown makeup that is like something straight out of a nightmare. For characters that were wearing masks, the masks were very detailed and custom; no Halloween store masks here. I also liked that the safety crew (that were there to make sure cars were not speeding and that actors were safe) also had complete costumes and makeup.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
Mile of Terror is fairly easy to find if you use a navigation app and, when approaching the haunt, there are signs that point the way. When driving up the hill, you will see a large casino and event center; the haunted house is located around the buildings.
Once you enter the parking lot that the haunted house is located in, you will be guided to one of 5 lines of cars. Employees walk through the lines of cars offering free ice cold bottled water (which was greatly appreciated) while, in the center of the parking lot, there are some food trucks and port potties for guests to use. The line of cars moved quicker than I expected, but I highly recommend you have at least a half of a tank of gas to make sure you make it through the line and attraction.
Once you get to the front of the line, an employee will direct you to the ticket booth while also directing cars that are leaving the haunt. The website is easy to navigate with their hours of operation and a link to purchase tickets. All of the employees I encountered were very friendly and polite.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
Although Mile of Terror resides on a parking lot, immediately you know you are at a haunted attraction. There is a massive skull with eyes lighting up and fog billowing out of its mouth. The path for you to drive through uses led candles, and I did not have any issue of not knowing where to drive. When you are given the rules of the haunted attraction, you are told the FM radio station to tune to that has a custom soundtrack, which changes and matches each area you drive through. Throughout the drive, custom lighting and fog also added to the experience.
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
Throughout my drive through Mile of Terror, there were some very unique special effects. Given you are driving in a car, there were no curtains to drive through or strobe lights to distort your vision, but the effects used were very effective.
One major special effect was the custom soundtrack that played through my car’s sound system: startling noises and even audio from the actors could be heard, making the experience that much more spooky. From debris you drive over to animatronics and effects that are triggered while you drive by, you get the same feeling as when walking through a haunted attraction.
Each themed section has at least one effect, whether they’re moving objects, a car horn or electric chair, each is timed so that you can experience them while creeping along in your car.
I also liked that this haunt used lighting as a way to distract your attention to one side of your car while the actor can creep up on the other side.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
Although using multiple themes, each section of Mile of Terror uses sets that prep you for what you are about to experience. Once you enter the section, the theme is consistent, even when you look towards other vehicles that are navigating throughout the haunt.
While driving through the experience, you come across a backwoods village, terrifying clown town, purge night and many other themes ripped from one’s nightmares. Both sides and even the sets above the vehicle immerse you in the experience and, at times, drivers have tight quarters to navigate.
Make sure your foot is floating above the brake and not the gas. The finale also was very unique, and has a special surprise in store for victims!
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
Being a drive through haunted attraction, Mile of Terror is more intense than expected, and the added factor that you are driving through also seemed to add to the intensity. At several times, I had a good scare that I hit the brakes in reaction! Luckily the cars are spaced apart and you are going such a slow speed that it won’t cause whiplash.
From the moment you enter to the second you leave, the scares are plentiful. I have been visiting haunted attractions since I was a teenager, but I let out a few yelps.
Actors also do a great job of walking around the vehicle making sure to scare everyone. Being I was by myself they would walk next to my car having extremely disturbing discussions.
Some parts of the drive were also very tight, allowing the actors to hide in the dark corners. I also loved that you were driving in small sets and buildings that had amazing details to soak in. Ranging from actor scares to scares from props, Mile of Terror makes sure that everyone has a great startle.
The finale was also awe inspiring, featuring a creature from a Halloween movie that has become a tradition of mine to watch every season.