The Boogieman:
Out of Nashville Nightmare’s four haunted houses, The Boogieman seemed to have the heaviest amount of detail and special effects: every scene was loaded with props. Several corpses and static figures were used; the looming doll-faced creatures in the swamp were particularly creepy, as were the masked demon worshipers (followers of The Boogieman, perhaps?). One of the most impressive sights we saw while walking through was the literal TREE crashing through a ceiling! The haunt was heavy on animatronics, too. To quote a group member: “Everywhere you look, there’s something moving!” Seemingly inanimate objects frequently sprang to life around us. We counted at least three actor-matronic puppets, of which one may have been automated (meaning an actor wasn’t operating it). Animated portraits were used on a couple of walls. At one point, we stumbled upon a towering beast with massive claws that reached up to the ceiling! There was a really cool effect involving the walls in a corridor that we won’t spoil here, but it was a favorite in our group.
True to the attraction’s story, there were a lot of dark spots, but lighting was used in appropriate tones for the other areas. Other lighting effects included simulated fire and overhead lights flickering like they’d go out at any moment. Sensory effects were also deployed: we were nearly swallowed by a DEEP swamp of fog and lasers. Strobes enhanced jump scares and animations. One scene had wind blowing. In the background, we could hear creepy music and ghastly, otherworldly noises. What could be making those?! We weren’t keen on finding out.
A few of the house’s scenes weren’t quite as heavy on detail as others. The graveyard in particular could’ve used some dirt on the plain floors, as we’ve seen at other haunts. One of the actor-matronics, a big grabber ghoul, seemed to have more wear and tear on it than the others.
Fairy Tale Hell:
This land of scary-tales boasted some amazing, and often larger-than-life props. Our spider-fearing group leader was not amused by the massive spider we encountered. A neat blacklit dragon lurked within a castle’s wall. Medusa’s lair contained bodies of former warriors turned to stone. The witch house from Hansel & Gretel included two child victims, and more children were “running” about outside. Many of the animatronics were equally impressive. Right off the bat, we were nearly chomped by a gigantic dragon puppet, and we even had an enormous hand reach out from the wall in an attempt to grab us! Sometimes, it was hard to tell what was a stationary prop and what would suddenly animate. Medusa towered over us at the entrance to her lair, and a giant snake head swayed to and fro. In the pirate scene, an enormous sea monster with a triton shook an unlucky victim.
Lighting came in colors tailored to every portion of the house. Strobes were used in multiple spots. We had to cross at least two walkways; one that swayed precariously over burning coals and another that bounced with each step. Water effects were also included. One of the more interesting effects was the tilted room on the pirate ship – staying upright wasn’t easy for several members of our party. For audio, we heard unsettling music, a medieval track, the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood howling, and night creatures. As with all of Nashville’s attractions, this house included a lot of good details and effects, and we only noticed some spots here and there where more could be added.
Horror High:
Horror High was a blacklight attraction, similar to the 3D houses many other haunts use, but without the glasses. There were loads of school-themed props: desks, blackboards, a skeletal football player, rows of lockers – just to name a handful. A rotted animatronic teacher hung from the ceiling of a break room with a vending machine nearby. In the windows of what seemed to be health class- as evidenced by a body being dissected and the teacher angry over our intrusion- lightning flashed outside, revealing bats. Tray after tray of grotesque food was available in the school’s cafeteria, and a stationary worker ladled green goo to feed the students.
A barrel in the storage room rattled to life as we passed it. The library’s shelves were littered with rows of books. From atop a flight of stairs, a zombified cheerleader descended upon us. The school’s theater had many neat things to look at, like giant monster heads and masks on the walls, and an entire set built for the play happening on stage. Fog provided a fun sensory effect. While we might’ve done well getting past the crazy students and staff, we narrowly avoided being smashed by an animated vehicle (!), rushing at us and blaring its horn. Good thing that fence was in the way!
We heard the aforementioned vehicle’s horn blaring throughout the house and the school bell ringing. There was music in the background, too, but it was hard to make out at times. Some props and scene details seemed to need a little work (refreshed paint, extra props, etc.).
Area-X:
We got a pretty good look as to what was really going on in the Area-X facility – and none of it was good. Alien babies floated in test tubes… including one where it was obvious the creature had broken out. Several large alien props and animatronics were used, along with two large robots. (One of the aliens was contained in a cage of red lasers. Neat!) A particularly creepy figure resembled a spider-human hybrid. We walked through a research lab littered with extraterrestrial bodies while computers glowed from the floor below, and cords were strung up everywhere. The gigantic flashing reactor with a body plastered to it was an impressive sight, and our group loved seeing the soldier in camo being “beamed up” by a spacecraft! We narrowly avoided an attack from an animatronic beast with a maw full of fangs when it unexpectedly lurched upward, rising well above its assumed height. Glistening, grotesque pods- egg sacs, maybe?- swayed in a hallway as a warning blared: whatever they were trying to hide in that bunker had officially gotten loose. Tall, spindly grey aliens watched us with curious black eyes as they presided over their latest experiment.
Shortly into our walkthrough, we found ourselves decontaminated by plumes of fog spewing down from the ceiling, and more fog was used in other areas of the haunt. A “mechanical”-sounding music track, for lack of a better word, provided background audio. We did indeed hear those sirens going off, as well as spoken warnings and alerts over the speakers.
In contrast to the more detailed rooms, we found a few spots that could’ve used more detail, like the concrete hallway with yellow and black caution markings.
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