Features:
✓-Food/Concessions✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-“Hi-Tech” Attraction✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Original Characters✓-All-Indoor Attraction
How Do We Get These Scores?
Our Rating System
UPDATE FOR 2022: Our former “Atmosphere” and “Theme” categories have now been combined and renamed “Immersion.” Our intent with this is to give more appropriate credit to attractions that have shown a clear focus on achieving and maintaining better customer experiences (both inside and outside the attractions) and developing creative storylines.
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Final Score: 9.51
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 9.43
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 9.63
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.75
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 9.8
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 9.34
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.65
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 9.3
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 9.73
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Summary:
Ringing in their second year in their new location at Stone Mountain, Netherworld Haunted House is everything they promise to be and more! This haunted house is very well known across the United States and it’s clear to our team why. From jumps to spooks to just plain amazing things, this haunt puts on two shows like no other!
This year Netherworld is embracing their reptilian side with their two haunt themes being Night of the Gorgon and Cold Blooded. Both offer a thrilling good time that will turn your blood to ice. Our team had a great time at Netherworld and we bet so will anyone else who goes!
Cast: 9.43
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 10
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 10
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.25
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.5
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 10
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Netherworld prides itself on having truly inventive characters and out of the box ideas for those characters. They had their unique characters crawling on the ceilings, emerging from the walls, and even surfacing from the floors. We enjoyed the way the cast became their characters in both haunts. Each attraction’s characters were extremely distinctive.
In Night of the Gorgon, the characters were in a 360 haunt style. In other words, there were characters everywhere popping out as the customers continued walking. Due to the style, most characters didn’t have an opportunity for extensive dialogue. However, there was a little girl in the white-out room who guided us. We appreciated her dialogue and how much she clearly had embraced her character. Overall, the characters in this haunt were brief flashes of brilliance among the epic surroundings.
In Cold Blooded, alternatively, the groups were divided so the characters were able to interact with the patrons more. There were more opportunities for dialogue and immersion from the story the haunt was telling. The character that really stuck out in our mind for her acting was the worker who had us line up for roll call; she expertly handled the other people in our group who were too scared to move on, all while keeping her character.
Night of the Gorgon: 9.1
Cold Blooded: 9.6
Costuming: 9.63
How Did We Get This Score?
Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):
(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 10
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 10
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 10
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 10
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.5
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In Netherworld, costumes are not just makeup or cloth, they are metal and electronics and built, full-body steampunk-style suits. The costumes and makeup were an example of what Netherworld does best, attention to detail.
Out of all the outstanding costumes, our favorite was in Night of the Gorgon. The angel costume they made with an animatronic base and wings was something of pure genius. Also, the mech warrior drill drone was a feat of careful engineering.
While some of the characters seemed slightly over our heads, both physically and thematically, they were all astounding to see. In the Cold Blooded haunt, Netherworld showed great mastery of mimicking scaled textures along with some wicked mask choices. The variations of bug/reptile/alien/human hybrids showed ingenious creativity. We enjoyed all the haunting, terrifying, and creepy critters and characters in both haunts.
Night of the Gorgon: 9.6
Cold Blooded: 9.8
Customer Service: 9.75
How Did We Get This Score?
Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):
(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 9
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 10
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 10
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Netherworld is simple to find both physically and online. They have tons of social media profiles so customers can stay up to date on all that is going on with the haunt.
Their physical location is advertised on the side of the major highways they are located off of, so people can easily follow the signs. Once parked, it’s a little confusing to get from the back parking to the ticket booth, but their friendly staff are there to answer any questions. All of the staff we met were very proud to be a part of one of the top haunts in the United States, and were eager to live up to that reputation. The staff member assisting with parking cars was especially friendly and was appreciative to not only be a member of the Netherworld haunt ‘family,’ but to have been a part of it with his wife and to raise his sons up to be a part of it, too.
Night of the Gorgon: 9.75
Cold Blooded: 9.75
Atmosphere: 9.8
How Did We Get This Score?
Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):
(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 10
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 9.5
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We give our proverbial hats off to Netherworld for their literally awesome atmosphere. Both the waiting line area for Night of the Gorgon and their midway were full of spiffy objects and characters. While the lines could never fully prepare one for the amazing interiors of the haunts, we loved both line experiences.
In the line to Night of the Gorgon, they have a museum set up with active animatronics and fun characters. One of the characters (Gustav) gave our group great advice when facing the monsters. They also had a photo area with a green screen and very friendly photographers.
The midway contained fun characters who were clearly enjoying their roles in entertaining the people there. The gorgon and the lizard man who was a slider were both exuberant in their work. Also in the midway are great photo opportunities, food, drink, restrooms, and souvenirs. As you make your way through the midway, it will take you to the second haunt which has an impressive battle bot overlooking all in a daunting fashion.
Night of the Gorgon: 9.75
Cold Blooded: 9.75
Special Effects: 9.34
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 10
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 10
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.75
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 9
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Netherworld is the cr������me de la cr������me of special effects usage. The owner, in an interview, said that they actually built some of their props, which makes their effects more magnificent. For our group, we were overwhelmed by the quantity of amazing effects all around us in both haunts.
Night of the Gorgon was the quintessential example of Netherworld’s attention to detail. As people walk through the haunt, they are transported to a graveyard and a cobblestone city in the middle of an alien apocalypse. The ground actually changes to moss, cobblestone, and wood planks as you go along the haunt. Additionally, the sounds and even the air pressure changes depending on where the setting is.
Cold Blooded also had great illusory special effects. With this haunt, some of the effects were more physical, including a very realistic crashing elevator. The sounds were harrowing in how realistic they were. The sirens and dinosaur calls made tensions rise as we tried to escape the chest-bursting aliens!
Night of the Gorgon: 9.3
Cold Blooded: 9.4
Theme: 8.65
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 8.5
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8.5
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Netherworld had two very ambitious themes this year to try to tell in their haunts. The themes were of aliens and apocalypse and paranormal activities. To fully appreciate the stories, we recommend reading the synopsis on the website, as some of it wouldn’t immediately make sense. The complexity of the themes was a really interesting difference from most haunts and definitely made the experience more beguiling.
Night of the Gorgon: 8.33
Cold Blooded: 9
Scare Factor: 9.3
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 9.25
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 10
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 9
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 10
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8.5
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Netherworld’s two haunts give their customers two different types of experiences. Night of the Gorgon, being a 360 haunt, was full of scares around every corner. A great deal of the scares were more of the startle scares in various creative ways. The creepy scares were from their ability to blend in so there was no way of knowing from which direction the scares would come from next.
Cold blooded also used the direction scare tactics, but they almost seemed, on purpose, to be in the least obvious locations. This haunt also had more creepy scares, like dinosaurs and bug people, that the customers had to pass right by. Also, the use of specific sounds caused an overall feeling of anxiety. We found that some of our group were more scared by the first and others were more scared by the second, but we all were scared to some degree by both.
Night of the Gorgon: 9.2
Cold Blooded: 9.5
Entertainment & Value: 9.73
How Did We Get This Score?
Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 10
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 9.5
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 9.5
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 10
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Netherworld is a great value. We were in both haunts for a total of 40 minutes and the amount of amazing haunt experience we received in that time was mind blowing!
Ticketing prices vary per date they’re open. We highly recommend visiting both attractions.
Netherworld also offers multiple escape rooms. You can find additional information about those on their website.
We got to the haunt at the end of the night, so the lines were not very long and the entertainment outside of the haunts was thrilling. If a person doesn’t want to wait in a long line, then we recommend either the ‘timed tickets’ which give you a time frame to arrive at the front of the line, or the Speed pass tickets. Netherworld has long lines because they are so good, and we found that this haunt was more than worth the trip.
How Did We Get These Scores
Our Rating System
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Promo Images:
Click to Enlarge
Awards:
2022
2020
2019
Highest Rated Haunt in Georgia
Scariest Haunt in Georgia
2017
2016
Highest Rated Haunt
