Features:
✓-Free Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-Food/Concessions✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line✓-All-Outdoor 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: 7.22
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 6.85
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 6.85
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.25
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.6
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.6
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 7
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 6.15
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7
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Summary:
Nightmare at Gravity Hill is a single attraction walkthrough Haunt with about 14 diverse scenes and themes connected by walkways. Some of the sets were fairly impressive and well-detailed, but overall they were only linked by a Nightmare-type theme.
The opening facade and ghost town sets which began the walk were particularly impressive, but we wished they had done more with them. Essentially, this also sums up my general feeling about this attraction.
Some parts were good, but could have been better, although there is definite room for improvement.
Cast: 6.85
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 7
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 6
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 7
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 7
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8
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The cast was mostly grouped in threes for each scene, which was a fine amount, but there weren’t enough strategic spots for them to attack from. You could see them coming and there just wasn’t enough there for them to do or be scary enough. The characters were also too generic to be memorable or really add to the scenes they were in.
Costuming: 6.85
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?: 6
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 6
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 7
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 7
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8
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Costumes were also fairly generic. Nothing really stood out or looked cool. This is definitely a spot where if they take it to the next level and really get detailed or focused on how the costumes match the scenes it will help to improve the whole experience.
Makeup and masks are on the same level, and if the characters, costume, makeup, masks, and scenes are all tied in sharper it will make each one more memorable.
Customer Service: 8.25
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?: 8
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 8
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 8
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The staff and management were all pretty spot-on, so no complaints there. This attraction ran and looked like a professional haunt.
There were no safety issues that concerned me, and it was very easy to find the attraction as it was right off the road. The facade displaying the name of the attraction was large and bright and the parking was right there as well. The parking lot was nice and flat which is appreciated if there is rainy weather. It was a nice, short walk over to the ticket window and common area.
They had a place to takes photos with some props but we didn’t have time to take advantage of those.
Atmosphere: 8.6
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?: 9
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8
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The atmosphere was pretty good. The structure that carried the haunt’s name looked ominous. I wish the rest of the haunt had the look and detail of the village area in the beginning. It just gave more of a sense of immersion and being in a different world. It looked realistic and creepy. Add in the lingering fog and you had a really creepy atmosphere!
While I get the concept of the diverse scenes including a mental hospital, Egyptian tomb, vampires, etc. I just wish there was some way to tie them all together better. What really brought this down were the transitions between them as they took us out of the immersion and suspension of disbelief completely. Even if the walkway was enclosed, made into a cave, or something that would prepare you for the next scene that would have been helpful. I would recommend that if these areas could be developed further with the scenes being fairly solid that the overall experience would be improved immensely.
Special Effects: 7.6
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 8
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8
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The effects here were not super creative but what they had was effective. I think they need to add even more special effects to create a few more “wow” moments, especially considering they are a smaller, single-attraction Haunt. Either that, or if the whole place was one connected theme you could reprise some of the sound effects and tie all special effects into the theme of each scene. They do use some sound here, but nothing that stands out. Still rooting for a carnival theme with some Midnight Syndicate perhaps?
There were some claustrophobia tunnels and the trendy laser swamp fog room. Personally, when it comes to the swamps, I don’t care if everyone has one, it’s cool and a very great way to hide actors! They also had a huge Reaper animatronic that was placed and used perfectly for where it was in the maze. Plus you could see the silhouette from all over the place, and it looked creepy looming over the place with the cloudy moonlight above.
Theme: 7
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 7
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 7
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 7
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The theme here was as loosely connected as the scenes themselves. It’s a series of nightmares so there wasn’t just one cohesive theme. Instead, it included all themes that could be considered bad dreams. That being said, some of them were stronger and more memorable like the Mental Hospital and the Haunted Movie theater. It would have been nice if all of them were more distinct and memorable in this environment. It also felt like the haunt was just a series of scenes that popped up in a good spot like a traveling carnival rather than taking place at a real place that is haunted or authentic.
Now that I say it though, a haunted, traveling carnival would have been a great theme for this location.
Scare Factor: 6.15
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 6
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 7
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 6
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 5
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The scares here were really affected by the design of the sets. There wasn’t enough going on for the actors to unsettle us and they were in sight rather than seemingly coming from nowhere which would have been more effective.
The biggest complaint I had with Nightmare on Gravity Hill was the transition spaces between scenes. What would happen over and over was that we were immersed in the scenes somewhat, but then any tension or apprehension that had built up was just dissipated as we got to the black material walkways that were not very high and completely lacked any detail or character. Even when they switched to higher black wooden walls, it just took away from the overall effect. If they were to work to develop these transitions and actually make them into something related to the next scene, it would improve the Haunt tremendously and make the whole place feel bigger.
The other thing I noticed was that even though I could see what they were trying to set up with this big open area for a chainsaw guy to chase you around a bit, when you exited, the audible reaction was the worst thing you would want to hear, “That’s it?” followed by a long walk down a dark stretch of nothing to get back to the main area. It would be better to use all of that space somehow, or make sure that last spot is so good you leave thinking thank God you and your group got out of there.
Again, this is an area that can be improved fairly easily which would greatly improve the experience.
Entertainment & Value: 7
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?: 7
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8.5
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 7
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 7
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The entertainment inside was okay but not quite strong enough to knock your socks off. Perhaps more special effects would counter that by creating some memorable, “That was cool” moments. It doesn’t even need to be totally scary all the time either. If it was really well detailed and fun to go through, that would absolutely work too.
The entertainment outside was decent for the small space. They had music playing while you waited to help pass the time. We didn’t notice any queue entertainers. In fairness, we did arrive towards the end of the night so perhaps there were some actors out in the line earlier, but giving the limited amount of actors available they probably couldn’t spare them. They did have a huge screen showing a movie right above the line so that was a cool touch.
The ticket price was decent as well at $25.99 per person. Total tour time was 35 minutes. I’m not sure if I would recommend upgrading to VIP admission unless it’s really crowded. We got there at the end of the night so we didn’t get to see what the regular crowd is like.
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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