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: 7.92
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7.1
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 7.5
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.38
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.42
(5% of Final Score) Theme:
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.41
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.1
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Summary:
Nightmare Mansion is located one block from the boardwalk at Virginia Beach and is a lot more intense than what one would believe. It is open not only during the Halloween season, but during the summer as well. It is quite the spot for tourist to hit and get a good fright, especially when not expecting it. They have been in the same location for 30 years and have become a staple. It would be hard to miss walking down the street with so much space on the second story dedicated to making you believe it is a mansion. Not to mention, the iconic skull on the corner bellowing down at you.
For the guests who are not sure if they should dare enter, you can watch live streaming of other guests in the haunt on the TV at the entrance. It will give you somewhat of a heads up before you choose your fate. Our team, recommends you pull up your pants, tighten your belt, relieve your bladder, and run headfirst inside to experience their thrills for yourself. Are you brave enough to make it through Nightmare Mansion?
Cast: 7.1
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 4
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8.5
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 4
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This haunt is designed to where it can practically be ran by one or two members who can scare you in quite a few places. Just because you may not see many characters, does not mean you should let your guard down. Trust us, they will take advantage of the fact and we are not sure you would enjoy it, or would you? The few characters we saw were high energy, in-your-face (or on your back), over-the-top thrilling. They were extremely dedicated to their job, and their job is to scare! We do wish we could have seen more actors for a bit of a change up throughout the haunt, but boy were the ones we saw very believable and convincing.
If you like haunts that are high in interactivity, you will love this one. No dialogue or script is used, just pure improv and they are masters of it! They are very creative with their ‘comebacks’ as we tried joking our way through it with them. No matter what we said or questions we asked, their witty response took us by surprise!
Costuming: 7.5
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?: 7
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 6
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8
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Here’s the thing about this haunt, it is extremely dark. It will most certainly play on your fears of the unknown. You may find it hard to know where to go, where to turn, and what corner to look around for monsters of the night. For us, it added a great thrill to the experience. However, the drawback to this was that we could not really see any detail of the costumes on the actors. It’s possible they just might have been a master of camouflage and we were too worried about finding the exit. None the less, being able to tell who the actors are supposed to be could have added an element of disbelief to our journey.
Customer Service: 9.38
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?: 8.7
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.5
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.8
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.5
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The owner and workers here take pride in what they do and the haunt they have created. Everyone is very courteous, kind, and caring. They were more than willing to take the time to answer any questions you may have regarding anything. The employees here may be the friendliest we have seen at a haunt and added a great level of joy to our trip.
The location of the haunt is very easy to find. You could spot it blocks away walking down the street. I guess with the amount of tourism in this area, quite a few people looked shocked to see this place as they walked by and many of them started waiting in line to go through. Our team had the luxury of getting to watch them grow in fear and become distressed before going in. The best part, we already knew what was waiting for them inside.
Unfortunately, this attraction is not handicap accessible as you must be able to walk up and down stairs. Other than that, this is a very safe haunt! Well, apart from not knowing where to walk, where to turn, and how far you need/can������run before the next…sorry, can’t give it away! You’ll find it exhilarating in a sense, I’m sure. There is a plethora of information available on this attraction if you just Google it. Their Facebook page is a great place to learn a lot, as well as their website. You can answer just about every question you might have using these two resources.������
Atmosphere: 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?: 8
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8
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Most bystanders would get the sense it is a haunt right away. Even though you may not see a lot of scary ‘things’ at eye level. But since when in a haunt is everything right in front of you? Look up and you will not believe you are in the heart of Virginia Beach. It will transport you to a mansion of your nightmares.
What is that you hear? The sounds of creepy music heightening your anticipation and the possible cause of all the goosebumps down your arm. You will know that you have arrived at a haunted attraction. The outside atmosphere generally had all of us prepared and excited to go in. You will find a few creatures to take ‘selfies’ with as you wait. The most fun part is watching everyone in front of you go through on the TV. There’s nothing like getting freaked out and worked up by seeing the reactions of the ones who decided to seal their fate and face the mansion before you!
Special Effects: 8.42
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8.5
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 8.5
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.7
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.3
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While we would not consider this an old-school haunt, we can’t exactly call it high-tech either. It is a good medium of both and something we are not used to. It made it hard for us to discern what was coming next. A prop flying at you at what seems to be the speed of light, or an actor ready to pop up on you at any minute. One thing is for sure, you won’t be able to see either one until your right up on it! The sound here at this haunt is on par to that of other major attractions. The owner has invested a lot of time in the sound and technology inside.
With not being able to see, if was hard for us to believe anything. There’s nothing scarier than your own subconscious concocting a what-if scenario for something that you can’t see coming. That’s just part of what makes this haunt special and why it was able to scare us.
Theme: N/A
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?:
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?:
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?:
This score is left “N/A” when we believe the haunt is trying to target a random variety of themes or phobias, rather than a single overarching “Theme” or “storyline.”
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While Nightmare Mansion did not have a particular theme to follow, scenes and props were in abundance. They had a jail scene which, mind you, startled the beejeebers out of us! A long list of animatronic props were also present, many of which were accompanied with jump scares. Don’t try to anticipate when they will come; you’ll never get it. Also, one last note, listen to the speech at the very beginning and heed their warning. Stay close to one another, separation of the group is a realistic possibility and no one wants to be left alone with the undead characters in this mansion!!
Scare Factor: 8.41
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.3
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 9
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8.6
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In the grand scheme of things, this haunt is much scarier than we anticipated. Before visiting, we all thought this was just another tourist attraction wanting money from pedestrians walking down the street. We were wrong! The attraction is ran by an intelligent and dedicated family. They want to scare you, they want you to puke on the floor (okay, they probably don’t, but it has happened several times), and most importantly, they want you to have a good time and tell all your friends and family about them. It provided scares to everyone in my group. No one wanted to walk first but no one wanted to be in the back either. With not being able to see much at all, the scares were not very predictable and that is why we were so startled. The ending had us running for our lives. It also had me in a yelling match with the actor, in a sadistically loving way. I will never forget that moment!
Entertainment & Value: 7.1
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?: 8.4
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 2
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 9
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 9.2
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The Nightmare Mansion was very entertaining to say the least and we enjoyed every minute of our 10 minutes inside!
Now, we highly recommend ‘giving’ your head a try at their escape room. It is by appointment only and can be booked on their website. It is in the same building as the haunted mansion but opens before the haunt. It is a very interactive and immersive experience not for the faint of heart. It is not included in the admission price of the mansion and must be paid for separately. It is a lot of fun to do right before you go through the haunted attraction itself. Go ahead and cough up your pride, sell your soul (it probably won’t help you anyway), and give it a whirl.
We wish there would have been some other entertainment while we were waiting, but we also went during the middle of changeover and before they opened. Later in the season and going at dusk/dark, there just might be a little more to keep you company. Muahahaha! We got approximately .91 minutes per dollar of walk-through time as it took us about 10 minutes to run through and the tickets cost $11. To us, it is well worth the price for the experience you have!
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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