Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 9.04

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 8.89

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9.75

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 9.1

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 8.93

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 8.79

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 9.03

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 9.03

One of our guilty pleasures when it comes to haunted houses is a good story. Consistency is key here, and Nightmare Realm could be the poster child for good storytelling.

“Trista is still wreaking havoc on the town of Cypress Hollow” could be one interpretation for some. However, it could also be deemed that the town now suffers due to its actions and negligence toward a young person in their time of need. Thinking about it all makes me want to visit again.

The casting for Nightmare Realm is unique in that almost every character seems important to the plot. There are moments where actors can and will scream, however, it’s mostly for the startle pop-up scare but then turns into dialogue. Everyone has a story to tell of an experience with Trista and these stories usually end rather badly for her. Here, we learn more about the overarching theme thanks to the cast and the great banter we engage in.

The cast, for the most part, is interactive with guests and responds to banter well with logical responses. A great example would be the smoker under the bleachers. We went back and forth, and I mentioned how everyone is aware that “smokers are jokers,” and they responded that it was a corny line and that I should try harder. I told them I would take this up with the Dean of the school, and of course, I was instantly outed as a rat. There are many great examples of interactions; thankfully, we will have our video walkthrough posted on The Scare Factor’s YouTube page; look out for that!

Cypress Hollow is just a quiet, small town occupied with normal townsfolk living a normal life. Or is it? The occupants seem to linger around as if everything is still normal but with a demented twist. The majority of the cast wear everyday clothing, from shirts to trousers, with visible distress. To complete the look, airbrush makeup is used to enhance wounds and marks that represent Trista’s wrath.

Trista’s classmates can be seen wearing school-proper costumes, which fit the storyline quite nicely. A few schoolgirl dresses can be seen, along with cheerleader outfits as well. There was also a homecoming queen with a tiara that looked to be jammed straight into her forehead.

The use of masks and prosthetics was also visible throughout the haunt and used effectively. There is a scene with a janitor who wore a burn victim full-face mask, which was a result of him playing with live electrical parts. Another actor was hidden behind a drop panel, but the grotesque bulging eye prosthetic with bugs on it was quite a disgusting scare.

We want to shout out to the cast member who kept their costume authentic to the storyline with the 90’s 90-style butterfly clips. It brought a nostalgic feeling, which, unfortunately, shows my age.

The Nightmare Realm website and social media accounts are a reliable source to check for any updates. We visited a day shy of their 18+ event that, unfortunately, was canceled due to dangerous weather, which we saw on their social media. We also recommend checking out their website, which is interactive due to their storyline. You can also buy tickets on their website.

This year, parking is on-site, with parking attendants leading the way. Staff is on-site and ready to guide you to either their ticket booth or your designated queue line. Some of the haunts are outdoors, which is as safe as the indoor portion.

Nightmare Realm does a great job of keeping immersion a priority. We unfortunately missed this show last season but visited during their Christmas show. Between December and September, there were plenty of changes throughout the Nightmare Realm Midway. With options such as axe throwing, photo ops galore, and a great food truck, there are plenty of reasons to stick around. One of my favorite features is this “home haunt” they have built with a free walk-through. The team here is going back to their roots and created a fun walkthrough version of a yard display. Throughout the midway, creatures of the Nightmare Realm roam and find worried visitors to engage with.

All of this leads to the main attraction, which does a great job of immersion. The scenes and sets are well-built and give the feel of a town that has been run down and taken a beating. There have been some great additions here as well, such as the scoreboard for the local high school football team and us having to walk under the bleachers. Given the story takes place in the 90s, it pays homage to that time as the stereotypical alternative kids would be too cool for the game and hang out under the bleachers. Inside the high school are plenty of old textbooks around and small glimpses of different subjects, such as anatomy and general science. It all makes sense as the school is an important part of Trista’s story.

It feels as though everyone we have come across has been involved with Trista in some shape or form. They all have twisted opinions about her and come off as if her tragic end/new beginning was deserved. Everything unfolds throughout the attraction and keeps us wanting to learn more about the lore of Cypress Hollow since the arrival of the creatures from the Aedifex.

Nightmare Realm is known for using everyday items, which helps give a more authentic town look while keeping the build cost down. Pair that with some fancy lights, sounds, and some spooky props and you got yourself a well-rounded haunt!

One of the actors mentioned that the year is set at 1993, which is clear throughout the haunt. In the intro, we saw a few toys we were familiar with growing up in the 90s. Tube TVs and computers (yup, not flat screens!) flicker while the continuous eerie white noise fills the room.

The rooms have detailed walls and covered ceilings. A bathroom scene features miscellaneous bathroom items and roaches covering the wall. An actor hides in the bathroom holding a pair of live roaches, which might be a trigger for some people. We, on the other hand, adore these creatures!

A new room that took us by surprise was the living room, with a plethora of corded phones hanging from the ceiling! If you are about our age or older, you will remember those dreadful curly corded phones that you could never understand how they got tangled and how there was never a way to untangle them. The father comes up from a hiding spot covered in phone cords, reaching his hands out to us, but the cords hold him back. In my millennial core, I felt that!

Nightmare Realm is an actor-driven haunt with an immersive storyline, which they incorporate into their scares. There was a variety of dialogue that didn’t include the typical “Boo” and screams but more dialogue that had to do with their respective role. The actors did an excellent job of effectively setting up scares using animatronics as a distraction to time a pop scare shortly afterward while distributing the scares equally to all group members.

Trista appears throughout the different settings. A particular scene where we see her is where a hanging animatronic from a noose sets a very creepy tone. An actor compliments the scene by mocking her and her demise, which shows how heartless this town is to poor Trista. The actors then create an uncomfortable feeling offering the same fate to us. While this is an effective scare psychologically, it also helps the audience empathize with Trista.

There is a white maze made from white plastic curtains splattered with blood. The curtains hide the dead ends effectively which creates a scare without needing actors. The flickering white lights were enough to create a sense of disorientation, which was executed perfectly.

In the final room, a speaker is playing Trista’s dialogue. The room is filled with a gruesome and deadly scene that Trista proudly displayed for us. She walks up on a set of stairs that hovers a bit above us, giving her a moment of a guaranteed last word before we leave. She makes sure her story is told whether you like it or not.

Our walkthrough time for Nightmare Realm was at the 25-minute mark. With general admission being $25, that gives us a Minutes Per Dollar value of 1.00. Again, there is plenty to do here, with plenty of photo ops and the free home haunt. There is a very affordable food truck as well! I believe we walked away with a pizza slice, a hot dog, and two coffees for about eight dollars. Those prices must follow the timeline of the haunt because the last time I remember purchasing two meals for eight dollars was in the 90s.

The storytelling alone provides enough reason to come to this great show. This haunt has shown great development over the few years it has been open, and we are excited to see the next chapter in Trista’s story.