Are you familiar with the term Cliffhangers? Famously created during the golden age of movies and radio (1930s), where programs would end with a suspenseful, unresolved note. It is brilliant when done correctly, as it provides viewers with a compelling feeling to “tune in for the next exciting episode of insert show name here.”
The same could be said for Nightmare Realm and their story of Retribution. We ventured back to Michigan to walk through the ever-evolving story of Trista and the hell that reigned down on the town of Cypress Hollow. Each season provides a new chapter in their story, creating unique experiences and interactions with the townsfolk during each season. Spoiler alert: We were left with another cliffhanger on their most important season yet, and we need more!
The residents of Cypress Hollow keep their daily life going after Trista’s takeover. The variety of characters and their acting effectively make this a believable town, from the victims to the antagonists. Cyd makes an appearance, making his usual jokes that mostly involve anything about his bones. This time, Cyd sent us on a mission to give a bunch of dried flowers to anyone inside, like in The Bachelor. We were successful in having someone accept them after one rejection from the lost child. Mr. King is always disappointed that we forget our homework every year. While our homework is tardy this year, we hope he accepts this writing as some form of extra credit.
The actors do an excellent job of interacting with the whole group. Some actors contribute to the storyline while others actively reply to our outlandish comments. We encountered the cool gal under the bleachers (still lighting them cigarettes) and gave her the “smokers are jokers” talk again. We informed her that she must have signed the D.A.R.E. pledge (since this story takes place in the 90s, after all) and was letting everyone down. Just like a typical teenager, she rolled her eyes and dismissed us. Speaking of smokers, the lunch lady offered us some yummy food that we politely declined, considering the number of buds all around.
Further in the attraction, an actor stopped us before going to the basement, shushing us and giving us the warning that something was not right. The fear on their face was evident, and their hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Inside the already scary, bloody maze, an actor was able to act very creepy by following us from behind quietly, lurking just out of arm’ reach. Speaking of lurking… inside the library, we found an actor positioned holding on to the knocked-over bookcase. They were lifeless like a mannequin, only to move around a few times. These two actors were the best lurkers we have encountered in Cypress Hollow and were very effective in their roles.
NMR is known for its incredible work with airbrush makeup and how it ties to their storyline. The spirals have become a symbol of Trista’s wrath, marking all who have harmed her. This is shown on a large portion of the actors throughout the haunt. In the queue, Johnny mentions losing their hair and taking off their paperboy hat to reveal a spiral on their scalp. Distressing makeup is the preferred method for actors, but we need to highlight the use of highlights. It is a small detail that goes a long way.
There were a variety of characters that blended into their respective scenes, bringing life to a hopeless town. The prom queen wore a gown, sash, and a tiara. Unfortunately for her, the tiara looked like it was jammed straight into her scalp. The janitor asked if we loved her face, which looked quite burnt. Wondering what had happened, she turned on the power, revealing how she got the burns on her face from the sparks. This blends special effects and makeup to make sense and not feel randomly thrown together.
The use of unique masks and added prosthetics adds to the creepiness from the moment we encounter the cast of NMR. Early in the attraction, an actor had fake roaches stuck to her face while holding live ones in her hands, helping guests question if all of them might be real! Inside the doll room, an actor wore a doll costume with their face mask positioned upside down. If this wasn’t creepy enough, they crawled upside down in a bridge position, adding a layer of fright in the scene. Inside the bloody maze, one of the actors wore a silicone mask that seemed to make their skin look leathery and layered. The eyes on this mask looked as though the skin had healed over the sockets… It was disturbing, to say the least. Despite portions of the house being outdoors, costumes not only fit scenes appropriately, but they also seemed well-insulated for the actors. This means we didn’t see random hoodies or sweaters over costumes, but rather fitting attire for their characters.
There were plenty of other great costumes found throughout the attraction. An EERA agent was wearing a full tactical outfit. It seems they have arrived in Cypress Hollow and are trying to engage with the horrors found throughout the town. We met a surgeon who had only practiced plastic surgery for 30 minutes and showed us his creation, named Barbie. The face was doll-like, in the papier-mâché way that looked slightly creepy. The bottom row of teeth was separated from the top of the face. In the library, an actor wearing off white colored coveralls and a sack over their head had scribbles from head to toe. We were very sure it was a mannequin at first, but they jumped out unexpectedly. At the finale, Trista shows off that she is nearby by tapping her claw-like fingers on an opal glass door, only revealing her silhouette. Once we are face-to-face, there are gory details on her face, including a third eye. Her teeth are sharp and ready to take on whatever comes to her.
NMR has expanded its property to fit an extended parking lot for visitors. They have plenty of vested employees to guide cars to the nearest parking spot. Once on sight, we were greeted by a Cypress Hollow sign and several queue actors all around. The entrance leads guests to the midway immediately, with the haunted attraction at the far end of the area. The midway includes plenty of photo ops, a food truck, and pay-to-play games, including axe-throwing, as well as a discus throw game. The midway also holds a free home haunt-style attraction to pay homage to how far NR has come since taking on a professional location. Plenty of staff are located all around to answer questions and direct guests where they may need to go.
NMR has a great social media presence and is very active in many volunteer and community-based events. The NMR website provides easy ticket purchases as well as the history behind their themed story. We recommend checking out their story as it is highly entertaining and very present throughout the attraction.
Upon entering, a “Welcome to Cypress Hollow” sign is in sight. Two EERA (Extinction Event Resistance Agency) agents patrol the grounds before we embark on our journey. The queue starts under a big white tent. Music played while we congregated with a few of the town’s residents. Before entering Trista’s house, Johnny gives us a bit of backstory on how Trista cruelly turned this town upside down. Trista’s sister interjects in the background, making her dislike of Trista known. Inside the house, we learn what truly happened to Trista, who was bullied by her own family and peers. While Trista is telling us her story, the sound of EERA agents is heard, and Trista acknowledges their arrival. Trista must combat them from destroying her in her new form.
We are immersed in different parts of the town. The use of real items repurposed and positioned to fit scenes properly. The schoolroom wall is decorated with your typical school posters, awards, and desks stacked up in weird positions. Grandma’s house is highly decorated with knick-knacks, and the walls are decorated with framed pictures and quotes. The kitchen is stocked with outdated boxes of cereal, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were expired food since Trista’s takeover.
The newest scene is the cellar, which uses visual illusions to make us feel as though we are descending downstairs. The basement scene follows afterward, with luggage placed all around, the washer and dryers, and stacked up in a creepy position. An actor came out of a fridge that was chained up loosely enough for them to appear stuck.
Once we completed the walkthrough, we were placed back in the midway, which offered plenty of themed activities to do. Of the several photo ops available, my favorite is the colorful Haunters Against Hate backdrop with rainbow blood oozing from props. Axe throwing is available along with a themed discus throwing game. The game gives a nod to the former business that this haunt is built on by having customers throw clay discs at several trash targets. Overall, NMR provided yet another amazing season with their story immersion, and we cannot wait to see what the next years bring.
Being both an indoor and outdoor attraction, NMR manages to add a blend of high-end props and effects with everyday items and scenes made to feel like they came straight out of the 90s. The opening scene of the attraction uses old TVs to present Trista and her story. While the video is playing, Trista manipulates the room around us as lights flash, sparks fly, and we come face to face with the first creature from the Aedifex.
Throughout the attraction, we have scenes built up to replicate homes, high schools, and local businesses. Shortly after the first scene, we make our way into Trista’s father’s living room, which is chaotic with couches toppling one another and several corded phones all around. The effects here are great, including pop-up panels while heading to the first outdoor scene. Somewhere along the trail, we found Trista’s hanging body inside a silo. She is not hanging there very long, as through the story she is transformed into the monster we found back in the opening room.
One indoor portion that received much of an upgrade was Grandma’s house. It’s easy to tell that the team behind NMR evolved this scene with care. We are made to “head into the cellar” down the stairwell. They created a great stairwell that remains flat but angled enough to give the feeling that we were descending into a basement. The way the walls were created helps create the illusion and creates an effective room. The cellar (also new) felt almost like my grandma’s when she was alive. She had a similar creepy space when I was 10. Small details in here complete the effect, such as the tiny windows at “street level” being the correct height of what one might find in an actual cellar. It’s hard to describe how amazing this was, as there really is no basement level of the property.
It could be just me… but scenes overall felt bloodier and gorier. There is a portion just before and after the doctor finishes his surgery, where humans are sewn together and create a scary wallpaper. These portions felt amped up this season from last, which is welcoming, of course. There are plenty of more moments to speak about, and I’m sure we will mention more effects in other portions of this review… such as the next category!
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8.85
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.9
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8.8
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 8.8
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9.2
NMR created a scary environment and several moments of panic throughout the whole haunt. Two outdoor maze portions provided several moments of fear within our group. The first maze had a few characters sprinkled inside that worked the scene effectively. One actor can cry like an infant and use this skill to pierce through the background noise and frighten visitors.
While walking through the second maze, areas are made to feel short with plastic door curtain strips covering every so many steps ahead, adding to the maze-like area. Within this maze is a tall Aedifex creature looming always a curtain away. This felt like trying to escape Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 with low ammo… you’re simply screwed if caught. It has been a long while since I (it’s a me, a Mario) have felt such unease and genuine fright…sure… There are scary moments throughout attractions, and it is fun afterward… this was different. This towering character did his job well that night. The best part was making it out and trying to explain the experience to the next actor and my wife… and of course… the creature did not leave the maze and was nowhere to be found. The Aedifex must possess some sort of monster 101 class, because kudos scary maze bastard… You got me.
Another very interesting moment of fright was within Grandma’s house. The Doll room had one of the creepiest actors we may have seen this season, as they contort unusually. Their costume provides an extra level of fear as it feels like it is trying to be human. The use of foreshadowing was strong here, as we are warned to be silent, as the creatures in the cellar will react to noise. It felt very movie-like and had us walking as slowly and quietly as possible. There was a moment when things were as silent as a moment ago, and we had to find an exit immediately in fear of being caught. Overall, this attraction did a fantastic job of providing scares throughout the haunt as well as the midway for unsuspecting guests.
Our walkthrough time at NMR was a very entertaining 28-minute experience. With general admission tickets online starting at $25, our Minute Oper Dollar value was 1.12. I hope we presented the point that this show needs to be seen in person to grasp how entertaining and well put together it is. The creative minds of NMR have also created project Jingle HELL. This is a sub story where Trista vs Santa Claus. There is a story to follow throughout the attraction as we literally witnessed Trista jumping on Santa’s back to attempt to subdue the jolly old Saint Nick. The whole team should be very proud of the show they have produced, as its vision is clear and dominant throughout the attraction. We are impatiently waiting for the next season/ next chapter of the story that is Nightmare Realm.
With every season presenting the next chapter in Trista’s story arc… we are left with another Cliffhanger until next year to see how EERA fared with Trista’s wrath on the town of Cypress Hollow:
Did EERA contain the creatures of the Aedifex?
Will Trista’s powers grow and defeat the EERA agents trying to contain her?
Will Sid ever find skin?
Tune in next season to find out!
23492 Red Arrow Hwy, Mattawan, Michigan 49071
