Nile Nightmares – Full Review
Nile Nightmares is a Haunted Attraction located in Mountlake Terrace, WA.
6601 244th Street SW, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043View All Details
Features:
Free Parking, Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site, Handicap Accessible, Food/Concessions, Gift Shop/Souvenirs, Optional Games/Midway, You will NOT be touched, Celebrity Appearances, Indoor/Outdoor Waiting Line, Indoor/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: 7.13
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 5.85
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.2
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.6
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 7.73
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7
(5% of Final Score) Theme:
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 6.05
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.2
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Summary:
In 2021, Nile Nightmares opened for its 11th season at the Nile Shrine Golf Course. Each year, this Mountlake Terrace attraction continues to grow. It has been a couple of years since we last visited and we wanted to see what was updated both in the scare zones and midway. Though we visited on one of the busier nights, Nile Nightmares managed to create a fun party-like atmosphere for everyone. If you are looking to visit Nile Nightmares this year, be sure to dress for the weather and expect crowds.
Cast: 5.85
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 5.67
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 5.67
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 6.33
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 5
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 6.67
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On the night that we visited, there was a group of sliders who ran along the line. They weren’t particularly interactive, but they spent the entire night wandering the midway and occasionally hitting a group waiting in line. There was one queue line actor that was trying to work the crowd. Unfortunately, that one actor was lost within the crowd, and we were unable to pick up anything that she was saying to other groups.
Once we started down the haunted path, we were first caught off guard by an Anubis actor who did an animatronic scare. Another actor near the end of the scene had a great spot, hidden behind a stone wall that could be pushed aside as a pop-out scare. There also was a chainsaw who trailed our group near the middle of the haunt. We did not have much banter with any of the actors that we experienced. The scenes were set up to allow actors plenty of time to improvise some dialogue as we passed. However, much of the attraction felt empty, which was not helped by how spread out the scenes were.
Costuming: 8.2
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?: 8.33
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.33
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.33
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The sliders wore in a mix between post-apocalyptic style and festival style clothing that was very detailed. The two sliders that we saw a lot of had feathers and bone spikes protruding out of their slider gear.
Overall, the actors we encountered in the scenes had complete costumes and we didn’t spot any actors wearing street clothes. The nurse and the clown costumes had a lot of customization with heavy layering. The clown costumes had blacklight reactive colors that blended well with the 3D scenes. Other than that, the costume detail ranged from scene to scene.
The makeup was well applied, but nothing over the top from what were were able to see. The clowns had the most makeup detail with the UV reflective makeup. We did spot a few interesting masks throughout the attraction, like the Anubis from the front of the house. Similar to our observation earlier, some of the characters had more detail than others, depending on the scene.
Customer Service: 8.6
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?: 10
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 7
(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?: 10
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It was easy to find Nile Nightmares from the street with a searchlight pointed skyward and the light sign next to the entrance. Signs navigated us to where we needed to go once we entered the gate into the golf course. We were thankful that several parking attendants helped us navigate the irregular parking lot.
We followed the lights and music until we found the line leading to the midway. Nile Nightmares is compact and easy to navigate. It was also hard to not feel like we were packed in, but it could have just been because we visited mid-season and historically one of their busier weekends. The staff were hard to locate and identify among the crowd. The staff that we encountered, however, were patient and helpful.
We found a few areas where it would be easy to trip or fall where there were muddy spots in the outdoor trail that made the indoor concrete slippery. We also got tripped up exiting the Egyptian-themed scene and going down the vortex ramp. We would advise you to watch your feet and try not to run through these areas. Staff stationed in spots where the trail was ambiguous directed us on where we needed to go. The staff positioned in these areas were also likely to warn those running through the area.
Finding information on the attraction is easy to find on their website. You can also find a lot of details to help you better plan out your visit. They are highly responsive to their social media accounts as well as prominent in events that happen in the local community. They regularly have special events and guest appearances during busier nights during the season.
Atmosphere: 7.73
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?: 7.33
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Before we made it to the midway, there were little decorations like a wavy ghost inflatable and the cute witch who slammed into a post of an ominous sign. The drive leading to the midway (where the queue line formed) had Halloween pumpkin string lights. Once we entered the midway, there still weren’t many decorations (until a bit later).
As we mentioned earlier, the night that we attended had several events that were co-occurring. There was a special guest, a DJ, a fire-breather, and the midway was buzzing with activity. On slower nights, there is still a lot packed into the midway like a tarot reader, shops with spooky things to buy, a local game shop pop-up, food trucks, and a beer garden. There was a manned photo booth where you have a keepsake photo emailed to you included with the cost of your ticket. Nile Nightmares also had three escape room add-ons available for purchase.
Once we got to the point where our tickets were scanned, the line snaked past the elaborate DJ set and through a haunted foyer. It wasn’t very interactive, but every few seconds different things would animate. Overall, it felt like a party atmosphere that was entertaining even though it wasn’t particularly spooky.
Special Effects: 7
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 7.33
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 7
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 7.33
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 6.67
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 6.67
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Similar to our earlier comments about costuming, some scenes were more impressive than others. The Egyptian tomb was one of the standout scenes that had a lot of elaborate details like the air cannon that shot at us while we walked down a long hallway. There also was a very creative pop-out scare in the dollhouse that we have not seen in this area before. There wasn’t much of the same quality of the scene that we saw when we were in the line, but we found a few gems as we traveled through.
There were a few dead zones, especially when we were traveling between the buildings. There was some attempt to fill these zones with roaming actors like the chainsaw that we encountered. However, the scenes still needed more in the zones without actors to maintain the suspension of disbelief. As it is, the trek between scenes was long enough to bring us back to reality each time.
There were a couple of animatronics that seemed like they didn’t have a lot of power. We felt like they were supposed to do something, but none of our teammates were able to notice. Generally, Nile Nightmares didn’t lean into animatronics in being the only scare and more to set up an actor nearby to follow up with a scare.
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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This attraction didn’t seem to follow an overall theme.
Scare Factor: 6.05
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?: 6.67
(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?: 6.67
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 5
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It could have been the night that we visited, but Nile Nightmares has more of a party vibe than trying to be particularly scary. There were a few startle-type scares that got some of our teammates. There is an even mix of mechanical scares to actor-driven scares in this haunt. There also were creative actor setups used in the different scenes where they were able to get us when we were least expecting. Unfortunately, the large gaps between scenes would take us out of the moment and make it difficult for the next scene to prepare us for more scares.
Entertainment & Value: 7.2
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?: 6.33
(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
(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?: 6.33
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General admission costs $25 per person and upgrading to VIP will cost $35. It took us 14 minutes to go through the haunted trail, which calculates to .56 minutes per dollar spent. (For comparison, the national average is 1 minute per dollar spent.)
Nile Nightmares tries to pack as much entertainment as they possibly can into the midway, with a free photo booth and multiple escape rooms you can purchase as an add-on. Nile Nightmares did a great job entertaining us the night that we visited. We look forward to what they have built up in the years to come.
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:
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Guest ReviewsGuest Average: 9.5 out of 10
Kathleen – 10/10 – October 28, 2016I totally poured my pants when I went here and so did my friends!!
Patrick – 9.5/10 – October 22, 2016I’ve been going to this haunt since 2013 and it has gotten bigger and better every year. Formerly …show more known as Haunted Nightmare at the Nile, Nile Nightmares puts on an amazing show. One of the things I noticed, besides the amazing detail in each scene, was that most of the actors had elaborate makeup on and not cheesy masks. The actors really create an atmosphere of fear. I can’t wait to see what Nile Nightmares does to scare me this year!
Carl – 9/10 – October 21, 2017I absolutely love this place, it is one of my usual stops every year. They seem to get bigger and …show more better every year. It’s more like an event than anything.
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