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: 8.16
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 6.71
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.76
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.7
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 9.02
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.97
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 7.88
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 6.99
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.87
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Summary:
Niles Scream Park, in its 48th season, continues to be the backbone of the local community. Despite all the struggles everyone continues to deal with, Niles Scream Park manages to provide good quality scares while also contributing to many Michiana charities. While it was not our first time visiting, it had been several years since we had last swung by and we were excited to see how it had changed in the intervening period.
We came away surprised at how much the quality of the scenes has improved since our last visit. Niles Scream Park offers an amazing value for the ticket price. As it was, we spent nearly an entire evening enjoying six different attractions, only forgoing the escape rooms and the midway games. Hooded, especially, was a standout attraction that our team thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to everyone (18+ and looking for a more interactive experience). Having our vision almost completely taken away from us and allowing the actors to touch us led to some of the most fun we have ever had in any haunted house experience.
However, Hooded is not to take anything away from the labyrinthine Haunted House, a staple attraction with multiple routes to provide a different experience each time you go through. It’s a real marvel of set design and construction and it is no wonder why it is their most popular and longest-running attraction. There is no doubt in our minds that Niles Scream Park is worth the visit for all fans of haunted houses.
Cast: 6.71
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 7Explanation:
We wanted to note that all haunts struggling with staffing this year as well as it being early in the season affected this score.
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 6.32
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 6.95Explanation:
Though most of the interactions with actors were short, there are exceptions like Nancy, the mute little girl, followed us from the midway and would constantly disappear only to reappear in a completely new area in the main house.
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 6.49Explanation:
The dialogue from actors was limited with the exception of Hooded.
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 7
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We were eager to begin our night with The Haunted House and the cast did not disappoint. The House felt properly full, with actors hitting us left and right in every scene we entered. The actors did a great job of scaring everyone in our group of four, even getting the veteran haunters in our group a number of times. Their energy was great and very on point with their scares.
Moving on to Nuclear Nightmare, one of the many side attractions on the field, the actors felt a little bit more stretched out than they were in The Haunted House. However, they made up for this by really working their scenes and putting in a lot of effort. Of special note was the reaper who covered a very large graveyard scene solo, hitting us four times as we snaked through. It was a very solid experience overall and still very much worth the time we took to go through. The Gruesome Gallery was a very similar experience, perhaps a bit more low energy, but actors were hard at work making sure they got us as many times as they possibly could. The Field of Screams focused more on using the environment and animatronics to scare us, but the actors that were inside really were putting in lots of effort to scare every group multiple times. The actors on the Dark Terror-tory Haunted Hayride mostly focused on pre-canned bits of dialogue and fairly predictable scares, but it would be the perfect kind of experience for younger audiences that aren’t quite ready for the more intense scares you get in the other attractions.
Hooded is an interesting experience to review, as we couldn’t see any of the actors. However, every person that was inside was fantastic with their dialogue and kept us laughing and entertained the entire time. Having someone suddenly grab your head and start growling in your ear definitely threw us off balance. One person in our group couldn’t stop laughing at one of the actors who just simply sighed in relief. Without a doubt, these were some of the best actors we encountered our entire night there and we cannot commend them enough.
Each attraction compensated for the light cast by making clever choices in set design as well as having actors that brought lots of energy and effort into their roles. Especially given that this is early in the season, we could tell that the actors were putting in a lot of work and we wanted to give them all a shout-out for it.
Costuming: 8.76
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?: 8.47
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8.66Explanation:
The costuming really varied between character to character, but was good overall
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 9.2
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9.33Explanation:
All the masks that we seen worked really well for the actor as well as creating the character.
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.32
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For the most part, costumes were complete, complex, and fit well within each scene in each attraction. Masks were well fitted, makeup was applied effectively, and the occasional full-body suits were even used in scenes that were well suited to each actor. We did happen to notice a couple of scares that seemed to be lacking a proper costume, but by and large, the costumes served their function to transform the actors into characters well.
Customer Service: 9.7
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?: 9.67Explanation:
The queue lines of the three haunted houses are grouped together which took a beat to find where the queue line started. All attractions had facades/portals that made it really easy to identify where you were.
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.27Explanation:
The Field of Screams being an outdoor attraction could have some issues if there was rain. There were also some rope bridges in areas that could be difficult for some.
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 10
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Another highlight of Niles Scream Park is the customer service. The website looks incredibly professional, well designed, and provides a plethora of information. Each attraction is well summarized, pricing is easy to find, and they do a very good job of putting together an FAQ that should answer almost everything you need to know.
Our GPS led us to the entrance of the haunt, which also was well lit and very clearly marked. Upon entering, there were several parking lot attendants that waved us to the next available parking spot, making the process of entering completely painless. After a quick security check and waiting to purchase tickets, we were in.
Upon entering, we noticed there were quite a number of staff available everywhere, all marked with bright hats that helped them stand out from the crowd. The entrance to each attraction is well posted and easy to find, and all in all, it was easy to navigate our way around the 44-acre space.
Atmosphere: 9.02
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?: 9.89
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7.72Explanation:
There weren’t many line actors during our visit.
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Niles Scream Park has a great haunt feel. Walking from the parking lot, you enter through a giant stone facade to go through the security check. In the midway, there are quite a few vignettes set up for people to take photos to remember their visit. There were a few food vendors serving up tasty foods as well as Witches Brew that offers bubbly drinks to those that drop in. They even have classic horror movies playing in a small, outdoor theatre. The music playing everywhere lends itself to the fun, spooky atmosphere.
Special Effects: 7.97
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?: 8.93Explanation:
Every set was incredibly detailed and beautifully crafted, a real standout for our team!
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7.47Explanation:
The use of scents and sound throughout each attraction was a real bonus.
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 7.47
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Once you go through the queue lines and enter the attractions, they completely transform each space to be an incredibly detailed haunted experience. Sets were beautifully decorated and incredibly detailed, to the point where one of our team members couldn’t stop bringing up how good they looked from the last time we visited. We enjoyed the new catacombs installed in The Haunted House, which we later learned had individually cast and mounted skulls to create the scene.
The Haunted House continues to be very cleverly designed to encourage multiple visits to see everything. Scents were used quite extensively throughout each scene, but never to the point of being overwhelming. The sound was pumped in everywhere and always felt appropriate.
Hooded, in particular, is a strange one since we couldn’t see it, but they very cleverly changed up the guide rope that we were following the entire time. It would change between rope, linen, and pipe, and led us to interact with very specific props. (You’ll have to enter to find out for yourselves what those are). Specific areas were lit, but we could only just barely see that there was a single light. This was used to great effect when an actor passed in front of it, creating a brief shadow that stopped us in our tracks.
Theme: 7.88
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 8
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 7.83
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 7.83
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While most of the attractions played on a variety of themes in each scene, the two smaller haunts had singular cohesive themes. Each haunt was pretty distinct and well-executed. Nuclear Nightmare has an interesting nuclear apocalypse theme, and the Gruesome Gallery does a great job of evoking its curiosity shop inspired origins.
Scare Factor: 6.99
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 6.5Explanation:
The actors got a number of good scares, but missed timing and lack of staff hampered the experience.
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 7.67Explanation:
The Dark Terror-tory Haunted Hayride timing was slightly off.
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 7.11
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7.22
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 6.89Explanation:
It was a bit disappointing that there weren’t bigger finales at the end of The Field of Screams and The Dark Terror-tory Haunted Hayride.
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Niles Scream Park is focused on entertaining the entire family. Each attraction proved to have a lot of startle scares throughout. The timing of the animatronics allowed for everyone in our group to be targeted with scares coming from all directions from a back-bending librarian and zombies. There was a great use of actor scares, as well as a couple of actors tag-teaming in at the end of The Haunted House and The Field of Screams.
Entertainment & Value: 8.87
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?: 7.83
(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?: 10
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 8.49
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The Haunted House and Hooded were absolutely the star attractions and well worth the combo ticket price alone. We’ve already gone on about it several times, but it is without question that getting the Frightful Nightful Plus combo ticket to experience Hooded is worth both your time and money. There is an option to experience the Haunted House more than once and, had we had the time, it would have been something our group did just to see more of it in action.
It took us a whopping 88 minutes to go through the six attractions. With a general admission price of $40 ($45 for Saturdays in October), the minutes per dollar comes out to 2.2, more than double the national average of one minute per dollar. There is an option to pay individually for each attraction or just experience the midway for free. If you are anywhere in the area and want to spend a very enjoyable evening, it’s hard not to recommend a visit to Niles Scream Park.
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!