Growing up as a child I remember reading the choose your own adventure books, wondering how I would handle the situation. Escape rooms have helped the industry in making guests in charge of solving puzzles in themed experiences. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to combine a choose your own adventure haunted attraction with interactive escape room elements? If you live in or happen to visit Albuquerque, New Mexico in October then you are in luck. Located in Cottonwood Mall lies NM Slaughter House, a sprawling multi-route interactive haunted attraction. When driving around the mall to find the haunt, keep a eye out for the giant skeleton. The food court is nearby and make sure to look around the lobby. Once your time has come don’t forget the safe word if you need out. Since this haunt has multiple paths I did not experience all of the rooms.
When visiting a haunted attraction actors might interact with you. At NM Slaughter House each character will happily interact with you, some you have to talk to in order to continue your journey. Each room had at least one creature awaiting your arrival. The actors in NM Slaughter House each add to the story, some will silently stalk you while others get a little more in your face. Interacting with the cast is a important part of this haunt. Make sure you say hi to grandma and grandpa for a creepy supper. No matter what I said, the characters interacted with me and responded maniacally to my questions. The variety of the characters is also impressive, ranging from creepy cowboys to demented clowns to a very friendly family.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
Costuming can make or break a haunted attraction, NM Slaughter House ensures that each of its cast members is properly costumed to fit the theme of the room and the attraction. Each costume looks custom made with the right amount of distress. The makeup is also very detailed, each character that wasn’t wearing a mask had full makeup. I also greatly appreciate that the face masks were also themed.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
NM Slaughter House is very easy to find, there is a massive skeleton and large well lit sign marking the entrance to the haunt. In the interesting times we are in, NM Slaughter House takes safety with great importance. When entering, each guest has their temperature taken. There are also several hand sanitizer stations. Each member of the staff I encountered had excellent customer service and were very polite. The haunt’s website is also very easy to navigate with all of the ticket pricing and hours easy to find.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
From the moment you enter the doors of NM Slaughter House you are greeted by an elaborate fa������������������ade with massive gates that bacon you to enter. At the entrance to the haunt, you are given the safe word and explained the backstory.
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
From the moment you enter you can hear the thunder and see the lightning flashing and blinding you. Each scene has eerie music and sounds to add to the believability. Each scene is detailed, wandering through the lightning lit forest you come upon a full house. Every room fits the theme from the house to the neighborhood. Each scene is incredibly detailed, from the kitchen looking like one your grandparents would have to the butcher shop to the demented circus. Wandering on my journey it was easy to get lost in the experience I forgot I was in a haunt and just was excited to explore and discover what terror awaited me in the next room. The animatronics that were spread out were also very well-timed and effective, adding to the intensity. The sound effects from the sets and actors alike were perfectly timed and bone chilling.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
When venturing into NM Slaughter House it was easy to discover that you had stumbled upon a family’s farm that hid some disturbing secrets. Each room flowed into the next, it seemed like they built an entire house in this corner of a mall. Scares came from every direction and I experienced one of the best startle scares I have ever seen. I also greatly appreciated that this haunt allowed the intensity build up before you have a big scare. NM Slaughter House also had a very intense and interactive finale, I am interested to see if the haunt offers others.
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
From the moment you enter to the moment you run out, NM Slaughter House is very intense. I really appreciate how this haunt separates groups to make the experience more intense. The scares came from above, below and in places I would never expect an actor to hide. There is a great variety of scares ranging from high startle to creepy. The ending is also very intense and I would not be surprised if there are other endings to experience.
10000 Coors Bypass NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87114