This attraction was reviewed on October 9, 2021 by Team Brewhaha.
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!
Hide This
Final Score: 8.19
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 8.5
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.65
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.25
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.4
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.8
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.7
Hide This
Summary:
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.
Cast: 8.5
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 7
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8
Hide This
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.
Costuming: 8.65
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
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 9
Hide This
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.
Customer Service: 8.25
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?: 8
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 8
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 8
Hide This
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.
Atmosphere: 8
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?: 8
Hide This
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.
Special Effects: 8.4
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8
Hide This
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.
Theme: 8.8
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 9
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8
Hide This
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.
Scare Factor: 8
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8
Hide This
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.
Entertainment & Value: 7.7
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?: 8
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8
(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?: 8
Hide This
NM Slaughter House is an awesome attraction, with so many different rooms to explore I could see someone visiting this haunt multiple times and discovering new areas to explore. This haunt reminded me of a demented version of Meow Wolf in that you could really dig into the story. At one point I must have spent at least 20 minutes talking to grandma and grandpa over a truly disturbing dinner that I forgot I was in a haunt talking to the other guests that were invited to dinner. I never had the experience of thinking of what to say to the actors to continue to the next room. After experiencing the haunt I can understand why they have the safe word and have people forfeit due to how intense and interactive this haunt is. The price is also great considering how long you can take to experience this haunt. I also like that the only way you can make sure you don’t get separated from your group is by purchasing and handcuffing your group together. This haunt also uses every inch of space they have to make sure they maximize the scare factor. I highly recommend this haunt to anyone who wants to experience an intense choose your own haunt experience.
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!
Hide This
