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: 9.5
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 9.51
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 9.4
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.41
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 9.6
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 9.5
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 9.93
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 9.79
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 9.15
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Summary:
Just when we thought OMINOUS DESCENT couldn’t grow any more, they are back for 2019 bigger and better than ever, with added size, scares, and sights to see. The creative team at OMINOUS DESCENT has effectively grown their haunt while changing enough of the returning scenes so that they are nearly unrecognizable in places. Packed with special effects and startling scares, OMINOUS DESCENT is not one to miss. OMINOUS DESCENT shares the I4 PREMIER FEAR PARK with SIR HENRY’S HAUNTED TRAIL, offering a combo ticket for both.
Cast: 9.51
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 9.5
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 9.75
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 9.75
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 9.25
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OMINOUS DESCENT has gathered an impressive cast featuring aggressive performers motivated to pull multiple scares out of groups, utilizing every nook and cranny of the twisted trail to their advantage. Unfortunately, this year it seems as though some of the truly ominous characters of unreal height are still hiding in the woods. Understandably, finding folks of that height is difficult, but those characters REALLY set the haunt apart from others, being inherently scary while blocking the path, with minimal further effort needed to get effective scares.
Normally, we dislike victims in haunts, especially when there are too many and they don’t serve a purpose. They tend to come off whiny or weak and parroting generic lines to passersby. The victims at OMINOUS DESCENT changed our mind, at least temporarily. These victims were effectively placed and utilized (and there were quite a few, also a bold choice) throughout the haunt, and were genuine in their panic and concern, often acting as a great distraction or team scare element.
Team Giraffic Shark visited on the first weekend of operations for the season, which was also met with unprecedented crowds. The owners of OMINOUS DESCENT are already looking for ways to improve for the rest of the season, including potentially bringing on more performers to allow breaks for some of the more intense actor roles, due to minimized downtime on the trail because of the crowds, a smart move to keep Actors energized and safe due to increased danger when they become fatigued.
Costuming: 9.4
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?: 9.25
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 9
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 9.75
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 10
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Once again, OMINOUS DESCENT brings gritty realism to their theme with detailed and distressed costumes, but elevated beyond a thrift store purchase and simple distressing. Accessories and detail enhance the looks, giving Guests a feast for the eyes between the costumes, masks, and special effects makeup. Speaking of masks, OMINOUS DESCENT has added to their arsenal of character masks with several more hyper realistic silicone masks, making iconic images for some of their named characters.
Without spoiling the details, one favorite moment was the dual distraction of a disembowelment, a grotesque and extremely realistic effect, which was so captivating that it acted as the perfect distraction for subsequent scares. While the makeup effects were clearly well designed, applied, and used, it was truly the two actors that made this scene as effective as it was.
Customer Service: 9.41
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?: 9.5
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.25
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.25
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.75
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SIR HENRY’S HAUNTED TRAIL and OMINOUS DESCENT share the general staff, ticket booth, and common area employees, all of which are extremely friendly and nice, including being very helpful and communicative with each other and Guests. All trails are in the woods/fields, and none of them feel unsafe or with uneven footing. Police are onsite for assistance with parking and monitoring the attraction as a whole, and while there is no security checkpoint, the presence of police and security is much appreciated for a worry free night of enjoyment.
Atmosphere: 9.6
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?: 9.5
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 9.75
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OMINOUS DESCENT and SIR HENRY’S HAUNTED TRAIL share a common area which is filled with merchandise and food options, roaming characters, photo ops, and the main attractions. The lighting, video, audio, and general atmosphere add so much to the experience and make it a great place to want to hang out for the entire evening. There are fire pits as well which are likely lit when it is a bit cooler out. The entire haunt and scaregrounds is reminiscent of New England haunts, and made the review team think back to their childhoods growing up in the Northeast. Certainly plan on spending some time just taking in the atmosphere around I4 PREMIER FEAR PARK.
Special Effects: 9.5
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9.5
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 9.25
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9.75
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 9.5
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 9.5
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OMINOUS DESCENT has added once again to their impressive collection of special effects, including additional lighting, fog, scent, and others that we won’t spoil! There is something around every single corner here, and the design of this trail is extremely well done to incorporate all kinds of special effects into the layout of the trail. Special effects seem to never be used haphazardly, but are well placed and fit with the theme of the trail. Once again, the laser effects are some of the best in the haunt industry, with the team creating unique effects and setups in and around the lasers. One major addition this year (again not going to spoil it) created a huge surprise for our team as repeat Guests, and other Guests will feel the same for sure.
Theme: 9.93
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9.75
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 10
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 10
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OMINOUS DESCENT follows another subplot to their overarching theme and characters this year, which works so well for the location and the scenery and props they have, it would be a shame to ever fully deviate from that. The scenes are so immersive and realistic, that it’s easy to forget this scenery was created and distressed for this purpose, it just feels so real and gritty. The creative team at OMINOUS DESCENT has done a remarkable job creating these scenes, and the way that they reuse certain areas year after year (but in different ways) is extremely smart to allow them to focus time on updates and major tweaks, while utilizing some preexisting scenes with minor changes.
The attention to detail (including antique farm equipment) is exquisite, with props everywhere to add to the scenes, giving Guests plenty to look at as they walk through the farm. Thinking about some haunts that do sleepovers in their walkthroughs or solo walkthroughs, if that is something OMINOUS DESCENT ever offered, I’m not sure I would be able to due to the creepiness of the maze itself.
Scare Factor: 9.79
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 9.75
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 10
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 9.75
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 9.75
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 9.75
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Scares are all over at OMINOUS DESCENT, with aggressive Performers attacking from all (and I mean all) directions. Unfortunately, we visited towards the end of the night, and some of the more active performers were growing tired, but still managed to get many scares out of our group. One of our hard-to-scare reviewers even ran out of the last scene of the trail. I don’t know where OMINOUS DESCENT finds their Performers or what they feed them to get them so aggressive and energetic, but it is working extremely well. These Performers go hard for the scares and rarely back down. There are only a few places in the haunt that are a little bit less filled with scares, but the anticipation and nerves carry Guests through the quiet moments between some scenes.
Entertainment & Value: 9.15
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?: 9.25
(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?: 9
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 9.5
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Sharing a location and ticket options with SIR HENRY’S HAUNTED TRAIL at I4 PREMIER FEAR PARK, these two attractions (including three trails, and upcharge offerings [Laser Tag/Escape Room], as well as a variety of food and merchandise opportunities) add up to a full night’s entertainment, a great feature of a haunted attraction. I4 PREMIER FEAR PARK offers a variety of ticket options including common area access only (no access to haunted attractions), general admission for all trails, front of line access for all trails, and their best deal for repeat Guests, a full season pass option. With deals this reasonable, and a full night’s entertainment, this is a great destination for those after a scary night out! This haunt alone took us 10 minutes to escape from.
Even on opening weekend, this attraction (well, all of them) were very busy this year, so plan accordingly and get there at the beginning of the night if looking to maximize the evening for the ticket price.
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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Awards:
2018
Best Chainsaw Performance
Highest Rated Haunt in Florida
Most Aggressive Characters
