During our visit, we ran into as many as 50 actors over the two attractions, and this is a lower number than we were told is usually ready to pounce every night. Even with that large amount of actors, there were some lulls within both of the haunts where more actors could have been utilized to fill some empty space. Many parts of Rotten Manor are set up for complete darkness and quiet to allow your fears to boil over in anticipation. Those areas were appreciated; however, we do feel more actors would have made it an even scarier experience to cover the distance these haunts cover.
The cast themselves had a couple who stood out, but we missed the more involved interaction and performances we have learned to expect in previous years. Additionally, and we hate to have to incorporate this into the review, but it is too egregious to ignore…more than a few actors broke character. It was near the end of the evening, and I am sure some actors were exhausted, but if you break character, it is nearly impossible to feel immersed in the atmosphere and suspend belief to enjoy the show. A few talked about sports with us; one even stated, ‘I wish I was at home in bed.’ Another actor heard this remark and attempted to correct it, props to him, correcting ‘You are home! What are you talking about!?’ Then moving the dialogue back into an appropriate topic.
A majority of the actors left us wanting more; most of them stood silent or exclaimed something in a generic way. Again, this could have been an off night for Rotten as they were understaffed, but the theatrical performances they are known for were lacking this night. A majority sat still or said the standard, ‘Go that way!’, ‘Don’t leave!’ ‘Aaahh!’ or even a ‘Boo!’
Let’s move on to some of the more notable characters! The greeter, when you first step into the Rotten Manor, had intriguing dialogue and a genuine performance that got us into the mood and of course, introduced us to the Rottens in all their glory. Another, was a man, dressed as a girl, walking along the trail around the ‘Free Hugs’ booth. He was funny, and creepy at the same time with his odd dialogue and voice. Additionally, within the Manor, a gentleman encouraged us to smell something he was very proud of; this resulted in him leaving an imprint on our senses. This was another funny banter, but also creepy giving us the abrupt desire to get away from him! The ‘Deliverance-Esque’ family never lets us down with their banter and is always a hit!
Individual Scores:
Manor: 7.66
Forest/Asylum: 7.43
