Special Notes: This Attractions is Rated R
The best thing about the haunt community is people with different ideas getting to show those ideas off to the world. Scare House of the South is definitely one of those platforms for showing a set of one-of-a-kind ideas to its guests. This haunt is a rated R experience with 360-degree interactions and pauses for scenes to be seen and experienced by all. The cast and crew clearly have a tight-knit unit feel and a passion for the amazing show they are putting on. This haunt was an experience we were not expecting when our group got there. We were very impressed with Scare House of the South.
Scare House of the South has a set of actors who can connect with the guests in intimate and scary ways. We were completely speechless in the doll room as the dolls played around and with us, caressing our faces and holding our eye contact. The cast had a wide variety of talents, including acting, creeping, and even dancing dirty. Our group vastly enjoyed the headshot area with the Magic Mike-like dance that ended with a bang and an Ewww! But the best part of the cast was just the overall surprises that they kept giving our group. The total cast was just so interactive, it was like they were there to entertain just our group. The different ways the cast interacted with the group was always shocking and we were blown away.
Scare House of the South was dedicated to creating truly gruesome and R rated characters. While the characters tended to be scantily clad at times, they were not dressed as such just to be R rated. The lack of clothes made sense within the sets. The masks were especially well done, increasing the creepiness of the characters by at least double. Also, the effects makeup on the victims were well done to give the illusions of missing body parts. While some haunts are able to hide the costuming mistakes, a great deal of the settings stopped the group and forced them to observe the characters. So we were able to take an up-close and personal evaluation of the costuming, and we found them to be on point for the setting and overall feel of the entire haunt.
A manager’s mother welcomed us to Scare House of the South at their ticket booth. She was very friendly and clearly loved what the haunt was accomplishing. Getting to the haunt was a bit of an adventure and there is only parking on the side of the road, but once out and about at the attraction, everything is clearly labeled.
Scare House of the South has a great website that pulls no punches when it comes to the dos and don’ts for their haunt. The haunt was overall pretty safe with a clear concern for the safe fun of their guests. Our group even witnessed the haunt staying open extra late for a group who was lost and had called to get directions; now that’s dedication! (Please don’t expect to be sold a ticket if you’re late.)
Scare House of the South is very clearly a haunt upon entering, and very clearly a rated R haunt. Within the first few moments of entering the haunt line, we met their scantily clad Scare House Queen (who is featured on their site), their shirtless crazy clown who is just looking for love, and their mad and mangled rat pack stalker who went up to one of our group to greet her with a cheek caress and an eerie eye contact moment. The haunt rules are posted on huge signs all over the area so there is no misunderstandings of what people are getting into and they have a few decorations and photo opportunities. This all gets the guests warmed up for what is about to come in the haunt itself.
Scare House of the South lived up to the claims on their site of being ‘extreme.’ This haunt was epic in terms of their special effects. The way they brought in groups, had them go along until they hit a stop, then do a scene, then open the access was very unique and allowed everyone to see the scenes. While the scenes were being acted out, the haunt would have other actors appear, or drop a wall, or have a window, all of which turned the haunt into a 360-degree experience. Additionally, the water and air effects offered some great jump scares and some disgusting moments. The props also offered some very interactive moments when we would be touched by removed body parts or by the implements used to remove said body parts. The haunt was well designed to prey on all the senses.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining (35% of score): 9.5
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): 8.5
Scare House of the South didn’t have an overarching theme. However, each room and especially each acted scene were themed and planned to the minute details. The scenes were designed with the thought that people would be forced to watch them. As such, they were as thorough as if they were the set of a play. The actors were then able to use those themes to help generate their characters and their scares. Each building also tended to have its own feeling as the guests went from building to building. Even the exterior was well themed and detailed with beautiful lighting and a wild bridge over an underlit combine blade slowly spinning.
While the whole haunt didn’t have a unified theme, it had a unified feel that was scary and eerie.
Scare House of the South was a very scary experience. The way the actors were able to target every person individually and really lean into scaring them was terrifying in areas. The scares came from everywhere and they were always keeping our group guessing as to where and what would happen next. The methods of scares were all over the place and kept the whole haunt from becoming predictable. The most unpredictable part was definitely the ending which was a shocking and very scary experience as the whole room was shook.
Hwy. 221 & 56, Gillis Springs, Georgia 30457