Scarevania Haunted House Review (2012)

This season, Scarevania has 50 volunteer actors on an average night. These actors are very energetic, intense, and know how to get under your skin! With that in mind, it was surprising to learn that most of them are high school students and graduates, some of whom have been with the haunt since they opened. This cast attends meetings where they are brought up to speed on what is expected of them and endure dry runs to see if each character can play their part. There were plenty of actors in the indoor portion of the haunt, even multiple characters per room; but there weren’t as many outside. Most of the actors were extremely crazed, which was unnerving, but this made it harder for them to interact with the group. The characters worked very hard to stay in context with the theme, some even screamed to the top of their lungs, bounced off the walls, and didn’t let up a bit until we could no longer see them. Some of the most haunting and interactive characters were Cousin Cooter, Munchey the clown, Torch, the moonshiner, pighead, the bloody girl with the teddy bear, and the human-slaying chainsaw characters.

Costuming used throughout the haunt consists of mostly old tattered clothing that has been modified in-house and adds realism to many of the characters. Some of the clothing needed more distressing to keep them from looking like average street clothes. Some of the original costuming shows another aspect of the haunt owners creative talent! The attire matched each scene, stayed in context with the theme and some blended almost too well with the background such as the ghillie suite! Makeup is applied by a group of 4 of the haunts employees. Realistic blood and detail made most of the characters stand out, but some still weren’t as elaborate as others. Masks were all made by the haunt’s owner, keeping them all original and enhanced the characters wearing them, especially the pig head.

There is a big, well-lit sign on the side of a decorated box truck at the entrance of the haunt, making Scarevania hard to miss! There were no flaggers in the free parking area, and though it is dim, it is pretty easy to navigate once you find a spot. A ticket booth has been placed in the middle of the drive this year where friendly staff members can be found as well as at the haunt’s concession area, which is connected to the front of the building (where tickets were purchased last season). They offer snacks and drinks such as candy bars and apple cider, as well as haunt t-shirts at $12.00 a piece. As soon as we approached the ticket booth, we noticed several unique characters who were entertaining the crowd as they waited in line and they were great at it! A fortune teller stand is located in the outside area that we suggest you do before going into the haunt since you may not make it out; we also noticed victims running out of the haunt being chased with chainsaws! Be careful if you have a habit of running from them. If you run far enough, you will make it to the parking lot so watch out for cars! Several portable restrooms are located beside the haunt in case you don’t want to have an accident while you are inside. A few uneven places and a wavy bridge were experienced in the outdoor section behind the building so be sure to watch your step.

The building remains decorated with all the ornaments and signs that were present last year with a few additions to the front of the building as well as the haunt’s life-size zombie rocking horse. Looking at all of this imaginative detail on the outside of the building immediately has you wondering what you are about to experience on the inside! As we got closer to the entrance, Halloween-themed music was playing but could stand being a bit louder. Loud rock music was heard throughout the inside of the attraction which gave a disorienting effect next to the intense actors. Along with the music were realistic sounds such as hair-raising screams, weapons being banged around, sparks, and chainsaw roars that fit in seamlessly with their respective scenes.

Different levels of scares were provided from the evil lurking within Scarevania. Extreme screaming, along with loud music had us unsettled most of the way through, and also aided in making most of the scares unpredictable! Cleverly hidden drop panels and hiding spots startled us several times as well as a sparking fence, and dinner that comes to life! Distractions were used effectively and more often this season, but there could still be more in a few areas where there’s not much going on such as the violence going on inside the RV that had our attention. Everyone in our group was targeted at least once throughout the attraction but scares are more directed to the group as a whole, so as you enter each room make sure you are on guard and paying attention to what is around you or you may miss something.

General admission tickets are priced at $12.00 this season which has been raised $2.00 since last year. The haunt didn’t get any longer in length, lasting between 10 and 15 minutes, but it did seem to be more intense! There currently aren’t any fast pass tickets available, but do make sure you check out their website and Facebook page for discounts. This attraction is featured as part of ‘The Triangle of FEAR’ this season. The Triangle of FEAR consists of three haunted attractions within driving distance, Scarevania, Trails of Terror, and Old Orchard Trail @ Eaton’s Orchard which are offering discounted tickets to all three attractions for the low price of $29.00! This is a great deal! So get your gang gathered up for the Halloween season and ‘get your creep on with Cousin Cooter and the rest of the ghouls!’