Attraction Info

Haunt Name: Howl O Scream VA
Review Team: Team Scare Response Unit
Review Date: September 23, 2017

Final Score:	8.41

Cast
Number of Cast Members Seen (not scored):	275
How believable were the actors?	8
Some were very much in character and energetic.
How interactive were the actors?	8
Shared dialogue with guests.
How well did the actors stay in character?	8
Especially the terror-tory scaractors.
How well did the actors work with their props and surroundings?	7.5
Mostly just worked with the walls or jump out spots, but a few houses made good use of the props.
Were there enough actors?	8
Catacombs was chock full of skeletons, but Frostbite could’ve used a few more.
How well did the actors use dialogue?	7
Some kept up the dialogue, others just pounded on walls.
How well did each of the characters fulfill their roles?	Distractions were distracting, jump scares were jumpy, so yes.
8
Cast Score:	7.79

The masks in Cornered were really good.

Costuming
Were the costumes complete and believable?	8
Couldnt tell the difference between cast and props in Circo Sinestro, and the scarecrows in Cornered were frightening and believable.
Was the makeup realistic?	8
Besides Ice King looking like an Icy Voldemort, makeup was great.
How authentic-looking were the costumes?	8
The clowns were clowny.
How appropriate were the costumes for their scenes? (i.e. Clowns don’t belong in graveyards)	8
There were scarecrows in Cornered, lumberjacks in Lumberhack, skeletons in Catacombs, so yeah.
How well did the costumes make sense for the characters wearing them?	8
See above
If masks were used, how effective were they?	8
Costuming Score:	8

Customer Service
How well did they eliminate TRUE safety hazards?	9
Nothing really dangerous. There’s one room in Circo Sinestro with stairs.
How easy was it to find & navigate the attraction?		9
Lots of signs and directions.
How professional, helpful, friendly & welcoming were the staff?		9
No real line entertainment aside from one or two small exceptions.
How effective was the queue entertainment?	6
Staff extremely helpful and friendly.
Customer Service Score:	8.25

Atmosphere
How easily could you tell you were at a haunted house?	9.5
Lot’s of it.
How well did they use music or sounds outside the attraction(s)?	9.5
Scares and spooky music were abound.
Did the atmosphere outside help prepare you for what you experienced inside?		9.5
Frostbite had you entering a castle facade, Scarlett’s Revenge had the digging company greet you as you entered.
Atmosphere Score:	9.5

Special Effects
Were there enough sound effects used inside the attraction(s)?	8
Were the sound effects effective/realistic?	8
Were the sound effects appropriate for the scenes they were used in?	8
How creative/original were the special effects?	9.2
A lot of video screens, using the 4D ones was cool.
Were the special effects effective?	9
How well were the scenes detailed? Did anything look out of place?	9
Voodoo room in Cornered was nice.
Did they have any impressive special effects?	9
4D screens
How well did the haunt use lighting?	8.5
Dark and dingy, but still enough to see where you were going safely.
Special Effects Score:	8.58

Theme
Could you tell what the haunt’s theme was?	8
Reading about the haunt ahead of time helped, but you got the general idea.
How well was the Theme executed?	8
Aside from the overall theme, each haunts theme was very nicely done.
Was there anything that didn’t belong?	7.75
How creative/original is the theme?	8.25
Frostbite was very original, Circo had some creative ideas.
Does the haunt’s location authenticate their theme(s)?	8.25
Frostbite took place in a castle, Lumberhack in the woods.
Theme Score:	8.05

Scare Factor
How scary was it?	8
Not terrifying, but not bad.
How well did they provide scares to the entire group?		8
They didn’t focus on any one section to much.
How well did they use distractions?	8.1
Good use of distractions.
How predictable were the scares?	7.75
Only slightly predictable.
How many different types of scares were there?	8.75
Jump outs, distractions, animatronics, scares from above and below.
How strong was the finale?	8
Some chainsaws and animatronics waited at the end of a few haunts.
Scare Factor Score:	8.1

Entertainment & Value
How long did it take to go through the haunt(s)?	9
Was the entertainment provided worth the ticket price?	9
Especially for the tour price, you get so much.
How effectively have they used their available space?	9
Great use of space.
Entertainment & Value Score:	9

More Info:

Especially for the tour price, you get so much.

Ticket Prices:	General Admission: $60-$90 VIP/Fast Pass: $50 + Other: $ Tours range from $75-$300
Minutes Per Dollar:	1.05

The Scare Factor is modifying its review criteria for 2018. This means that some of the questions above may be different from how they were worded when this attraction was reviewed. During this transition, we will be adding, editing, moving and removing some questions to/from various categories. This means that some of the individual questions and resulting scores may not contribute to the overall score for the category that it is listed under. These potential inaccuracies only apply to reviews that were written before the 2018 haunt season. However, the overall category scores and the attraction’s “Final Score” will remain accurate. In the long run, we feel that these changes will benefit our visitors and the attractions alike by allowing us to be more fair to a wider variety of venues. If you have any questions about our review criteria, contact us today and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can.