Features:
✓-Free Parking✓-“Old-School” (Low Tech)✓-Original Characters✓-Indoor Waiting Line
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: 8.59
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 8.59
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.54
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.63
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.1
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.74
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 9.05
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.58
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.33
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Summary:
Skreamz returns to the small town of Fairfield, California to scare up some fun for the local community. They are a single haunt attraction that changes their theme every year. This year they are the ‘Fearfilled Hotel,’ an obvious pun on their hometown.
Our review team was a little bit skeptical when we found out they had set up in a closed down Chinese buffet building, but we were impressed on how they decorated the place enough to allow us to suspend our disbelief. We received several scares and had a good time.
Cast: 8.59
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8.5
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8.5
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.75
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.75
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8.5
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Skreamz had plenty of actors to get the job done and they were convincing. Everyone fulfilled their roles and no one broke character. The cast was very interactive with us and managed to catch us off-guard on several occasions.
At the beginning, the front desk directed us to Room 13 where we waited for an undead housekeeper to let us in. She then proceeded to greet us and explained the history of the hotel, she gave us information on our room and fellow guests. When we got to Room 13, we found the door to be locked and an actor startled us unexpectedly, telling us the room wasn’t ready. There was a girl lying in a bed and when we walked by, she rose and the bed moved towards us, making us walk around. In the dining buffet area, Grin the Clown welcomed us to dinner. Another scary clown that was on stilts moved towards us in the back kitchen and a chainsaw maniac chased us as we exited the back door. The Fearfilled Hotel offered a good variety of spooky characters throughout the haunt.
Costuming: 8.54
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?: 8.5
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8.25
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.5
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8.75
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.75
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Skreamz had several good costumes, which were appropriate for the hotel theme, such as the housekeeper and the psycho chef. The most unique and well-executed costume was the young boy in an all-black full body spandex jumpsuit, as he blended in with the dark and surprised us as he approached.
Most characters with makeup sported the ghostly dead, grey complexion. There were a few masks used and the most memorable was Grin the Clown with his large, sharp teeth and the clown on stilts. The chainsaw maniac had a simple mask, which was enough to portray a mysterious killer. For the most part, the costumes were appropriate for their respective scenes. Clowns in a hotel may be an unlikely combination, but within the crazy hotel theme, we felt that it worked.
Customer Service: 9.63
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?: 9.5
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.5
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Skreamz is very easy to find, as it can be seen from the street and the giant spider on the roof does draw attention to itself. There were plenty of parking spaces and the front double doors are easy to find to get to the ticket counter and entry to the haunt.
Skreamz is very safe and we couldn’t find anything dangerous. The staff was friendly, respectful and easy to find. Information on the haunt was also easy to find on their webpage and various social media accounts.
Atmosphere: 8.1
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?: 8.5
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7.5
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It was obvious to see that we were at a haunted house before entering. From the Skreamz banner hanging above to the giant spider on the room complete with cobwebs, we knew something spooky was taking place here. The outside didn’t have any actors or entertainment, so there wasn’t a sense of insight to what we would find inside.
Special Effects: 8.74
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8.75
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9.25
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.75
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 9
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Skreamz is an old-school haunt that has basic special effects. The most noticeable sound effects were creepy music in the background. The scenes and props were specially made in the hotel rooms, but in the restaurant buffet, we recognized the various rubber skeletons, rats and human body parts and centipedes. The scenes were well detailed, especially the hotel rooms. Each room had an individual theme, like the creepy doll room and the room with mannequins each dressed with a burlap sack over their heads (similar to Jason in Friday the 13th Part 2).
We applaud the crew of Screamz for transforming a closed restaurant into a haunted hotel. The hallways and the hotel rooms looked real, and they used the existing buffet stations and backrooms for the hotel restaurant. We felt the special effects worked well together to provide a scary and entertaining experience.
Theme: 9.05
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9.5
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 9.5
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 7.25
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Skreamz has a clear, focused theme within the Fearfilled Hotel and it was obvious throughout the haunt. The hallways and guest rooms, the buffet stations, dining room, meat locker and back kitchen all made sense to us and made it feel as if we were in a hotel. The location only partially authenticates the theme, since it’s located at the closed restaurant. The hotel restaurant scenes used the existing structures to great effect!
Scare Factor: 8.58
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.5
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 9
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Skreamz had several scares in it. The girl above Room 13 caught us off guard, the boy in the black spandex surprised us, a dead body hanging upside down in one of the rooms dropped and startled us, and the girl in the moving bed was memorable. They provided scares to everyone in our group and the majority of them were startles from hidden corners.
They had a strong finale that started out with shooting an air compressor gun at us as we were about to exit the back door but when we stepped outside, a chainsaw maniac chased us to the parking lot. A double whammy!
Entertainment & Value: 8.33
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% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 6
(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
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We were satisfied with the entertainment we received in the haunt. It’s a small haunt but for the price of $12, 7 minutes still seemed fine with us.
Outside the haunt, there wasn’t much for entertainment, other than the decorations for viewing. We felt this was a fair price for the entertainment and the charity to the Police Activities League (PAL). They used all available space to full effect and there were no dead zones.
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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