Sweet Dreams Scare House has a new location – a winding haunted trail outside of Easley, South Carolina. Sweet Dreams is definitely an old school haunt run by a crew with a lot of heart and soul (maybe even some kept from visitors!).
They run both a normal show AND an “R-rated version” that costs just a bit more. On the night of our visit, Friday the 13th, we opted for the R-rated version. Let us say up front that we LOVED it. We have been looking forward to visiting Sweet Dreams for a few years now and to finally be able to get in was a wonderful opportunity. We are very glad that we got to experience this one-of-a-kind haunt in the Upstate.
If you’re in the area, make sure to mark this haunt down as one to visit. You won’t regret it.
The cast of Sweet Dreams were amazing. They were very interactive and on the ball with creepy and witty retorts.
The R-rated show dials up the coarse language a bit, but even then the dialogue stays in character.
Actors emerge from carefully crafted hide-aways right into the middle of a scene, sometimes into the middle of your group. Often you become one of the props that they carry through the scene – especially in the R-rated version. If you go for that version, you will be touched, lifted, grabbed, and moved about. Before you freak out, let us say that none of it is rough or violent. You may get man-handled and physically carried a short distance, but none of us came away with so much as a bruise (though there was a lot of screaming and kicking).
Also, the cast does a great job of staying in character. Even when one of our team was having a bit of a coughing fit after a particularly foggy scene, the actor nearby checked on her to make sure she could keep going – but did it completely in character with creepy dialogue and a monstrous voice.
In addition to the psycho murderers led by the Butcher who carted us off, the pair of little girls were VERY creepy and were great with their dialogue. There are some adult actors at other haunts who aren’t as effective as these two. The silent Fortune Teller was especially creepy and one female clown (whose hole I crawled through) was humorous while being unnerving. The priest that we met early on was also quite memorable.
Enough Actors? – (35% of score)
Use Dialogue Well? – (30% of score)
Each Fulfill Their Roles? – (20% of score)
Complete, Believable Costumes? – (15% of score)
Much of the Sweet Dreams trail is shrouded in darkness, so sometimes you only get the impression of an actor’s costume rather than being able to tell the details that it carries. However, some other scenes are very well-lit and you can see the care that has gone into making this haunt an all-around interactive experience.
All of the actors have scenes that they definitely fit within, but some of them roam across small sections of the trail and interact with nearby scenes which makes them seem a bit out of place.
The bird, bush, Fortune Teller, amputee and priest were among some of the most complete and believable costumes.
Makeup Realistic? – (25% of score)
Authentic-Looking? – (30% of score)
Appropriate for Scenes? – (25% of score)
Make Sense with Characters? – (20% of score)
Sweet Dreams Scare House is an interactive walking trail through the woods of the upstate. While some of the scenes move into small structures, the majority is outdoors. Therefore, be prepared for spots of uneven ground, tree roots, and minor trip hazards.
The haunt involves some crawling and a lot of walking. Bring along some walking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather – if it starts to drizzle, you’ll get wet. Since you’ll be crawling for a small section, be sure to wear clothes that can get a little dirty.
In many places there’s more than enough lighting to see the trail and the markers that set it apart from the woods in general.
Pulling into the steep parking lot, it can be a bit hard to distinguish where to go at first – the haunt’s exit, ticket booth, and concession stand are all lit and visible in the darkness of the trees. Too, the haunted trail surrounds the parking area.
Queue entertainment is primarily a small number of roaming actors, some of which later pop up in the haunt itself.
Between the exit and concession tent there is a small fire pit surrounded by some couches and chairs for those who need a moment to catch their breath after the fun that waits inside Sweet Dreams.
If Masks, Effective? – (25% of score)
Anything TRULY Dangerous? – (20% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate? – (40% of score)
Queue Entertainment – (15% of score)
While waiting in line, one can clearly hear various screams and effects from inside the haunt which helps to build on the atmosphere, but what you find and see outside the haunt is pretty underwhelming for the excitement you’ll find lurking inside, waiting to carry you off into the darkness.
The location that Sweet Dreams has moved to helps to authenticate it’s old school haunted trail feel. There seems to be enough land around them to expand, provided they change the direction and paths of the trail.
Many of the other visitors in line were already on edge from the few roaming monsters or the psycho clown that could occasionally be seen by the exit. That is perhaps a testament to the later screams and shouts that echoed across the haunt from their encounters with the actors of Sweet Dreams.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Easy to Find? – (20% of score)
Music, Sounds Outside – (30% of score)
Could Tell At a Haunt? – (30% of score)
Help Prepare to Enter? – (20% of score)
The old-school haunt feel of Sweet Dreams and its outdoor location don’t really lend themselves well to fancy or elaborate special effects.
That doesn’t mean that Sweet Dreams doesn’t bring some oomph and some wow to it’s show; it definitely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to something special. With their R-rated show, you become part of the action.
Though you’re in the woods, the Sweet Dreams crew has done a good job of lighting the path enough to safely follow it, light most of the scenes well enough to get the impact and detail but control all of that lighting enough to not interfere with neighboring scenes or give too much away while you’re walking through. Where sound was used, it was used very well and appropriately.
Enough Sound FX? – (35% of score)
Sound FX Effective? – (15% of score)
Sounds Appropriate? – (25% of score)
Creative, Original FX? – (10% of score)
Special FX Effective? – (15% of score)
Sweet Dreams Scare House doesn’t really have one cohesive theme. It’s old-school feel encompasses everything from a spooky funeral parlor and cannibal murderers to unnerving children and creepy clowns.
Scenes Detailed Well? – (50% of score)
Any Impressive FX? – (25% of score)
Lighting Used Well? – (25% of score)
The Sweet Dreams crew built their scenes and locations to easily facilitate actor movement. As a result, actors could pop out right into the middle of a group, ensuring scares in all directions.
Actors worked the whole group – at one point we all got picked up and deposited in another location.
The actors do a great job of mingling everything from sudden jump scares and unnerving suspense to creepy dialogue across the haunt, working to build scares while giving small breaks in the action to allow you to catch your breath before metaphorically slamming the next scare in your face.
We did the R-rated version which includes a bit more physical interactivity, but the actors also displayed a great deal of creative and interactive dialogue that would largely be appropriate for their standard show. While our team heartily recommends the upgraded version of the show, we understand that even a sinister whisper in the ear, a bellowing monster, or a roaring chainsaw alone might be more than enough for some guests.
250 Saco Lowell Road, Easley, South Carolina 29640
