Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 8.01

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 7.75

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9.36

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 7.35

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 8.08

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 8.38

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 8.52

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 8.21

Sweet Dreams Scare House (SDSH) is a haunt that keeps on surprising and, as such, is one of the haunts that we most look forward to every year. This year, we were able to visit them on their opening weekend in mid-September, and as usual, they did not disappoint. A winding trail that leads from a carnival compound before the haunt begins leads into a dilapidated shack before dumping visitors out into a series of backwoods scenes – barn butchers, cannibals, meth addicts, moonshiners, backcountry preachers, and a carnival (carn-evil) finale that leaves guests running out into the parking lot, SDSH offers a little bit of everything with a high energy and high intensity that is hard to beat.

The cast at SDSH is great; whether guests are opting for the R-rated version of the haunt (recommended if you think you can take it) that is full-contact and as vulgar as any horror flick, or they decide to go the more traditional (and somewhat safer) version, the staff here put their all into each and every performance. Guests are subjected to a full-frontal assault on the senses, with actors popping out from everywhere and anywhere, ready to issue some commands or personal comments. While the R-rated version does offer some contact, for the most part this is addressed through vulgar orders and frequent touches. Guests opting for this experience should expect to be touched, with costumed actors in their faces, occasionally ordering them into small spaces, separating them from their group, or gently shoved and pushed around. The best part is that the high level of interaction starts as soon as you buy your ticket. Though the exterior of the haunt and the compound is less populated, one of our team was jumped almost as soon as she entered the first scene. “Oh it’s going to be like that,” she screamed as she left the first room, and it was like that for the next half-hour.

Costumes, make-up, and masks are all carefully attended at SDSH, with many of the actors bearing signature designs and props unique to their role. While SDSH might not be as high budget and high polish as some haunts in the Upstate, the raw nature of the sets harkens back to many classic horror movies where victims are simply trying to survive the onslaught directed at them. Only in the case of SDSH, guests such as ourselves are the victims trying to survive each of the scenes rather than some stranger on a screen. Whether we met an angry meth-maker or a bloodied clown or a fire-and-brimstone heretical preacher, all of the costumes and make-up worked to individualize each actor and ground them in their scene.

The staff at SDSH are wonderful people, helpful and friendly and knowledgeable about not only their own attraction but able to provide suggestions for other haunts in the area. A crew like this brings heart-felt meaning to the words “haunt family” – they all truly care for one another and their guests. Even as we were getting rough-housed and ordered about, the crew made sure that everyone was safe. Our smallest member got picked up and tossed about, but when one of her rings tapped a wall, the Crow-demon that had his hands on her was immediately asking if she was ok – all while staying in-character and maintaining his high-pitched creepy voice. The haunt itself surrounds its seemingly narrow hill-side parking lot; the darkness makes it seem smaller than it actually is. The ticket booth and the parking attendants are easily visible as is the entrance to the haunt parking lot from the street.

The Compound – what the outdoor waiting queue area at SDSH is called – leans heavily into a carnival, side-show sort of theme. During the season it is possible to see a variety of things here, from fire-dancers to fire-breathers to suspension artists hanging from hooks, not to mention a variety of costumed actors ready to hype up anyone who walks through the entrance. The line-up varies slightly across the season, so guests are encouraged to check SDSH’s social media and online pages to be aware of exactly what might await them in the Compound. Once out of the Compound and into the haunt, there isn’t really a central storyline that we discerned this year. However, it should be noted that SDSH occasionally does some heavily themed off-season events like Only Clowns or Seasons Beatings. Occasionally as we walked the trail through the various scenes, we could sometimes see adjacent properties – the highway, seemingly abandoned parking lots, and the like – none of which detracted from the show. On the contrary, it all played into SDSH’s feeling of isolation. At the haunt’s chainsaw roaring conclusion we found ourselves in the parking lot across from the ticket booth (as well as the gift shop and concession stand). Not wanting the night to end, we spent a little extra time at both of these additional places.

Occasionally some of the sounds from one area of SDSH bleeds over to adjacent scenes; in some cases, such as the church and graveyard, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The ambiance of the constantly tolling bell is great and somehow magically doesn’t extend much beyond. Scents and fog drift among the trees and play with the senses and while we were occasionally ‘taken out of the story’ such as it was, we were always dropped right back into some new horror. The sparse sets are coupled with creative lighting in such a way that our imagination filled in a lot of the background details. The minimalist sets are occasionally interspersed with other pieces that completely surround the guests within a given scene. Like a camera in a horror movie panning in and out, the details around us at SDSH were sometimes moving by in a blur only recognized as individual pieces up close and sometimes slowed down to let us take in everything around us. Most everything at SDSH is actor driven; though there are some amazing sets and detailed decor, the actors are what really push the experience home.

Sweet Dreams is definitely up there for its scares. Though these are notably more intense with the rated R version of the show, when we ventured through the trail we were evenly split with two members opting for the R rating and two who did not. Occasionally we had the couple behind us either catch up with us, move past us, or get slowed down so that we caught up with them. While the two members of our group with the mark did get a lot of individual attention, everyone was targeted to some degree. Having visited SDSH on many occasions, we’re starting to learn exactly where the actors tend to hide, but there were at least a few who surprised us from new hiding places or with new dialogue.

SDSH was a blast as it always is. While we did miss the suspension show (Cyanide Suspension will be appearing a lot during October), there was still plenty to keep us entertained during our time on site. Whether it was talking up tractor-purchases or cheering on chainsaw-wielding maniacal clowns in their chases, there was plenty to experience at SDSH. The pair of fire dancers on site during our visit were a new bit of excitement that we look forward to seeing again. Tickets at SDSH are more than reasonable, even with the upgrade for the R rated version.