Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 7.55

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 6.24

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9.08

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 5.95

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 6.44

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 7.38

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 8.15

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 7.3

I went back to Joplin, Missouri, to revisit the Cadaver Zone Spook House for the second year in a row!

You can expect not only a spooky cast but also an entertaining one! Cadaver Zone knows how to be scary and fun, which is a big reason I wanted to go back this year!

Keep reading to hear more about my experience back at the Cadaver Zone!

The cast, just like the year prior, was energetic and ready to scare! As my name echoed across the haunt between the actors, I had some great jump scares at the beginning of the haunt, with haunters pouncing at me from every corner.

One of my first interaction moments was when I entered a Doll Room. The woman asked if I wanted to play dolls with her in an aggressively high-pitched voice. I told her I didn’t have time and she insisted. When I started to leave, she let out an even higher-pitched scream.

The next area I entered was a doctor laughing maniacally and singing a simple tune over a very dead patient. He looked up at me with a malicious gleam and said quietly, “You must be Kassidy.” He was saying he needed more limbs for his experiment he was putting together. I tried to escape only to be screamed at that I was going the wrong way.

Next was the door room, where I struggled to remember the exit while two chrome skull wearer mask havers were creeping around. The tall one, who I spotted hiding behind my door entrance, sneaked off. When I finally found the correct door and started going down the path, I heard a whisper “I’m right behind you.” and I nearly jumped out of my skin as he was, in fact, behind me.

I entered the next room, which was in disarray, when I encountered a pig-like beast. He asked if I was there by myself and then stated that I looked familiar. I explained I was here last year, and he yelled at me that he used to be a Surgeon, but they fired him because of me! I apologized, but he was still not happy about it and continued to riot about how they turned him into a beast. I scurried off quickly, but I ran quickly into the clutches of a clicker with a fungus mask, clicking and making some very disturbing noises.

In the outside area, I met a fellow hillbilly clown with a bone, which I complimented. He asked if I wanted it, and I had to make myself decline as I would’ve otherwise taken it as a bone collector myself. Chased inside with a chainsaw, the next ghoul I ran into was on the ground, crawling around and blocking my path.

After swerving past him, I entered a library where a redneck asked me to grab a book I DIDN’T want to read to him. A read book titled “SOUP” caught my eye, and I picked that one. He slipped into the next room and cornered me up against a wall to growl in my face. After some pressure from him, I managed to find my way out.

I spent some time conversing with a clown named “Dizzy”, who was explaining all of her different names to me and asked me for a joke. I couldn’t give her one so she told me one herself: “Why should you always knock on a refrigerator? Because there could be salad dressing.” It took me a second, but I got it!

My final interaction was with the Birthday Girl herself! I felt terrible for not only being late but forgetting to apparently stop by the Dollar Store on my way there, which she was upset about. She cried, “Am I not worth 99 cents to you?! Now I’m sad! See that heart? It got ripped out. It got ripped out from MY body because YOU didn’t show up on time!” I sang the first verse of Happy Birthday and gave her a lil tiny skull I was given by a queue actor at the beginning, and she got mad at me for getting the RSVP time wrong. She kicked me out, saying, “Since I’m not worth 99 cents to you, you’re not worth my time!”

I walked out at the wrong moment as two fellows with chainsaws sitting on the other side of the fence stared at me. I walked backward, telling them that they were good and they could take a load off. I tried to run off before he called after me, revved up his chainsaw, and chased after me. We cornered me in the large shipping container before finally chasing me out of the haunt.

Just like the year prior, this cast was witty and ready for anything I threw back at them! They also know how to tag teams off of their fellow cast mates for good distraction scares as well! While some of the cast felt a bit out of place, there is never a dull moment with this crew, and they work with where they’re at!

The costumes were pretty simple for most of the cast, ranging in level of detail and distressing per actor.

In terms of costuming, I saw a few more masks than the years prior, either full-head rubber masks, face masks, or prosthetic face masks. They looked good, though the prosthetic face masks I saw could use some makeup around the eyes to blend it in better. My favorite mask or prosthetic of the night was definitely the clicker, which really threw me off guard with their look!

Makeup was also effectively used while keeping it simple, but in turn, it wasn’t very memorable. Would love to see more makeup looks from this crew!

It’s fairly easy to find the Cadaver Zone, with the lights and signs set up, it’s hard to miss their location.

I got to speak with a few staff members at the Cadaver Zone, and they were wonderful to meet and talk to! They clearly love what they do, are very vocally supportive of other haunts in the area, and take interest in what The Scare Factor does as well! I could really tell that they love the haunt community as a whole.

They currently only have a Facebook page, but they keep it updated with the information you need before visiting the haunt.

The beginning area is kept rather simple, as you are led right into the queue line. There is a coffin photo op while you wait, and an alarm light that goes off when it’s time for the next victim. We can also hear all the screams while waiting.

The benefit of shorter haunts is that they keep it jam-packed from start to end, and Cadaver Zone is no exception. Some of the transitions felt a bit jarring, and some areas felt more detailed than others, but overall I was able to stay immersed throughout the duration of my visit.

The chainsaw chase leads you right back into the parking lot to shimmer down from the adrenaline rush.

The doll room, hospital, library, and birthday party areas felt the most detailed and had some of the best set designs of the night. They did change a few rooms up from last year, and it felt that most of them were a bit more barren compared to the others.

The haunt is mostly dim, keeping up in this eerie and grim atmosphere throughout. The haunt also does not feature any sound effects, but they kept groups very split up so I didn’t run into another group or hear them over the haunt once!

The Cadaver Zone offers plenty of jump scares, but they also know how to entertain once the jump scare is done, either by some witty back-and-forth interaction or by keeping up the intensity and getting you creeped out!

The actors play off of guests’ energy and each other’s energy well. The variety of scares was really great to see as well, with some getting in your face, crawling towards you, sneaking up behind you, chasing you, whispering or screaming at you, and more!

I cherish haunts like these that encourage their actors to interact with guests, and not shy away from being entertaining if they can’t always be scary! My favorite kind of haunts make me scream and laugh all the way through! Would love to continue seeing their actors grow and work with their environment for more interactive moments!

Tickets this year are $14, and I got through the Cadaver Zone in about 13 minutes. You can get discounts on certain days, including Halloween which is only $10! While it is just the haunt, this is an attraction you can easily revisit multiple times.

If you enjoy a scary and entertaining cast, then the Cadaver Zone Spook House is a haunt that is definitely worth visiting! I know I am planning on going back!