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: 8.85
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 9.6
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.23
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.1
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.2
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.35
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 9.6
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 9.45
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 9.3
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Summary:
Every year, The DAM Haunted Woods has a new horrifying theme. This year they are presenting horror movie villains in Sickening Cinema!
In 1948, construction began on Boone Dam, which forced families and graves to be moved. Unfortunately, after the graves were relocated, the souls were still trapped at Boone Dam. These souls were transferred to some of the most horrifying characters ever created.
They are on a quest for vengeance for those that disturbed their final resting place. We barely made it out alive! Can you survive the trail of haunted horror movie villains?
Cast: 9.6
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 9.5
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 9.5
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 10
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 9
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 10
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The entertainment in The DAM Haunted Woods flowed consistently because of the considerable number of actors throughout. Every new area we entered had the perfect number of actors. They did a wonderful job of convincing us that they were supposed to be playing as their specific character! There were stalkers such as Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers and there were more vocal characters such as Freddy Krueger.
They interacted with us multiple times! They would respond to us in creative ways or block our path with themselves or whatever weapon they had. Dialogue that was used was highly creative and used appropriately according to their character. They would respond to our group according to how we acted so it felt customized!
They had a wide variety of characters. Each of them was chosen to specifically fit each scene. They ranged from Krampus, Leatherface, or even a priest.
Costuming: 8.23
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?: 9
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 6
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.5
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The costumes looked very authentic and accurate to their respective scenes. In addition, they were incredibly detailed and well-thought-out!
The characters used masks more often than makeup, but the few cast members wearing makeup looked very realistic! Most of the masks were highly influential in making each character look authentic to the respective movies. There were only a few that did not seem to fit the actor very well.
Most costumes were very appropriate to their respective scenes. For example, Jason Voorhees was in a campsite, Krampus in a Christmas-themed area, and Pyramid-Head in an asylum setting.
Customer Service: 8.1
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?: 8
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 6
(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
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This attraction was quite easy to locate. The parking lot is easy to navigate and find a parking spot. Once parked, the ticket booth and attraction are situated up the steep hill. Keep in mind that this attraction is not handicap accessible as there are steep hills, uneven walkways, and stairs throughout the haunt.
They have medical personnel and police officers on-site each night just in case of any emergencies. You will be required to sign a waiver before entering because the actors are allowed to touch you and the multiple areas of unstable paths.
The staff that we encountered were wonderful and pleasant. They were willing to answer any questions we had.
Customers can find all information about the haunt on their Facebook page. In addition, they have a short description of the haunt and the prices of tickets, which you are welcome to purchase in advance or upon arrival.
Atmosphere: 8.2
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?: 9
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7
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From the parking lot, it was difficult to tell we were at a haunted attraction. But, once we went up the hill toward the ticket booth, we noticed a hearse and a crowd of excitement. Old horror movies played on a big screen to let us know about the theme and give guests something to do while waiting in line. There was also a tall grim reaper with an awesome scythe of fire!
The atmosphere outside the haunt gave us a pretty good idea of what we were about to experience inside. Since they were playing old horror movies, we could tell that we were about to experience horror movie villains within the haunt.
Special Effects: 8.35
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 10
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 9
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 5
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The sounds within the haunt amplified the experience very well! With each new area came new music to provide an accurate adaptation of that movie. There was only one moment where we heard the ‘Saw’ music and didn’t see the corresponding scene for at least 10 minutes afterward. It seemed like they were rotating horror movie music in the transition zones to keep the scares flowing.
The scenes and props were incredible! It looked like they worked very hard to make them accurate to each scene and movie character. The Krampus area made us feel like we stepped into Santa’s bloody workshop! Camp Crystal Lake was incredibly accurate to the movies. We felt like we were in a real-life campsite that had been torn through by Jason!
Most of the experience inside the haunt felt natural and realistic. There were only a few things that reminded us of the outside world. For example, we ran into a few other people and staff members who weren’t in costume. They also had Chucky on a school bus which felt out of place. We were, admittedly, expecting to see the Creeper from Jeepers Creepers.
Overall, the special effects did a good job of providing entertainment, but the actors made this attraction fantastic!
Theme: 9.6
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 10
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 10
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8
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The theme wasn’t incredibly obvious, but they did have horror movies playing before we went in, so that helped give us an idea of what we were about to experience. Throughout the haunt, we experienced multiple horror movie characters, so that helped reiterate the theme. We saw Leatherface, Ghostface, Jigsaw, Jason, Freddy, Michael, Pennywise and many more!
The DAM Haunted Woods uses the theme of ‘Sickening Cinema.’ The location is at Boone Dam, which contained 148 graves of people that had to be moved elsewhere. It gave us a sinister feeling to think about the number of people that used to be buried under this bit of land!
Scare Factor: 9.45
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 10
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 9
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 9
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 10
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 9
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This haunted attraction made us jump in fright multiple times throughout it. They would make sure to scare everyone in our group and sometimes even separate us from each other!
Some of the scares were predictable, but I would like to point out some stars of the show: Jason, Freddy, Krampus, Leatherface, and the ‘Silent Hill’ cast. They found unique and entertaining ways to scare us! They did things we didn’t expect would happen, such as distracting us only to scare us in another way and use their weapons as if they were real! We genuinely thought we were going to get stabbed or cut up by a chainsaw!
The actors used such a wide variety of scares that we had no idea what to expect next! Of course, we know how each movie character kills their victims, but we didn’t know which scene would be next or from where the villains would attack.
The ending was fantastic! We were a little confused as to why Ghostface had a chainsaw, but they made it work! We wanted to leave the attraction running in fear!
Entertainment & Value: 9.3
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?: 10
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 9
(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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The DAM Haunted Woods felt very long, which is a beautiful thing! The trail we were on is .25 miles long, with multiple scenes and cast members providing scares. We felt like the entertainment never stopped!
This attraction provides some entertainment before entering. Movies were playing on the big screen, and a giant grim reaper provided some pre-scare entertainment. They also have concessions and a gift shop available to those that are hungry or want a souvenir.
The cost of admission is $20 per person, and we were in the attraction for 24 minutes, which brought the minutes per dollar to 1.2. This is higher than most haunted houses we’ve visited!
The DAM Haunted Woods used .25 miles of trail and used it effectively. They had each scene spaced out well enough to have some good transition areas, and they had a few non-scare areas to give people a minute to get their heart rate back to normal. Overall, we believe they did a fantastic job!
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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