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: 6.66
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 6.21
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 7.09
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.74
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 6.6
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 5.29
(5% of Final Score) Theme:
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.04
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 6.28
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Summary:
The Dead End returns with a vengeance to the Dayton Civic Center in Dayton, Kentucky for their second season in 2020! The whole haunt was torn down from last season and reconstructed so that everything looks different and the path has been completely changed. Although this haunt only had about a month to set up, they were able to provide a fun and spooky show while scaring a variety of customers.
It’s clear that the folks at Dead End are loving fulfilling their task at hand’ scaring people! This is an old-school show with rooms filled with cast members that are eager to entertain. From Freddy Kreuger and clowns to dolls and toxic terrifiers, you just never know what or who will be waiting for you around each corner.
Cast: 6.21
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8Explanation:
Plenty of actors throughout the building, but seemed clumped together and redundant (IE: 3 dolls all next to each other), and some places had none that could’ve used them (IE: queue area, hallways)
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 6Explanation:
Working on actor “presence” and movements could help this score. Some would pop out and just stand next to us and stare, or scream and yell at us from their spots.
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 6Explanation:
Along with the ^above explanation, finding ways for the actors to interact in a meaningful way with their props, surroundings, and customer groups could help this score.
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 5Explanation:
Repetitive screaming and yelling, Generic phrases. More creativity and actor/character development can help this score.
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 5.75Explanation:Redundancy of characters in the same rooms (IE: dolls, and victims) hurts this score.
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For this small of an attraction, there were a lot of crazed characters waiting for us inside. They were coming at us from nearly all directions! At times, there were at least four of them in a single scene.
This was a rather vocal cast as well. However, their dialogue was mostly related to yelling commonly-used phrases at us such as ‘Help me,’ ‘Get out,’ and ‘What are you doing?’ A large portion of them were acting as victims, while some more-unique personas were sprinkled in.
Several of them remained very still until we neared them. Although this can be a very effective approach (especially when they’re on the ground), they became fairly predictable once we saw several of them do it.
Giggles and Michael were skilled in suddenly appearing in front of our group, and then quickly disappearing. Also, we were surprised when the chainsaw slayer talked to us. After chasing us for a bit, we told him we liked his freshly-fleshed-out mask and he quickly informed us that he had just cut it off his last victim! Well, then’ that’s not creepy or anything…
Costuming: 7.09
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?: 7.75
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 6.75Explanation:
A focus on adding “layers,” details, and accessories to costumes can help this score, so long as they make sense with the characters wearing them.
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 7Explanation:
Decent makeup this year. Adding prosthetics and noticeable striking details and finishes can help this score.
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 7.25Explanation:
Several good quality masks this year, but walking out and staring at us with them may not give guests the best “bang for their buck,” as far as masks / their presentations go.
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 7Explanation:Clown in same scene / hallway as Michael Myers? Defined and well-thought-out character placements can help increase this score.
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We noticed an improvement to the costuming category this season. Although, it was still a mixed bag in overall quality. To go along with the attire, both masks and makeup were utilized. Some masks were so realistic that we couldn’t tell they were masks!
There was a lot of bloody makeup this year. Freddy’s victims stood out to us, especially the one with large gashes across her face that matched his metal blades on his glove! A few other actresses were appropriately dressed as dolls with complete costumes and more detailed makeup.
As mentioned above, quite a few of the characters were playing victims. As is common with most victims that we see, their costumes weren’t generally as well-detailed as some of the others at Dead End. On the other hand, the toxic monster in the Tyvek suit, Giggles, Freddy, a tormenter with a peeling face, and the chainsaw chaser sported more layers within their looks, as well as some authentic-looking features.
Customer Service: 8.74
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?: 7.75Explanation:
Better signage indicating arrival at The Dead End before parking, parking attendants, signs pointing to queue area and restrooms can help increase this score
(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?: 7.25Explanation:
Difficult to find ticket prices w/o scrolling through many Facebook posts. Adding pertinent info and answers to common questions to the Facebook page’s “about” section can help with this. Also keeping info updated on The Scare Factor website can help as well 😉
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As mentioned above, the haunt takes place in the Dayton, KY Civic Center. The building itself is easy to find via your GPS app, but parking is limited to what’s available along the streets. Arriving during a busy time may require walking a bit if the nearest available spot isn’t very close to the haunt.
Two tented stations were set up for COVID temp screening along with some paperwork to fill out for contact tracing. They also had hand sanitizer and reminders that masks are required. Along the waiting line, they had taped X’s on the ground every 6 feet to promote social distancing.
All staff members that we directly interacted with had masks on and were very friendly to talk to. Friendly staff were willing and able to answer any questions we had. They were also identifiable in their ‘Dead End’ attire.
Navigating the inside of the haunt was very easy. The path is totally flat and concrete, with the only exception being the finale area, which has been expanded into the outdoor lawn area on the back side of the building this year.
As of this writing, Dead End doesn’t have a website of their own, but they do try to keep their Facebook updated with pertinent information. We were able to find their dates and hours with little issue, but pricing details and other info may require a bit of scrolling to find.
Atmosphere: 6.6
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?: 7Explanation:
Several decorations outside. Expanding on this when/if possible can help increase this score.
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 6Explanation:
Removed outdoor queue area this year, caused fewer decorations before entering. Queue actors and other means of foretelling what customers can expect can help increase this score.
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A blend of classic hard rock was playing in the waiting area, and was also one of the first things we noticed upon arrival. In addition, a wall near the building had some illuminated jack-o-lanterns hanging from it which helped in telling us this was a haunted attraction.
As we neared the entrance, we walked between some creepy entrance columns and seemingly iron fencing. There were some tombstones, a decorated archway (photo opportunity) and a creepy talking prop. Multi-colored lights illuminated the outdoor sections, giving off a bit of an ominous feel. A creepy head in a window was spotted and we watched their resident chainsawer chasing groups from the exit, including adults!
Special Effects: 5.29
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 7Explanation:
Some ambient sounds were heard, but hard to make out over the actors’ screaming and banging objects. Actor-induced sounds were loud and sometimes startling, but a bit overused. Increased audio volume and/or softer actor noises may help this, if used correctly.
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 5.5Explanation:
Black plastic everywhere really hurt this one this year. We don’t remember it being used this much last year. Gives a feeling of being cheap or rushed, rather than creative and heartfelt (which we know it is the latter).
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 4.25Explanation:
Noticed a lot of spray paint on the plastic walls with a few props and decorations within. Chandelier was very cool. Having more structurally-substantial walls can create a better foundation for detailing and realism.
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 4Explanation:
That plastic, though…
Most scenes were decorated just enough to tell what type of room we were supposed to be in. Others were pretty difficult to tell.
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 6.25Explanation:The animated props, and metal for striking objects on for noises proved effective, to an extent. Very actor-driven haunt… which is perfectly fine. Finding ways for them to be assisted by the props/SFX present can help increase this score.
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The Dead End is currently a very old-school haunt. If you’re looking for eye candy or tons of big and fancy animatronics, you won’t find it here. They do have some custom-built effects that they’re excited to show you though!
This season, the layout of the haunt was totally different and we felt it was for the better. The rooms seemed smaller, which made us feel more enclosed amidst the chaos. Inside them, we found walls lined with toe-pincher coffins, an antique popcorn machine with a head inside, loud banging sounds, and a particular animatronic that came out much closer than we expected! There was also a giant skull chandelier, a funeral room with a real casket, and lots of smaller decor items and dead (or not-quite-dead) bodies to get past.
This haunt did not use typical haunt walls this year. Instead, they mostly utilized black plastic to create the path and scenes. It appeared that many designs were spray-painted onto the plastic to mix things up a bit, but it was difficult to look past them and ignore their medium. Although the cast members attempted to draw our attention away from this material as much as they could, we felt that its all-encompassing presence ultimately decreased the immersion level a bit, and the ‘suspension of disbelief’ that we look for isn’t as prevalent here as it is at other attractions.
With the finale area of the haunt being outside this year, there were several bed sheets set up to navigate through. Those, along with the blue ambient lighting, was reminiscent of a classic horror movie slasher film when combined with the tree-trimming tool that chases victims back to their cars! Sound effects were heard in several areas, but they weren’t quite as prevalent as last year over all of the intense ruckus being caused by the actors.
Theme: N/A
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?:
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?:
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?:
This score is left “N/A” when we believe the haunt is trying to target a random variety of themes or phobias, rather than a single overarching “Theme” or “storyline.”
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Same as last year, Dead End didn’t implement an overarching theme for their haunt this year. Instead, you’ll come across a variety of frights in their own separately-themed rooms. Their idea is to present you with a variety of scares and to appeal to a larger audience of fright finders.
Scare Factor: 7.04
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 6.75Explanation:
Loud and noisy tactics helped create a chaotic experience, but redundancy dulled some of the intended surprises of others.
(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?: 7
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 6Explanation:
The same redundancy mentioned before affected this score as well.
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 7.25Explanation:
Classic chainsaw finale. Effective for most… short-lived if customers don’t run away in fear.
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Not 3 steps into the front door, we were faced with startling sounds and a screaming actor! As we made our way through, more actors popped out of hidden doors, victims pleaded for our help, sinister assailants came after us, and hidden hideaways caught us off guard.
Lots of good hiding spots were utilized this year, which enabled many of the monsters to sneak up on us when we least expected it. Excellent timing was noted with the ‘drop panels’ in use, and a couple of the monsters had an interesting way of appearing in front of or behind us and then disappearing without a trace. Throughout our tour, we came across a toxic room, a butcher shop, a funeral room, a display of twitching hanged bodies, other bodies that appeared to be fake but were not, and more!
The seemingly larger number of actors this year certainly helped fill in any ‘dead spaces’ that were present last year. Although, in our opinion, the victims’ yelling and pleas for help became fairly predictable and (almost) expected as we progressed. (There might have even been more victims than attackers this year?) We feel that adding some diversity to the characters and creating more unique roles between them may help mix things up a bit and play on different fears in future seasons.
We don’t want to completely ruin the finale, but it consists of a 2-cycle tool chasing you through some obstructions. We witnessed its effectiveness not just by experiencing it for ourselves, but also by watching an awful lot of groups come running back towards the queue line in pure terror! We were also stalked by a familiar face all the way to the front of the building!
Entertainment & Value: 6.28
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?: 7.15
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 5.75Explanation:
Very little going on outside except decorations to look at.
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 6Explanation:
$10 is very cheap, but MPD of 0.45 is very very low.
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 6Explanation:Same length as last year with tighter rooms / passageways. Careful routing through the building should’ve meant more time inside the haunt with this type of change.
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On Friday and Saturday nights, general admission is $10.00 per person. There’s no doubt that this is one of the cheapest ticket prices for a haunt that you’ll find in the Cincinnati area! Our tour time came in the same as last year at 4.5 minutes, which gives them an MPD (minutes of entertainment per dollar spent) rating of 0.45.
This is substantially lower than the average of 1.3 that we’ve seen most often. Still, it’s a very ‘short and sweet’ haunt with an affordable price. When combined with the old-school scares that can be found inside, we feel that Dead End is a great little haunt to see if you’re already in the area, and an even better starter haunt for those that haven’t been to many before. We were watching adults and children alike literally fleeing the exit!
Definitely check them out if you find yourself looking for haunts in the south Cincinnati area this year’
‘See YOU at The Dead End!’
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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