Features:
✓-Paid Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-“Old-School” (Low Tech)✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Original Characters✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line
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: 8.14
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7.78
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 7.82
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.94
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.15
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.86
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.95
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.95
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.45
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Summary:
UNDEAD IN THE WATER makes their first appearance in 2018 aboard the WWII 1945 American Victory ship in Tampa Bay. While home to haunted attractions previously, there is a new team involved for 2018 bringing UNDEAD to life. The creative team has done a lot of work to bring their vision to life, and hopes to continue expanding and developing it as the season and years continue. They have laid a good foundation to begin building upon and polishing into a great haunt. Board the ship in order to survive the zombie outbreak of Tampa Bay, however, it seems it may be too late, as some zombies have rumored to find their way onboard already.
Cast: 7.78
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 7.25
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 7.5
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.5
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8
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Cast for UNDEAD IN THE WATER supports a broad demographic, including many young actors and a few more advanced performers (including the Captain and his zombification, and a young man on the open deck featuring neat airbrushed makeup on his face and bare torso, providing aggressive scares with strong follow through). Since a lot of the performers were local volunteers with minimal haunt experience, more advanced scare tactics are still being developed and directed. A few performer bags and personal items were visible while walking through the attraction, and could be hidden or covered better to maintain the illusion of the story and themes. Frequently scares would lack follow through, and character would be dropped after the initial jump scare was attempted, and the performers would reset before Guests had exited the room. There are of course instances where performers did have strong follow through and aggressive performance, providing good scares, including the first few rooms with strong performers behind large nets providing dynamic scares. The young lady in the first room welcoming Guests aboard does a great job of providing story, realization, and panic, though needs to continue until Guests have completely moved to the next room and are involved with the next actor(s). The team at UNDEAD IN THE WATER indicated that performer count was low on the night Team Giraffic Shark visited, so it seems as though there would be less dead spots when all performers are present.
Costuming: 7.82
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?: 7.25
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 7.25
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.5
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: N/A
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.25
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UNDEAD IN THE WATER had some nautical costumes to match their theme, but there were plenty of generic costumes as well, and some pieces that stuck out, including a pristine white ‘Under Armour’ branded shirt, and other items breaking the illusion of character. Makeup was well done, featuring airbrushed detail with UV effects, including some neat transformative makeup applications, which react differently under the ambient light vs the UV flashlights.
Customer Service: 8.94
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?: 8.25
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.5
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9
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Customer Service was high quality at UNDEAD. Between the security staff, ticket staff, and everyone else, the entire team was informative, friendly and helpful. A portion of the creative team was stationed at the exit thanking Guests for attending, and gathering feedback, initial thoughts, and gauging scares upon exit in order to continue improving their attraction.
Any raised thresholds, stairs, and other potential trip hazards have been adequately lit, painted, and marked to keep Guests safe aboard the ship. Parking is paid, and not designated for the haunt only. Most reasonable parking seems to be at the Florida Aquarium lot, at $6, but other garages, street parking, and other options exist, though they can be hard to come by, especially on nights with other nearby events. Note that the ship is docked behind the aquarium, as it can be difficult to locate, though some signs have been placed around the area, labeled ‘Zombie Escape Ship.’ Portable restrooms and paid concessions are available on location as well.
Atmosphere: 8.15
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?: 8.25
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8
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UNDEAD has the perfect setting, as it takes place on an actual ship, fully visible before boarding, with screams and sounds echoing onto the dock before you enter. In the future, more lighting could be added (including more on the side of the ship) along with a more robust soundtrack to provide a spooky setting on the dock to increase anticipation prior to boarding the ship.
Special Effects: 7.86
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8.25
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 7.5
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7.5
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.25
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UNDEAD, besides its visually exciting finale scene, relies on simple effects and scenes to add to the architecture of the ship in aiding the theme. UV reactive paint has been added all over the ship creating fun things to illuminate with the UV flashlights, including threatening messages along with messages of distress, and splatters, smears, and other painted effects. Some physical scenic pieces have been added on the deck of the ship, though this could increase to give performers more places to hide and work with when scaring.
The kitchen featured a cool concept with a translucent plastic tarp wall splattered with UV plant, undulating in the breeze, however the recycled snack jars with UV liquid could be amplified with other props to develop a story or theme, though fun to look at as they glow bright in the center of the room. After discussing with some of the creative team, it seems as though they have big ideas for adding to the concept and execution for next year, including more effects, details, and scenic pieces to add to the experience.
Theme: 8.95
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 8.75
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 8.75
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 9.75
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UNDEAD establishes their theme very well with well-produced videos placed throughout the queue, though upon entering the attraction, the story doesn’t seamlessly continue through the entire attraction. These videos do provide good story as well as something to enjoy while waiting in the queue on the dock and once boarding the ship. Cast could be provided with more detailed, and story-based scripting to help continue the theme, including details outlined in the queue videos to create a more cohesive experience.
Scare Factor: 7.95
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.25
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 7.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7.75
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8.5
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UNDEAD has several good scare moments, taking advantage of the effects they have added to the ship along with the natural layout and features to provide scares. As Cast continues to develop, scares will improve, and with more performers added, actors can be placed in more corners, rooms, nooks and crannies to add to the intensity of the walk through, adding to the feeling that there may be something in any of the rooms and around every corner, as far too many were vacant to create the anticipation needed. More automated sound effects could also have this same effect, and perhaps more fog and disorienting special effects to make up for amount of performers available, should staffing challenges continue.
As it currently stands, UNDEAD IN THE WATER is a great attraction for families with older brave kids, providing some good scares, while being a fun walk through with tense moments and anticipation for all.
Entertainment & Value: 8.45
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?: 8
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8
(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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UNDEAD IN THE WATER boasts a competitive $13 ticket. Compared to other local independent haunts, and offering a fair price especially for the first year as a new attraction, we feel this is well worth the ticket price. It took us 11 minutes to navigate the attraction, bringing their MPD (minutes of entertainment per dollar spent) to 0.85.
So gather up your spare change and head on down to the American Victory and see what’s happening onboard this Halloween season.
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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Awards:
2018
Best location for a Haunt
