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: 8.81
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 8.55
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 9.11
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.38
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 8.95
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.68
(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.3
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.44
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.96
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Summary:
WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED celebrates their second year in their location in Jacksonville after being semi-transient in years previous. This has allowed them to develop more permanent scenic details and effects, and spend time detailing and upgrading pieces of their attraction from year to year. Enter their strip mall storefront and be transported to a haunted world filled with things that typically only exist in your nightmares.
Cast: 8.55
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 8.75
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 8.5
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 8.5
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.25
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8.75
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The Cast at WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED is talented, providing some strong scares, as well as improvisational style interaction, letting Guests guide their verbal choices and customized dialogue based on reactions and responses. Overall, Cast held character well, though some could be further developed with increased dedication to maintaining the illusion of character. Some performers, notably Mr. Tasty, are highly interactive, heckling Guests while they queue up for the next portion of the attraction. Commitment to Character and themes is mostly clear, with cast dedicated to providing an immersive experience for Guests. One confusing moment was the performer in the room prior to the laser swamp who made Guests crawl under the rubber flaps in the doorway (on concrete flooring), therefore entering beneath the laser swamp, to which we saw the performer hiding under the laser swamp prepared to scare, and she yelled at us to stand, ruining her scare. The team is unsure if this was a performer choice that didn’t work with the design and layout of the attraction, or if it is an unclear layout and direction, but the interaction is noted and accounted for in this category.
Costuming: 9.11
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
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 9
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 9.25
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8.75
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 9.25
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The Costuming in WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED is rather strong, including distressed and properly-themed costumes for each area in the attraction… especially in the first half. Makeup is well done, and mask use is sparse, though appropriately used and well placed throughout the haunt. Of special note are the costumes seen in close range for long periods of time, including those seen outside the attraction, as well as inside (i.e. Mr. Tasty and his freaky contacts). These provided high levels of detail and more complex costuming and makeup elements during our tour.
Customer Service: 9.38
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?: 9.25
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9.25
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 9.75
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.25
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WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED’s employees are helpful, friendly, and informative. Those working outside the attraction are friendly and interactive. In contrast, those placed within the attraction, though still professional and providing great service, made efforts to fit into the theme of the attraction a bit more. This worked well to not pull Guests out of the atmosphere with a huge smile and overly-friendly disposition.
WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED is easy to locate, the address brings you right to the strip mall location, and it is hard to miss the life sized pirate ship prop in the middle of the parking lot. Extra effort is put into making sure Guests are safe, including lighting, padding, etc. when any obstacles need to be navigated through the attraction.
Atmosphere: 8.95
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?: 9.25
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 8.5
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WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED is located in a strip mall, and they do everything possible to provide atmosphere outside their storefront and in the parking lot, including a large walk-through pirate ship prop, music, lighting, and other atmospheric effects. Upon entering the attraction, each attraction has a themed facade that prepares Guests for what lies in the next section of the attraction. WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED does a great job of providing atmosphere when they can, and trying to transport Guests away from a storefront as much as possible.
Special Effects: 8.68
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8.75
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 8.75
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.25
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.75
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WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED provides some commonly seen themes in uncommon and creative ways. Unique obstacles have been added to the attractions, throwing Guests that are used to haunted attractions off guard, including moments of ducking, crawling, sliding, etc. Special effects were well used and placed throughout the house (including the aptly-titled ‘Tentacle Face Smasher of 2018’), providing theming and scares around every corner.
Some areas were rough around the edges, including the UV clown section, with visible wooden supports and rigging that we feel weakened some of the effects. Some equipment (notably fog machines) were visible and out in the open on the floors, which weakened the illusions and theming, while also potentially provided trip hazards for misdirected Guests.
Despite those nuances, WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED most successfully takes common haunt effects and repurposes them in less than common ways to surprise and shock Guests even if they have seen many haunts previously.
Theme: 8.3
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?: 8.25
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 7.75
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WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED is one walk-through attraction that features four distinct themes: LOCKDOWN, MR. TASTY’S MEAT FACTORY, DEAD WATERS, and SLAUGHTER’S CIRCUS. Although the overall themes are “common,” WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED still strives to make their themes unique through their layout, characters, effects, and scares, providing a nice variety in theme throughout the attraction..
We were especially excited to see the clown section begin in a dark abandoned circus/carnival feel, however it quickly turned into the typical fluorescent clown theme that’s so often seen at haunted attractions, where sticking to the dark circus/carnival clown theme could have been really unique and scary.
Scare Factor: 8.44
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8.5
(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?: 8.25
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 8.5
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8.5
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WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED packs some great scares through its performers and effects, with creative layouts that camouflage some of the best scares. The Performers are dedicated to scaring Guests from many different angles, often scaring guests multiple times as well. Some of the best scares come from the hidden effects that are hidden from view in dark corners. Some characters go for the creepy invasive tactics, which is a nice balance to jump-scare attempts. As a whole, we feel the intensity could continue to increase, especially in the final section; perhaps adding to the maniacal clown themes and matching the environment closer would help achieve this.
Entertainment & Value: 8.96
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?: 9
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8.25
(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?: 10
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WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED features tiered pricing, with tickets more expensive on weekend days than weekdays. Additionally, Guests can upgrade tickets beyond General Admission to gain front-of-line access with a VIP ticket.
WAREHOUSE 31 UNLEASHED has made an effort to make the atmosphere and included entertainment to be well worth the price of admission, including the paintball (for a nominal fee), pirate ship walkthrough (free with admission!), the DJ providing atmosphere club style music, and a variety of roaming characters, allowing even passersby to get the flavor of the haunted attraction inside. Come on down to the Warehouse this year, as the inhabitants inside just may make your skin crawl.
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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