With several attractions spanning a wide variety of themes, there were many opportunities for Woods to get creative with their lighting, sound, and other special-effects designs.
Right off the bat, we started with Fungus Among Us, which was a very colorful take on The Last of Us franchise. The set painting and blacklight effects take advantage of the 3D glasses, though the glasses are not required to enjoy the experience. We encountered a number of unfortunate souls in various stages of being consumed by the fungus, all of which were expertly detailed. The ambient audio helped set the mood, along with the lighting, though it leaned a little too heavily on the theme of the game/show it was inspired by and was a bit quiet in areas. The attraction featured a few animatronics sprinkled among the actors, and they were put to good use. One effect was a little louder than may have been necessary and repeated its lines frequently, but he did say no one was listening… Several key areas of the path were punctuated with air blasters to great effect. We also love how, while this is a 3D attraction, the team has created layers in the set design rather than relying solely on paint to do the trick.
Our transition into Jack’s Revenge was marked by passing through large strips of what appeared to be pumpkin guts! This type of detail was carried through much of the attraction with lots of stringy pumpkin guts, complete with giant seeds, hanging from the ceiling. Creatively lit pumpkin creatures of many sizes, as well as a number of jack-o’-lanterns watch you as you make your way through an attraction loaded with detailed set pieces, including a bus you walk through! Live actors are again supported by some well-placed animatronics and air blasters. And the smells… The strong smell of pumpkin left us wanting a PSL or a good ol’ Oktoberfest beer!
Hardwired brought the futuristic, post-apocalyptic feel with sets full of half-man, half-machine hybrids and lots of machinery. Clever accent lighting, combined with lights on the hybrids and other machinery, created a sense of foreboding. A hall full of barrels oozing neon goo helped ramp up the anxiety as the actors came after us. Just be prepared for the ground beneath you to start shaking at any moment…
The clowns came out for Neon Nightmare in the fourth attraction. Like with Fungus Among Us, this attraction takes advantage of your 3D glasses. Again, they are not required, but you’ll definitely want them on to fully appreciate the level of artistic detail present throughout. Familiar circus music gave way to electronic dance beats as we made our way through this area. Blacklights made the neon art pop off the walls just like the actors! Many of the colorful set pieces allow the clowns to blend in seamlessly and take full advantage of their space. There were only a few animatronics here, but we were also treated to a fun LED tunnel, one of the best vortex tunnels we’ve ever been in, as well as a very snug claustrophobia tunnel. A vibrating floor and spinning room added some variety that we don’t often see.
While there was good lighting throughout the space and some fog, the dinosaurs in Extinction themselves felt a little underwhelming for a haunt walkthrough. The mix of static and animatronic dinos along the path all looked good, but the roars didn’t feel as big as the characters were supposed to. This attraction is intended to be multi-use for both the haunt season and family-friendly events, which would explain the choices made. Also being one of the newest attractions, we wouldn’t be surprised if changes or additions are made in time for the October haunt season.
Earlier, the clowns set a high bar, only for the intensity to get ratcheted up several notches in Strangeland. This multi-level attraction is based on the movie of the same name, and it lived up to its billing from the moment we walked into the house! The music was a mix of the movie soundtrack that kept us amped up, while at the same time the lighting stayed relatively minimal to boost anxiety. Even the stairs were lit only enough to let us move up and down them without revealing what lay ahead. Real chains hung from the ceiling throughout, and rooms were filled with implements that the victims couldn’t stop screaming about. One of our favorite effects of the night was a moving wall in this house… But we won’t spoil all the fun! This house had, by far, the best use of projections in the entire haunt. Comprised of clips and images from the film, they were used to add layers of detail in some rooms. All of this, along with some smells we couldn’t quite put a finger on (at least one was leather), the intricate detailing in the walls, and even all of the pictures, combined to make the experience nearly overwhelming! Fantastic job on this house!
After the experiences of the first five attractions, one might be tempted to crawl into one of the many caskets in the Mortuary to get a bit of rest. This house feels like you’ve stepped into a real funeral home, complete with all the décor, somber music, lighting, and musty smells you’d expect. After descending through a seemingly endless number of caskets, we reached the graveyard and Necropolis with some impressive large set pieces and some of the better animatronics of the entire haunt. The sanctuary provided a big space to use more projection mapping, but the physical props felt sparse for the space. The warzone-style audio matched the costuming of the actors but felt out of place given the rest of this particular attraction.
Next was a trip to the Horror Cinema to pay homage to the greats – namely Michael Myers, Freddy, and Jason. As we entered the classically designed cinema, we were met with the strong smell of popcorn, only to be told by the attendant that there were no concessions available. From there, we transitioned to the Myers’ house with a porch filled with jack-o’-lanterns and a somewhat out-of-scale projection mapping. Just looking at the house with its multiple hues and fog rolling across the walkway felt like we had dropped into the film! Inside, we were met by the three trick-or-treat characters from Halloween 3, as well as the knife-wielding man himself. The inside of the house was well-lit, but there were strikingly few props compared to the rest of the haunt. Back outside, we walked through a giant Freddy glove that was particularly cool. This took us to another house where a few of Freddy’s victims were trapped in a dream state. Freddy made a brief, sparking appearance alongside his boiler before we reached Camp Crystal Lake. This took us through several well-detailed scenes from the film, including another brief appearance from the main character. The lights and sound effects in this attraction are what you would expect for the theme, with a notable standout in the form of a drop floor.
After escaping Jason, we found ourselves in one of the newest attractions – Pirate’s Cove. This outdoor attraction had some of the biggest set pieces (a friggin’ pirate ship!) and one of the best layouts of the entire haunt. The space was filled to the brim with detailed props, which the actors used effectively. Dramatic lighting made us feel like we were truly in the pirate’s domain, but the ambient sound seemed to rely a bit too much on a Pirates of the Caribbean-style soundtrack. The scenes were punctuated by animatronics and great water effects (yes, you will get wet!) as you make your way down from the town to the ship itself. The town façade and ship are the dominant set pieces in this attraction, whose detail comes primarily from the use of more projection mapping. While these looked beautiful from a distance, their shine wore off as we got up close and saw the plain walls making up the projection surface. Once inside the ship, we were treated to real rocking motions that enhanced the onboard experience. Side note: Do not pet the shark!
Next up was the Voodoo Lagoon, which we entered by climbing a winding pathway that took us to the upper level of another multi-story attraction. Earlier in the day, we saw this house on a behind-the-scenes media tour. The scenes were highly detailed and looked great with the minimal lighting effects available at the time. That night, when we returned, we chose to be diverted towards the optional slide area of the house, where we ended up bypassing the majority of the sets and actors. While the slide was fun, if you want to see the full house, we recommend skipping this in favor of the full walkthrough. But the passages to the slide were still well-decorated.
Once we left the lagoon, we made our way over to the Crimson Quarry. This Lycan-themed attraction takes place in a mine that is so detailed and realistic that you’d swear you were in the real thing – low ceilings included (I bumped my head at least once)! The sporadic placement of lanterns gave actors plenty of shadows to hide in! For those returning Woods visitors, you may recognize a few things that go bump in the night in here from other areas of the haunt in the past.
The Woods of Terror classic, Texas House, awaited us after leaving the mines. Walking through the entrance into the front yard, winding our way through the junked cars and other detritus as we made our way towards the house, we were put squarely in the film that inspired this. As the seemingly friendly family is inviting you to dinner, you can immediately tell by the eerie lighting, projection of rats running about, and bad smell that something isn’t right with this place. The level of gore starts to ramp up as you go through the kitchen, as well as an increasingly strong smell of chainsaw exhaust. At one point, there was a pig head hanging in the center of a room, and when one of us brushed up against it, well, it left a residue on their hand! Yuk!
We entered the Baba Yaga attraction just as rain was beginning to fall. The storm quickly intensified, which added a great effect to this house! Heavily detailed sets that primarily used candles for lighting made for a very eerie experience. This was another multi-level attraction that made good use of big spaces, and a combination of actors, props, and an actormatronic. It also had the most amazing smell radiating throughout.
Sensory Overload felt like a bit of a misnomer to us. This attraction was primarily a blackout maze with some shock walls to give you a jolt. The audio seemed minimal here, though it could have been drowned out a bit by the heavy rain outside. The last room may have been supposed to be full of fog, but it was not. This one felt underwhelming to us, and it’s probably the shortest of all the attractions, so it didn’t take away from the overall experience too much. But if you’re afraid of the dark… This one will get under your skin!
The final attraction was Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. After weaving through some gurneys, we made our way into an asylum that was packed to the gills with details. This helped make the rooms feel even tighter, which the actors took full advantage of. Bright lighting enhanced the frenzied atmosphere as we tried to take it all in – from the guts and gore of patients that did not fare too well, to projected bugs crawling everywhere, to the medical equipment being gleefully wielded by the inmates.
As you explore each of these attractions, make sure to always look above you. The detail and lighting extend up to and include the ceiling in almost all the indoor spaces, and sometimes even the floor!
See Less
