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HauntedIllinois.com's
2003 Ghouls by the Pool Review
Ghouls by the Pool
1850 Caton Farm Road
Crest Hill, IL 60435 |
| Date of Review: |
10/17/03 |
| Visibility/Location: |
This
event was very easy to find. There was a large illuminated sign along the
side of the road, as well as a strobe light illuminated, tall
dancing ghost balloon at the entrance. It would have been even
more visible from Weber Road, though, had the multiple plywood pumpkin-shaped signs
along the road been
illuminated.
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| Outside
Appearance: |
To
get to all three attractions, you had to walk down a dimly lit,
creepy path. While the Haunted House had a plain-looking
entrance, The Maze's entrance was a door fashioned out of
burlap. It looked like you were walking into a cocoon. |
| Wait
Entertainment: |
There
really wasn't much for wait entertainment, specific to each
attraction; however, there were a number of costumed actors
walking in between the attractions to entertain the patrons. |
| Admission
Price: |
The Maze, Hayride
and Haunted House: |
$12.00 |
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| Length: |
| The Maze: |
9 Minutes * |
| Hayride: |
17 Minutes |
| Haunted House: |
7 Minutes * |
*
= Since people move through haunted attractions at different
rates, your time may vary. |
| Scare
Factor: |
| The Maze: |
Medium
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| Haunted House: |
Medium-High |
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| Atmosphere: |
The
dark, eerie path between the ticket booth and the 3 attractions was enough to effectively
set the mood for the events to come. Both The Maze
and the Haunted House used various props, eerie lighting
and fog, as well as spirited actors to maintain a spooky
atmosphere. |
| Crowd
Control: |
They
did an excellent job of maintaining crowd control. Spacing
between groups, in both the haunted house and the maze, was
ample. Plus they limited group sizes to a maximum of 4
people, thus ensuring that everyone got a great show.
Needless to say, I never ran into another group in the maze or
haunted house. |
Other
Customer's
Opinions: |
Patrons
had nothing but good things to say about Ghouls by the
Pool. Out of all the attractions there,
most customers liked the Haunted House the best. |
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Summary:
The
Maze:
The Maze contained an eclectic group of props and scenes.
The car
front end, with working horn and headlights was quite a surprise.
One of the most interesting scenes was a
path with white reflective cloth strips hanging down,
illuminated by a strobe light. Distracted by the flashing,
you become a prime target for the actress in white, who blends
in with the scene. Other scenes included a detailed graveyard, banquet with body parts and more.
At times I wasn't sure where the exit to each scene was
located, making it a challenge to traverse. Just when
you thought you were going the right way, actors in the scene
would send you into
a dead end. This maze had some great twists and turns, as well
as some great hiding spots for their enthusiastic actors.
Hayride:
The hayride was a nice relaxing trip through a field and
orchard. It was
a nice break between The Maze and the Haunted House.
Haunted
House:
The journey through this Haunted House started out with a great hotel lobby scene.
Kudos to the hotel desk clerk. Great acting job! I thought it was a nice touch to ask
the patrons to sign the hotel registry before continuing.
There were some nicely crafted scenes throughout the
house. The fog filled
strobe light maze was creatively constructed. Since the actors could not be easily seen (under the cover of the heavy
fog), it gave them many opportunities to get their scares. I really
enjoyed the detailed cemetery with a real dirt pile (something you
don't see in many haunted houses.) and a convincing actor banging his shovel on the
ground, following you. One of the best scares had to come
from the open casket scene. I won't ruin the it for
everyone else, but what happened really took me by surprise. There
were some very creative and effective scenes in this attraction.
This
is a great family-oriented event. It was very well organized;
you can tell that a lot of thought was put into the general layout. There was a
logical progression through the attractions, with the exit of one event being located near the entrance
of the next. This event gives you a lot of bang for your buck. It is quite a bargain,
providing over 30 minutes of entertainment for only $12.
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