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HauntedIllinois.com's
2003 Realm of Terror Review
Realm of Terror
421 West Rollins Rd.
Round Lake Beach, IL 60073 |
| Date of Review: |
10/04/03 |
| Visibility/Location: |
The
Realm of Terror is in a great location. Situated right along the side
of Rollins Rd, it is
very easy to see. With their large, illuminated "Kristof's
Entertainment Center" sign, you can't miss the entrance. |
| Outside
Appearance: |
Outside
the attraction, there is a nice castle-type facade, with a
line of hay bales and corn stalks in front of it, for added
effect. The facade has
directional arrows on the front, leading you to the
attraction's entrance and the ticket window. |
| Wait
Entertainment: |
The
wait
entertainment was provided by various actors, walking around
outside the attraction. While I was near the waiting line
area, I saw three different characters
entertaining patrons. One of them, a "Gravedigger",
repeatedly hit his shovel on the pavement and chased patrons around the parking lot. |
| Admission
Price: |
$10.00
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| Length: |
6 Minutes *
*
= Since people move through haunted attractions at different
rates, your time may vary. |
| Scare
Factor: |
Medium.
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| Atmosphere: |
The level of detail in
this attraction was adequate, but the mood could have been enhanced, if a little
more detail had been incorporated into the scenes. Appropriate sound effects and animated
props were used in various areas of the house. A spooky music soundtrack, played throughout the attraction,
further enhanced the mood. |
| Crowd
Control: |
Group
spacing could have been increased. There
wasn't much of a crowd the night I attended, yet I ran into the group in front of me about halfway through the house. |
Other
Customer's
Opinions: |
Many
customers were pleased with this attraction. The spinning
vortex seemed to be a crowd favorite. There were mixed
reviews; however, as some patrons thought the attraction was a little
overpriced. Overall, though, it seemed like everyone
had a good time. |
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Summary:
The
Realm of Terror crew put together a pretty nice haunt. While this event is a guided tour (which
normally takes away from the scare factor and total
"feel" of an attraction), The Realm of Terror staff
helped preserve the illusion and atmosphere by having the guide
stay behind you at all times.
They used a wide variety of scenes to entertain their
customers. There were some great effects. One of my
favorites was the optical illusion that made it appear that an
actor's body had been severed in half. Their eclectic
collection of scenes included everything from glowing toxic
waste barrels and an electrocution, to skeletons in chains. Of
course I can't forget to mention the spinning vortex.
The
actors performed well and most were very energetic. I was impressed that none of them
broke character and they seemed to be very much into their
roles. From the actors roaming the waiting line to
the ones inside the house, they all did a great job.
The
Realm of Terror staff put together a great first year haunt and it has a lot of
potential for future performances. The only downside was
that the attraction seemed a little small for the admission
price paid. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable
experience. Kudos to the Realm of Terror staff.
Click
here to find out more about this event. |
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