Summary:

Eleventh Hour:

The Eleventh Hour house was the most theatrical and most detailed of the three events at Berens Park.  Although this was a trailer haunt, you certainly couldn't tell from the outside appearance.  The facade completely concealed the trailers, making it appear as if you were walking into an actual building.  

The first scene was very well detailed with eerie green lighting from a chandelier, peeling wallpaper and a flight of stairs that went to an imaginary second floor; however, even with such attention to detail, no attempt was made to conceal the white speakers that were in plain sight, in the far corner of the room.  The study also had a high level of detail with a couple of bookcases, natural-looking fireplace, flashing skull sconces on the wall and other assorted furniture.  I liked the hidden exit, where you had to walk through the bookcase in order to get to the next scene. There were a couple of other areas throughout the attraction where the exit wasn't always obvious, which made for a more interesting experience overall.  The attic was also highly detailed with trunks, golf clubs and other items you would normally find in an attic.  There was some great spooky colored lighting, nice sound effects and some of the trunks opened & closed by themselves, as if they were haunted.  I really enjoyed this scene; however, the air lines used to operate the trunks were out in plain sight, which detracted from the overall visual impact of the scene.  Throughout the rest of the house there were several areas, like the playroom, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen, each following the central "haunted manor" theme.  

Upon exiting the "manor", your journey took you outside, to a nicely detailed graveyard.  The winding path of the graveyard led you through trees, tombstones and netting, all accented with eerie colored lighting.  It was laid out and constructed nicely; however, on your way to the graveyard, the wheels and part of the side of the white trailer were clearly visible. Had that area been covered, it would have greatly enhanced the visual impact and believability of the scene.    

Pitch Black:

Pitch Black consisted of a contiguous path of sharp twists and turns, all inside of a large tent.   Despite the name of the event, this attraction wasn't quite pitch black. There was enough light filtering through the top of the tent to make your walking path clearly visible.  While you could see where you were going, this was no walk in the park.  Throughout the attraction, there were a number of actors who enthusiastically jumped around corners to scare you.  It was quite a lengthy event and unfortunately the day's inclement weather had created quite a few muddy patches along the path, with standing water in some areas. When going to an outdoor event like this, especially after it has rained, it is always a good idea to wear old shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.     

Chain Reaction:

Chain Reaction was a complex maze of chain link fencing, with multiple paths.  Many times the actors would lead you astray by sending you down dead-end pathways.  The chain link maze seemed to be even more challenging to navigate this season, compared to last year's maze, due to the addition of a gate.  Actors would open and close the gate, to control the flow and the direction of patrons through the attraction. 

Overall, this was a pretty good show by the Eleventh Hour crew.  Unfortunately they had a number of weather-related challenges to overcome, but they were still able to come out on top with a decent attraction.  I personally enjoyed the Eleventh Hour house the most, due to it's high level of detail and theatrical style.   

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