Summary:

My trip through Dream Reapers started with an entertaining video clip explaining rules of the house, which was played on a big screen TV in front of a casket.  From that point on, I continued through various scenes, most of which were very highly detailed.  Traditionally, scene detail has been something that the Dream Reapers crew has excelled at and this year was no exception.  The level of detail throughout the haunted house was phenomenal.  This season Dream Reapers used a number of their trademark scenes from years past like the "Hellevator", caverns, clown room and the hillbilly house.  Along with some of the crowd favorites, they also added quite a few new scenes and special effects.   

One of their new features is called "Claustrophobia" and it lived up to its name.  Claustrophobia is a pair of inflated air bags that you had to squeeze your way through.  The new mirror maze was fun.  The way the mirrors were set up made it appear that the scene went on forever.  Just when you thought you were continuing through to another part of the maze, you would walk into a mirror instead.  Another new area featured a red rotating light and industrial, textured walls.  It looked like something out of the movie "Alien".  They completely overhauled their industrial area, making it even better than previous years.  The toxic waste area was also changed and moved to a different place inside the house.  Dream Reapers effectively used artificial scents to enhance the atmosphere of many of the scenes throughout the attraction.  For example, there was a burning smell in the Hellevator and an odor of popcorn in the clown room.

For the most part, the actors did a great job.  They stayed in character and most had high-energy, believable performances.  The actors had professional-looking costumes and great make-up, to create characters that were consistent with the scenes they were in.  There were, however, a couple of actors who appeared to be inexperienced and unsure of their roles, and in one area I saw two actors talking to one another, apparently unaware that I had entered the scene.  On the night that I visited, it seemed like they were short staffed.  A few more actors put in strategic places would have enhanced to overall mood of the attraction.    

The Dream Reapers crew put on a good show this season.  As usual, they outdid themselves in creating realistic, detailed scenes.  Overall, it was a very fun experience and an event that I highly recommend.  Be sure to add this attraction to your list of Haunt visits this season.    

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