Summary:

The tour began with a nice intro scene.  Sitting at a table, behind a draped red velvet curtain, a character dressed as the Phantom of the Opera read the rules of the haunted house.  To enhance the atmosphere of the scene, there was a backlit stained glass window along one wall and a couple of candelabras with flicker bulbs.  It was a nice presentation and it helped establish the proper mood for the rest of the attraction. 

The Terror on Washington Street haunted house consisted of numerous scenes with assorted themes.  A number of paths followed the perimeter of the building, and the real stone foundation & brick walls served to enhance the eerie feel of the attraction.   The funeral scene featured an open casket behind a red velvet rope.  Inside the casket was an actress in make-up and there were flowers draped across the bottom half of the casket. The library was one of the most detailed areas in the house, with bookcases lining the walls, vintage furniture throughout the scene and cobwebs everywhere.  The scene was accented with spooky flicker lighting, to enhance the mood.  In another area there was a witch sitting in a rocking chair on an old country porch.  In front of her was a cauldron, with a glowing "fire" beneath it.  In the Autopsy Room there was a body on a metal table, morgue drawers along the walls and a blood-filled IV bag hanging in the corner.  Upon entering this area, an actor came out of a great hiding place.  Another one of my favorite areas was the detailed graveyard.   Patrons walked through the middle of the scene and there were tombstones behind wrought iron gates on both sides of the path, along with some realistic-looking trees.  Since the top was covered with camouflage netting, this area had somewhat of a claustrophobic feel.  There was one area that I found particularly creative, where they really played on people's fears of being separated.  An actor was splitting up groups, making some people go through one door and the rest of the group to go through another.  Unbeknownst to those in the group, both doors eventually led to the same path and everyone would be reunited in a short time, but you should have seen the initial reaction of some of the people who didn't want to be split from their group!        

Throughout the attraction, all of the actors stayed in character.  A lot of them were more passive, playing out their roles within the house, unaffected by patrons walking through.  In fact, quite a few of them just stood there and didn't approach you.  It did seem that the actors were a little more low-key than they had been in previous years, which made them more creepy than scary.       

Well, it was another good performance by the Terror on Washington Street crew.  Their yearly changes and unique ideas always make this a fun event to come back to, year after year.  Since it wasn't an overly intense experience, this event would be appropriate for most audiences.  With the modest admission price of only $7.50, it is definitely a bargain.  Be sure to add this event to your list of Haunt visits.         

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