Summary:

This attraction was held inside a tent and consisted of numerous scenes, which were separated by transitional hallways. Some of the hallways were rather ornate, while others had plain black walls. Most of the scenes in the haunted house were highly detailed. For the most part, Screams in the Park relied heavily on detailed scenes and animated props and put less of an emphasis on actor performances. According to their website, the attraction’s theme was supposed to revolve around H.H. Holmes. Upon entering the house, patrons were informed that they were entering the residence of HH Holmes, the famous serial killer, and while most of the scenes followed that particular theme, there were some (like the exorcist room and hospital) that didn’t seem to fit in.

Some of the scenes that stood out from the rest included the bathroom, the exorcist room, the church funeral and the graveyard. In the bathroom there were blood-smeared ceramic tile walls, as well as a water spraying toilet, a bloody sink and a body silhouette showing thorough a shower curtain. I was a little disappointed, though, as nothing really happened in the scene.

The Exorcist scene was set-up like a detailed bedroom with an old dresser, mirror and an antique lamp. While an actress levitated above a bed in the center of the room, creepy sounds played in the background.

One of the larger scenes in the haunted house was the church funeral. Upon entering the room, an actress standing behind a church pulpit asked my group to sit in one of several rows of wooden pews. After we had settled in, she opened a nearby casket and asked all of us to pay our respects. Shortly afterward, there was a scare attempt near the casket, which was primarily ineffective. None of the people in my group were startled, since we were all sitting so far away in the pews.

The graveyard was one of the most detailed and visually impressive scenes in the house. Patrons had to weave their way along a zig-zag pathway, bordered by moss-covered picket fencing. Multiple crooked tombstones filled the graveyard and the scene was accented well with colored lighting. As customers walked by, a huge 15-foot tall skeleton animation stood up, towering over everyone, growling.

I really enjoyed the visual projection effects they had, as well. In one area there was the illusion of blood dripping down a white sheet and projected on another sheet were hundreds of scurrying cockroaches, which seemed to creep my group out quite a bit. Along one dark path, pieces of the wall exploded out, revealing colored lighting shining through into the hallway. While it was a neat effect, no attempt was made to conceal the mechanical components. The bright silver pneumatic cylinders and colored plastic air hoses behind the wall were clearly visible, thus reducing the overall impact of the effect. Also further down the hallway was a department store mannequin in an alcove, dressed in red long underwear. I still haven’t figured that one out.

On the night that I attended, there really weren't a lot of actors throughout the attraction. The actors that I did see weren't wearing elaborate costumes; most of them were wearing dark jeans and black T-shirts. In fact, the security personnel stationed at various points throughout the haunted house were wearing similar attire, so at times it was hard to distinguish them from the actors. One costume that I saw just didn't make any sense. An actor hiding in a dark corner was wearing a top hat, suit coat & skeleton T-shirt, but for some reason he also had a Freddy Krueger glove on his hand. There were a couple of times when I saw actors break character. The woman in the funeral scene grabbed her water bottle and took a drink before my group had left the scene and a similar incident occurred later on in the attraction. With patrons still in the room, I witnessed a staff member walk in and start talking to an actor.

With all of the high-end animatronics and other eye-candy, the visuals in this attraction were very impressive to say the least, but due to the actor-related issues discussed earlier, there really weren’t a lot of screams in this park. The haunted house was fun and creepy, but not really scary. If you are a fan of detailed scenes and professional animated props, then this haunted house is for you. Unfortunately on the scare meter, this one registered fairly low. Also, considering how short it was, along with the steep admission price, I don’t feel like I got my money’s worth.

To find out more about this event, visit:

http://www.screamsinthepark.com/