Visibility/Location:
Dr. Haunt’s is easy to notice on the west side of I-35 in Gainesville.
Parking:
There is free parking available on the grounds beside Dr. Haunts Chamber of Fear.
Atmosphere/Wait Entertainment: 7.5
It almost seems a little bit junky around the area in front of and around the haunt. I guess in a way this builds a little bit of anticipation since it seems a little run down so you almost aren’t sure what you might be getting yourself into. There is not much for wait entertainment except for the chainsaw wielding maniacs chasing victims out the exit. One of the unique features of Dr. Haunts is that every group must sign a waiver before they enter the haunt advising that they were warned about the rules and dangers, and release all liability. This is a nice fear building technique, as well as a great way to avoid frivolous law suits if someone has a seizure from the strobes or some other health issue.
Set Design/Detail/Floor Plan: 6.5
There were many areas inside that felt like they needed a great deal more detail. For instance, in a bathroom scene there is a toilet, a tub (not even a whole tub) and a kitchen sink up on a wooden brace. Using a bathroom sink instead of kitchen sink, using some dingy mats even, or possibly some wall paper peeling down could add the extra detail this scene needed to feel more complete. There was what could only be described as a kitchen area, but it only had a bloody fridge and an oven sitting on top of some old cabinets, and this could have used tons more accents to be a kitchen instead of just a random place to leave old appliances. There were great natural features of the building that really made you feel like you were stuck in an old basement or chamber that even smelled of mold and decay, and a few scenes were very well detailed even if some of the halls were not. There were a couple of times when an actor did need to break character to tell us which way to go. In many ways, it is better to have a clear path unless it is intentionally a maze. Otherwise it seems as though the actor areas were not properly covered, or the walkthrough direction was not well planned.
Live Actors/Performance/Enthusiasm/Costumes: 9.5
Thankfully, Dr. Haunts has some crazy and witty characters to enthusiastically greet you from room to room. If not saying off the wall things or playing with their puppets, they will be leaping from one side of the room to the other to be sure they get your attention. These guys are a little more creative with their lines too, so we could expect a lot more banter than just a scream or a yell. A few characters also have some very interesting make up effects, great masks, or simply host a creepy smile for you as they try to get you to play with them. If it were not for the great staff, this place may not have been very entertaining.
Crowd Control: 9
There was a line when we arrived, but the groups seemed to be well spaced apart and in small numbers. Since every group had to sign a waiver of liability, this slowed the line down to allow this group spacing.
Admission Price vs. Length Entertainment Value: 9
Around 15 minutes from start to finish, the $15 admission is comparable to other haunts in cost, and with the non-stop action throughout, this is a decent value for your buck. There are no parts of the walk through that leave you in the dark without someone to interact with or something to look at, although the actors make the experience a lot more enjoyable than just the scenes.
Overall Experience/Summary:
Although lacking in detail in many places, the actors make up for this in their energy, enthusiasm and witty improvisation. However lacking in some of the scenes, there was still an eerie feeling that followed us through each part of this haunt. The sights and smells through each room seem to linger the essence of a condemned building, which actually adds something scary and creepy in itself to the experience. We enjoyed Dr. Haunts, but we still saw some areas when more décor could have been used to add a sense of realism to the atmosphere.
Feel free to post your experiences and reviews in the Main Forum (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2)
http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/images/banners/chamber_banner.jpg
Gainesville, TX
OVERALL SCORE : 8
http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/images/stars/big/8.gif
Date: Friday, October 5th
Time: 8:30pm
Visibility/Location:
Dr. Haunt’s is easy to notice on the west side of I-35 in Gainesville.
Parking:
There is free parking available on the grounds beside Dr. Haunts Chamber of Fear.
Atmosphere/Wait Entertainment: 7.5
It almost seems a little bit junky around the area in front of and around the haunt. I guess in a way this builds a little bit of anticipation since it seems a little run down so you almost aren’t sure what you might be getting yourself into. There is not much for wait entertainment except for the chainsaw wielding maniacs chasing victims out the exit. One of the unique features of Dr. Haunts is that every group must sign a waiver before they enter the haunt advising that they were warned about the rules and dangers, and release all liability. This is a nice fear building technique, as well as a great way to avoid frivolous law suits if someone has a seizure from the strobes or some other health issue.
Set Design/Detail/Floor Plan: 6.5
There were many areas inside that felt like they needed a great deal more detail. For instance, in a bathroom scene there is a toilet, a tub (not even a whole tub) and a kitchen sink up on a wooden brace. Using a bathroom sink instead of kitchen sink, using some dingy mats even, or possibly some wall paper peeling down could add the extra detail this scene needed to feel more complete. There was what could only be described as a kitchen area, but it only had a bloody fridge and an oven sitting on top of some old cabinets, and this could have used tons more accents to be a kitchen instead of just a random place to leave old appliances. There were great natural features of the building that really made you feel like you were stuck in an old basement or chamber that even smelled of mold and decay, and a few scenes were very well detailed even if some of the halls were not. There were a couple of times when an actor did need to break character to tell us which way to go. In many ways, it is better to have a clear path unless it is intentionally a maze. Otherwise it seems as though the actor areas were not properly covered, or the walkthrough direction was not well planned.
Live Actors/Performance/Enthusiasm/Costumes: 9.5
Thankfully, Dr. Haunts has some crazy and witty characters to enthusiastically greet you from room to room. If not saying off the wall things or playing with their puppets, they will be leaping from one side of the room to the other to be sure they get your attention. These guys are a little more creative with their lines too, so we could expect a lot more banter than just a scream or a yell. A few characters also have some very interesting make up effects, great masks, or simply host a creepy smile for you as they try to get you to play with them. If it were not for the great staff, this place may not have been very entertaining.
Crowd Control: 9
There was a line when we arrived, but the groups seemed to be well spaced apart and in small numbers. Since every group had to sign a waiver of liability, this slowed the line down to allow this group spacing.
Admission Price vs. Length Entertainment Value: 9
Around 15 minutes from start to finish, the $15 admission is comparable to other haunts in cost, and with the non-stop action throughout, this is a decent value for your buck. There are no parts of the walk through that leave you in the dark without someone to interact with or something to look at, although the actors make the experience a lot more enjoyable than just the scenes.
Overall Experience/Summary:
Although lacking in detail in many places, the actors make up for this in their energy, enthusiasm and witty improvisation. However lacking in some of the scenes, there was still an eerie feeling that followed us through each part of this haunt. The sights and smells through each room seem to linger the essence of a condemned building, which actually adds something scary and creepy in itself to the experience. We enjoyed Dr. Haunts, but we still saw some areas when more décor could have been used to add a sense of realism to the atmosphere.
Feel free to post your experiences and reviews in the Main Forum (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2)