You get pulled inside Nightmares before hearing the rules. Once all the rules are explained, you are left in a small closed room splattered in blood. The haunt owner surprised us by being in full costume and character, asking everyone for an umbrella. This banter continues a few moments as you are guided by your friendly host to a well decorated waiting area. We can tell at this point that we will be getting wet soon, because our host is still very concerned about the lack of an umbrella.
Set Design/Detail/Floor Plan
Nightmares has a great first effect where you must trek through the storms outside before entering the main haunt. The sprinklers give some good coverage, so be ready to get wet. We love the way Nightmares designed their walk through to start outside the front of a home, through the living room, into bedrooms, closets and hallways. Their detail helps make the home seem real, complete with doors you have to push open to move from scene to scene. The layout is very easy to follow, and each transition is smooth. Once you get deeper into the “house” you start to lose the sense of being in a home, and you move into the nightmare world, complete with a hellish laboratory and chainsaw wielding maniacs, and even some industrial structure to pull you out of your comfort zone. Finally, you get back through the home, out the car port, through the back yard, and chased away to the end. Great consistency, great flow, and overall a fun walk through.
Live Actors (Performance/Enthusiasm/Costumes)
Many of the actors in Nightmares are very small young children. This seems like a trivial factor, but it has a huge impact on the overall experience. Such young actors are simply not effective, because everyone sees little kids dressed up every year going door to door- it’s called Halloween. For a great haunted house experience, we would want to see older, more experienced actors. Older actors have a better vantage to really scare you, as opposed to some cute little kids screaming. When a small kid is chasing you with a plastic knife, it is not scary at all because you could easily pick them up and toss them aside. A large adult however, not so easy to get away from. The actors inside Nightmares that were not small children were awesome, had lines and characters developed, but their efforts are hard to take seriously when the child next to them is begging for a scare. However, we must give extra kudos to the haunt owner for getting involved in the acting this year. His character is fabulously witty and consistent, and it was nice to have him hosting the entry with so much energy and enthusiasm.
On a more positive note, with so many children around, you can be sure that there is not any excessive gore, and this means the haunt is good for family and younger crowds. Granted, some children cannot handle the startles and scares from the most mild of haunts, but in general, I would say that this place would appeal to kids and adults alike.
Admission Price vs. Length (Entertainment Value)
Nightmares is about 15 minutes long, and is a great additional attraction on the Texas Scaregrounds ticket. We highly recommend purchasing the combo ticket with the $3.00 off coupon (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/images/coupons/html/coupon_tsg08.html ) for a total cost of $25 to see all four attractions.
Overall Experience/Summary/Misc. Information
We really liked Nightmares layout and design, but we do not really think the small child actors would be very effective for most patrons. Thankfully, there are enough older actors to keep you entertained, so it is not that big of a problem. I think most people would love the design and details, and would feel like a trip to Texas Scaregrounds is worth time and consideration. I would not understand why anyone would go to Texas Scaregrounds and NOT see all four attractions while they are there, but in case you are considering that, I would advise to get the whole experience. All four attractions combined make this a fun night for the whole family to enjoy.
Previous Reviews
See the 2007 Review ( http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=81)
See the 2006 Review ( http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=65)
Feel free to post your experiences and reviews in the DFWHH Member Reviews Forum (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17)
http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/images/banners/NIGHTMARES1.gif (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=18)
Kennedale, TX
OVERALL SCORE : 7.5
http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/images/stars/big/7_half.gif
Review Date: Saturday, September 27th 2008
Time: 9:45pm
Atmosphere
You get pulled inside Nightmares before hearing the rules. Once all the rules are explained, you are left in a small closed room splattered in blood. The haunt owner surprised us by being in full costume and character, asking everyone for an umbrella. This banter continues a few moments as you are guided by your friendly host to a well decorated waiting area. We can tell at this point that we will be getting wet soon, because our host is still very concerned about the lack of an umbrella.
Set Design/Detail/Floor Plan
Nightmares has a great first effect where you must trek through the storms outside before entering the main haunt. The sprinklers give some good coverage, so be ready to get wet. We love the way Nightmares designed their walk through to start outside the front of a home, through the living room, into bedrooms, closets and hallways. Their detail helps make the home seem real, complete with doors you have to push open to move from scene to scene. The layout is very easy to follow, and each transition is smooth. Once you get deeper into the “house” you start to lose the sense of being in a home, and you move into the nightmare world, complete with a hellish laboratory and chainsaw wielding maniacs, and even some industrial structure to pull you out of your comfort zone. Finally, you get back through the home, out the car port, through the back yard, and chased away to the end. Great consistency, great flow, and overall a fun walk through.
Live Actors (Performance/Enthusiasm/Costumes)
Many of the actors in Nightmares are very small young children. This seems like a trivial factor, but it has a huge impact on the overall experience. Such young actors are simply not effective, because everyone sees little kids dressed up every year going door to door- it’s called Halloween. For a great haunted house experience, we would want to see older, more experienced actors. Older actors have a better vantage to really scare you, as opposed to some cute little kids screaming. When a small kid is chasing you with a plastic knife, it is not scary at all because you could easily pick them up and toss them aside. A large adult however, not so easy to get away from. The actors inside Nightmares that were not small children were awesome, had lines and characters developed, but their efforts are hard to take seriously when the child next to them is begging for a scare. However, we must give extra kudos to the haunt owner for getting involved in the acting this year. His character is fabulously witty and consistent, and it was nice to have him hosting the entry with so much energy and enthusiasm.
On a more positive note, with so many children around, you can be sure that there is not any excessive gore, and this means the haunt is good for family and younger crowds. Granted, some children cannot handle the startles and scares from the most mild of haunts, but in general, I would say that this place would appeal to kids and adults alike.
Admission Price vs. Length (Entertainment Value)
Nightmares is about 15 minutes long, and is a great additional attraction on the Texas Scaregrounds ticket. We highly recommend purchasing the combo ticket with the $3.00 off coupon (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/images/coupons/html/coupon_tsg08.html ) for a total cost of $25 to see all four attractions.
Overall Experience/Summary/Misc. Information
We really liked Nightmares layout and design, but we do not really think the small child actors would be very effective for most patrons. Thankfully, there are enough older actors to keep you entertained, so it is not that big of a problem. I think most people would love the design and details, and would feel like a trip to Texas Scaregrounds is worth time and consideration. I would not understand why anyone would go to Texas Scaregrounds and NOT see all four attractions while they are there, but in case you are considering that, I would advise to get the whole experience. All four attractions combined make this a fun night for the whole family to enjoy.
Previous Reviews
See the 2007 Review ( http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=81)
See the 2006 Review ( http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/viewarticle.php?articleid=65)
Feel free to post your experiences and reviews in the DFWHH Member Reviews Forum (http://www.dfwhauntedhouses.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17)