Give us ideas....

[Metal Momma]

We have not decided how we will do haunt ratings this year...

All of our members are aware that all our reviews are based on OUR OPINIONS alone, and due to certain events in years past we have discussed not giving a grade at all... just a general review and maybe some pros and cons...

HOWEVER, haunt owners have expressed to us that they desire the "grade" and to have a real NUMBER to reflect their performance... But how do we REALLY put a number on all the different aspects of a haunt?

Should we have grades on categories, and give an average? Should we start at 10 and make deductions (Olympics inspired)? And if we are going to give a grade, should it even be a 1-10 scale? Or should it be A-B-C-D-F scale... or a 100% scale? And what categories do people really want to know about? Do you care about the length of the haunt versus price? Or do you want to know about the quality and side attractions worth? LET US KNOW! We are still formulating a plan, and the last thing we want to do is have a confusing or wacked out ratings scale that we end up having to change in the middle of the season.

[BoogeymanConCarne]

Wow. Where to start?

What would you think of this? Start at 100 points (olympic style) and break it into 5 graded aspects that the public want to know, such as:

1} Cost to length ratio
Based solely upon the ticket price versus the length of the haunt(s). Hard to rate until you have been through all of them. Though if you base it on the current price and previous years experience of the haunts you know haven't expanded you may have a decent rule of thumb to start with.

2} Venue Atmosphere
This can cover anything from a fun midway to being apprehensive about the parking or security. A lot of people come here looking to find out where to take their families for a fun night out. Being a parent myself, some of the above makes or breaks my decision whether to take them places. I would point to the State Fair of Texas as an example. Fine during the day, but questionable at night.

3} Actor effectiveness
I know that DFWHH staff is a bit immune to most scare tactics, but this also makes them a great subjective judge on what does and does not work on the public. That said, I would suggest that this category be used to rate the actors on how well they work the patrons and use the environment around them. As stated above this is, in the end, the public opinion of DFWHH. I, for one, am always interested in that opinion and have never been led astray when visiting other haunts.

4} Haunt fit, finish and decoration
Here is where the more discerning haunt patron will find an interest. The concern isn't so much how much you (the haunt owner/operator) spent, but what you did with what you have. Does it look or feel like a rush job? Would a patron feel cheated spending $20 to walk through a black plastic sheet maze? Or did the builders take the time to do it right?

5} Overall experience
This last 20 points is where DFWHH can hand out the bonus points for a "Great first year effort" or props for improvement over last year. I'm inclined to say this is where I lost ideas. You may have a better idea than I as to how to use these last points...


Not a perfect idea by any means, but in presenting this to you I can at least point out what I think the public would want to know from visiting DFWHH...

[Camp_Blood]

Boogeyman, that is an excellent idea.

[BleedGreen]

The 5 category idea looks fair, but I wonder what that means the average score would look like?

IS anyone allowed to review? If so, is there a weighted scale.... like a review from one of the more experienced reviewers should carry more value?

I think I would like to try to do a review when I do my mini-marathon of HHs in early October.

[mydeadlypassion]

I think boogeyman has a great idea. These are all things I would want to know before going to a haunted house. Also, I think you should maybe add a section this year on special nights and such, like if a haunt has a buy one get one free night (I know terrorplex has several) or a discount night, or a night where all proceeds go to a certain charity. Thank you guys for all the work you put into making this a great site!

[Rob Zombie]

Nice ideas, Boog.

Hey, I'd like to add: when reviewing, look at the crowd. If THEY'RE amped up, that's a good sign! If they're all griping about the price and so on, that should say something, too.

I know that we all have good days and bad, and it's sometimes a good reality check to see if everyone likes it or not.

I've thought about buying a pedometer to measure how long it is, use a stopwatch for time, and counters to count rooms, actors, and scares. How many worked, how many didn't (and why - were the people streamed in and the actors not given time to reset?).

I'd also recommend pre-season reviews for the haunts so they can get a PRIVATE review (not published here) so they can see what needs work before the season goes into full swing.

2008 is going to be HUGE!