Nightshade Manor Review
Haunt: Nightshade Manor
Address: 1301 Heistan Place in Midtown Memphis
Price: $12, or $10 + 2 canned goods
Dates Open: October 8-10, October 15-17, October 22-24, and October 28-31,
Box office open 7:30-10pm, Haunt doors open at 8pm
Category |
Skulls |
Notes |
| First Impression |
|
The building the haunt is in is an old warehouse with a facade of a mansion porch around the door. From a distance, the porch doesn't look like much, but it is actually a very nice set piece with good detail setting up the theme of the haunt. Expansion of the facade or doing more with the area around the queue line might help to build up the haunt more from the outside. |
| Actors | |
It's hard to believe this was opening night, and many of the actors are in their first year. Scares
were timed very well, scares were good at moving people forward (except for the one person in our
group who would freeze up and try to curl into a ball while screaming no matter which direction the
scare came from.)
Many people recommend not coming on opening weekend (and I know a couple people who run haunts have told me they have reservations about me reviewing their opening weekend). However, tonight really exemplified why I love opening weekend at haunts. First, you have actors that haven't gotten a chance to scare anyone for 11 months, and they want it bad. Second, with smaller crowds actors can spend more time on a group before needing to move them along to prepare for the next group. So even though actors might be a bit rusty (for veterans) or green (for rookies), the extra effort and excitement they put into the show at opening can more than make up for it. There were a number of actors going for 3, 4, or more scares on the same group of patrons, just because they could. This requires good adlibbing skills, since usually you only are going have time for a single scare, so they may not have as many scares in their standard bag of tricks as they need to pull out just for one group. Late season haunts run more like precision clockwork with actors all knowing their routines like the back of their hand, and able to deliver perfectly on que over and over. Early season haunts have more rough edges, and the fact that you don't know what you'll get is a great part of the show. I think the only thing holding back from hitting the highest levels is the lack of any dialogue for most every character in the haunt. Many of the characters get by with timing and body language, but more dialogue with some characters could give better interaction with patrons, and really establish more memorable characters. |
| Audio/Sensory | |
The opening room track came off better this year than last year. (I hear that last year's issues
were actually only because I was thee opening night.) The voiceover works much better to give a
feel for the haunt with the room changes that happened.
Outside of that first room, there isn't a lot of memorably sounds, other than what is coming from the actors and props. Chain saws, air cannons, animatronics, granny in her rocking chair, screams...these are all things you'll hear throughout the haunt, but there isn't a lot of ambient noise, or any real use of smells. You do get some tactile sensations as you walk through chains, bodies, barbed wire, hung clothes, curtains, and other objects througout the haunt. |
| Special Effects | |
This is one of the two biggest areas where I saw huge strides over previous years. There are about
10 animatronics used in the haunt, and with improved lighting, they stould out much better this year
over last year. Second, a pepper's ghost has been added to the haunt, which always scores points with
me as it's my favorite effect in haunts.
Although not exactly a special effect, the most noticable change in the haunt is the lighting. I really felt the lighting impacted the haunt negatively in the 2008 season, but what was once a weakness has become a huge strength. Strobe lights are no longer in the face of the patrons, and are instead placed to enhance scenes rather than obstruct them. Strobes are also used less frequently, and not in detailed scenes where they hide the beauty of the sets. The other set lighting was nothing short of fantastic this year. The use of color was strong to set the mood for scenes, and the mix of back lighting with slat walls was a look I never got sick of throughout the haunt. Such a simple effect, but so effective. |
| Theming and Storyline | |
Next to the effect and lighting improvements, I felt the feel of the theming was the biggest enhancement to
this haunt this season. Although the theme was the same as last year, due to both the lighting changes
and changes to the scenes and flow of the haunt, I felt that it felt much more like walking through a mansion
this year. I believe some of it has to do with subtle changes like the addition of a number of door jams,
and the use of curtains. Some of it has to do with the choice of scenes, and the layout changes to the haunt.
The result was that there were not scenes that took me out of the theme, where I questioned how it fit with the
scenes before and after.
I still believe that some story in addition to theming could take things to that next level, but I was very impressed with how things seemed more tightly woven together this season. |
| Fright Factor |
| This is one of the highest scare haunts in the area. I saw the actors reduce one grown man to tears as I went through. I don't think it's so intense that you'll need psychological help (although I was offered a card from shrink services after the haunt), but this is a haunt where the faint of heart might have some problems. There is a good variety of scares, which gives a good chance that there is something in here to push your buttons. |
| Gore Factor | |
Gore was actually reduced somewhat from last year in this haunt, with only one scene and a supporting hallway being gory. There isn't a whole lot of "gross" or grisley scenes, instead using other methods to keep the intensity up. This likely wouldn't be my first choice in haunts if I was taking young children, but I'd say it's good for the PG13 crowd. |
| Value |
| $12 (or $10 plus two canned goods) makes this one of the more expensive single attractions in the area, but it lives up to that billing with high quality sets and the best actors of any haunt in the mid-south. The run time is about 10-15 minutes, which is about average for a haunt, but it's a good quality 10-15 minutes. |