How We Rate the Scares!

Every haunt has its own flavor of fear — and every guest wants something a little different from their nightmare fuel. That's where we come in.

At Fright Review Squad, we don't just walk through haunts — we evaluate them. Each attraction we visit is scored using our official FRS Scorecard, designed to spotlight what each haunt does best, while also offering honest, constructive insight for both haunt teams and haunt-goers alike.

Every squad member in attendance fills out their own scorecard post-visit, and we average those scores into a final rating for each category. This helps us stay objective, consistent, and fair — whether we're at a massive scream park or a scrappy indie trail in the woods.

We believe that honest feedback, delivered with respect, helps haunts grow — and helps guests find the type of experience they're dying to attend.

Want to know what we're judging? Here's what our scorecard breaks down:

Fright Review Squad Scorecard:

(Each category is rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the strongest possible score.)

Overall Rating

A gut-check score of the entire haunt experience from start to finish. This takes into account not only the attraction(s) itself, but also energy, flow, value, and general guest satisfaction.

Entertainment Value

We assess the extras beyond the attraction: queue line actors, games, midway fun, food, merch, music, fire performers, or anything that adds to the night out. Some haunts bring a full festival vibe — and we're here for it!

Costume & Makeup

From full FX prosthetics to creative low-budget looks, we rate how well the costuming supports the characters and the haunt's theme. We're looking for detail, originality, and execution — whether it's airbrush mastery or the perfect DIY scarecrow!

Cast & Crew

We evaluate the energy, commitment, timing, and creativity of the actors. Are they working the crowd? Are they in character? Do they make us scream... or laugh... or wish we had diapers? We're all about interaction, character consistency, and standout performances.

Set Design & Special Effects

This covers everything from scenic builds to animatronics, lighting, sound, fog, and clever tech. Whether it's a Hollywood-quality mansion or a hand-built trail in the woods, we're looking at immersion, creativity, and how the space is used.

Fright & Thrill Factor

Did the haunt make us jump? Sweat? Freeze in place? We evaluate how well the attraction delivers scares — whether through jump scares, psychological tension, chaos, or sensory overload. Each haunts has it's own style of fear, and we're here for all of it!

Fright Night MVP

At every haunt, we spotlight one standout cast member who made a huge impression. This could be an intense actor, a hilarious improv moment, or a perfectly creepy silent stalker. MVP's are nominated by the squad and featured in our end-of-season awards!

Sharpening the Scare

Even the best haunts have room to grow. In this section, we offer kind, constructive feedback — small suggestions to make an already great haunt even better!

Bonus: Jeff's Haunted Hot Takes

Every now and then, our squad gets hit with a line so weird, witty, or wildly specific that we can't not share it. If it made us laugh, shake our heads, or snort in the fog, it probably came from Jeff — our resident master of grumbles, sarcasm, and unexpected one-liners! When these knee-slappers occur, we include the quote-worthy gem in our review, because honestly, the haunt world needs to hear them!