Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Haunting of Elks Lodge #714
Location of Attraction: Bridgeport PA
Date of Review: Saturday October 27th 2018
Total Number of Attractions Available: ONE
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 5.5/10
Entertainment and Food Rating: 4/10
Atmosphere Rating: 5/10
Overall Costume and Make Up Rating: 6/10
Overall Cast and Crew Rating: 5/10
Overall Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 6/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 6/10
Overall Feedback: On a cool and dreary Saturday in late October our squad elected to brave the crummy weather to pay a visit to not one, not two, but THREE different haunted attractions! Our last and final stop of the night was Haunting of Elks Lodge #714, located in Bridgeport PA and just minutes from Valley Forge National Park and King of Prussia Mall. With Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 being about a 10 minute walk through we elected to bunch the experience with two other local haunted attractions (Temple of Terror and Terror Labs). We arrived at Elks Lodge shortly before 10pm and they still had a good trickle of guests coming and going. Our squad had never heard of Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 until our good friend, The Hauntfinder General, urged us to check them out. As we headed towards the front doors of the haunt a cue line scare actor was perfectly placed in a row of corn stalks… let’s just say this actor scared us and many other guests throughout the night! At Elks Lodge they suggest group size to be no more than four people due to the smaller room size once inside the attraction. Once we stepped foot into the lodge our eyes immediately began scanning the different scenes to see how they transformed a typical lodge into a haunted attraction. Before beginning the haunt experience guests will watch a brief introductory video which forewarns guests about the experience they are about to endure. The first actual scene got the haunt experience off on a solid note! A bartender and a greedy poker player encouraged our members to sit around the poker table and to try our luck at a game of poker. The cards were shuffled and dealt, we made our bets and sure enough we lost! But have no fear, the bartender out of nowhere put a bullet into the poker players head to punish him for his continued greed and cheating. We were then kindly encouraged to venture forth into the haunt. As we descended into the basement of the lodge this is where things kicked up a notch! Scene after scene we were blown away by the creative nature and pure uniqueness each scene possessed! One of the best parts of visiting small town old school haunts is the creative touches they possess vs the multi-million dollar attractions. Small town haunts often feature far better interactivity and that was certainly the case with this haunt. The rooms were very small in nature, leaving us little to no room to escape from the scare actors. A disorienting element was the well hidden doorways. We recall entering several scenes and meandering cluelessly on where to go next. When we were at a vulnerable state the scare actor would appear from nowhere to deliver a blood-curdling scare. There were countless scenes that really caught our attention and we will highlight three of them. First one was a room with several doors, as we opened the doors they either lead to a dead end or a way out. Little did we know a scare actor would be behind the door(s) and sure enough they gave us a good fright. Second one was a boat scene where we directed to sit on a bench. As we listened to the actors skit out of nowhere someone yanked on the back ledge of the bench which sent us flying backwards and yet again delivering another solid fright. The third was the pirate ship scene at the end of the haunt. You can see the pirate ship facade from the front of the haunt but we had no idea we’d be walking through it to exit the haunt. As we entered the pirate ship we immediately noticed several scare actors. Just before we could really note where the scare actors were located the lights went out. Within seconds the lights turned back on and sure enough the actors were in our faces and delivered yet again another good fright! It was countless scenes like the three we just mentioned that made Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 such a unique haunt. There was definitely a thrilling and spooky atmosphere throughout our entire journey. All of the actors encountered were energized and very passionate. They all put forth their best effort but we do feel that some of these actors could use guidance with their skits. We felt there were far too many “get out” and “scream” skits; we’d like to see more creativity in the actor performances. The energy and passion is clearly there so it shouldn’t take much to strengthen their performances. At the conclusion of our experience we had the opportunity to chat briefly with one of the managers of the haunt. We learned that at the completion of each haunt season they completely tear down the entire haunt and start from scratch the following season! Therefore guests can visit Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 year after year and never receive the same experience twice. Like the other two haunts we visited the same evening, Temple of Terror and Terror Labs, we don’t feel Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 is worth a long drive to visit. Although it’s certainly more worthy of a trip if you’re local to Bridgeport PA or if you can bunch this haunt with another haunted attraction! It’s safe to say we were pleasantly surprised by our experience at Haunting of Elks Lodge #714. This haunt will definitely teach you not to judge a haunt by it’s cover! With an admission price of $10, Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 is certainly affordable and a family friendly haunt! If you’re looking for a unique and spooky fun experience then we urge you to pay Haunting of Elks Lodge #714 a visit!