Kim's Krypt 2019 Review - BLACKOUT NIGHT!

Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Kim’s Krypt Haunted Mill

Website: www.kimskrypt.com

Location of Attraction: Spring Grove, PA

Date of Review: Friday September 13th, 2019

Total Number of Attractions Available: SIX

Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 7/10

Entertainment and Food Rating: 7/10

Atmosphere Rating: 7/10

Overall Costume and Make Up Rating: 7/10

Overall Cast and Crew Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 7/10

Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7/10

Overall Feedback: There is no better way to spend a FRIDAY THE 13TH then at a local haunted attraction. When we got word the Kim’s Krypt would be hosting their blackout event on Friday the 13th we knew we had to attend! We visited Kim and her Krazy gang in 2018 and unfortunately weren’t overly impressed with our experience. Well boy were we pleasantly surprised with our experience this go around! We arrived shortly after 8pm and there was already a decent crowd on hand for their opening night. There was a spooky vibe swirling in the air as Purge sirens and chainsaws could be heard in the distance. Before guests even reach the ticket booth you’ll encounter several games, vendors and Kim’s newest addition for 2019: Zombie Escape Room. As we waited for our entire group of reviewers to arrive we sat back and watched several roaming actors engage with other guests. We of course had to take a few minutes to catch up with one of our favorite midway actors; Trixie! At Kim’s Krypt guests will have the pleasure of experiencing 6 attractions with several side attractions also available (escape room and hearse rides). Our group personally feels nearly $50 for the 6 attractions is a bit steep but at least it's close to home for most of our team. Once our team of 8 all arrived we snagged our tickets and headed to the first attraction of the night. We elected to head for the House of Eyes, our least favorite attraction from 2018. The House of Eyes is housed in an old and decrepit looking barn, the perfect setting for a spooktacular attraction. In 2018 we were thoroughly disappointed with the lack of thrill factor in this attraction and the poor scare acting. Well the Kim’s Krypt team definitely took it up a notch for their blackout night. As we wandered through the first few scenes in complete darkness we quickly received several startles. This upbeat and thrilling experience continued throughout the entirety of the attraction. The scare actors utilized the darkness to their advantage, waiting in the shadows until the perfect moment to startle us arrived! Although we couldn’t take in much of the set design we could definitely tell there were some tweaks made to several scenes. Next up we headed for one of the most simplistic yet adrenaline pumping attractions; Dark Despair! We took note that Kim relocated this attraction and actually put a permanent structure over top to keep the inflatable attraction out of the elements/weather. This is going on year 3 in a row of partaking in this attraction yet it still gets our heart pumping. Something about wandering aimlessly through the dark all by yourself with eerie sounds echoing about really messes with our minds. Depending on how lucky you are this attraction can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. We’ve had members practically walk straight through with little to no trouble while others get turned around dozens of times. If wandering through the dark isn’t scary enough then you ought to hope and pray the one lone actor somehow misses you. This perfectly placed actor scared the hell out of our team. So again, Dark Despair definitely takes the cake on the most simple yet thrilling attraction. Next we headed for the Terror Trail, our squads favorite from the 2018 season. Once making your way through the queue line guests are welcomed into Kim’s personal halloween collectible museum. Tons of new and old Halloween related collectibles are on display. Some may feel this is a bit tacky but we personally enjoyed checking out Kim’s collection. Terror Trail seemingly underwent some pretty impressive construction during this past offseason. A good ⅓ of the attraction seemed to be completely revamped with the addition of several new buildings. We’ve always been impressed with the old school set design vibe that the Terror Trail possesses. Tons of handmade scenes with a touch of indy haunt vibe thrown in. One of our favorite additions was the facade to the toxic waste scene; it truly made the entire scene feel more complete. The Terror Trail always seems to be light on the actors but at least the actors they did have were spot on. They were extremely engaged with our group and provided a spooktacular performance. Special shout-out to the scare actors in the junk yard/tire scene; they were hilarious and horrifying all in one! Next up we ventured back across the street for the final three attractions; Kim’s Krazy Maze, Horror of Menges Mill and The Haunted Mill. Kim’s Krazy Maze is exactly how it sounds. A maze of pure kraziness! Several dark maze like tunnels had our group spun around and clueless as to where we were headed several times. The darkness along with the LOUD Purge sirens really gave this attraction an upbeat atmosphere! The scare actors played off that vibe perfectly and really gave our team some good scares. If we remember correctly Michael Myers was stationed near the end of the attraction and was then followed up by a chainsaw wielding clown. The combination of these two nearly made one of our members piss her pants. To finish off the night we hit Horror of Menges Mill and The Haunted Mill. These are two completely separate attractions but we will talk about them as one. Both attractions possess a rather lengthy duration of about 15 minutes. Our biggest disappointment from 2018 with these attractions was the outdatedness. Majority of the scenes featured props that have to be at least 20-30 years old with many of the malfunctioning, if functioning at all. We were hoping to see Kim make some changes to these attractions but were unfortunately left disappointed. We did hear through the grapevine that these attractions are next up on Kim’s renovation plans. Still one of our favorites is the moving wall that nearly squashes guests into pancakes. We also love the large spook that chases guests near the end of The Haunted Mill. Although there weren’t many changes, if any, in these two attractions we still felt they were two of Kim’s more consistent haunts in terms of overall experience. Looking back on our experience we couldn’t really pick out a “weak link”, which is a testament to Kim’s goal of enhancing the overall experience. All in all we were pleasantly surprised by the experience we received and are truly hopeful that Kim and her team can continue to better the experience each year. By the time we completed all 6 attractions it was getting late so we unfortunately didn’t get to experience Kim’s Zombie Escape Room. Although from the looks of it, it sure seems like a fun time! Before heading home for the night our squad had to take time to speak with the Queen of Halloween herself, Kim Yates. No one loves Halloween as much as Kim and once you get to meet her you’ll understand what we mean! Kuddos to Kim and her krazy team for truly stepping up their game this year and providing a SCREAMTASTIC experience. We sure hope that Kim and her team can continue to provide this type of experience each and every day this haunt season. If you’re in the area and looking for an old school style haunt definitely give Kim’s Krypt a whirl. This haunt certainly isn’t for everyone but it’ll satisfy most goers wants and needs!

Individual Attraction Review:

Attraction Name: House of Eyes

Overall Attraction Rating: 7/10

Cast and Crew Rating: 7/10