Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Akron Haunted Schoolhouse & Laboratory
Website: www.hauntedschoolhouse.com
Location of Attraction: Akron Ohio
Date of Review: 10/2/2020
Total Number of Attractions Available: 1
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 9/10
Entertainment & Food Rating: 8.5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 9/10
Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10
Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9.5/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Feedback: On the 2nd and final evening of our Ohio Haunt Tour we elected to kick off our evening at the well known Akron Haunted Schoolhouse & Laboratory. It was the opening weekend of the 2020 haunt season for these folks and we certainly couldn’t tell. From start to finish the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse team provided a smooth, safe, and spooky fun experience! Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets online this season as timed ticketing is being utilized to control the crowd size. Unfortunately due to covid protocols, what would typically be two separate attractions is only one for the 2020 season. The Laboratory is open on Friday evenings and the Haunted Schoolhouse is open on Saturday evenings. Since we visited on a Saturday we had the pleasure of experiencing the Haunted Schoolhouse.
COVID PROTOCOLS: From start to finish we were impressed with the protocols these folks enforced. Face masks were strictly enforced and required for all patrons and haunt staff. Social distancing was also enforced throughout the midway and queue line areas. Groups were being sent into the attraction several minutes apart, ensuring you’d never encounter another group during your journey. All guests were asked to sanitize their hands prior to entering and throughout the attraction.
Before heading for the queue line our squad paroozed the midway area to check out the available offerings. Right off the bat we took notice of several different photo-op booths, midway games, gift shop, food truck, and full sized bar. The midway area also featured several large horrifying skeleton props that had to be at least 12’ tall. Several scare actors were also roaming about, engaging with the guests. Definitely lots to enjoy before and after your experience here at Akron Haunted Schoolhouse.
General admission tickets run for $25 with fast pass upgrade available for an additional $12. Since we were visiting early in the evening we elected for general admission tickets. We definitely recommend either arriving early in the evening or purchasing the fast pass upgrade, as the queue line filled quickly resulting in nearly an hour wait by 8pm. Shortly after 7pm we jumped in line, eager to experience the Haunted Schoolhouse.
Housed in a rather large, decrepit appearing, and ominous building, The Haunted Schoolhouse certainly has the perfect home for a spooky fun experience! Guests begin their experience on the top floor of the old building and descend downwards throughout the experience, eventually ending and exiting from the eerie basement. The build team did an excellent job accenting parts of the old building into their set designs, allowing the buildings true eeriness to shine through. From start to finish we were amazed with the haunts perfect usage of modern and old school style special effects! Stunning visual and intense audio effects were utilized to immerse patrons further into the experience. Several areas throughout the attraction featured uneven or slanted flooring to help disorient guests. One room even had flooring that was swaying, giving off the impression of being on a boat in the ocean. Handmade props were littered throughout the attraction along with numerous animatronics! The set designs were aesthetically pleasing, possessing clear attention to detail in all aspects. Some of the scenes we encountered were MASSIVE, and just truly larger than life. We couldn’t help but “Ooh” and “Aah” nearly our entire way through the Haunted Schoolhouse. Some of our favorite sections were the schoolhouse scene, graveyard, swamp, vampire/dungeon-esque room, clown scene, and the list goes on!
The scare actors encountered throughout our journey were top notch, featuring first-rate costuming and makeup and a knack for scaring the yell out of us! These folks were cleverly hidden and pounced on us at just the right time to deliver the scare! We were impressed with their interactivity with the guests and exhilarating energy! Despite being a bit understaffed these folks rose to the challenge and still delivered a frightfully fun experience!
All in all it took about 20-25 minutes for our squad to traverse through the Haunted Schoolhouse. We took some time to converse about our experience and it was clear that everyone was blown away by the experience we received. Our squad unanimously voted Akron Haunted Schoolhouse a MUST SEE Haunted Attraction in Ohio as they provided a top-notch experience featuring exquisite set design, menacing scare actors, and hair-raising scares! If you’re looking for an evening of spooky fun we strongly recommend paying Akron Haunted Schoolhouse & Laboratory a visit. Our squad can’t wait to return in years to come, especially since we didn’t get to experience The Laboratory! Job well done Akron Haunted Schoolhouse team. Thanks for providing that entertaining, blood-curdling, and downright horrifying experience we were looking for!
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