Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Oasis Island of Terror
Website: www.oasisislandofterror.com
Location of Attraction: Robbinsville NJ
Date of Review: 10/17/2020
Total Number of Attractions Available: 2
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 6.5/10
Entertainment & Food Rating: 6/10
Atmosphere Rating: 7/10
Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 6/10
Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 6/10
Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7/10
Overall Feedback: Oasis Island of Terror located in Robbinsville New Jersey is a family fun park by day, but a spooky lovers favorite destination by night! Back for their 7th year of providing fear, Oasis Island of Terror provides two haunted attraction offerings for 2020! Terror awaits in the darkness of BLACKOUT, and face your fears in THE WOODS HAVE EYES! Our squad has been eager to visit these folks for a few seasons now. We vowed this season to show New Jersey some love this season, so we knew Oasis Island of Terror had to be a stop on this year's Haunt Tour.
We arrived at Oasis Island of Terror shortly before 7pm on a mildly warm Saturday evening. The sun had just set and the darkness of the night was now upon us. Prior to snagging tickets we perused the property to check out it’s offerings. Not much in terms of entertainment outside the attractions. A soundtrack of Halloween related music was blaring throughout the property. A food truck was serving up all sorts of delicious treats. A small country style store had some scrumptious looking munchies as well. Definitely a laid back atmosphere here at Oasis Island of Terror. We’d like to see these folks add in some queue line entertainment, whether it be roaming scare actors and or live entertainment (local bands, freak shows, etc). According to the website, these folks would typically have an escape room onsite, but due to Covid-19 safety protocols the escape room is closed for 2020. Axe throwing or Halloween themed games would also be a nice addition to the midway area.
After perusing the property, we headed over to the ticket booth to meet up with Karen, owner of Oasis Island of Terror. We were able to get a brief backstory of the haunt and learn about their journey in the haunt industry. Karen is an extremely friendly individual, who was clearly eager to hear our thoughts and listen to our suggestions. After conversing for a few moments, Karen set us up with tickets and sent us off to experience Oasis Island of Terror. Tickets for BLACKOUT are $15 and The Woods Have Eyes are $25. A combo ticket is available for $35 per person. Unfortunately no fast pass option is available, so we strongly recommend visiting early in the season or arriving early on the evening you plan to attend.
To kick the evening off we elected for BLACKOUT. The ticket taker reviewed the rules for the attraction and provided one glowstick per group to help light the way. Our journey through BLACKOUT began with a brief walk through a cornfield into a desolate and dark structure. Within seconds we were immersed into a dark and eerie atmosphere. Our glowstick was the only source of light to guide us through the darkness! Some of the most unnerving sound effects we’ve heard this season were echoing about the attraction. Between the darkness and the unsettling sound effects, our skin was definitely crawling with uncertainty. Set design overall was extremely simple, but very effective! For the most part, the attraction was filled with darkness except for a neat blacklighted clown scene! A few animatronics and special effects were scattered throughout to help deliver scares. Shout-out to Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Emily the Clown for being energized and engaging with our squad. Unfortunately most of the other scare actors encountered were a bit lifeless, providing unremarkable performances. We’d love to see Oasis Island of Terror crank up the volume on the sound effects and utilize fog throughout the attraction. These two features would really help to further disorient the guests! A few flash crackers, air cannons, horns, etc would also be a nice touch to help add in a few more startles! If possible, narrowing the passageways and creating more of a maze-like pathway would also increase the intensity of the attraction! Overall, BLACKOUT is a simple attraction, about 10 minutes in length, that just needs a few tweaks, which would in return really enhance the overall experience and up the ante on the scare factor!
After exiting BLACKOUT we ventured back to the midway and hopped into line for The Woods Have Eyes. By this point in time the line had significantly grown, creating nearly a 30 minute wait. This gave us ample time to snag some munchies and converse about our experience in BLACKOUT while we waited. Eventually we reached the main entrance, where the ticket taker reviewed the attraction rules and gave us a brief overview of the journey that lies ahead. The Woods Have Eyes is a 1.5 mile long journey through the woods, cornfield, and darkest depths of the Oasis Island of Terror property! We ventured our way down the dimly lit path into the woods where our journey began. Sinister sound effects were again utilized along the journey to help immerse guests further into the scenes. If possible, we’d definitely like for these folks to crank up the volume on the sound effects, especially in the dark maze areas, to help further disorient guests and intensify the experience. The Woods Have Eyes featured multiple shack style scenes, with quality props and set work. One scene featured a kitchen setup with a scare actor who came barreling out of the fridge door to provide a fright! By far one of our favorite scenes was the chicken themed scene, featuring chicken sound effects and one of the creepiest dark mazes we’ve ever encountered. We felt like we were traversing through a pitch black chicken coop, as chicken sounds blared and straw was utilized to give off that realistic feel. Another unique scene was a massive pallet maze, that had legitimate dead ends and numerous passageways. Some of our squad got lost in the maze, giving the scare actors more time to torment us. No major usage of special effects was noted along our journey, but we enjoyed the vortex tunnel and swamp! At one point along our journey we stumbled upon a large scale church facade, that provided rather unnerving vibes. Once inside the church doors we had to meander through a dark maze and then were heckled by a deranged nun! Along our journey we encountered a handful of scare actors who were top notch, providing interactive and horrifying performances! But unfortunately, we often encountered folks who were just flat out lackluster in their performance. The Woods Have Eyes has the setup to be a quite terrifying and exhilarating trail attraction, but in order to do so they’ll have to find ways to motivate their scare acting team.
After nearly a 25 minute journey through The Woods Have Eyes, we ended back in the midway area. Our squad had a few moments to converse about our experience. We definitely feel that Oasis Island of Terror provides a spooky fun experience for the local New Jersey haunt enthusiasts. With a few set design tweaks, increased usage of special effects, and a more animated scare acting team, Oasis Island of Terror could easily become a must see Haunted Attraction! Although not the scariest attraction, these folks will definitely provide an enjoyable experience with a few startles and surprises lurking throughout. We have high hopes that the Oasis Island of Terror team will continue to grow and develop. We can’t wait to revisit these folks again in a few seasons to check out what’s new. If you’re in the Robbinsville New Jersey area, swing by Oasis Island of Terror for some spooky fun! Only three nights remain this season, so go visit before it’s too late!
Individual Attraction Ratings:
Attraction Name: BLACKOUT
Overall Attraction Rating: 6.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 6.5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 6.5/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7/10
Attraction Name: The Woods Have Eyes
Overall Attraction Rating: 7/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 6/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 7/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7/10