Hacker House *Official* Reviews 2010

[Slappy]

Submitted by:  Radiant_Red
Date Attended:  10/1/2010

Scare Factor - 5/5 It was opening night and I had a lot of fun! I genuinely jumped on at least 3 separate occasions.

Actors - 5/5 I always look forward to HH having new and original characters every year, inside and outside, entertaining the crowd. Very creative and  you can tell they are dedicated to their alter ego, and they don't "break" character as I have seen at other attractions. They probably won't touch you intentionally but they will get uncomfortably close and  I mean that in the best way.

Set Design/Props/FX 4.5/5 -  There were some new scenes this year that were extremely cool, I don't want to spoil anything, but there is an amazing looking light effect, and they brought back a favorite "forest" type scene. There are also some completely dark settings, that are totally (un)settling and fun!!

Length -5/5  It felt longer this year because of new scenes where I found myself lost for awhile, and I also like to slow down and take everything in. It's a great length.

Other   -  There are certain parts of this haunt where the atmosphere is heightened by almost total silence, other than you and your group talking. Its creepy and you're in for absolutely unsuspected scares.

Overall Impression - 5/5 I always recommend Hacker House to everyone I know and I love bringing new victims to experience it. I know I will be back before the end of the season.

[Slappy]

Submitted by: krb187
Date attended 10-8-10
 
 
Scare Factor 5/5 - I'm a very hard person to scare, but Hacker House succeeded. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable at a haunt, and I loved every second of it. They really get into your face here and just bombard every sense you have throughout the entire haunt. Without giving too much away, I found myself completely alone with actors at one point, one of which had a chainsaw. Good stuff man.
 
Actors 5/5 - I don't think you can even call these guys actors. They're characters. They NEVER break character for anything. It wouldn't surprise me if they were like this even after they went home. The guys in line made me laugh more than anything, but once you get inside it's a whole different story. All they want is to scare you and they are good at it. Though I have to say my favorite actor was the guy who chased a group of girls around the parking lot yelling "I just want to be friends!" That memory will keep me laughing for years. Just make sure you have some bacon if you see him..
 
Set Design/Props/FX 4/5 - Everything at the Hacker House, including the queue line, is very detailed and just beautiful to look at. It's set in the middle of the woods and that really sets the mood. When you get into the actual house itself you really feel like you've gone into a whole other world. The blackout maze was extremely dissorientating. Especially with and actor grabbing my legs the entire time haha. I came out of there with an entirely different group of people then when I went in.
 
Length 3/5 - Quite simply I just didn't want it to end when it did. It seemed like it was over just as I was really getting into it.
 
Overall 5/5 - I have to say this might be as close to a perfect haunt as it gets. The entire time I was there I was entertained. Whether it was being scared or laughing to the point of tears, I can honestly say I enjoyed every second of the experience. This is a must for any haunted house fan.

[Slappy]

Submitted by:  Handfulofrubies82
Hacker House 10/01/10

Scare Factor - 4/5 I can always count on screaming at Hacker House.  I loved the dark and that's where I was scared the most.  I got completely lost in the dark and was surprised and scared several times because I never saw the actors coming.

Actors - 5/5 The actors did a great job from the moment I arrived on HH property. I loved how interactive they were with their "victims."  I loved that a lot of them invaded my space, which made the whole experience creepier.  And while many are creepy, they had Bacon and he brought the humor. I kept waiting for him to fall off his seat he was rocking.

Set Design/Props/FX - 5/5 HH added some  new things this year.  I absolutely fell in love with the lighting in the concession area. I know it's not "in the haunt" but I wanted to take it home. You'll have to go and see for yourself, but the new saw mill effect is really cool. I also loved the crypt area. Its dark, accentuated with low light, and incredibly quiet. There is also another lighting effect once you get outside that is pretty cool and worked great for the scene.

Length - 5/5 The length was great. It felt longer this year. I got lost easily and it took me three times to find the exit.

Other   - I'm so excited they brought back a certain scene they had a few years ago. I enjoyed the strobe effect and I'd stay in there forever if I could.

Overall Impression -5/5  HH will probably always be my favorite haunt. I feel lucky to have such a great haunt so close to where I live. The actors went above and beyond.  I like that its indoors and outdoors. Cliff has always been good to us and I plan to go back again if I can fit in into a weekend.

[Slappy]

Submitted by:  packbacker
Date Attended:  10/9/2010
 
Scare Factor - 3.5/5
While I didn't find Hacker House particularly scary, it did an amazing job of making patrons disoriented and uncomfortable.  Don't misunderstand me- there are scares and plenty of actors trying to make you scream.  What I found most effective,though, were the areas that were pitch black.  My senses were telling me that there were people lurking there but none jumped out....this was incredibly eerie.  Hacker House also utilized some heavier hanging props that added to a sense of confusion.  There seemed to be a much darker vibe this year which I loved.  Last year the second half of the haunt seemed comical...this year it gets evil.  There's nothing like pushing back a heavy hanging bag to find a ghoul staring at you.  The scare factor drops a bit as the trail gets backed up with groups.  I don't know a way to fix it but we had groups piling on top of each other which dropped the scare factor a bit.
 
Actors - 3.5/5
For what it's worth I think Hacker House has the best outside queue actors around.  The makeup may look better at Spookywoods but the interaction these guys and gals undergo with patrons is amusing to say the least.   I'd love to give this category 5/5 but I again this year caught two actors breaking
character.  One was straight up chatting to a patron (and not the improv sort) and another was scratching himself in the open looking for the next group coming down the trail.  That being said the rest of the actors were top notch.  They were well placed, menacing, and unafraid to violate your personal space.  This group of actors also does a terrific job of improvising chatter when it's called for with haunt-goers.  I found the one child actor I saw (generally a weak link at haunts) to be terrific.  He's got a great future ahead of him in this biz!

Set Design/Props/FX 4.5/5 -
Man does the house look good.  Cutesy goes by the wayside here.  I adore the medical sets that are just splattered with blood and gore.  The biggest improvement in my eyes were the outdoor sets this year.  The room with the poles is simplistic but a heckuva lot of fun.
 
Length - 5/5
The haunt seemed longer than last year.  Not too long, not too short, Hacker House left us satisfied.
 
Other   -
Very easy to find, ample parking, and friendly staff.  I loved how the sheriff's deputy at the entrance induced my friend to turn around and see the
ghoul that was inches from the back of her head.  He and I shared a hearty chuckle on that one.

Overall Impression - 4/5
I was disappointed with Hacker House last year and honestly probably would not have made a return visit if not for being a FrightSeeker reviewer.  I was very pleased with the additions and changes they've implemented; it again feels sinister rather than a series of laughing fits.  I haven't found a haunt yet
this year that has been as disorienting as Hacker House.  They are now back on my radar for yearly visits!

[Slappy]

Submitted by: k2quiere
Date Attended: 10/22/2010
 
Scare Factor 4.5/5: Never fails that Hacker House gets quite a few shrieks and screams out of our group. Let me just say that the sets are so disorienting that you become unaware of what creepy crawlies are around, and then the actors spring at you. This is the first year that we didn’t have one of our group being chased around in the parking lot, but that is always icing on the cake. What happens inside is what it’s really about. I almost stepped on one of the bushmen before he jumped up and completely startled me, then he was somewhere else and scared another section of our group. Also, Dr. Jonas really decided to make his presence known (multiple times) on this visit. There’s nothing like having a mad doctor show up around every corner with his blades sliding together laughing at us.
 
Actors 5/5: The characters here are all so original that I look forward to seeing what they will come up with next. I know it’s never going to be the same old, same old. One thing about the actors at Hacker House, they know their physical space, and they use it all. We had a character jump out at us on one side of a huge work bench and within seconds, he was under the table and on the other side with a chainsaw.
 
Set design/Props/FX 5/5: I love how every detail is thought of here, even the ceilings. The visuals, the atmosphere, and even the smells are perfect for each section. I’m always amazed while walking through the cave set because you hear the water dripping and it feels like a wet, clammy cave. I like how they have some animatronics, but they don’t rely on them to be the entire scene.
 
Length 4.5/5: I always want this haunt to be longer, but this year it actually felt longer than it has the other times we visited. We are never rushed through, even when they are busy.
 
Other: We received a warm reception from some very interesting characters and VIP treatment, which was great--Thanks, Bacon! Like I said earlier, we also had Dr. Jonas keeping us company, which was fun. The maze is an effective (and DARK) addition that added to the length.
 
Overall 4.5/5: One of my favorite things about Hacker House is that it provides the creepy feeling that you may just get stuck in their world. Not once is an actor screaming at your to get out; instead, they are asking you to stay or telling you that you won’t be leaving. To me, the whole point of a haunt is to feel like it could become your real nightmare, and Hacker House always provides that feeling.

[Slappy]

Submitted by:  Bethyboo
Attended 10/23/2010

Scare Factor: 5/5 - All I can say is WOW.  I really didn’t know it was possible to scare me that bad.  I had all of my fears exploited and began to wonder if I would fully recover from this experience.  This is a very scary haunted attraction.  They feed off of fear and seem to actually become more energetic the more traumatized you become.  Hacker House takes haunting to the next level, and you better be ready.

Actors: 5/5 - The actors of Hacker House are a big part of what makes it so scary.  They are very in your face, by invading your personal space and loud.  I was part of the last group of the evening, so I thought they might be tired and I would be safe.  I was so wrong.

Set Design: 5/5 - The house looked different from last year.  I thought the scenes were great and had a lot of detail.  The monsters were able to come from all directions, so I was unable to find a safe corner, or space that looked empty.  The maze was incredible, and I was truly lost for a while.

Length: 5/5 - We were in the attraction for about 45 minutes.  It was plenty of time for them to traumatize me.  With us being the last group of the evening, it may have provided the monsters the opportunity to continue our scare all the way to the parking area.  I was wishing I could leave, and really wasn’t sure that was going to happen. 

Overall: 5/5 - Hacker house was very scary this year.  I don’t think I have had or will have an experience at any other haunted attraction like the one I had Saturday night.  They know what is scary and figure out real quick what scares you!  I highly recommend this attraction to everyone who loves to be scared. 

[Slappy]

Submitted By: Sabrina913
Date Attended: October 23, 2010

Scare Factor 5/5 – I can now say that my two most traumatic experiences have happened at this haunt. If I could give them higher than a 5 rating for their scare factor I would. I now know what it must be like when a monster movie turns real. Bethyboo and I decided to go to this haunt on our own because my brother couldn’t go. We thought we would be brave. OMG we were so wrong. First we were the very last in line for the night. I am sure we got a bigger effect than normal because of this, but I seriously thought I was in a never ending nightmare. They managed to separate us from each other so we were each alone, feeling very helpless among what seemed like hundreds of monsters! As we left a section the monsters followed us. You really don’t realize how many actors are in a haunt until they all surround you. TERRIFYING!!! 
 
Actors 5/5 – The actors were great! Even though we were the last two of the night they never broke character. We thought they might be tired and cut us a break, but we were so very, very wrong. I think the more they came after us the more energy they got. Not once did they break character. I would have been laughing hysterically at us, but they didn’t which made it even scarier for us. At one point I thought I might have knocked myself out and was having a nightmare. No, it was real. I will say they were so good that when I went to bed that night and closed my eyes all I could see was them coming for me.

Set Design/Props/FX 5/5 – From what I could see, when I wasn’t trying to hide in a corner, the sets were great as usual. They put a lot of effort and thought into their designs. There seemed to be a lot of new scenes this year and the effects were great.
 
Length 5/5 – It is longer this year, about 45 minutes and so worth it. I was surprised to see that it wasn’t later when we left because we were so traumatized it seemed like hours had gone by. When we finally saw the parking area we thought it was over, but again we were wrong. They chased us into the parking lot. At that point I really thought about running into the woods to get away.
 
Overall 5/5 – It was GREAT! I don’t think we will ever have a haunt top what Hacker House put us through Saturday night. They know scary! They are very quick at finding what you are afraid of and exploiting that fear. We haven’t talked about much else, but Hacker House, since leaving. You must go to this haunt before the season ends or you will be missing an absolutely horrifying experience.