Midway Wicked Woods *Official* Reviews 2010

[Slappy]

Submitted by: krb187
Date attended 10-1-10
 
 
Scare Factor 4/5 - They did a way better job this year of making me feel uncomfortable. Mostly because the actors were really out for blood. My personal space was invaded at every chance they got and I really enjoyed that. I was laughing more than anything else but that's only because I was having such a great time.
 
Actors 5/5 - These guys had to be on a mix of speed and steroids. The very first guy to jump onto the tractor up to the entrance acually head-butted me in his eagerness to get on. Some people probably wouldn't like that but I loved it. Every actor got up close and personal and really made you feel like these guys might be crazy. I had countless chainsaws inches from my face and even had two sparking blades rubbed against my leg (I was wearing shorts). This is what I think actors should be like.
 
Set Design/Props/FX 3/5 - Midway is set in the middle of the woods and they use that to their advantage. You feel very isolated most of the way through, and it always has that old school campiness feel to it. It isnt polished and high budget but very raw and it works. Don't get me wrong, they have some insane props that will make you jump, but don't expect too many high dollar effects. My only problem with the set is that a large portion towards the end was completely bare as far as I could tell.
 
Length 2.5- The trail really flew by this year. It seemed alot longer last year. Also it was dissapointing that a large section of the trail was left bare seeing how the length felt a lot shorter than usual.
 
Overall 4/5 - Even with the low scores I gave for length and set design I still gave the overall experience a 4 because I really enjoyed the haunt regardless. The actors were really the heart and soul of it this and in my opinion make Midway Wicked Woods completely worth checking out. I hope they can keep up the energy and intensity all season long.

Note from the owners of Midway Wicked Woods:  Thanks for the great review. Glad you had a great time on our opening night. You must have been moving fast as you walked/ran if our haunt seemed shorter than before, as we actually added a new section for 2010. Come back soon.

[Slappy]

Submitted by: k2quiere
Date Attended: 10-16-2010

Scare Factor 4.5/5: All I can say without giving too much away is Miner Cart and whatever was going on in that pitch black room. The house at the beginning had some interesting startles. I must say that we were the VERY last group to go through, so I was afraid the actors would be too tired to interact with us or else would forget we were there, but just the opposite happened, which made it great.

Actors 4.5/5: Back to my comment about being the last group through, the actors tried all of their initial scares and then followed us through a great deal of the haunt, right out of their assigned sections. The initial hayride to the haunt entrance wasn’t as action-packed as it had been last year, but we got a lot of interaction with the characters, which was great. Then there were many actors roaming through the line and interactive with the “victims” for then hour or so we waited.

Set Design/Props/FX 4/5: Again, I have to mention the Miner Cart. We began to wonder about its purpose until that purpose was made clear to us. OMG, there were some of the freakiest looking spiders that sprayed us with water. Another plus was the pitch black room with the unusual floor. I almost thought I wasn’t going to make it out of there.

Length 4/5: For all that I enjoyed the haunt, especially some of the newer additions, I was left wanting more when we got to the end. I think part of that was because we were the last group and so one of the actors came to find us in the maze instead of letting us run our way through. This made it take very little time to make our way to the end. I still think they have one of the best, most claustrophobic mazes I’ve ever been in.

Other: The ride in and interaction with the actors before you even enter the haunt was great. Also, the flame thrower is always cool. Having Halloween playing on the big screen helped distract from the length of time we were waiting.

Overall 4/5: We were thoroughly pleased with Midway last year, and we were not disappointed this year. Midway will remain on my list of haunts to see every year, and it is well worth the drive.

[MidwayHaunter]

Just wanted to drop in and thank you guys for the reviews and kind words  


Btw: that "pitch black room with unusual floor' is dedicated to Slappy

[Slappy]

Submitted by: packbacker
Date attended 10-14-10

Scare Factor 4/5 -
 Wow. Last year I had fun but this year I was just blown away. Our group had people running through the woods, one episode of falling down, > and the holy grail- loss of bladder control. No one personally got me, but I spent most of my time doubled over in laughter as other members of my group shrieked and ran. I felt there was a great mix of animatronics, traditional pop out scares, noises, and excellent use of claustrophobia/darkness. The scares were also well placed/timed. The only thing I'd say is that if you're in the back of the group you miss several scares in the first house while the group is shuffling through a room.

Actors 5/5 -
 The bar was raised this year. Last year I didn't detect the gleeful malevolence that I felt this year. This haunt featured the most relentless group of actors I may have ever encountered. They did not give up. They chased and harassed one member of our group for eternity. There was no breaking of character. These guys did a fantastic job of utilizing names (with a little help from a group > leader...) which just adds to the scare factor.

Set Design/Props/FX 4.5/5 -
 Maybe my memory is fading but it seems like this place did a heckuva lot of upgrading in the off-season. There's still the use of the woods, but the sets in the house and especially the mine shaft looked amazing.  Possibly the most effective set/prop was a room that was pitch black with an interesting floor. Now that was creepy. Even the maze felt upgraded as I don't remember any scares in it last year. I would have loved for the clown house to be a longer scene- there were some fantastic, trippy masks to look at in there!

Length 5/5
 You get your money's worth. It felt significantly longer than last year. I think we were all ready for a breather at the end. Although I'm not a fan of vortexes, this one seemed really cool with the black lights and the Jason mask at the end of the tunnel. I left feeling satisfied and literally clapping.

Other-
 Midway Wicked Woods gives you a sense of being in the middle of nowhere but it is easily accessible from I-40. We never felt rushed and never saw/heard another group while on our walk.
 
Overall 5/5 -
 I really had a perfect visit. Smaller weekday crowds allowed us a leisurely "stroll" through the Wicked Woods. I'm not sure if the actors can keep up that intensity on a fully booked weekend but they gave it their A game tonight. While I was marveling at how cool a set/prop looked, other members of my group were running for the hills. Just a fantastic time- a crisp October evening, a country tractor ride, screams of terror/delight, and the revving of a half dozen chainsaws. Who could ask for anything more?

[Slappy]

Submitted by: mjones
Date Attended: 10/14/2010

Scare Factor: 4/5 - This trail had big scares that stemmed from its originality and its aggressive actors.  They used people's names to excellent effect, and
weren't all just the same kind of monster over and over. But my favorite aspect of this haunt was how textural it was; there's a lot of stooping and squeezing through and the overall claustrophobia really helps create a sense of dread to the place.  I loved it!

Actors: 5/5 - In your face and lots of 'em.  They had creepers and runners, and even one guy who was just off to the side near a fake fire.  He watched us the whole way and had every one of us looking over our shoulders and he never even came after us.  And yet he's one of the ones I remember most, and that's the sign of a well-run ensemble of crazies.  Well done.

Set Design/Props/FX: 5/5 - So good though the actors were, it was the set design that really was the star of this haunt for me.  As I said, lots of tight spaces
and crap in your face to disorient you, all very effective.  My favorite was this shack you walked into that was pitch black and had a giant inflatable...thing to navigate around as the floor mushed and tilted away from you as you walked.  Like walking through a set from Beetlejuice.  Other
highlights were a menacing mine car and an excellent funeral in the woods.  Everything was top notch.

Length: 4/5 - Felt right, definitely a good sized trail.  I think everyone in our group left satisfied.

Overall: 4.8/5 - This was pretty much what you look for in a spook trail.  I thought every scene was more or less effective, though I did find myself behind
the scares being in the back, which was unfortunate.  Still, good details and some definite moments of not being so sure about your safety.  Very convenient to the highway but doesn't suffer from that and it really felt like the operators cared about what they were doing, which I appreciated.  I would heartily recommend this one to fans and definitely have it on my list for next year!