ANALYSIS: Located off of a country road in a rural neighborhood, the Chippewa Lake Slaugherhouse is exactly the type of place you would expect a family of murderous butchers to call home. This haunt makes its home in a real-life abandoned slaughterhouse, which gives it an authentic feel that is impossible to duplicate in a big box warehouse. The cinder block building, the wires in the ceiling, and the signs and equipment that look like they've been at that location for a hundred years (because they probably have) make it clear that you're walking into a place of nightmares. Blood has been spilled on these floors in the past and, if you're not careful, yours may be next.
Everything about this haunt immerses you in the single story they want to tell. While some haunted houses will play "heavy" music like Rob Zombie while you wait in line, that never feels like what a family of crazed monsters would actually listen to. Instead, while waiting to get into the Slaughterhouse, you're treated to old-timey hillbilly folk music. Just that little change throws you off and gets you thinking about what these people would actually be listening to, and shows that this isn't a haunted house that's going to be "fun." Your welcome crew in the entrance line, which mimics a cattle chute, makes it clear that there are no clowns in this slaughterhouse, this isn't a fun "trip," and their goal is terror.
The haunt plays on the single slaughterhouse theme for nearly the entire time. You move room to room, seeing words painted in blood, an old meat counter where you could purchase the freshest cuts, giant saws used to process hogs and cattle, and all of the workers still there looking to add you to their fresh meat of the day. There aren't any animatronic aliens, just long crazed killers with their tools in hand. Sparks fly from chains whipped across concrete, chainsaws are in use, and you can even see the headless remains of a former worker who wasn't careful enough on the job.
The props are numerous and well done, and the slaughterhouse staff are ready for anything. At times, however, it does feel like you're moving from room to room waiting for something big to happen. This haunt has a lot of great bloody pieces and clearly wants to terrify their audience, but they could use a few highlights to truly pop. They could also use a bit of a change of pace, something to throw you off and add to the "am I going to get out of here" feel. It sometimes feels like you're waiting for a crescendo that never quite arrives. The good thing is that this is still a relatively new haunt with plenty of space and the desire to create a world-class location. All of the pieces are there and I'm expecting that some continued growth will bring this place in line with some of the best haunts in Ohio.
This is not a haunted house to take young kids to. If you're looking for a fun date where that cute girl will grab your arm while half screaming/half giggling, you might want to look elsewhere. If you want to see intense examples of bloody violence, however, this is one that you'll want to check out. The creep factor is high and the feel of the space is off the charts. The Slaughterhouse revels in being a bloody spectacle, and they hit that mark very well. (J.M) |
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