RECAP: The facade of an old haunted house serves as the entrance to this year's event, where monsters attack just inside the venue along International Street.  Halloween Haunt features 9 independently-themed, maze-style attractions (listed above), 7 walk-through scare zones (Coney Maul, Dance of the Macabre, International Street Fear, Pumpkin Eater, Rivertown Reaping, Shipwrecked,and ZombieMall), and 3 "Sinister Shows" (Haunted Homecoming, Monster Rock, and Drums of the Dead).  The night can be complimented by purchasing Fright Lane passes, which grant front-of-the-line access to all haunt-related activities.  In addition, the enjoyment of 22 of the park's top "Thrill Rides" - Adventure Express, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Banshee, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, Delirium, Diamondback, Dodgem, Drop Tower, Flight of Fear, Invertigo, Kings Mills Antique Autos, Monster, Mystic Timbers, Scrambler, Shake, Rattle & Roll, The Bat, The Beast, The Racer, Viking Fury, Vortex, Windseeker, and Zehhyr is included with admission.  In all, that's 19 haunted attractions plus rides for one low price!  Our favorite and best scoring "Haunts" are listed in order: Slaughter House, KillMart, Urgent Scare, Wolf Pack, C.H.A.O.S., Field of Screams, Blackout, Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror, and Backwoods Bayou. The best "Scare Zones" were the highly decorated Pumpkin Eater (1½ mins, 8 actors),  Shipwrecked (1½ mins, 10 actors), and Rivertown Reaping (4 mins, 10 actors - 4 of which were "sliders").  Specifics on the remaining "walk-throughs" - Zombie Mall (2 mins, 4 actors), Coney Maul (1 mins, 2 actors just talking to each other instead of trying to scare), Dance of the Macabre (1½ mins, 9 actors), and International Street Fear (2 mins, 1 actor).

ANALYSIS:
Slaughter House, Urgent Scare, and Killmart all did a great job of utilizing misdirection from various mechanical props to accentuate actor scares.  Best finish by far is seen in Wolf Pack (angry werewolf actortronic), with KillMart scoring honorable mention (hidden, unseen zombie attack).  Best acting is a close call between Slaughter House and KillMart.  Costuming is well above average, and prosthetic masks are appreciated especially in Urgent Scare.  However, dialogue is weak across the board, and needs to be improved upon.  Rahs, giggling, saying hello, and asking where you're going should be done away with in favor of more meaningful, menacing, intimidating, and sometimes downright threatening interactions.

Attractions are short by design in order to accommodate throughput of large crowds.  Lighting was a bit too dim for the most part, which often contributed to path uncertainty pertaining to the proper direction of travel.  Lights out within Madame Fatale's renders the "house of wax" aspect negligible as props and figures can't be seen, and there's another "pitch black" themed attraction already present.  Soundtracks are loud and complimentary throughout. Mirror Maze in C.H.A.O.S. stands out, as do the various animated, butchered pigs and "bodies" chained up in Slaughter House, and the aforementioned werewolf actortronic (Wolf Pack).

Live shows provide an entertaining respite from the various haunts.  Drums of the Dead is a rebranded version of past years' Blood Drums, while Monster Rock and Haunted Homecoming feature song and dance from popular hits with a bit of a twist.

Atmosphere throughout the park is unmatched, highlighted by ample decor and awesomely dense fog that's at times "thick as pea soup!" Roaming characters and trademark "sliders" take full advantage of the seclusion to unleash sudden scares and surprises on unsuspecting patrons!

OVH recommends upgrading to the "Fright Pass" in order to bypass the long lines, and guarantee getting through all 19 attractions in a single night.  We were able to visit every haunt and scare zone, view all 3 live performances, and still had an hour left over towards the end of the night to enjoy a handful of rides!  Lines get even longer the closer it gets to Halloween, so plan accordingly - visit early in the season, and perhaps on Friday nights.  And take advantage of online savings by purchasing tickets in advance.

Why spend $20 elsewhere on a 10-minute haunted house when 7 hours of seasonal entertainment await at the tri-state's top-rated Halloween EVENT?