RECAP:  The old dredge boat once again docks at The Newport Landing some 27 years after the first USS Nightmare debuted along the local riverfront.  This season, the former William S. Mitchell is darker and scarier than ever before.  The adventure gets underway with an immediate CGI surprise before visitors are corralled inside an old freight elevator that soon begins to violently shake and rattle about as it thrashes its passengers up onto the main deck. Narrowly escaping a bloody crewman that hampered the entrapment leads past some tortured soul strapped to a wildly spinning wheel guarded by another creepy crewman repeatedly slamming and clanging a steel pipe up against the side of the ship!  The first of several interactive segments is next that engages groups in a challenging task of properly connecting a series of jumper cables in order to keep the lights on, and prevent being stranded in total darkness!  Success soon ushers in a face-to-face encounter with an oversized "Impaler," rising up from it's sleep, clutching onto a bloody body while the remains of a torn to shreds torso shakes vigorously by its side!  Slide-down panels reveal a few surprises in advance of a strange, devil-horned creature sifting through a barrel of sand in search of his knocked-out teeth!  Fleeing across an old wooden plank bridge brings about a foggy confrontation with a peculiar woman warning, "You need to get out of here, now!" 

Spooky, dimly-lit passages conceal severed heads popping out of barrels leading to a strange crewman dressed in army fatigues, pointing and exclaiming, "You!  Get down at give me ten (push-ups)!"  Failure to comply, he informs, would result in being tossed overboard!  Casket-lined walls provide resting places for half-breathing, mutated sailors, and the long lost skeletal remains of other members of the ghostly crew.  Electrocutions witness some doomed soul agonizing in pain, then a witch-like woman ensnares our group forcing us to partake in her unrighteous ritual chanting the words of an evil spell, and offering up a taste of her own blood!  Water drips and spills down the metal walkway that accesses the second deck, where bunk beds are covered with blood, and occupied by convulsing corpses.  An unexpected stop at The Captain's bar for a bit of swashbuckling gambling wins you your safety, a prize from the gift stand to be redeemed later, and the opportunity to join the bartender for a shot of whiskey!  He then bids us farewell saying, "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"  Departure finally brings us to a threatening, one-on one run-in with the intimidating Captain Mitchell himself, who detains us in locked quarters before chasing us out with a murderous chainsaw!  Next up is his playful daughter Anna, who turns out not to be as innocent as she first seems when the lights flicker off and back on finding her clutching onto a large, bladed weapon she refers to as her "lollipop!"

A second dispute with the "Impaler" ends with tilting consequences, then it's onto the helm, where rough, stormy seas are visible through a series of port holes.  At this point, some sort of catastrophic power failure ushers in a brief "Escape Room" segment in the confinement of the vessel's radio room, where groups must follow instructions and work together to send out a successful "Mayday" call to summon assistance from the Coast Guard before everybody on board tragically loses their lives!  As successful completion of the mandatory tasks leads to rescue, sirens blare as containment yields to a clown-inhabited curtain maze that promises confusion, uncertainty, and multiple treks through a spinning vortex tunnel!  Still to come is a filthy bathroom highlighted by exploding toilets, a freezer full of body bags, a deplorable kitchen serving up distasteful, human delicacies, and a doctor's office of mutilated patients, where a diabolical nurse claims to be able to cure pain and any other problems with just one pill!  Taking the medicine lands you in the midst of a smoke-filled, decontamination chamber, where you'll be, "Stuck on this boat forever if found to be infected!" 

Heading back down to the lower level discovers gas-masked individuals searching for survivors, as the tentacles of a giant octopus penetrate port holes, and a decapitated head is seen floating in a tank of water.  Brief group separation ensues, as one group member is sent for a loop, while the others find themselves stuck at a barricaded door, and must locate a hidden key, possibly buried in a drum of toxic-looking slime!  Eluding this final coercion reveals a panic-stricken crewman whose face has been horribly disfigured, apparently from having his flesh burnt, or ripped completely off! "Look what they've done to me!," he exclaims as the course departs through a short-circuiting corridor and into a green, murky, swamp-like maze.  Some bizarre creature has taken up residence within the mist-filled quagmire - you can feel them, or they may feel you, but you won't see them!  Evacuation through an area of foliage unveils a couple of secluded surprises, then it's on through the engine room for a chainsaw chase-out of USS Nightmare!

ANALYSIS:  Except for the escape room and upcharged confinements, the course is mostly unchanged, and more often than not, dialogue could be improved upon outside the interactive zones.  Costuming is good, and this is one of the lengthier haunts around from a duration standpoint.  Sights, lighting, and sounds are professionally top notch from start to finish providing for an amazing, arguably unmatched atmosphere!  CGI port holes that look out on not so peaceful waters are the best new addition.  Spark cage is absent this year, which is unfortunate as it elicits a most visually impressive scare, and trademark "Rat Girl"is likewise conspicuous by her absence.  Replacements are lackluster in comparison.  Additional crewman are warranted considering the lengthy duration.

Two distinctly different "tour" options are being offered during the 2019 season - standard, general admission, and a slightly more expensive RIP ticket, which the attraction advertises will "immerse" you in the experience, and that's exactly what it does!  This unique, more interactive alternative is precisely what OVH has been calling for instead of all the rough housing that's so often seen at so called "extreme" haunts elsewhere.  Challenging, well-thought-out tasks are designed to get patrons involved in the action!  Jackpot!!  Hats off for a job well done, and a legit "Haunt of the Year" worthy achievement!  Pay a few extra dollars for the RIP performance this year and experience The Nightmare like you've never seen it before!

NOTE:  There's also a less scary "Lights-on Matinee" Sunday, October 27th from 4-6 PM ($8), and a one-night-only, UNRATED Captain's Tour Saturday November 2nd, 7 PM-1 AM ($25/$35 Fast Pass/$55 Front of the Line).