RECAP & ANALYSIS:  Bloodview has long been considered one of the best haunted houses in the Cleveland area, and they continue to proudly hold that position in 2021. They have some of the best and most passionate actors that you'll find in any haunted house, and everyone has a purpose. The same creeper will pop up at the beginning of your journey and come back to find you later on as well. You'll be led through a variety of twists and turns, ultimately questioning where you are and how you're going to get out.

The two-part haunt is heavy on scenery and atmosphere. Plenty of well-placed skulls, body bags, and bloody body parts. The lighting is excellent on both the indoor and outdoor sections, allowing you to see just enough to get creeped out. While there isn't a solid theme throughout the haunt everything still felt like the haunt materialized out of some demon's psychotic dream. They also did a great job of pacing the haunt, making sure that there was never a situation where huge groups were all on top of each other. That helped assure that everyone going through the haunt felt like they were in their own nightmare, only occasionally catching glimpses of the other damned souls.

There were two main highlights as far as the actors at the haunt. The first was multiple actors during the outdoor trail on the first part and in the beginning of the second part of the haunt with a unique caveman or viking look, speaking an unknown language, and looking like they were ready to summon more evil into the haunt. The second was in the small "asylum" area where actors behind bars harassed you from various angles (you had to make your way through this area multiple times). These actors are always some of the best, and it was completely believable that the folks on display here were trapped and needed to get out.

What I would have liked was for the haunt to turn up the intensity just a bit. There was loud music in pieces of the haunt, but never loud or frightening enough to be disorienting. There were flashing lights and one of the classic spinning tubes to walk through, but it wasn't ever quite enough to make you sweat. And, while the actors were all committed and worked well together, there was less 1-1 interaction than I've seen at Bloodview in the past.

Overall, I recognize that everyone is struggling due to the pandemic, and Bloodview continues to put on an excellent show despite those challenges. Bloodview is celebrating 40 years of terror!

(Guest Reviewer:  Jeff Mo)