RECAP:  Psychotic janitor Charlie, the murderous “Pumpkin Smasher,” Zobo the Clown, and other costumed villains terrorize the queue line prior to entering The Fall Festival that’s back in town and entertaining visitors every Thursday thru Sunday outside this former OVH Haunt of The Year!  Featuring a seasonal photo-op and a variety of carnival-like booths, the event is comprised of seasonal activities and games like bobbing for apples, jack-o-lantern carving, pumpkin toss, a costume contest, etc.  An enormous “Kurbis” monster oversees the annual gala that releases past the flashing caution lights of an ancient school bus, and into the attraction itself, where spooky music invites entrance, and a living statue springs to life delivering an immediate surprise!  Dim, flickering lights and creepy, frightening sounds compliment the adventure that winds its way through a paranormal desk maze and some sort of screeching, overhead skeleton animatronic, then past drop panels, a CGI projection, lockers that open and slam shut on their own, then down a mysterious hallway distinguished by an outstanding zip-line “beheading” delivered by a live, screaming girl!  Other upstairs highlights include a mechanical teacher paddling an unruly student, a library of tilting bookcases, and a strange confrontation with a fiend running down a corridor labeling intruders, “You’re victim one, you’re 2, you’re number 3…” and so on.  

Descending into the basement reveals, bloody, victimized bodies dangling as obstructions in the path ahead, suspended by chains clutching onto their wrists as the course progresses through light-limited archways that hide a number of attacks staged by killer, horn-honking clowns emerging from the shadows, and Trick-or-Treat thieves demanding candy!  “Welcome to Hell,” proclaims a devilish creature as navigation continues into the clutches of a diabolical Doctor determined to apprehend and detain a subject for her next living experiment.  Other sights include ghostly, living chairs hovering to life; animated spiders whose webs have encircled old, chained caskets; faulty, short-circuiting electricity; extraterrestrial-like creatures emerging from walls; an oversized, carnivorous insect swallowing a person whole; a demonic, candle-lit altar; and a face-to-face, path-blocking run-in with a 12 foot tall “Impaler!”  Avoidance departs alongside a cistern of flowing water emptying toxic waste through large sewer pipes, some of which hide a surprise or two before the excursion visits a demented carnival remembered for its loud circus music, practical jokers inviting you to eat from a human cocoon made from cotton candy, and an unexpected Teddy bear surprise chase-out!  

Still to come is a freezer preserving human remains, a massive, circular saw splitting a human torso in two, a squealing, snorting pig springing forth out of a barrel in a deplorable kitchen, corpses hanging from above, and an unfortunate child pleading for help to escape his caged entrapment!  Squeezing through a garbage dump of cadavers and dismembered body parts soon leads to a ghost prom, a smoldering electrocution, a smoke-filled boiler room, and Dr. Dent’s reanimation of Frankenstein!  Advancement discovers a large, man-eating python slithering down from the branches of a tree to snatch and lift its screaming prey!  Meanwhile, another venomous, yellowed-eyed anaconda mercilessly attacks passersby in advance of a bus maze, where an apparently inebriated driver proposing a wild ride on the Dent School bus while unconvincingly proclaiming that he’s “Not drunk!”  An oversized rat attack is next, followed by a bubble maze and a rabid, barking guard dog that brings the curtain down on the infamous Dent Schoolhouse! 

The expedition exits into the new “Monster Midway” that offers several photo ops with a number of giant monsters, an opportunity to get “fried” in a smoking “electric chair,” a digital “Skeleton DJ” spinning ghoulish tunes, The Cincinnati Haunted House Museum, A tribute to their former attraction, “Queen City Slaughter Yard,” Axe Throwing (for an additional charge), and four mini escape rooms themed on the house itself - Charlie’s Basement, The Lab of Dr. Dent, Locker Escape, and Zobo’s Revenge!  (Escape rooms are three minutes long and cost an additional $5 per person).  Donuts, cider, fudge, and more are available for purchase at “Fall Favorites,” along with shirts, hoodies, hats, and other souvenirs at the Spooky Shop!

ANALYSIS:  The Dent Schoolhouse is renowned for its intricately detailed design, which is arguably unmatched in the industry!  Flickering lights, frightening sounds, and scary scenes contribute to their award-winning haunted house!  Theatrical makeup and elaborate costumes are likewise second to none, anchored by many custom-designed full or partial prosthetic masks uniquely unlike those utilized by their competition.  Most characters don’t have a lot to say, but make sudden, noticeable appearances with a bang into their scenes, loudly emerging from drop panels, slamming open doors, popping out of hiding, etc.  Memorable props are too numerous to mention, but include the zip-line, teacher spanking student, pupil at desk banging his head on an upright pencil, sparking circuit boxes, chained coffins, giant Impaler, python hoisting a real victim, claustrophobic “body part” passage, mechanical rat, school buses, and the large snake actor-tronic!  Stand-out actors include: screaming zip-line girl, shrieking snake victim, caged captive suspended from basement ceiling, and the talkative “Diabolical Doctor,” 2020’s OVH Actress of the Year and 2021's Best Doctor!  Start and finish could stand to be ramped up to elevate the score even higher.  Pricing/Ticketing is confusing with customers being encouraged to purchase tickets online by selecting the date of their visit, choosing a time slot for their arrival, and the type of admission desired (regular/fast/front of line). and the cost varying according to their selections.  The house itself is pretty much unchanged for the third consecutive year with all their efforts focused on razing Queen City Slaughter Yard and building the brand new Monster Midway, which is a pleasant addition, and complimentarily adds to their Halloween theme introduced way back at the beginning Fall Festival!