REVIEW: Freakling Bros.' Trilogy of Terror

Freakling Bros.' Trilogy of Terror
2321 North Rainbow Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV

A pedophile priest has asked me to sign a waiver and a
fire-breathing clown has bitten my ear. ‘S’ & I are waiting to enter “Gates
of Hell,” the R-rated Freakling Bros. attraction and we can already tell that
this is going to be one hell of a good time.  

Freakling Bros.’ Trilogy of Terror looks like a small carnival
in a shopping center parking lot. You’d never guess that a semi-circle of
trailer haunts would house such brilliant and horrifying immersive theatre. “Circus
of Horrors” and “Castle Vampyre” are thematically detailed, interactive and full
of creative startle scares. They are excellent one-of-a kind haunted houses,
but the R-rated “Gates of Hell” is where Freakling Bros. really shows off. The
excess and shock value of Vegas is channeled into an extreme haunt that can not
only touch you, but lift you right off your feet. “Gates of Hell” utilizes
intense physical contact, professional wrestlers and the legal amount of
electricity that can be used for entertainment purposes. It is deliciously
intense and well worth a trip across the country.

Is It Scary?

According to their Official Facebook Page: “We have the most
intense haunts in town!”

The Raven & Black Cat says: Freakling Bros. Trilogy of
Terror is the most intense and terrifying haunt in Las Vegas. 

What We Loved

Freakling Bros. has mastered the art of theatrical illusion
and they pair it with over the top interactive concepts that are terrifying and
fun all at once. We loved struggling to escape the room filled with large
rubber balls, surviving the firing squad, and swinging on a rope over a very convincing
bottomless pit. The detail is impeccable. Each room contains an unsuspecting
surprise and they take great care to make you feel very safe right before they
pull the rug out from under you. Inside “Gates of Hell,” I watched a
camouflaged attacker appear out of nowhere, grab ‘S’ by the foot, then knock
her down and drag her away down a long hallway. Easily one of the most frightening
visuals I have ever experienced inside a haunted house.  

What Could be Better

When we visited there was a flirty (ear biting)
fire-breathing clown entertaining guests waiting in line. (Scorch The Clown) The spacing in between
groups is near perfection, but it means that lines can be a bit lengthy. A
timed ticketing system would cut wait time significantly and open up potential for
additional entertainment like creepy games and performances. 

Final Thoughts

Freakling Bros. has been terrifying Las Vegas for more than
30 years. The ‘Trilogy of Terror’ is a must-see for horror enthusiasts, adrenaline
junkies, and anyone who’s never before been scared by a haunted house. 

Freakling Bros. 2012 Season

September 28 - October 31

Ticket Information

Circus of Horrors:  $12.00  |  Castle Vampyre:  $12.00  |  Gates of Hell :  $15.00

Freak Pass (All 3):  $30.00  |  All Night Pass (Unlimited Trips Through All 3): $40.00

Add On:   T-Shirt VIP Line Pass (Good All Season):  $10.00

Age Requirements

Circus of Horrors & Castle Vampyre: No one under 7 years old admitted.

Gates of Hell :  Must be at least 17 years of age unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Additional Information

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Youtube
• Buy Tickets
• Discount Coupon

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOT-xhwvQ8I?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1&w=854&h=480]



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Circus of Horrors[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] Circus of Horrors[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] Scorch The Clown[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Cardinal Sin & Gates of Hell[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="455.0"] Scorch The Clown [/caption]

REVIEW: Eli Roth's Goretorium

Eli Roth's Goretorium
3717 Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV

Horror legend Eli Roth can create blockbuster films on a shoestring budget, so we were excited to see what kind of mayhem he would conjure up with $10 million and a prime location on the Las Vegas strip. Eli Roth’s Goretorium is Sin City’s first year round haunt and with the tag line, 'You’re F#@ked' it promises all the gore and terror that Eli Roth fans have come to know and love. 

In typical Vegas fashion, upon entering you’re invited to sip on some liquid courage at Bloody Mary’s bar. The namesake drink is apparently all the rage (we didn’t get to try one) and comes in a gloriously bloody cup. Once you’ve had your fill of beverages, you’re led into the lobby of the haunt. You learn the history of the Delmont hotel, an iconic but unsavory family-owned establishment with rumors of missing guests, torture, cannibalism and worse. There’s a fun photo-op (what attraction would be complete without one?) and then you begin the tour of the hotel, where you’ll encounter buckets of blood, guts and gore. The haunt exits into the Babydoll Lounge, a club with soul-sucking views of the strip, libations and of course, a wall of creepy, creepy dolls. Shudder. Make sure you check out the bathrooms –they’re amazing! No Vegas attraction is complete without a Wedding Chap-Hell and gift shop; Goretorium has a plethora of bloody merchandise in case you don’t want to come home with a generic Vegas souvenir like fuzzy dice or the clap.

 

Is It Scary? 

Eli Roth Says: “We are creating the most intense live terror experience a person can have, incorporating the latest technology with old-fashioned scares. This will be the premiere haunted experience in the world, filled with all kinds of surprises. I’ve spent years planning this, and all my nightmares are finally coming true. No matter which haunted houses you’ve been through, you have never been through anything quite like the 'Goretorium'.”

The Raven & Black Cat says: Goretorium will splash you in the face with an unhealthy dose of gore.

What We Loved

We love the elevator bit in the beginning. The actors do a great job making it feel like a show and the effect is really fun. The body part infinity tunnel is a great use of an effect that is often florescent and cheesy; Goretorium manages to make it equally gross and disorienting.  We’re always amused by interactive elements, so the dry cleaning scene is one of our favorite parts. The partially burned bodies in toxic acid are the perfect excuse for a black light. The wax figures in the wedding chapel are super creepy, and the zombie reception guests do a great job of creating living, breathing scenery; you really feel like you’re walking into a zombie feast. The incredibly detailed, original sets combined with gruesome effects (dismemberment, burning flesh, and squirting blood) help Goretorium live up to its name.  

What Could Be Better

The set and effects designers are top notch. Everything is so gross and so detailed that you want to stop and study it; unfortunately the lighting is so poor that there are times you can barely tell where you’re supposed to go let alone see the sets in front of you. The lighting should guide you from room to room, showing you where to look to set you up for the scares. Speaking of which…where are the scares?

Yes, Goretorium is jam packed with gore, but blood and guts don’t make you jump or scream.  While we applaud the use of actors as living scenery (one of our favorite things) there needs to be more startle scares to keep us on our toes. I appreciate that Sin City can get away with an R Rated haunt in terms of gore, sexual innuendo and language (one of our favorite moments was when an actor yelled, “Hey, Blondie!  Do the drapes match the curtains and can I have a taste?”) Unfortunately, I’m not sure if that’s enough to live up to the tag line, ‘You’re F#@ked.’ If you’re going to be an adult only, R Rated haunt then you should provide an option to be touched.

Final Thoughts

It seems like Goretorium is marketed towards Eli Roth’s hardcore horror fans, but designed for the touristy Vegas crowd. The sets are amazing, there’s tons of gore and it’s not so scary that the more timid haunted house crowd won’t make it through. As a bonus, Eli Roth promises to change it up seasonally, so we’re definitely looking forward to checking out Goretorium in the future.

Eli Roth's Goretorium Runs

Year-Round

Ticket Information

Standard Admission:  $29.95 | Death Row VIP Pass: $50.00

Chap-Hell Weddings: $666 and up (Includes VIP admission)

Age Requirements

No age requirements are specified.

Additional Info

• Official Website
• Facebook Page
• Twitter
• Youtube 
• Buy Tickets

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2VGkL9x1UA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1&w=854&h=480]

REVIEW: Asylum & Hotel Fear Haunted House

Las Vegas Haunts:
Hotel Fear & Asylum
Las Vegas, NV

Hotel Fear and The Asylum have been spooking Las Vegas residents and visitors alike for more than 15 years! In that time, R&J Productions has been leading the way in developing trailer haunts: entirely mobile haunts that are self-contained within groups of customized trailers. We had never been to a trailer haunt and were excited to check out what the genre had to offer. It’s amazing what’s accomplished in such a small space. Both attractions explore the life of Mortimer Feoray, a troubled child that goes mad (Hotel Fear) and is eventually institutionalized (The Asylum). Even with a limited budget, Hotel Fear and The Asylum create a fun and innovative story-driven haunt that’s likely to make you scream for more.

  

Is it Scary?

R&J Productions says: This is the REAL DEAL…the Real Fear you NEED to experience!

The Raven and Black Cat says: The Asylum and Hotel fear provide the perfect midrange haunt: it’s not too gory and it’s not so scary that you won’t make it through. You’ll be delightfully horrified by the carefully designed story and the actors will actually scare you out the door.

 

What We Loved

We love story-driven haunts! Hotel Fear starts out perfectly, picture this: You walk into an old Hollywood style hotel lobby. A sign says ‘ring bell for service’. The moment you ring the bell the lights go out and chaos ensues. It’s fantastic. You’re sent on a quest to find Mortimer in Room 13, but that’s no easy task. The hotel is specifically designed to trap and confuse you. Many rooms have hidden doors and it creates an awesome feeling of distress that you’ll never make it out alive! The key to this scare tactic is the small size and ample spacing between groups.  There is plenty of time to get lost in the maze of the hotel without creating a backup, and if you’re the least bit claustrophobic you’ll be terrified. The fact that both haunts stay true to the theme adds to the realistic nature of the scares. Every scene supports the story and every scare is designed around the theme- you get lost in the story and experience some fun scares along the way.

 

What Could Be Better

There were a few actors that really stood out, particularly the woman in the spa and the man in the white out room – they encouraged you to interact with them and were very successful at creating the perfect atmosphere and set up for the scares to follow. Unfortunately, many of the other actors utilize the scream-in-your-face tactic, which is much less effective. Not every actor is a star and not every actor is able to improvise, but vary the tone and tempo of the startle scares. A whisper is often creepier than a scream and discovering a silent actor in a pitch black hallway would be truly disturbing. Use the actors as living set pieces and get rid of some of the tired animatronics. We love the sections of complete darkness - our first reaction is to reach out for the walls, so make them feel sticky or wet, and maybe add some elements of unsure footing to add to the disorientation.  

It's always a good idea to keep an eye on younger actors.  Unfortunately, we spotted one high school age asylum patient listening to her ipod. 

 

Final Thoughts

If you’re tired of haunts that jump from theme to theme just for the sake of a scare, then Hotel Fear and The Asylum are your new haven of horror. 

 

Las Vegas Haunts 2012 Season

October 3 - October 31

Ticket Information

Hotel Fear: General Admission: $15.00   |  VIP: $20.00

Asylum: General Admission: $15.00   |  VIP: $20.00

Combo Pass: $25.00   |  VIP Combo Pass: $35.00

Additional Information

• Official Website
• Facebook Page
• Twitter  
• Youtube