| THE DENT SCHOOLHOUSE:
The Dent Schoolhouse is an intimidating sight indeed.
Broken windows and doors of the old building are boarded up, and a lone
school bus stands guard in the courtyard outside, its warning lights mysteriously
blinking and flashing in the night. The adventure begins in a dark,
spooky, surprise containing graveyard inhabited by Damien
Reaper, an undead gravedigger that derives great pleasure in burying
people alive! Rest in eternal Damnation! Leaving the cemetery
leads to an up close and personal look at Dent District school bus 1031
occupied by some unruly students and a disciplinarian driver, then into
the building itself where a sudden surprise interrupts the rules and regulations.
From there, it's onto the school nurse, whose busy tending to a severely
injured patient. After unleashing a gory surprise of her own, she
briefly follows along, syringe in hand before sending you onward where
lights dim and flash, cramped lockers creak, and a mild bookcase maze foreshadows
a much more sinister counterpart that's yet to come. Visits to classrooms,
the science lab, music and art rooms, library, kitchen and cafeteria each
contain personalized scares, and give rise to various encounters with diabolical
members of the school staff. Chained cabinets, and pots and pans
jiggle about of their own volition! A second series of bookcases
tip forward on their own nearly blocking the path ahead! The school
theme continues downstairs into the custodial quarters, where power tools
and other possible weapons are shelved, and a spark shooting ghoul warns
of an imminent confrontation with Charlie! As expected, the
coverall wearing, child hating, tool pouch toting, cellar dwelling killer
is right around the corner, where he pleasurably abducts a delinquent pupil,
disappears momentarily from sight, then reappears in pursuit of the last
person in your group! Fleeing from The Janitor, leads to everybody’s
favorite high school memory, Prom Night, and if you haven’t “lost it” by
now, try taking your chances with Dr. Carver’s demented shop class
displaying the gruesome sight of a boy whose head and legs move about despite
the fact that his entire midsection has been bisected and ripped away by
the still turning blades of the treacherous teacher’s inhumane table saw!
The remainder of the school tour includes visits to the boys’ bathroom,
auto mechanics class, weight room, etc. each with their own brand of ghastly
surprises, and a second, similar, repeat encounter with Charlie The
Janitor! Catastrophes are so deadly that the Dent Schoolhouse
even requires its own morgue, where sheet covered corpses rise up off of
gurneys; chained coffins restrain some poor, undead souls struggling for
life and freedom; and electrocutions are carried out! Academics give
way to fun and games at this corrupted educational facility, when the carnival
comes to town hosted by a couple of jilted jokesters, Bloodzo and
his evil cohort Fatso,
who certainly aren’t there to entertain! Their twisted disposition
makes it readily apparent that these degenerate clowns put their makeup
on upside down, so they wear a smile even when they wear a FROWN!
Their not so cheerful antics yields to a darkened hallway, aforementioned
claustrophobic maze, spinning vortex, and eventually to exiting the School
onto the property of some irate hillbillies who treat trespassers to a
double chainsaw, false finish chase out of The Dent Schoolhouse!
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, Well above average, stopping the clock near
the 20 minute mark.
ACTORS - 9+, Much improved! Costuming and make
up are outstanding. Characters are significantly more aggressive
in nature than in the past, storming onto their scenes, loudly thrusting
open shutters and drop down panels, and noisily banging their hands or
weapons on desks, tables, etc. Nurse is still quite memorable interacting
with groups, and then pursuing them out of her clinic. Hillbillies
also leave a lasting impression with their interaction and intense chase-out.
And, Charlie’s role has finally been amped up to the point of actually
witnessing him inflicting harm on innocent students, not once but TWICE!
This is especially noteworthy since he’s the attraction's major villain!
Dialogue is scarier and more menacing than before. Abandoning school
related vocabulary and threatening bodily harm is justifiable as it’s more
intimidating than warnings of detention, etc., and results in a more frightful
experience. Previously unoccupied school bus is now thriving with
life! A slightly larger cast would compensate for a few of the rooms
that remain a bit on the quiet side and would push this category to the
next level.
SCARINESS - 9½, Deceptive animatronics, spooky
lighting, and a fantastically loud complimentary soundtrack throughout.
The house itself is more frightening than ever before with the intensified
performance of the cast, and Charlie's criminal behavior.
DESIGN - 9½, No stone is left unturned, from the
cemetery to the chase-out, as scenes and rooms exhibit unsurpassed detailing.
Connecting corridors along the progression of rooms are short and equally
as well decorated. Expansion continues, as new rooms have been added
that introduce fresh surprises as well. Prom Dance remains anticlimactic.
Morphing some innocent looking scenes into all out assaults midway through
would amplify the scariness. To their credit, everything is always
in working order which is not always the case at other attractions.
Would still like to see Charlie somehow involved in the culminating
climax, although his presence is finally felt, and this season's finish
is spectacularly powerful, as we can’t recall the last time people actually
ran out the exit!
PROPS - 9½, Good balance between those of technological
and more traditional varieties. Infinite startles provide clever
distractions that serve to captivate the audience, and allow the various
characters abundant opportunities on which to capitalize. There’s
always room for additional animatronics to instill additional scares strategically
located near the finish.
VALUE - 9½, Annually, among the elite haunted
houses in the tri-state region, tickets can be purchased online for just
$11, or utilize their website coupon to visit on Sundays for just $10.
Although walk-up admission has gone up by $1, purchasing in advance actually
reflects a $1 REDUCTION from a year ago! In a day and age when many
expect $15 to $20, it's nice to see one of the best haunts around keeping
prices more affordable..
RATING: 9½, This is the best performance
we've ever witnessed at The Dent Schoolhouse. Increased aggressiveness
of the cast, and reinventing Charlie are huge strides forward!
When planning your Halloween activities, be sure to make room on the itinerary
for Cincinnati's Frightful Favorite - the 'ebn sponsored icon known as
THE
DENT SCHOOLHOUSE! |
