 USS
NIGHTMARE: Abandon ship! America’s
premier
Haunted Steamboat formerly known as the William S. Mitchell is back
at Nightmare Landing for their 17th season! This year, accompanying
the actual, disastrous news footage of the ship's destruction that entertains
the queue line, the Nightmare crew is busy terrorizing scare seekers
prior to even boarding the boat! Gather your group in the designated
Mitchell Museum area for a seasonal photo opportunity that soon
takes a wicked detour unleashing a startling surprise. Once the picture
taking is over, it's time to get reacquainted with the
Captain,
his hideous looking crew, and trademark Rat Girl character. The first
of three encounters with a giant Impaler (animatronic monster) finds the
beast resting quietly in his favorite section of the wrecked ship.
Next go round you're not quite so fortunate, as the dejected behemoth has
awakened from his siesta ferociously snarling, waving his deadly spear,
and clutching the torso of his most recent victim! Worse yet, he’s
got his eye on you! Bodies spin, roast over an open coal fire, and
even spring forth out of caskets as the adventure through the bowels of
the old wounded vessel continues. Chained lockers shake and vibrate
on their own, as irate crewmen dangle from overhead pipes, and crawl along
the decks shouting warnings pertaining to their devious commander, and
pointing out what he's already done to them. Brief exposure to outdoor
elements adds another degree of uncertainty to the experience as see-through
iron gratings are utilized to navigate between levels of the battered old
paddlewheeler, and are all that separate you from the muddy waters of the
mighty Ohio River down below! Back inside, the kitchen area is traversed,
where freezers are stocked with body bags, and enraged butchers and cooks
are busy preparing the Captain’s elaborate dinner table en route
to a third and final encounter with the notorious Impaler, that finds the
Captain's
big brute of a pet madder and hungrier than ever before! An extravagant,
mind-boggling SURPRISE is about to unfold! Will you become the Goliath-like
ogre’s next victim? Good fortune may permit your escape, but it’s
certainly not smooth sailing ahead, as the Captain's playful daughter
Anna brings about some mischievous surprises, then offers some enticing
games, her favorite being hide and go die! Clowns, Mummies, Vampires,
a spinning vortex, undead corpses rising up off of gurneys an interactive
Dreamalator segment, and jungle surprise are still to come aboard this
dilapidated old ship, all building toward an assaulting chainsaw chase-out
of USS Nightmare.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, 20 minutes.
ACTORS - 9+, Nearly 25 crewmen attempting to scare us
off the boat! Good interaction from the cast. They haunt and
stalk you, and engage you in conversation, although dialogue should be
a bit more harsh and threatening, and some characters were encountered
more than once. Top notch costuming and impressive make-up, but perhaps
not quite as grotesque as a year ago. Museum attendant, Captain’s
daughter, and Chainsaw madman are the most impressive, with Anna's performance
and dialogue easily recognizable as the best of the night! Removal
of hillbilly girl and transformation of clowns from playful to surprising
and intimidating are positives. Would still like to see crew’s aggressiveness
pushed more to the extreme by arming them with additional noise making
"weapons" like the Cook loudly banging pans together as he relentlessly
pursued us through the kitchen. Fog spraying exterminator was sorely
missed, and most conspicuous by his absence!
SCARINESS - 9+, Background music and assaulting sounds
that accompany the vast array of surprises are fabulous. New startles
bring about unexpected happenings aboard the condemned craft, which itself
provides an unsurpassed atmosphere that capitalizes on common phobias with
its cramped passageways, catwalks, balcony, authentic steamboat equipment
(valves, pipes, boilers, etc.), and ghastly crew.
DESIGN - 9½, The already strong exhibit boasts
new and revitalized scenes that significantly enhance encounters with both
Captain
Mitchell and Anna. Museum displays expansion, and Doctor’s
area has been strengthened with a new surprise. Attitude adjustment
of clowns from playfully fun to stalking and tormenting is also appreciated.
Areas of the vessel are more exposed in order to provide even greater horror
throughout the 40 scene, 3-level tour of the engine room, pump well, cargo
hold, all new boiler room, mortuary, gally, crypt, torture chamber, Captain's
quarters, etc., all perfectly illuminated with professional quality lighting
and effects. Elevating the aggressiveness of the crew, and morphing
some scenes from seemingly innocent to frantically assaulting would go
a long way towards capturing HAUNT OF THE YEAR honors!
PROPS - 9½, Unsurpassed legitimate décor.
Numerous, well-timed animatronics provide unexpected startles that create
plenty of opportunities for the cast to exploit and deliver better scares.
Inpaler and accompanying surprise are most memorable. Claustrophobic
passageway needs some attention. Breathing corpse was notably absent!
VALUE - 9+, $1 increase in comparison to '07 making it
one of the more expensive attractions around, but one of the most prolific
as well. Visit on coupon days whenever possible, and take advantage
of the $5 re-entry option as there’s just too much to see the first time
around.
RATING: 9+, Nearly 9½! Annually
ranked among the best haunted attractions in the country, USS Nightmare
is a seasonal attraction not to be missed! Join Captain Mitchell
aboard the renowned Nightmare and be prepared to have the ship scared
out of you! |
