| THE DENT SCHOOLHOUSE:
Viewed
from the street with its boarded up windows and doors, The Dent Schoolhouse
attracts
quite a bit of attention. A lone school bus stands guard in the courtyard
outside, its warning lights mysteriously blinking and flashing in the foggy
night air. The adventure begins in a dark, spooky cemetery inhabited
by Damien Reaper, an undead gravedigger of sorts that derives great
pleasure from burying people alive! Leaving the graveyard leads to
an up close and personal look at Dent District school bus 1031 that hides
a few surprises of its own, then into the building itself. The indoor
portion of the experience begins in the presence of a ranting school nurse
who quickly ushers in various school related atrocities like desks that
rush forward on their own, or serve as battering rams for distraught students'
heads! Blood pools on top of one where a delinquent pupil has literally
beaten his own brains out! Lights dim, and flash off and on to the
accompanyment of a loud, most vicious soundtrack as the exploration passes
drop-down wall panels, moving bookcases, and cramped lockers that creak
and conceal startling surprises before making its way to cob-web covered
classrooms, abhorrent dissections in a science lab, haunted music and art
rooms, library, loathsome kitchen and cafeteria dishing up nauseating delicacies,
and each containing their own personalized scares that give rise to various
encounters with diabolical members of the unwelcoming staff. Chained
cabinets, and pots and pans jiggle about of their own volition before the
course progresses downstairs into the custodial quarters, where power tools
and other potential weapons are shelved, and warnings of an imminent confrontation
with Charlie come front and center! As expected, the notorious
killer is right around the corner, and is seen abducting a screaming student
and slamming her up against the wall! Fleeing from The Janitor
lands
you in an electrical room where sparks shoot forth from the circuit box,
and loose power lines arc, and jump wildly about from the force of the
voltage they're struggling to carry. From there, it's onto a reminiscing
scene of 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 girl whose head
and legs move about despite the fact that her 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, locker room, etc. each
with their own brand of ghastly surprises, and a repeat encounter with
Charlie
The Janitor! Catastrophes are so lethal that the Dent Schoolhouse
even requires its own insane asylum and morgue, where loonies are housed
in ward 13; sheet covered corpses rise up off of gurneys; and electrocutions
are carried out! Academics give way to fun and games at this corrupted
academy, when the carnival comes to town hosted by a couple of jilted jokesters
who certainly aren’t there to entertain! Their twisted disposition
yields to a a spinning vortex, shock walls, claustrophobic maze, and the
eventual exit from the Schoolhouse onto the property of some irate
hillbillies who treat trespassers to a hellacious chainsaw chase out of
The
Dent Schoolhouse!
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, 19 min.
ACTORS - 9½, Costuming and make up are fabulous.
Dialogue is excellent, scary and more menacing than ever before.
Character aggressiveness is amplified again this year as they come crashing
into their scenes, loudly thrusting open shutters, violently releasing
wall panels, and angrily banging on desks, tables, walls, etc. Charlie's
attack on an innocent student stands out as it rightfully should since
he's the major villain. Hillbillies also leave a lasting impression
with their interaction and intense chase-out. Abandoning school related
vocabulary in favor of more threatening interactions makes the experience
much more frightening. Great job! Total Characters = 49
SCARINESS - 9½, Deceptive animatronics, spooky
lighting, and a fantastically loud complimentary soundtrack in every single
room. The house is the best it's ever been with the intensified performance
of the cast, and Charlie's criminal behavior. A few overwhelming
scares that leave people talking are needed to reach the next level.
DESIGN - 9½, The design is second to none, and
the theme holds throughout. 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 ALL are
equally as well decorated. Several new scenes have been introduced
this season, and the weak Principal beginning to the indoor portion of
the haunt has been axed, although its replacement is also a bit too mild.
Prom Dance has a better character, but remains anticlimactic. Morphing
some innocent looking scenes into unexpected assaults would amplify the
scariness. As usual, everything is in working order which is not
always the case at other attractions. Build-up to the end is
quite active. Finish is powerful, and finds people actually running
out the exit! Introducing occasional mind blowing, more memorable
startles and scares, along the lines of Charlie's attack, and a
more powerful initiation inside the schoolhouse itself would serve as the
knock out punch.
PROPS - 10, Every room is loaded to the max. Infinite
startles provide clever distractions that serve to captivate the audience,
and allow the various characters abundant opportunities on which to capitalize.
Perhaps a few more elaborately impressive animatronics could be strategically
located throughout and concentrated near the finish to further boost its
effectiveness, but otherwise simply astounding.
VALUE - 10, Annually, among the elite haunted houses
in the region, walk-up admission is just $13 ($10 on Sundays with website
coupon). In a day and age when many expect $15 to $20, it's nice
to see one of the best haunts in the world keeping prices more affordable..
RATING: 9½, It just keeps getting
better every year and this season's performance is the best ever at The
Dent Schoolhouse. Fresh, new scenes; intensified aggression from
the cast; and an offensive minded Charlie combine to really make
a difference! Don't miss the 2009 installment of THE DENT
SCHOOLHOUSE! |
