Akron, Ohio's Haunted School and Lab
are one of those attractions that started from a grass roots home haunt, and,
with time, creativity, and a genuine love for Halloween, have evolved into
something truly special.
My wife and I have seen spectacular
haunts all over the country, but this one in particular has a such wonderful
atmosphere to it - mix equal parts of the best of the Universal Monsters, 1970's
haunt nostalgia, tons of imaginative and beautifully executed sets and costumes, a darker edged dose of Disney's Haunted
Mansion, and a commitment to quality and originality and you've got this place.
The Haunted Schoolhouse has been going
since 1974 and the Laboratory since 1981, so, as whole, that's thirty-nine
years of professional experience scaring the living daylights out of people...I
can name only one other haunt that has run longer, and that's only by a year or
two and they've moved a few times - this place has been in the same spot all
these years.
One the key elements to their
continued success is that it's a community event when they open their doors -
Akron, Ohio, while not exactly a huge city, has it's fair share of places to
go, things to do, and sights to see...this place has a warmth and charm that is
sorely lacking from a lot of attractions...in
spite of what a lot of people may think, the old adage of making the customer
feel welcome applies here as well.
I've been to a few haunts where the
owners and staff are only in it for the money, and it shows! You can have the
best props, effects and location in the world, but if you your people are an
insufferable buttholes, it's all for naught.
Not true here - on our first visit
in 2008, we arrived particularly early, and a young man was already made up and
stalking the premises - we had a really good conversation with him, he took a
few pictures with us and of us, and welcomed us to come back again some time -
turns out, this guy's name is Ryan Haidet, and he handles all the PR for the
School and Lab...you could say that's extreme self-interest (and a lot of
the time I wouldn't argue with you), but
we made a second sojourn that year, and he saw us right in the front of the
line. He gave us one of the warmest and sincere "glad to see you
again!" greetings we've ever had....he also helped us snag a couple of
t-shirts..all I can say is our gratitude to him extends to today!
This warmth translate to the entire
working staff, btw - as I said earlier, this is a big community event...it's
also very grass roots and one of the prides of the Akron community. Everyone here is a joy to talk
to and always affable and accommodating
to every question. That's one of *biggest* reasons it's so special.
In terms of the sets - wow, I mean,
just WOW!
I said this on my HAUNTCAST segment,
and I'll repeat it here - this is the place to see if you're looking for
inspiration for your own attraction or (in particular) home haunt.
All the
technological advances are nice flourishes to add spice on an attraction, but,
you have to have a solid foundation first. Modern audiences are far more
sophisticated, and all that pizzazz is great eye candy, true, but, as they say,
"Where's the Beef?"
The beauty of this one is simple -
they've constructed (and reconstructed) the majority of their sets and props,
and, with forty years of experience, have developed a unique and remarkable
haunt with substance and character.
There's nothing like doing it
yourself, is there?
The quality and detail here is U N R
E A L...it genuinely rivals the pros with all their technical wizardry...dare I
say it, the folks behind all this could make a killing selling props of their
own!
My wife and I have our own home - or
rather, apartment - haunt, and overall, we build our own props...coming to this
place just blew us away and really pushed us to step up our game.
I can't say this enough - when going
through the attractions, take an extra moment or two to take it all in - the
quality, sophistication and detailing on the place is unlike anything you'll
see in a scratch built haunt.
That level of fine detailing applies
to the costumes here as well - there are so many unique and well constructed
monsters, it's a testament to the imagination of their creators - of course,
Freddy, Michael, Jason, and a few other notables all put in appearances, but,
quite frankly, it's the home spun horrors that make the place.
Highlights? That's a tough one! One
of the *best* - and I don't say that lightly - Castle Dracula sets in the
country - check their website's photo section for a look at it. This is
something you really need to stop and
take a closer look at - there's also a terrific Frankenstein's lab - and take a
really close look at Frankie, too...terrific stuff...also worth looking over is
a massive cemetery that's been around, tweaked and perfected, for
who-knows-how-long...oh, and say "hello" to George who just seems to
take forever in the bathroom....
Remember, as I mentioned at the top
of this article, this is along the lines of a darker version of Disney's
Haunted Mansion - it's best to err on the side of caution in regards to younger children - I
consider this one semi-kid friendly...about eight or nine years of age being
the cut off...truthfully, most of the younger kids we've seen there tend to dig
it, so, draw your own conclusions!
...also, when they advertise seven
levels of terror, they aren't kidding - and it's *all* by stairs! My family and
I are in reasonable shape, and those things just about killed us! Please take
that into consideration if you come here, there are NO access elevators!
Their website is www.hshlab.com, and is loaded with pictures, lore and information.
I really can't add too much more to
that - aside from adding that if you are interested in checking this one out,
drop me a line and my wife and I will be delighted to meet you there...
Next time around, we'll be heading to Columbus,
Ohio, to visit one of the
wildest and goriest haunts in the Buckeye state - Dead Acres, a.k.a. "The
Haunted Hoochie", the notorious "Black Sheep of the Haunting Industry", a reputation well-earned, I might add...
Our Godkids, Bonnie and Shaun Fontanne of Rockford, Illinois, mugging it up for me....
