Dark Castle Haunted Attraction 2021 Haunt Review

On Friday, September 24th, Dark Castle opened their doors to their first unsuspecting victims for the 2021 Haunt Season, which would feature their 3 Signature Attractions, “Dungeon of Darkness”, their indoor attraction, “Zombie Zone”, their zombie shooting experience, and finally “Dark Knight’s Terror Trail”, their outdoor haunted trail.

Dark Castle’s Philosophy: We at Dark Castle strive to scare, but we know that not everyone scares the same, so we will amaze, stupify, frighten, startle, disgust and possibly offend, but we will ALWAYS entertain!

This was our second year visiting this interesting attraction. We were intrigued by our experience last year and knew that we must return for a follow-up this year because there’s just something about this place that is different and yet still fun.

What do we mean by different? What does Dark Castle do that other haunts don’t? Do they have the right formula to attract many customers? Or will their uniqueness cripple them in the haunt industry? Keep reading and find out as we explore….

Dark Castle Haunted Attraction

For this year’s haunt review, we have broken down each haunt that we are visiting into

6 Categories: Sets, Costumes/Makeup/SFX, Technical Effects, Scares, Pacing, and Actors.

Each category is rated on a scale of 1-5 Screams and then averaged out to give an Overall Rating. This new system is to ensure that we are not in any way biased and are giving each attraction that we visit the same fair and equal treatment that they each deserve.

Now, because this haunted attraction has several parts to it, we will be rating the individual attractions, and then taking the average of them for each section to get the score. We will omit the Zombie Shooting Range.

With this new system in mind, let’s break down each of our 6 Categories for Dark Castle’s 2021 Haunt!!

Initial Thoughts – When you first arrive at Dark Castle Haunted Attraction, you truly are not sure what type of experience you are going to be in for. All you see upon arrival is this large building on a back road, and there’s not much of anything happening out front. There’s a couple of signs out front that introduce you to wear you are, but other than that, it doesn’t exactly SCREAM Haunted Attraction. Then, the more interesting thing you will find once you enter, is that this place is DIFFERENT. It’s not your typical haunted attraction. It’s almost like they are trying to be a parody of haunted attractions while still being a haunted attraction. It’s hard to visualize, I know. But on any given day you may run into all sorts of cooky characters, such as, a male Minnie Mouse… that’s right. You read that correctly. A MALE MINNIE MOUSE. There is a man who will dress up in full Minnie Mouse attire and come to the gate and greet people. It’s very comical, but at the same time slightly disturbing. Apart from him, you will also meet some characters who have some rather adult humor. They make it quite clear, however, that if you can’t handle the things that they say and the jokes that they make, then you should just leave. They are an all-inclusive, anything goes kind of group. So this interesting take on a haunted attraction is…. Interesting.

Sets – Haunted House (3/5) – Haunted Trail (4/5) – 3.5/5 Screams – The sets at Dark Castle are nothing entirely big to go on about. Honestly, depending on which part of the attraction you are in will determine what kind of sets you are getting. For example, in the Haunted House portion, the sets are okay, sort of subpar at best in certain places. One room is literally just a bunch of spider webs and black painters tarp, which is something I have docked houses for before, because it makes it look like it is just a backyard haunt, and this haunted attraction is not being marketed as a backyard haunt. Now there are several other places throughout the House that is actually pretty good and well themed out, so the entire thing is not backyard haunt reminiscent. The other issue I have though, is in the Haunted House, there is supposed to be a spinning tunnel, and when we went through it, it was BROKEN. THIS IS A BIG LET DOWN!! Any time that you have the spinning tunnel in your haunted house, you need to MAKE SURE that it is working, otherwise it’s pointless to have because it certainly isn’t the most flattering decoration, but when it’s working, IT WORKS. Then in the Haunted Trail, there were a couple places where you were just walking in more painter’s tarp and hardwood. This was being used for the interior of a section on the outdoor and that was a bit of a letdown too because the façade before you enter this part of the attraction is actually pretty cool. There were some really great moments in the Trail however and a lot of great set pieces. At the end of the day though, the overall set rating is 3.5/5 Screams.

Costumes/Makeup/SFX – Haunted House (2/5) & Haunted Trail (2/5) - 2/5 Screams – The costumes and makeup department didn’t really seem to have to work too hard on this haunted house. Honestly, most of the costumes looked like they may have just been pulled off the shelves at Walmart and Party City and throw on instantly. There wasn’t much going on in terms of uniqueness or anything that looked too creative. It honestly was just very plain in terms of the costuming and not very good.

Technical Effects – Haunted House (1/5) & Haunted Trail (2/5) – 1.5/5 Screams – In terms of technical effects, this haunted house really isn’t up on the times with them. They had a couple of interesting things being done in some places with the fog and the lighting, but nothing really that impressive. In fact, probably the most impressive thing we saw, was a Hanzel and Gretl cabin that basically looked like it had been converted into a bar on the trail. They had a bunch of neon lights and such, but it was definitely nothing to brag about. There were a couple of animatronic figures on the trail as well and in the house, but nothing that really screamed WOW. All in all, technical effects really didn’t exist in this house.

Scares – Haunted House (1/5) & Haunted Trail (2/5) – 1.5/5 Screams – So with any haunted house, we are going to be scared. However at Dark Castle, you’re really not getting scared at all. Honestly, most of your journey is spent laughing. There may be a couple scares here and there, but it certainly doesn’t feel like the goal is to get you to scream, but then again maybe it is and it’s just not done very well. In the Haunted House, I think I may have jumped once or twice, but it certainly wasn’t enough times to be considered a haunted house. It sort of lived up to the caliber of a haunted house you might see at the fair, which isn’t very scary at all. Then on the trail, I got maybe a couple more scares that actually got me, but they were VERY FEW. This is very disappointing for a Haunt Reviewer to go to a HAUNTED ATTRACTION, and then barely get scared. In fact, not really get scared at all. DISAPPOINTED!

Pacing – Haunted House (3/5) & Haunted Trail (4/5) - 3.5/5 Screams – The pacing of the attractions at Dark Castle are not great, but they’re not horrible either. When you go into the Haunted House, there is a lot of stopping and going throughout to experience different things, but the things that you experience don’t do a whole lot for you. Honestly, all the stops are more of schticks for the actors to make more jokes. But even with the multiple stops in the house, the house portion is not very long, and you are done with it pretty quick. Either way, it wasn’t as long as we would’ve liked for it to be and there were definitely some parts that were lengthy. They make you watch an entire video in the first room and then just when you think you’re starting to move, you go into the next room where an actor gives you another long spiel. Then Then you go over to the Haunted Trail, and it is a bit longer, but not by much. It actually may be about the same. But the trail is constantly moving and you are led by a guide so he makes sure that you see everything. However, it still is not crazy long but it is longer than the house.

Side Note: The zombie zone only takes about 5 minutes so that feels like a little bit of a rip-off because they use so little amount of space for it. I would like for the Zombie Zone to be a TAD longer, but that had no effect on the rating of this category.

Actors/Team – Haunted House (5/5) & Haunted Trail (5/5) - 5/5 Screams – The actors at Dark Castle are really top notch. You can tell from everything interaction that you will have with them that they absolutely love what they are doing. They are all very skilled, it seems, in improv and comedy, because they always seem to have plenty of jokes ready to hurl at you in a second. They are all very eager to get you to each part of the attraction and will interact with you the whole time. That’s one of the things that we love about this attraction is the level of interacting that they are able to do. On top of that, everybody who is there is just very kind and loves their job. Nobody seems to be mad about working there or mad that they have to show up for work. They all come with a smile on their face, or a frown if their character calls for it, and give a 110% show for each guest that comes through. They just love to have fun with it and that’s the most important thing.

Overall Rating: 3 Screams

Dark Castle Haunted Attraction really isn’t a bad haunted house. It’s a different haunted house. They have different morals and values, which will be discovered as you venture through the attraction. The staff working the attraction absolutely love their jobs and it’s not hard to see that either. They are always wearing a smile on their face and cracking up. And honestly, how many places can you go where you’ll get 3 attractions for $20. The attractions may not be Hollywood quality, but they’re still fun, and this is a great place to start off younger kids with, if you don’t mind them hearing some more adult friendly jokes as well. Be sure to visit Dark Castle and rate them for yourself. Let us know if you agree or disagree with our rating. We’d love to hear from you!!

Great job Dark Castle on another great year, and we can’t wait to see you next year!!

Dark Castle Ticket Info:

You can purchase tickets when you arrive at Dark Castle, or you can purchase tickets online. Tickets are good for any day of the season. Please note that online ticketing will be unavailable during Box Office Hours.

Our haunted attraction boasts THREE separate events with ONE ticket price of $22 per person!

First, you’ll step into our Dungeon of Darkness haunted house to see what’s lurking behind the castle walls. Next, you’ll explore the Dark Knight’s realm on a fully guided outdoor trail through the woods.

Then, you’ll take action with our interactive zombie survival scenario where YOU are armed with a laser gun to clear the area of the infected.

Masks will be required to enter the events. Please, arrive within your scheduled ticket time.

If you would like to purchase an entire time slot of 8 tickets, use the promo code QUARANTINE to receive $16 off!

ESCAPE ROOM PRICING

Tickets for the 5 minutes Escape Room can only be purchased on site.

$5 per person or $8 for two people.

ONLINE ESCAPE ROOM

We also offer online escape room experiences at Castle Escapes. Play via Zoom from anywhere.

In “Hunt for The Crimson Fang’, a lone vampire hunter has been separated from their unit and now requires support to defeat the bloodsucker in charge. Book your game now. 60 minutes of running time.

In ‘Alone in Ward 6’, an intern is helping show off the Marley Center for Mental Health to investors when he gets trapped in the psych ward with the institution’s most dangerous inmate: Kevin. Can you escape from the clutches of a killer? Use your wits to outsmart the trap-setting psycho as he roams the darkened halls of Ward 6. Will you help the intern make it out alive, or will they be Kevin’s next victim?

Book Now

R.I.P TICKETS

With our REALLY IMPRESSIVE PACKAGE you’ll get the VIP treatment!!

This includes entrance to all three Haunted Attractions.

You will go straight to the front of the line and receive a custom made DARK CASTLE washable face mask, chips, and a drink when you arrive. You will also be granted admission into our exclusive RIP Lounge where YOU get to see behind the scenes and even scare the other customers!

Price: From $48 to $63 depending on the date.

BREAK ROOM PRICING

Tickets for the Break Room can only be purchased on site.

Single Smash – 1 person, 12 small breakables & 1 electronic, 10 minute time limit: $20

Couple’s Smash – up to 2 people, 24 small breakables, & 1 electronic, 15 minute time limit: $30

HULK Smash – Up to 2 people, 24 small breakables, 2 electronics, 1 large item (toilet, washing machine, large TV), 25 minute time limit: $50

Dark Castle will be open on select evenings from September 24th – November 6th

Follow Their Social Media For More Information & To Keep Up With Them:

Facebook: Dark Castle Haunted Attraction (@DarkCastleSC)

Instagram: @darkcastlesc

Twitter: @DarkCastleSC

Website: http://darkcastlesc.com/

Location: 2076 Highway Church Rd, Elgin, SC 29045

Be Sure To Go Check Out Dark Castle Haunted Attraction

This Season And Let Us Know What You Think!!

Maybe You Don’t Agree With Our Rating!

You Can Send In Your Thoughts To Us

And Play Along At Home As Well!!

We’d Love To Hear From You!!

Until Next Time,

Be Safe Out There,

Don’t Text And Drive,

And Be Excellent To Each Other!

Take Care Everybody!!