Here it is again, our annual review of Florida’s premiere Halloween theme-park attraction. The particular night as well as the crew of actors involved may influence these reviews, so this one was for Sunday, October 19th, 2008.

Scary Tales: Once Upon A Nightmare
“… where princesses don?€™t get saved, children don?€™t find their way out of the wood and there is no escape from the rabbit hole.” Not bad; seeing the major characters from “The Wizard of Oz” strewn across a cornfield is happily gruesome (especially Dorothy).

The Hallow
“… if you journey deep enough, you will see that Samhain?€™s traditions are trapped within The Hallow.” Looks, smells, and feels haunted, but otherwise nothing too special.

Dead Exposure
“Charlie McPherson, a noted tabloid photographer, gets his wish when the city he resides in becomes overrun with flesh-eating Zombies.” This one made the best use of lighting effects; a room filled with creatures real and unreal (and you don’t know which is which) is reminiscent of the zombie nurse scene from Silent Hill.

Creatures!
“Creatures straight from the cover of AtomiComics?€™ ?€?Strange Tales?€? burst forth to rampage and massacre the backwoods locals.” This redneck rampage-themed house didn’t seem so scary as it was a genuine visit to the back woods; you may see long-lost relatives among the cast.

Streets of Blood ?€“ Body Collectors
“The Body Collectors are now in Victorian London, covering their heinous acts with Jack The Ripper as their scapegoat.” If The Gentlemen from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” freaked you out, this house is for you.

Reflections of Fear
“Dr. Mary?€™s fear is that of death and the only way for her to cure herself is to watch the light leave your eyes as your soul leaves your body.” For what was supposed to be the main theme house, this one seemed kind of pathetic.

Interstellar Terror
“When the NSO COLUMBUS 1492 disappears for several years, and then reappears just outside the orbit of our moon, your rescue team is sent to investigate.” Obviously inspired by Event Horizon, this one isn’t so scary as just plain cool to walk through, as are most of the haunted houses on this side of the park. This was a favorite.

Doomsday
“Post-apocalyptic Scotland breeds madness as the Reaper virus ravages the populace, leaving those left behind after the plague to survive by any means necessary.” There is usually at least one house based on a Universal Pictures release, and this one is much better than the miserable Hostel one they tried before. A missed opportunity would have been to play up the crowd line outside more like the movie (50mm guns and patrolmen on the wall).