In this edition of Hallowblog Flashback, we revisit the best of the best from the 2009 haunt season. This was originally posted Wednesday, March 10, 2010. As you’re about to read, Bowbee’s Nightmare of Haunted Hollows in Armada won the lion’s share of accolades en route to being crowned Haunt of the Year.
In a sad twist of fate, the barn that housed Bowebee’s Nightmare burned to the ground just two months after our visit. However, the team there would rise from the ashes to form the short-lived, improvisational firebrand known as Sinister. Sinister ran alongside the Realm of Darkness in 2011 before spending the next two seasons in Utica. When Sinister closed following the 2013 haunt season, its core staff performed at Realm of Darkness until it went dark at the close of 2016.
The time has come to recognize the best acts of the 2009 haunt season. It was yet another memorable season that saw the Haunt Trinity visit a record twelve attractions. So sit back and enjoy as we pay respect to the most frightening offers of from last season because today we celebrate Halloween in March.
Let us begin then with the Haunt Trinity’s most dubious distinction, the dreaded Rotten Pumpkin Award.
Rotten Pumpkin: The Rotten Pumpkin award is given to the haunt considered to be the most disappointing of the season. Disappointment may be the result of an over hyped marketing campaign or the failure of the haunt to live up to expectations set forth in previous seasons. Whatever the case may be let there be no doubt that the haunt receiving this unwanted distinction truly dropped the ball during the 2009 season.
2009 Rotten Pumpkin: Jackson’s Underworld
After hearing that this new haunt was produced by the people who ran the Homer Mill we were quite excited to include it on our first outing of the season but boy were we mislead. Jackson’s Underworld was quite possibly the most boring and listless attraction we’ve ever encountered. The operators utilized the advertised 30,000 square feet about as ineffectually as humanly possible and the scarce actors had less personality than most of the props. The most insulting bit of all was the $20 we were charged to traverse the anemic attraction, an attraction that was advertised in the Fear Finder as $15 during the month of September. Jackson’s Underworld, you truly earned this award.
Dishonorable Mention: The Homer Mill
Eerie Vibrations: The Eerie Vibrations award is given to the haunt considered to exude the best overall atmosphere. Atmosphere can be defined by the mood of the haunt itself but can also be fostered by immediate grounds or even the surrounding area.
2009 Eerie Vibrations: Bowbee’s Nightmare (Haunted Hollows)
It was by pure chance that we visited Armada’s Haunted Hollows last fall and after some initial skepticism we discovered a very special haunt. Bowbee’s Nightmare took the creepy factor to a whole new level with a bizarre assortment of props, a foreboding claustrophobic atmosphere, and an unnatural silence. There is no doubt that an eerie aura permeated from the very walls of this barn gone bad.
Honorable Mention: The Realm of Darkness
Dark Horse: The Dark Horse award is given to the haunt considered to have the most potential for improvement. Criteria for this award include the ability to deliver an entertaining show at a relatively small venue and at a reduced rate. Think of the Dark Horse award as the Haunt Trinity’s way of recognizing the little haunt that could.
2009 Dark Horse: Extreme Scream
If you’re a fan of old school haunts and you live in the Metro-Detroit area you have no reason not to visit the Extreme Scream every October. Each year the show here introduces just enough new elements to keep haunters guessing without betraying that which makes it so unique.
Honorable Mention: Hellblock 13 (Wyandotte Jaycees)
Killer Automatons: The Killer Automatons award is given to the haunt that best integrates animatronics into its attraction. When determining this award several factors are considered including timing, prop placement, realism, and sheer wow effect.
2009 Killer Automatons: House of the Dead (TerrorTown)
The implementation of animatronics throughout TerrorTown’s rotting abode was truly second to none during the 2009 haunt season. From the first room were no less than five macabre mechanisms twitch and squirm to the final sprint where a cooler full of hanging pig people squeal in terror, House of the Dead has versatile animatronics in spades. It isn’t enough to simply overwhelm guests with expensive puppets the pieces have to be integrated correctly and House of the Dead does just that on numerous occasions, the Goliath Man is a perfect example of this. When you enter Dead House be prepared to play by the rules of the circuited ones.
Honorable Mention: The Realm of Darkness
Pulse Pounder: The Pulse Pounder award is given to the haunt considered to be the most intense attraction of the season. Intensity can be gauged by a number of factors including commitment of actors, gory or realistic scenes, and harsh or loud music and sound effects. However at the end of the experience the most important element is the level of one’s own fear.
2009 Pulse Pounder: Bowbee’s Nightmare (Haunted Hollows)
No other award was as hotly contested as the Pulse Pounder last season but when the final tally was registered Bowbee’s Nightmare edged out the competition. The legion of props and eerie silence conditioned us well for the expertly placed and disciplined actors. The heart raced at Bowbee’s Nightmare as it raced no where else during the 2009 haunt season.
Honorable Mention: Deadly Intentions
Monster: The Monster award is given to the haunt considered to have the best live actors of the season. In order to claim this award workers must display a certain level of intensity as well as a refusal to break character. Also crucial is the ability to improvise lines or actions when adapting to an individual guest or group.
2009 Monster: Deadly Intentions
It seems the cast of misfits at Deadly Intentions enjoyed the Haunt Trinity’s accolades in 2008 so they decided to go out and win the Monster award for a second straight year. When we consider all the things that make a good live performance at a haunt we can only conclude that Deadly’s actors are as talented and committed as any we’ve witnessed. The intensity and vocalizations are worth the price of admission alone.
Honorable Mention: Bowbee’s Nightmare
Haunt of the Year: The Haunt of Year award is given to the haunt considered to be the best overall attraction of the season. When deciding on this award several factors are taken into consideration including the timing and intensity of actors, the pace and length of the haunt, attention to detail, use of special effects, realism of props, and most importantly the haunt’s ability to leave a lasting experience in the minds of guests.
2009 Haunt of the Year: Bowbee’s Nightmare (Haunted Hollows)
What can be stated that hasn’t already been said in both the Eerie Vibrations or Pulse Pounder categories? Bowbee’s Nightmare was an excellent, deliberately paced haunt with great actors, superb set pieces, numerous false endings, and a nerve rattling ambience. This haunt leaned heavily on the fundamental roots of the industry and in the process reaffirmed that when done right you don’t need a million dollar budget to produce a top notch haunting experience.
Honorable Mention: The Realm of Darkness
