[Haunts] Haunt Tour 2013 Awards

Wow, it's already the start of a new year, but still have a little unfinished business from last year to attend to. 2013 was definitely pretty nuts overall for us and that crazy was definitely felt this past September thru early November (and even one night in December) while on our annual Haunt Tour.

Over the course of seven weeks we hit everything from first year start ups and local farm haunts all the way to the giants like Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and Busch Gardens' Howl-O-Scream events. We're admittedly tough to please and outside of a few shortcomings here and there, they were all good (only making this that much harder).

In the end, there's absolutely no way to compare them all against one another at all. You can't compare a huge budget theme park haunt to a small mom and pop place, just not happening. So, because of the unique nature of these things (and our own sanity), we've broken things down a little bit in order to not only make it easier on ourselves but be fair to everyone in the process.

Again, nearly every haunt that we reviewed this year was great and any of them are definitely worthy of visiting and bringing your friends to. Each offers something different and unique, the owners and actors pour their blood, sweat tears into them as well. Sadly though, we have to choose the best of the lot. Well, I guess we don't have to (and we really wanted to make all kinds of categories so they all get something. I mean, "best bathroom scare" even came up once!), but we think it's wrong to just ignore some of the amazing things that we've seen this year.

So with that said, let's get on with it...the best of the Kitsuneverse/InSanity lurks Inside Haunt Tour 2013!

Best Theme Park Haunt

Howl-O-Scream Busch Gardens Tampa

Sure, the scare zones were lacking (but everyone really suffered there in this category), but the houses were way above anything we expected. Yes, they were really that good and they really went above and beyond  by adding in some new themes and doing some really innovative things within them.

It was tough competition, but ultimately our experience at Howl-O-Scream Tampa was the clear winner. We're hoping that they continue this tradition and that they fix the problems we saw and are even better in 2014!

Best New Haunt - Fresh Meat Award

Haunted Hillside - Mt Pleasant, PA

Okay, so it was the only really brand new haunt that we've been to this year but the folks behind Haunted Hillside impressed us so much that we couldn't let them off the hook...as it were.

I mean what this new haunt just outside Mt Pleasant, PA managed to put this together in just a matter of weeks is insane. So much so that it shouldn't have worked. History and experience point to all kinds of things that say "This should not be", but they did it and wow did they do it right! We're hoping that this one continues on the same path next year and we're definitely looking forward to what they bring in 2014!

Best Interactive Haunt

Castle Blood - Monessen, PA

We loved Castle Blood so much that we went back twice during their Halloween run, closing out HT2013, and then were back again for their holiday show, Spooky Little Cryptmas. It's rare to find an interactive theatrical haunt in this day and age that's fun and engaging, even more so to find one so damn good at it!

This is also the first and only time that I've ever changed a rating during the season...these guys went from "Really Damn Good" to "Extremely Good" in the span of a few weeks. Yep, we were that impressed (having a better group the second time didn't hurt either). If you're looking for something different, fun and clever, then this is the place for you!

Can't wait to see their Valentine's Day show in Feb!

Just to note, Haunted Hills Estate came in a pretty close second here. Here's to hoping that the improvements they're working on for the 2014 season can push them over the hump!

Best Scare Actors

Bloodview - Broadview Heights, OH

The sign above the cast entrance reads; "Through this gateway pass the most talented haunted house actors in the world" and they aren't kidding with that at all.

These guys don't screw around and what they come up with is the stuff of nightmares. What the Legion of Terror does with Bloodview is insane and truly awesome. We were floored during every moment of our visit and had so many what the fuck moments with the crew that it's impossible not to give them the nod on this one. They were everywhere too, in the parking lot, the lines, nowhere was safe from their insanity.

Not only do they pour their hearts out in their performances and have the freedom to create their own characters (completely in house at that), but they improvise everything. Nothing is even remotely the same, no matter how many times you go through in a night.

I'd be remiss not to mention the crew from Ghoul Mansion in here though. They came in a very close second and have an extremely dedicated and awesome cast. I was debating this for quite a while between the two and almost awarded a tie, but a couple of things held 'em back. Here's to next year, think ya can take it?

Best Overall Haunt

Hundred Acres Manor - Bethel Park, PA and Bloodview - Broadview Heights, OH

We have a tie! 

We couldn't even come close to trying to figure out which was better than the other in the end, we really tried, but there was too much going for each of them. Sure, that may seem like a cop out, but there's just nothing that we could find wrong from either of our visits to Hundred Acres Manor or Bloodview this past year.

Both haunts went above and beyond with not only their sets, make up and atmosphere, but their actors were insanely good and we loved every moment of the chaos from each of them. These haunts have set the bar extremely high and only time will tell if they continue to hold the honor or if something else can floor us in the future. For now though, they're the best of what we saw in so many ways that I'd be here forever listing them all.

If ya wanna know more, check out the reviews of them to get the whole story and if you haven't been to either of these haunts, just go! If you can't enjoy these two, you're dead inside and we just can't help you at all.

Nightmare Fuel Award

Unclaimed

Yep, no one. Not a single haunt was able to scare us. If there ever is one...they'll get this without question. It's insanely hard to get to us after how many haunts we've been to and worked in over the years. So, until that day comes when a haunt truly gets us, this remains the holy grail.

Will someone claim this in 2014? Only time will tell...

Honorable Mentions:

These events were great in and of their own right and if you go, you'll definitely enjoy them as much as we did. It was difficult leaving some of them out and many were very close runner ups in a few categories and of course...there's always next year, right?

Fright Farm - Smithfield, PA
Ghoul Mansion - Sharon, PA
Hauntville - Elyria, OH
Haunted Hills Estate - Uniontown, PA
Netherworld -  Norcross, GA
ScareHouse - Etna, PA

So to everyone out there in haunt land...know that we're coming for you next year. Haunt Tour 2014 will be bigger, better, faster and visiting even more attractions. Push those boundaries, the limits...break down the ideals and scare the shit out of us...if you can.

Here's to another year of fear and remember...

Haunt Tour 2014 Kicks off in February at Castle Blood!