Ranked No. 11 nationally by Hauntworld Magazine, the Dent Schoolhouse features more than 75 animatronics and a selection of the area’s most recognizable haunt characters. Homicidal janitor “Uncle” Charlie McFree, Bludzo, Jasper & Jinx, Damien Reaper, Calliope and Fatso are a few of the twisted souls encountered. Actors are given a lot of freedom creating their characters and rotate personas on a regular basis, ensuring you’ll never see the same show twice. Josh Wells and his crew have built scenes that are so impressive they’re routinely used as film sets. The Schoolhouse boosted its gore quotient this season with an area featuring the mangled remains of Charlie’s victims, both children and adults, along with the furnace used to dispose of them. Massive specters haunt Dent’s auditorium, and a creature breaks through a wall in a room flooded by burst water pipes. Animatronics are fully integrated into room designs, and costuming, lighting, sound and makeup are all top notch.
The Detention Hall has received a makeover and is much more claustrophobic and chaotic. Use the Dent Schoolhouse phone app to “tattle” on a friend and watch the hellish creatures inside drag him or her off. Just the thing for unwanted siblings. Simply put, Dent’s the Masterpiece Theater of haunting. (RS)
THE WAIT:
Lines can be very long, running two hours or more on peak dates (Fridays and Saturdays). The wait on Thursdays and Sundays is much shorter. The tour takes 25-30 minutes and another 10 or more for the Detention Hall.
DETAILS:
THE DAMAGE:
CITYBEAT RATING:
R