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| - This review is based on my experience at Gates of Hell.
For the record: The "haunted houses" that pop up around Halloween time don't scare me, yet I go anyway because I have an affinity for the horror genre. Out of all the houses I've ever been to by far, Gates of Hell is best.
We came here on a Saturday at 10pm and there were still a lot of people waiting in line at each of the houses. You can visit each house separately from $12-$15, or you can purchase tickets to all three for $30. We chose Gates of Hell because we didn't want to stand and wait in three lines; plus, it was the only Rated R attraction.
The line for Gates of Hell was long and moved at a snail's pace, so it was a good decision on our part to choose one house because it would've taken too long to visit all three. If it's just you and another person, staff will come by and pair you two with another couple so you can all enter together as a group. That somewhat sped up our time spent in line. Expect to wait at max an hour just to get in -- you'll learn why you waited so long once you get thrown inside the house...yes, thrown...in some cases. Prior to entering, you must sign a release waiver by agreeing that you'll allow the actors not only to yell obscenities at you, but to touch you. If at some point you want to chicken out, there's a safety word that you can yell. From there, you'll be escorted out of the maze.
The molesting, shock treatments, and the crude "compliments" weren't as bad as I was expecting from the hype that was built up before we entered, but I was concerned with the setup of the maze. A staff member told us that people have left with scratches and bruises; he wasn't kidding. The way the maze is you could hurt yourself if you're not careful -- kind of difficult to do in that type of environment.
Gates of Hell definitely isn't for everyone, but I personally enjoyed it and look forward to re-visiting next year.
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