Erebus: Time Traveling Terror

Erebus is quite an imposing structure. Standing out in the middle of downtown Pontiac, spotlights circle on the top, while skeletons hang off the side. A demon hangs above the door, welcoming you to the labyrinth the awaits within. Walking into the building, you find yourself in a lab setup, slowly winding your way through the queue before heading upstairs into a darkened hallway. TV's show a loop of breaking news, showing things are just not right about this haunt. Soon you are let into a rundown lab, and the haunt begins.

First and foremost, credit has to be given to the fantastic sets for this house. From a preshow room that gives the story, through the end, Erebus tells its story using great scene design. Areas such as the swamp are incredible, using props and lighting to create an eerie feeling unlike any other house. The entire house feels like a demented funhouse, featuring a mirror maze, moving floors and walls, as well as great illusions that create good scares. Animatronics are used very well throughout the house. Some are on such a grand scale, being able to fit a victim inside their mouths. A semi truck looks like it is going to smash into you, and considering how props will attack visitors, it isn't much of a stretch to believe you are going to be crushed by a truck. This is truly an impressive house in terms of design.

However, as great as the design and feel of the house are, it is horribly lacking in actors. Entire scenes will have one or two people inside. For instance, the swamp is a great area, but for a section which lasts about five minutes, there was only one actor. One area has you ducking down while walking besides a chain-link fence. This goes on for a few minutes, and not once does an actor, or even an animatronic make an attempt at a scare. Even when actors are present, at times it feels like their only role is to let you know where you have to go next. Scares just don't seem to come from actors at all. Misdirection is rarely used, and attempted scares always seem to be someone hiding behind a wall just a you enter a room.

This is a house featuring amazing sets and great props, but that is just not enough to be a great haunted house. The lack of actors really hurt the scare factor to a large degree. This comes off more as a good fun house than a haunted house. Overall, it is a very fun house, but that is just not enough. The addition of more actors, and adding some unique areas for them to get scares, would make this one of the great houses of the country. Right now this is a fun house where you may get a scare or two.

2.5/5