Awaken: Checking into a nightmare
Walking into Awaken the first thing you notice is the waiting area. An insane asylum in the midst of falling apart has various patients watching the line as you slowly wind your way closer to the house entrance. Above the door, a sign stating no vacancy hangs. However, every few minutes the sign changes, announcing that room is available, and the next group heads inside, beckoned by a ghostly maid or bellhop. Soon, it is your turn. As you head inside a hotel lobby, the bellhop checks your reservation, seeing that you are in the ominous room of 666. You are led into an elevator, where the brakes fail, and next thing you know, you are on the basement level, and about to walk into a nightmare. What follows is an incredible house, that sucks you in with great set design, and some standout acting.
Walking into the first room gives a great introduction to the set design this house features. The hotel lobby is creepy, with a ton of tiny details to make it feel like the real thing. This attention to detail permeates throughout the house, allowing you to get lost in the story that the scene is trying to tell. Some standout scenes include the hotel kitchen, a carnival sideshow, and an outdoor section new for 2018, named The Forgotten. An area that comes straight out of old, decaying photos from the early 20th century, a simple claustrophobic design of wooden lined halls and rotting rooms make a maze like area filled with unique scares. Awaken does a great job making you forget that you are in an old, converted store, and keeps you engrossed in the adventure.
Another thing that needs to noted is a great use of lighting and audio. There is a very little amount of areas that are just pure blackout conditions. Instead lighting is used to set the mood very well. The Forgotten used low-level subdued lights to really accent the old-time feeling the area was giving off. Areas like the kitchen are lit in a way to make it feel like an actually operating area, just in a ghostly form. Audio is also used in some scenes to great affect. Voices speaking to you in the long hallways of The Forgotten are undeniably creepy. Details like this help the house feel special.
Sets alone do not make a great house. Luckily the actors in the house do a good job of providing scares, laughs, and at times, a legitimate creepy feeling. Right off the bat, the bellhop in the opening scene is a stand out. Setting up the beginning of the house, he makes you feel uncomfortable, without saying anything that particularly disturbing. It's just a good use of mannerisms and flow of speech that keeps you on edge. Clowns in the carnival area are loud, boisterous and funny, yet have the unnerving aspect that makes you want to get far away. Creepy doll-like characters don't make much sound, instead choosing to just follow you, being scary without saying a single world. Awaken's actors do a good job understanding their roles, and knowing how to get the most terror out of them.
There are some aspects that can be worked on with Awaken, however. There is a 3D section of the house, but it is mostly a scareless area. On recollection, I can't remember a single actor in the section, and it lasts a few minutes. A couple more actors in that section would make a huge difference. The length of the house is also a bit on the shorter side. It this house had one more high-intensity section, it would be a truly special house. It should be noted that the house is only in its third year, so the sky is truly the limit for this location.
There a couple special things to note about this location. For one, the entire staff, from cashiers to security is friendly and approachable. We got asked many questions about our experience on our way out, and it is obvious that the staff cares about what the customer thinks, and wants to keep improving. Also, the amount of merchandise available here is absurd. From shirts to pint glasses, that offer a lot and at really cheap prices.
Awaken is a great house, and has the making of a place that could become a titan in the area. Using great acting and sets to keep the story flowing, this house is highly entertaining, and is worthy of your attention. We hope to see this house continue to grow in the coming years.
4.5 / 5
