Edson Incident: Navy Nightmares
The USS Edson is quite the imposing sight. A Vietnam-era destroyer now stationed in Bay City, the ship looms above the parking area, daring you to step on board. Standing in front of the gate that signifies the staring part of your tour, you find yourself staring at the ship, sitting there in an eerie silence, occasionally broken by the horn of the boat signifying another group is about to enter. Soon it is your turn to head up, anxiously waiting for the horn to tell those on board that new visitors have arrived. You head to the bridge, starting to hear some shouts coming from decks below, and before you know it, it is your turn to find out what is causing those screams.
The atmosphere of this place is untouchable. Traveling between the various decks, hurried radio messages play out, letting you know that something has gone horribly wrong. Medical bays are a cacophony of noise. Corridors are cramped, made even worse in some areas by the bones of victims hanging from the walls. Lighting is varied and used well. Sometimes you will be in an area that are completely dark except for one small light beckoning in the distance, knowing a trapped soul on the ship is somewhere in there waiting for you. Some places like living quarters only look a little dimmer than it would’ve been in actual use, making it feel realistic, yet just off enough to make you feel uncomfortable. The actual set design and props aren’t anything special, and sometimes look rather cheap, yet it isn’t that distracting because the people running this attraction knows what makes it special, and that is the ship itself. By letting the ship speak for itself, it creates an experience that is different from what most other houses can create.
The acting is mostly good, with actors hitting their marks well. In particular, the barker in the bridge is entertaining and had us laughing, while a possessed nun did a great job getting scares with quite the chilling scream. While the acting was consistently good, there were moments where actors would pop out and then awkwardly stand around trying to figure out their next step. This could lead to a few scenes where the scare was ok, but just lead to an uncomfortable silence with an actor unsure how to improvise. If I had any advice for the actors, it would be finding your comfort zone and try to have some fun. A little more energy could really help take this house to another level and could make scares even better.
Another issue for the house is a hard one to control, due to the nature of the beast itself. While the atmosphere is helped by the ship, the design of the ship also leads to dead zones. Climbing up and down stairs and avoiding other danger areas on the ship lead to areas having to be devoid of any scares. This is a tough one, because there isn’t much that can be done to change this issue, and that hurts since it hurts the flow of the house. If possible, altering the path through the house to allow for being on decks a little longer between transitioning could help to not make it feel like there is a break in the house every few minutes. Despite these issues, this house is certainly worth visiting. It is an old-school house set on a ship that compliments that greatly. This is a unique haunt that is certainly worth the visit.
3.25 / 5
