Erebus: Back through time
Once more into Pontiac, to the building with spotlights that can be seen from many miles away. The most recognizable house in Michigan, it is a national renowned house that has been talked about many times before. Yet, the last time we went, we were less then impressed. Despite being well-designed, the lack of actors and scares made this a disappointing trip. With this on our minds, we headed back into the time machine for 2019, to see how the experiment was going. Luckily, although still having its issues, Erebus is improved this year putting on a much better performance.
Once again, their set design can not be touched. From the set up of the queue, through the preshow rooms, the house does an amazing job at setting up the right feel. Lighting and soundtrack combine to make each scene feel unique and realistic. The swamp still stands out as one of the best designed areas in any house, and the use of green lighting and the sounds of crickets chirping help to make it feel like you’ve been sent to the bayou. The team at Erebus are masters for designing sets that feel like you have truly been transported to a different area at each transition.
The big difference this year from our previous visit is the quality of the actors. There seem to be more than ever, with multiple people attacking from around the rooms. They are enthusiastic and all they want is to scare you. One incident that stood out was walking down a winding ramp, I looked up and saw a small hole, and a quiet voice cut through the air that simply said, “Hello there”. Genuinely creepy, this moment highlights the attitude throughout the house. Screaming and rambunctious are great, but a variety doesn’t hurt. Whether it be quiet conversations, to intense staring with almost no sound, the actors manage to have a variety that keep the scares fresh. Despite there being more actors, there is still room for more. This house is massive, with rooms being grand sets. There still are huge rooms that have little to no actors, which really hurts the flow, and drains away tension.
This house has long used animatronics and things like moving walls to add to the scares. This year, some of them are combined with actors coming from other areas, which helps to make these props feel more threatening. There is still an overabundance and dependence on these throughout the house though. For instance, on the night we went, a decent number of the animatronics were not working properly. This would mean walking through entire scenes with not happening at all. This is a major problem, and even if they were working, it wouldn’t have added too much to the house, as there would be no actors in the scenes either. Animatronics with no support are just boring.
When Erebus was much younger, I remember going through and being blown away by the combination of theatrics, sets, and killer actors. It was deserving of being considered one of the best houses in the nation. Our last visit gave us a house that was living off its name and had fallen off from its peak. Luckily, this year shows the fire is still there. There is still some serious work to be done, and a night like we had with many prop issues doesn’t help. However, a group of actors that is there for the scare will make any house better. I have heard that Erebus is in a transition phase over the next few years, and if this year is any indication, they are on the right track again, and I hope our next visit sees it as one of the true greats again.
3.25 / 5
