Reign of Terror lives up to its reputation
Darken hallways wind around horrific scenes of blood and terror, as the sounds of distant screams ring through the rooms. A seemingly endless maze of movie worthy special effects and detail. This is the Reign of Terror.
The Reign of Terror is an annual haunted house hosted in the Janss Marketplace. For the past 17 years, the top ranked haunted house in the United States has been drawing visitors from across Southern California.
The Reign of Terror starts you out with an already jittery feeling, and the fear factor steadily increases throughout the 21,000 square feet of floor space. This is mirrored by the music, which crescendos along with the intensity of the house, adding to the terrifying atmosphere.
The haunted house is immersive even in the queue line, with a fully decorated environment including music, lighting effects and a few animatronics.
The haunted house targets different types of fears, according to Bruce Stanton, director of the house. These include spiders, small spaces and blood, among others through the eight different themes.
The house added a new theme this year called Infection, and features several zombie apocalypse themed rooms. With the recent hype over zombie shows like “The Walking Dead,” this room was a smart addition, effectively utilizing glowing paint and jump scares.
While 95 rooms is a large commitment if you decide to go through, they are well worth it. The rooms keep you on your toes with a new twist and unexpected surprise in almost every room.
While strobe lights and fog machines are common for halloween events, I found them a little distracting from the rest of the effect of the house, though they were few and far between.
Overall the Reign of Terror is a great scare experience and I highly recommend it. The house opens Saturday Oct. 1 and is open every weekend through October. At $19 a person and all proceeds donated to Conejo Recreation and Parks District, this is a great deal and a must see event.
5/5
