Folklore Haunted House is the last attraction we visited this Halloween season and we were so excited to wrap up our haunt tour at this local Atlanta haunt. We have been to many amazing attractions this year, and this haunt ultimately underwhelmed me. Unfortunately, it seems like we have ended our Halloween season with a... thud.
I want to first of all, start positive and mention some things about Folklore that I did like.
Pros:
-Each Folklore attraction has its own theme and actually sticks to it. This is something I sincerely do applaud them on. Some other haunted house attractions create a "theme" and the haunt itself has a lot of rooms that do not have anything to do with that theme. Folklore manages to come up with a theme for each show and keep it consistent from one scene to the next.
-There is a scene in the Manor that I love. It has been here for multiple years and still sticks out to me as one of my favorite scenes in any haunt ever- it involved mannequins and is legitimately creepy. Good work on this scene... its the best scene that Folklore has to offer.
-They actually changed a little bit of their haunt this year, by adding a new haunt in the basement.
-The actors, although very few, have passion and its clear in their performances.
Cons:
-Folklore has not changed much at all with their first two attractions. If they did, I didn't notice these changes. It has been like this for at least 3 years.
-Most of the props just look old and worn out. They have been using the same props forever and its time they make some updates. Most decor in the rooms are the same, the path is the same... there really needs updating.
-There are hardly any actors in the shows. I understand some haunts are short-staffed this season, but I feel this is still fair to note. I have been to Folklore multiple times over the past few years, and there are never many actors.
-I believe there was only one (maybe two) jump scares throughout all 3 attractions, total. Considering this is a haunted house, that's a big con.
-The path of the haunt itself does not feel like a maze, every turn is predictable. The path of the main two haunts are almost identical, just going straight to the back of the building and making a U-turn. There is no creativity in the path of the show.... no twists and turns.
And perhaps my biggest con of them all...
-The haunt promotes itself on having 3 attractions but they are the shortest attractions I have ever been to. One attraction lasts only 3 minutes. The other two attractions last about 4-5 minutes, but thats not even the worst part...
The last 1/4 of the main two attractions are the exact same. The Asylum haunt literally ends by going through a curtain and into the last couple scenes of The Manor haunt. Yes, Folklore keeps theming consistent for the most part, but this last part is definitely an exception. I have never been to a haunt, other than this one, where one attraction merges into another, using the same exact scenes for two shows
I have some suggestions for Folklore to make it better...
Create one cohesive theme for the two main attractions on the upper floor. I understand for promotion purposes it sounds good to advertise 3 attractions, but when your attractions are only 4-5 mins and part of them is duplicated, it is only fair to your customers. Make one longer attraction- there's not much adrenaline at this haunt, and a big reason for that is there is not much time for adrenaline to build.
At the very least, if Folklore did not want to update the entire upper floor, link them together to make one longer haunt. You can still have multiple themes in a haunt, but combine them into one show. 13 Stories does this, by having a "13 Stories" theme and then an "Asylum" theme, linking them together to make one longer experience.
As of the new "Overload" attraction in the basement... I see some potential. However, for its debut season, most of the haunt is bare. There are a lot of empty, wide spots throughout. Tighten the paths a bit, turn this 3 minute show into 5mins.
Ideally, Folklore would have one longer haunt upstairs, lasting about 10 minutes, and a smaller show downstairs.
And on top of making that change, like I stated earlier, update a lot of the scenes in the process... creating new scenes, and a fresh show. This haunt has always had potential... its just up to them whether they want to put in the effort to make it better.
5/10 Stars
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