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Review:Scream at the Beach
The Advocate
Ten years of hair-raising terror has coalesced into one Lewis Carroll-themed haunted house at this year's Scream at the Beach.
New this year at the Jantzen Beach attraction is the fact that there is only one haunted house instead of the usual three. The theme for this year, Nightmares in Wonderland, is akin to a Tim Burton movie: taking something already creepy and make it a ton creepier
While waiting for entry to the beginning of the exhibit, one actor in the guise of Alice acts as the gatekeeper and serves up the fright before entering into the rabbit's hole, frequently screaming in indignation at patrons.
As you travel through the various exhibits, actors hide around corners, in trapdoors in the walls, and even in plain sight. They have no problem with silently following you and screaming in your ear when you least expect it, though they hesitate to touch you.
For the most part though, the haunted house is not so scary. Maybe for the average teenage girl who screams more to impress her friends than in real fear or surprise, but to the rest of the world, it's quite predictable. This might stem from the fact that Scream at the Beach is fairly family friendly.
There is the quintessential stereotype of the haunted house: an old and yet massive house that is in disrepair, has its own conveniently located graveyard, and is in the midst of a storm.
Unfortunately, Janzten Beach's perennial favorite does not fit the stereotype, though it was fairly stormy while waiting near the massive line.
That being said, it was still very fun to go through all the stages of the haunted house. The carnival featured a surprisingly well-lit maze that forced the patrons to tap on the walls to find out which one was in actuality drapes that lead to the next stage.
The asylum was also quite interesting, with an isolation room that features a surprise when the lights go off. By far, the most fun was trying to push one's way out of the inflatable tunnels that were eerily like pitch-black inflatable vaginas that served as pathways between rooms.
So, while it did deliver some surprises, there was no real fear factor. The fact that many of the rooms looked like they were out of a horror movie added to the almost whimsically creepy feel of the place.
Scream at the Beach is located at 1230 Jantzen Beach Center Portland. Hours through Oct. 31 are Sunday through Thursday 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
It is $20 for Haunted House admission and children under 5 are free, although they are discouraged from entering the Haunted House as there is no refund if you have to leave.
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