Words cannot describe how excited we were to visit Bennett's Curse! All of the promotion we had seen over the years had us pumped! They were one of the DMV's largest and longest running haunted attractions until they were forced to shut down and relocate under some pretty shady bureaucratic circumstances. This was their first year back after a one-year hiatus. They only recently acquired their new location and had a mere 6 weeks to set up shop. What they managed to accomplish in those few short weeks was nothing short of astounding!

This was a haunt known for its 4 separate attractions and larger than life props and animatronics. In order to adapt to their new smaller space, they picked the best and scariest elements from their previous attractions (the ones that could fit) and squeezed them all into one, so continuity was a little lacking. But every scene looked stunning! The 3D was pretty cool too! It made it really hard to believe they managed to assemble this haunt in only 6 weeks!

It was pretty obvious they were still working on adjusting to the smaller space. Lighting was really bright in some places as if the lights were made for bigger rooms. They tried to compensate for the lack of space by creating tighter, more intimate scares but there were some areas that just felt crowded and disproportionate. There were also some spaces that were so confined that even the actors had a hard time fitting in. The flow and timing of some scares were a little off due to this.

The costuming and makeup were just as detailed as we can imagine they were in their prime and the creatures were terrifying! The sets and props were top-notch Hollywood quality. We absolutely love the medieval theme!  

We're sad that we didn't get to experience this haunt in all of its previous glory but we are glad they are back!!! The owners have managed to make the best of a bad situation and are determined to retake the throne. We wish them all the success in the world and hope they become even bigger and better than before!