Gates of Misery was probably the biggest (and best) surprise of the 2017 haunt season and WOW! The growth from last year is evident - bigger builds/props, more detailed sets, new themes, longer; and we are pumped!
What we love the most about Gates of Misery is their ability to create the most interesting rooms using atypical themes and make them insanely creepy... all without a Netherworld or Paranoia budget. They are the masters of cerebral set design. This is one of those haunts that does more than just scare you, they make you think and make decisions (usually bad ones because you are terrified and panicking). The rooms here really draw you in and the more time you spend in them the more engulfed you become. Some rooms don’t transition well into the next (ex. pirate ship to bedroom) but each individual room is so well done we are not sure that matters much.
Gates of Misery's sets are more than just artistically, brilliantly eerie, they are also super interactive – lots of opening doors, going up and down stairs, across bridges, etc. It is so much more than just walking through a haunted house; it’s a HAUNTED ADVENTURE!
One of our favorite aspects of this haunt last year was their unique approach to actors. Instead of actors dressing as scary characters they were dressed to blend in with their environment. It was never a question of “is that prop/person real?” but more so “where are they coming from or what part of this scene is randomly going to move?” So different and so effective! There were a few rooms that still incorporated this and those were our faves.There was one room in particular that referenced a Disney movie (of all things!) that just completely blew us away but there were definitely a lot more character actors this year. Some were awesome while some took away from the room instead of adding to it.
Gates of Misery has now become a can’t miss haunt for us. Every year we will be there to support and see what new horrors they have in store. They are definitely on the top of the list for us and should be for you too!
