reviewing haunts

This blog will have a few purposes. First, it's a place to ruminate about Halloween, the haunted attraction industry, and related matters (I've already done this a little). Second, once we get closer to opening a haunt, it will be a way to track our progress and give teasers before the opening. Finally, this provides a nice forum to review haunts, as well.

I should probably state my policy up front. I'm not in this to trash anyone, so I don't intend to write negative reviews. If I attend a sub-par haunt, I just won't write about it. (Or at the very least, I could write generalized "what to avoid posts" that amalgamate experiences from a few bad haunts without naming names or giving identifying characteristics.) After all, this isn't consumer reports - I don't feel that it's my duty to review haunts for prospective customers. Coming at this from a perspective of a future haunter, I'm more interested in ideas: What have others done well? How have they inspired me? What is it about the superior haunt that makes you leave saying, "DAMN! That was good!" The good haunts usually have quite a lot to offer in the inspiration department, and this is what I'm interested in writing about.

This year, due to the birth of my first child, I probably won't be able to attend more than a handful of haunts. But I've visited 50+ within the last few years, and so I could go back and write about a few of those experiences, as well. Are there any haunts in the Virginia/North Carolina area worth checking out? Do you have any haunt reviews you'd like to share in the comments section?