Sunday, October 13th, 2019
13th Hour Haunted House
Located at: 105 West Dewey Ave, Wharton, NJ, 07885
2 Attractions:
(The House of Nightmares
The Darkside of the Hayden House)
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 8.5/10
Acting Overall: 8/10
Costumes/Makeup Overall: 8/10
Entertainment On Lines: 8/10
Food Options Overall: 9/10
Set Design Overall: 9/10
Props & Animatronics Overall: 9/10
Contact Experience: Optional w/glow stick
Free Parking - located behind the haunt
We arrived at 13th Hour on Sunday October 13th, around 9:30pm. As true with all good haunts, make sure you get here as early as possible because the line gets long fast. The night that we went was an optional contact night, meaning if you choose to wear a glow stick necklace the actors could touch you. We chose the contact Experience as usual.
Our first stop was the food stand where we ordered a delicious Reese’s funnel cake. Next we explored the merchant area where you can purchase some spooky themed treats and some creepy handmade dolls. You can find the contact info for the merchants at the bottom of this article.
The House of Nightmares: 2 Floors of Fear
Actors: 9/10
Makeup/Costumes: 8/10
Use of Props & Animatronics: 9/10
Set Design: 9/10
Overall Attraction Rating: 9/10
This attraction begins with a very well-produced pre-show experience that showcases the Hayden family history, before taking a trip back in time to encounter the murderous Hayden family; themselves. After the pre-show you wait in another line before officially entering the attraction. Fortunately there is so much going on in this room between animatronics and live actors that you almost don’t mind the wait. The sets throughout both floors were brilliantly done. The animatronics and props such as the dragon, the carousel and the collapsing bridge were amazing. But, most of all, much respect to all of the actors. Despite the fact that we were the last group of the night to go through this attraction, every single actor still gave us 110%. The best part of this attraction involved an interaction With actor “Mikki the Clown”, and our very own Jon Larsen. Mikki stole one of Jons shoes and used the shoelace to tie his hands behind his back. Jon then had to continue through a maze with only one shoe and no arms using his head to open curtains all while having Mikki and the rest of her clown family tickling him (one of Jons biggest weaknesses!!).
The Darkside of the Hayden House:
Actors: 5/10
Jump scares: 8/10
Use of Props & Animatronics: 6/10
Dark Haunt Rating: 6.5/10
For this second and final attraction your group walks through completely in the dark while wearing a glow in the dark necklace so the actors can see where you are. While it is recommended that you use both of your hands to feel out the walls and find your way through, Jon still had his arms tied behind his back, and opted to do things the hard way. If you are afraid of the dark, and enjoy jump scares or spontaneous loud noises this attraction will be perfect for you. If you’re looking for a lot of character engagement, over the top sets, or animatronics this attraction won’t provide that for you. It plays on the fears of the dark, and fear of the unknown! Luckily the first attraction has more than enough eye candy and actor engagement to level out the final attraction. Everyone is different with what they enjoy! While this attraction was not our favorite, we can see a lot of others enjoying this one!
If you are interested in doing any add on experiences during your time at 13th Hour they offer two options you can check out:
1. Virtual Reality Escape Rooms: 60 Minute escape rooms in a three-dimensional virtual reality environment. Up to 6 players per team. Guests get to choose from 3 options – The Cabin, Space Adventure or the Pirate Ship.
2. Escape Rooms: Find the clues, solve the puzzles and escape the room. Classic 60 minute escape rooms with 5 options to choose from – Grand Parlor, Great Room, John Hayden’s Room, Cookhouse and the Dungeon.
Merchant Contact Info: (COMING SOON)
Spooky Treats: (COMING SOON)
Creepy Dolls: (COMING SOON)