With the high demand for local places to get a good scare, it’s only right that Atlanta’s newest haunted house, Containment, is located at the Midtown paradise that is Atlantic Station. At first it would seem ironic that this house of thrills is located in a place known primarily for its tranquility and peaceful synergy, but after a closer look, it becomes evident that it’s the perfect backdrop for a group excursion after dark.
CONTAINMENT
Containment is located below ground level at 1380 Atlantic Dr. With an impressive 25,000 square-foot frame that stretches about a half-mile, Containment is a lengthy maze that has an unassuming complexity.
Guests enter a long walkway, at the end of which they purchase their tickets. After tickets are bought, guests can take a few pictures available for purchase after their adventure. Once guests make it past the photo booth, the adventure finally begins.
Containment has a surprisingly elaborate design, with hundreds of active props and impressive lighting. The moment guests enter, they are welcomed by high Resolution animated ghouls on flat screens. The design of the haunted house almost resembles that of an antique store, with a countless amount of dated objects and trinkets littering the rooms. Guests are literally forced to walk through a maze, entering and exiting several rooms from different directions. The rooms are also very interactive, with fog machines, electronic puppets and pressurized air jets that spray guests at random times.
The ghouls inside of Containment are also fairly entertaining, following guests at random periods in time and banging on the walls. They exchange light (and somewhat humorous) banter with anyone who walks through asking questions and warning about the woman who will “take your face.”
Containment does a great job of keeping guests involved with their surroundings, as puppets are constantly popping up from the floor, behind objects and the walls. Several of the ghouls inside the house also blend in with the surroundings, making their ambush all the more frightening.
Overall, the design and layout of Containment are impeccable. The use of intricate props and the reliance on strong lighting and sensory effects makes it a great choice. Containment’s only shortcoming may be the fact that the ghouls inside don’t necessarily do the best job at frightening guests. A few of them do a good job of popping out and frightening guests, but for the most part they simply follow them around and stand close. Outside of this, Containment is the perfect place to take a large group on the weekend or to go with a date after dinner or a movie. Containment is definitely a great addition to the scene of Atlantic Station, and will be open for guests until November 4.
The verdict: Containment is a great outing for a large group, because the large layout is full of exciting twists and turns. The elaborate layout is very entertaining, although some of the ghouls inside aren’t so much. It is apparent that large amounts of time and effort were put into coordinating this haunted house.
Grade: “I’m shaking a bit.”
CHAMBER OF HORROR
Chamber of Horror is one of the more themselves to guests, screaming and crying established haunted houses in the metropolitan area. Boasting a five-year history, this house is conveniently situated in the Poncey-Highlands at the Masquerade theater. The strictly enforced “18 and up” policy at first seems questionable, but after enjoying the attraction it becomes pleasantly apparent why it is so.
Located at 695 North Ave., the house runs parallel to the historic Fourth Ward Park. Chamber of Horror completely juxtaposes the serene residential area surrounding it, with odd music and screams heard from a few hundred feet away.
Guests buy their $17 tickets around the back side of the Masquerade, where t-shirts and other memorabilia can also be purchased. After every individual is carded, one of the chamber’s employees approaches the group, explaining how the creepy venue was once the headquarters of the infamous “Torture Co.” After the synopsis, he brings guests inside, where they must face their fate.
Chamber of Horror features a very intricate layout with a large amount of graphic appeal. Almost all of the walls appear to be hand-painted and designed. The rooms are also very interactive, from a shaky elevator to walls that squirt unknown fluids at passerby. A portion of the set even presents itself as somewhat of an obstacle course, and guests must avoid hanging objects to make it out alive. The layout of the chamber truly does appear to be an abandoned factory for evil, with dozens of “corpses” and “skeletons” littering the floors. The current residents of the abandoned factory also present themselves to the guests, screaming and crying their struggles to anyone who will listen.
The ghouls and crazies do a great job of keeping guests involved and playfully interested. There is constant dialogue and argumentative banter between guests and the sometimes anonymous voices heard within the chamber. The back and forth interaction between guests and ghouls also explains the age limit for entry; the endless onslaught of inappropriate but hilarious remarks made by the crazies will keep a weary smirk on any guest’s face.
Chamber of Horror also does a good job of blending the ghouls with the features of the attraction, many of them playing a specific role to the room that their located in. One may be a cruel doctor, another may be a bodyguard and another may keep select individuals prisoners for eternity.
In the end, Chamber of Horror turns out to be an extremely entertaining attraction with a layout that will not only test your nerves, but also your fitness. The highly interactive crazies and the booby-trapped rooms will have any guest wondering where the next possible thrill could be coming from. The only thing that may keep visitors at a distance is the amount of time spent in complete darkness while touring the house.
The verdict: Chamber of Horror is an impressively designed attraction that is perfect for large groups, especially ones with jumpy women. The crazies are very outspoken and interactive, and the journey is a sensory experience. Guests may get momentarily lost in the large maze, as the darkness coincides with the ambiguous layouts of the rooms.
Grade: “I think i pissed myself.”
