[Haunt Review] Netherworld: An Otherworldly Sensory Overload...and we liked it!

Okay, so while on our way back from Orlando, we had the opportunity to swing in and check out one of the most bat shit crazy haunted attractions in the entire known universe, Netherworld. While we barely made it before they closed this past Saturday night...it was definitely worth the little bit of speeding that may or may not have happened to get there.

This place is truly insane, there's so much going on that you're head will spin and that's just in the parking lot...what happens once you're inside is another matter all together. Netherworld has been on our list to experience for quite some time, we weren't let down one bit with the over the top insanity of it all either.

• Date Visited: 10/5/13
• Review Team: +Carrie H.C. and +Kitsune Hazard 
• Rating: Very good
• Recommendation: This place is completely insane. There's so much going on that you're not sure what universe you're even in let alone if you're on the same planet. If you're near Atlanta you simply have to see this to believe it!  
• Likes: Incredible sets and animatronics throughout The Dead Ones and some amazingly unique uses of space and ideas behind the scares.
• Dislikes: It's so noisy that a lot of the actors seemed to have to rely on startles with shakers and cans. Many also seemed to just put their hand in front of my face to get a startle. Nothing was really all that in character...it was late though so maybe they were just a bit run down?
• Pro-Tip: Get there early...lines for this place can quickly get out of hand! Oh yeah, and also don't forget to look up, there's stuff going on everywhere in this place!!

Disclaimer: We were invited to check out Netherworld and given free entry into both attractions featured for this year's event, The Dead Ones and The Boogeyman. This in no way has slanted our views or opinions of the event as a whole.

Alright...now that we've got that out of the way, let's take a deeper look at what's going on in this massive attraction, shall we?

Upon first glance, the whole place is immense in every way imaginable. Not only is the building massive, but the props and other pieces outside are equally as massive and impressive.

The whole event just seems to be some supersized nightmare fueled dream created by psychopaths...

Whether it was the scareactors terrifying those still hanging about outside or still waiting to get in, the blaring music or the massively huge eyeball...it was all there.

...needless to say, we were pretty sure we were going to like things right off the bat and we hadn't even gotten inside yet!

Now, as was pointed out, most people just want to get scared or see if they won't be as the case may be. However, there's a ton of story going on behind the main attraction here. The Dead Ones has a very deep and carefully crafted history that's been laid out and really does add to things. (So go and read it here!) Though, to be 100% honest, Carrie and I figured it to be one of those things that was made so they could throw anything at it...and boy have they ever.

Dead Ones not only incorporates the story as you move through dilapidated old homes, once regal estates, swamps and cemeteries but it goes a million steps further. As if those settings weren't enough, we found ourselves transported through some twisted time warp and  in a world full of massive demons, mermaids and all manor of other ancient creature that's hell bent on your destruction and possibly the entire world's. 

This is their realm and the failure to keep up with the rituals and rites that kept them at bay in the past has given them the green light to terrify anything and everything that makes the mistake of venturing into their domain.

There is no safe haven and all hope is definitely abandoned by those who foolishly dare to enter here...should've listened to the old gypsy woman's warnings at the at the start of the thing, eh? I think she was onto something...

Scares were coming from everywhere in this twisted labyrinth; the ceiling, the floor, around blind corners and pitch black hallways. Nothing is left untouched, even the floors and walls are out to get you in this twisted version of reality as they were uneven, moved out from under you or tried to crush you between them. Nowhere is safe and they really hammer that point home as each turn of the corner just leads to even more of the insanity or some other massively terrifying monster that's trying to eat you or do gods know what to your corpse...it's a joyous celebration of the insane and my inner demon was cackling with glee.

So much is going on that it's hard to take it all in. I could probably detail everything that I saw and still be leaving out half to 3/4 of everything in this place. So, I won't even bother to try. Over 17 years the layers have just kept growing and morphing into a twisted reality unlike anything that I've come across in 20 years of working and reviewing haunts. It's that unique.
 
That said, it's not without it's issues. As you may have seen in the quick run down, it's extremely loud in here. It's so loud that most of the actors probably don't stand a chance in hell to do much in the way of in character scares. The majority of what I saw while walking through was shaker, can and "hand in the face" startles and very little in the way of any real interaction on a deeper level. Some of that could've been due to the late hour of our tour or the fact that it was 9million degrees and humid as hell inside too.

For the most part though, it seemed as if the completely mental creators of this journey into hell seem to have relied mostly on the animatronics and other mad scientist creations that they've concocted to do the scaring. While there's nothing wrong with that, every show is different after all, I have to say that I missed the interaction a bit...adding more of that would truly make this place one for the books, but that's just me.

But, we weren't done after surviving the sensory overload that The Dead Ones unleashed on us...oh no, there was more to be had. Next we were headed into the basement of the place to take a stroll into the twisted world of The Boogeyman. An all new addition for the 2013 season at that!

Now, I did write about this a bit ago and to be honest, the back story that's here is pretty much nearly identical to that of Nightmare on Elm Street and I'm still sticking to that. However, once inside this dark and dank world inhabited by The Boogeyman, all signs of that disappear entirely. In fact, I couldn't really place how exactly the story fit with what we saw at all but no matter...most people are there to just get scared, right? Bring on the insanity!

Again, no stops were pulled as we meandered through this nighmarish world, encountering all manner disturbing scenes, dimly lit corridors and "the meat wall" (trust me, you'll know it when you see it) and what can only be described as the victims who've fallen to the Boogeyman. I think that's what they were, if not holy crap...they need to see a doctor.

Wait, no, I've seen their doctor...he's not likely to help them much either by the looks of him.

However, I don't know if it was just our timing or what...but I don't seem to recall running into The Boogeyman personally. Could be that things were just so overwhelming that I missed him entirely, but something tells me he wasn't there...no matter though, there was plenty of other things going to make up for it!

Some of the scares here were a bit more interactive, but again...the actors were eerily silent and they didn't seem to have it on their minds at all. This definitely could be due to the fact that it was close to the end of what was likely an exhausting night, but still seemed very strange and left me wanting a bit more there.

Top that off with the whole fact that there's an insane museum to sci-fi and horror movies with props from hit films like Chronicles of Riddick, Van Helsing and even a whole Crytpo Zoology section with Bigfoot foot print casts and you've got one insane set up going on here. This is a show of shows and they're not letting anyone forget that fact at all, toss in the completely mental gift shop (reasonably priced I might add...we picked up a t-shirt and a few other things) and you've got some great stuff on top of the haunts too!  

Overall, Netherworld really does deserve the praise it gets from such places as The Travel Channel, Haunt World and several other leading authorities. The only thing that would make it better would be more interaction with their scaring from the actors in the long run. I for one won't hold that against them too much because the show they've put on is truly mind blowing and an incredible sight to behold. Again, if you're anywhere near Atlanta...you need to see this!

For more information about tickets, hours and dates of operation, directions and anything else you may be curious about, check out the official Netherworld website!

As always, you can follow along with us on Twitter @KitsuneHazard and Google+ for all the latest updates, news and more from haunts all over the US!