Haunted House Survey: The Torture Chamber
THE TORTURE CHAMBER
$12
1605 Benton Parkway (Benton)
501-315-8300
Last night!: 6:30-midnight
Length: 10 minutes
Synopsis: When people go to a haunted house, they want to be entertained as much as they want to be scared. This house has a good mixture of both. Suspense is the best ingredient here. Something fairly scary happens, so you think its time to go to the next room. Then the intended terror presents itself, causing men to scream like girls and girls to scream like…well, girls. Be prepared to duck, feel and crawl your way through this maze of mayhem. No tour guide is present (which would have made it stronger), but many rooms cannot be exited until the house is ready for you to leave, ensuring that groups will not run into each other. Ghouls also find many creative ways for making their presence known, the best job I have yet seen. The Torture Chamber would seem more authentic if the outside had been decorated to match what lurks behind their walls. Entering a building marked “Party Central” is not so intimidating, unless, of course, you are driving a carload of kids on a sugar high. Once inside, though, the outer parameters are pretty much forgotten.
Final Thoughts: The admission is slightly more than it should be, but not so much that this is one to avoid. The innovative staff makes additions to their scare tactics each night, enabling a brood of new screams every 24 hours. Add some gothic Styrofoam structures to the outside and this haunted house gets a much higher grade. As it is, the Torture Chamber is still well worth your time.
OVERALL RATING: B-
—Daniel McPherson
