At Evidence of Evil, Monsters Engage You in Theatrical Scenes (4.5 stars)
Evidence of Evil, based at Lyman Orchards in South Central Connecticut, is the most theatrical Halloween attraction in New England. At most attractions, actors just jump out to scare you, but at Evidence of Evil, you will play out scenes.
I got to interview David Belas and Justin Coretto, who told me, “Evidence of Evil is different because of the unique approach we have to interactivity within the haunt that we design. Our actors are super good at improv, which leads into a lot of memorable and funny interactions in each scene.”
For example, in one room there’s an electric chair. A monster gets the guests who decide: who will sit in the chair to be electrocuted, and who will pull the switch? In another room, one of the guests must climb into a coffin and the monster closes the lid. In another, there’s a headless mannequin. What shall the guests do about that?
The attraction doesn’t have the highest levels of animatronics and set design. Much of its plywood corridors are just camouflage netting, and I’m not sure the point of the possibly 80 flaps of cloth that guests must brush through, sharing germs with everyone who came before them. But nobody does theatrical scenes like Evidence of Evil. And Evidence of Evil does have a few great special effects and dioramas, including ghouls out front which is a great place to take photos, and a “laser lake”, a horizontal plane of laser light and fog that you have to walk through. Like a real lake, you can’t see underneath the surface of the laser light. Who knows what you will find underneath?
This year, I’ll give Evidence of Evil 4.5 stars, and I sense that they are in a ramp-up phase and that next year will be even better!
See more at evidenceofevil.net.