USS Nightmare 2013 Review

USS Nightmare: Newport, KY

Elisabeth
I was pleasantly surprised by this haunt. I had toured it back in 1998. Needless to say, they have improved it by leaps and bounds. I thought the length was great. It was relatively long and each section was themed with enough to keep one intrigued and looking over their shoulder. I also thought the actors were energized and made the haunt come alive. I was particularly impressed by the clowns. Their interaction was a combination of scary and funny. Overall, I thought I the haunt was excellent.

Teresa
The USS Nightmare was a fun haunt. The actors were professional and did a great job playing their roles. From witty characters with quick comebacks and charming accents, to trickster clowns, to lurching zombies, they put on quite the show. And the haunt location is atmospheric and makes for a good theme. I loved being able to look underneath us and see the river. They should float some bodies or a river monster down there. They also made good use of tricky panels to disorient us. We ended up walking in circles several times while they laughed at us, only to realize now there was a new path that wasn’t open before. I had a great time laughing at myself. Definitely not the scariest place ever, but the length, fun actors, and riverboat ambiance make this a solid haunt in my opinion.

Gus
Any respectable haunted house aficionado in Cincinnati should have USS Nightmare on their list. The fact that it takes place on a riverboat makes it interesting, but wait until you see what they do inside. While in years past the theme has been very consistently mad ship’s captain on the ship of the damned, this year things have been switched up a bit to include a foresty section, a vampire lair (complete with bat cave) and probably the best clown section I’ve seen in a while. Even though these sections take away a bit from the main theme, they are executed surprisingly well in such a small space. The length is also unexpected as you loop through the boat several times. Don’t forget your group photo on the way out! Lots of fun!

Todd
The USS Nightmare is the most unique venue for a haunt you’ll find anywhere around the tri-state area. It’s not a haunted HOUSE, not a haunted TRAIL, it’s a big haunted BOAT and a sinister looking one at that.

Observing it from the shore of the Ohio River is a spectacle in itself. The boat shows visible damage, an aged exterior and boarded up windows that immediately leave you guessing what may be awaiting you within. This thing just looks haunted from the outside. Let’s put it this way, take away the exterior lighting, ticket booth and other attraction elements and you’d be a lot less likely to walk aboard.

My favorite aspect of this haunt is the boat itself. It’s delightful (from a haunt-lover’s perspective) to see how the haunt has been built around the boat’s original interior. Many haunts pay top dollar to make something feel authentic. The USS Nightmare has no need to do so, it’s the real deal. Going in I suspected it to be very cramped but found that it felt just right. It’s not open and spacious – this would feel much too safe. However, it doesn’t feel as close quartered as I suspected, being on a boat and all. In fact, if it weren’t for the original interior so well utilized, there are times you could forget that you’re on a boat all together.

In addition to the authentic details utilized, I was very impressed with the quality of the added environments. I immediately noticed that the crypt area was constructed with real stone. Every other haunt I’ve been through uses plaster, vacuum molded plastic, etc.. This is a great example of the high quality you can expect from the USS Nightmare. Details count and they are spared at no expense.

I also very much liked that three levels of the boat were used, particularly in the areas surrounding the enormous animatronic monster. The collapsing bridge at the top level outside the captain’s quarters is a fun added novelty to experience while gazing down the full height of this massive beast.

The actors were great. They all played their roles very well and supported the haunts theme immensely. They did a fantastic job at keeping you involved with the story and exercising their improvisation when needed. This happened at times when our group got too close to another group and they wanted to create some separation. Rather than focusing on constantly jumping out at you (don’t worry, there’s plenty of that), some actors reserve themselves to keeping you engaged in the experience.

One area I’d like to specifically point out is the clown area. FINALLY! A haunt that does clowns right. These clowns are pretty much traditional clowns – the creepiest kind of all. They make no attempts to look particularly monstrous, nor do they look like gothic teenagers wearing extra baggy garb. There was no 3D blacklight environment that was way too bright. There were dark corridors, clowns acting not-quite-right and a maze that I found myself genuinely lost in. As small as this area was, it’s definitely the best take on clowns I’ve seen yet. No overkill here.

Overall, the USS Nightmare is haunt staple worth checking out. Because the attraction resides on a boat, it is entirely unique. The entire theme and setting takes full advantage of this massive craft and it never once feels like a gimmick. The boat and the haunt within are both top notch. I found myself very intrigued by just the boat itself and my only complaint was that I couldn’t spend more time on board exploring.

Frightmaster
The USS NIghtmare is a very unique haunt in that it is actually on an old boat that is really supposed to be haunted. It’s definitely an experience in terror like nothing you have ever seen before. It was raining the night we visited but that definitely didn’t keep the fans and enthusiasts away. The lines started backing up at 7 so get there early unless you go through the “RIP” line.

The boat is old and creepy looking from the outside but once you go inside it gets worse. The overall theme of a haunted boat stays the same year after year but the rooms and scenes change from year to year. This year there were some new rooms added as they opened up a new section of the boat. I loved the clown sequence where they kept telling you not to believe Pogo the clown as you wound around going through the same curtains/doors winding up in the place where you started until you begged the clowns to show you the way out! Very claustrophobic and disorienting but fun! Nice interaction with the visitors here as well.

The old favorites were there again this year – the rat lady and the Captain Mitchell were in attendance along with some new crypt keepers who had a very questionable English accent? They kept the rapport going as they detained you in a hot, creepy, tomb filled room. It seemed like they had a few less actors than last year but it could be because the haunt is getting so big that they have the same number of actors and there is just more space to fill. The actors they have do a great job, though. They could use a bit of entertainment for the people standing in the ticket and queue lines to enter. Maybe some walking Zombies or another Captain Mitchell walking around the lines to heighten the anticipation.

Overall, this haunt still stands as one of the best, most unique haunts in the tri-state and probably in the top 10 in the country. It’s also very long so more scares for the buck.

It’s not Halloween without a visit to the USS Nightmare!! If you haven’t been, go! The Captain is waiting……..and you may even see a few real ghosts while you’re there.

Overall score: 3.60 Skulls (Excellent)

Check out our photos from this visit!

Visit their web site at www.ussnightmare.com

One Response to “USS Nightmare 2013 Review”

1. Allen says:

   October 12, 2013 at 12:47 pm

   Thanks for a great review. The USS Nightmare is truely a great haunt that you do not want to miss..

   Reply