Reindeer Manor
Overall Score-8.5
Actors-7
Fright-7
Value-8.5
Props/Decor-10
Atmosphere-10
Reindeer Manor is part of a haunt park in Red Oak off of Houston School Road, about 2.5 miles from I-35. Reindeer itself consists of Reindeer Manor and a trail following the Manor. A hayride transports you to the park from the parking lot. A snack shop is available on Reindeer grounds, and several other food vendors can be found in other parts of the park. The length of Reindeer fluctuates depending on the size of your group, but it usually takes me 20-25 minutes. When considering value, it's important to take 13th Street Morgue and Dungeon of Doom into account since most people buy combo tickets. With those houses considered, the total haunt time goes to around 45 minutes. The price of a combo ticket is $35 for adults, $15 for kids under 10. The individual ticket price for Reindeer is $17 for adults, $8 for kids under 10.
Reindeer Manor is theatrical, with a different scene played out in each room. Following that is the heavily fogged rocking boat and then the trail. The rooms in Reindeer are the same each year, though the actors change. After you enter the house through the room with the descending ceiling, you find yourself in Dracula's lair. The room looks great, the best detailed of the house. The quality of the room depends greatly upon the skill of the actor, as do the other rooms. After Dracula, you enter the library/den, then you see the dining room (of sorts), the laboratory, the butcher's, and as you exit the house itself you go across the first bridge to the dragon pond. All rooms look great, so even in years when the actors aren't as good as usual, you have plenty to see.
The rocking boat was my favorite part of Reindeer this year. it's densely fogged and moves around quite a bit. Travelling through is a slow process due to the motion and lack of visibility. Outside on the trail you have a barbecue shed, and then a live demonstration of how the meat is prepared. A volunteer from the audience is required for that part. A mine shaft, an excellent cave, simulated quicksand, and angry locals await as you travel down the trail.
When combined with 13th Street and Dungeon of Doom, Reindeer is a good value this year. Add to that the free theater playing horror movies all night and it's lots of fun to visit this place. Allow a full evening for the Reindeer/13th park and try to arrive as early as you can. The barbecue (not the kind on the trail) is excellent and there are plenty of other concessions. I like to see the houses and then eat and watch movies the rest of the night. I've been visiting Reindeer since '94 and I'm going one more time this year, that should tell you how much I enjoy it.
