2006

DUNGEONS OF DELHI-Terror Hits The Road!

The creatures at the Dungeons Of Delhi were restless this evening. No matter how many hauntgoers that came through, it just wasn't enough to satisfy their lust for fear. Some of their ghouls have taken to the road-being spotted at points as far away as the Dent Schoolhouse and USS Nightmare. And now it seemed as if the entire cast was ready to hit the streets in search of fresh blood-the door to the Dungeons flew open and over fifty of the undead were disgorged from its depths. While this might have been an alarming sight to those driving by the event, the monsters were merely lining up for a cast shot for the HOD!!!
The Dungeons has long been one of Cincinnati's best kept haunt secrets-a charity haunt that manages to bring professional production values to its event. This evening, John Colleta IV was our host to the twisted goings-on (since project chairman 'Chainsaw Cece' Rouse was busy looking for replacement legs for his driver in the Monster Garage-but more on that later). John delivered the biggest scare of the night when he informed us that "This is the FINAL year...". That is, until he added, "...that you'll see the house with the layout it's had the last few years. We're leveling everything-taking it down to the ground-and starting over. We hope to be able to add three feet to each side of the attraction and squeeze three or four more rooms out. We also might try to put some temporary rooms outside to make it even bigger. You'll also be entering and exiting through a diiferent spot".
While the Dungeons has retained the same layout the last several years, by no means does that imply it hasn't changed. We were actually quite surprised with the number of improvements that had been made this season. There's an excellent new body bag room with a unique twist-when the bloody girl weaving amongst them asks what size body bag you wear-she ain't kiddin'! Freddy's Boiler room has moved and now has space for more victims. There's a new 'dog house' room and the Monster Garage has been expanded-you now come in through the vendor entrance! Hannibal's room now sports a slanted floor just to make getting past his glass cell more interesting. The Dungeons Emergency Room sports a waiting room.
The first new room you're likely to notice is Damien Reaper's lair-a fog shrouded, hellishly lit room full of blank eyed soulless ghouls (the actors in here have perfected rolling thier eyes up until only the whites show-very creepy!). Damien was one of the first recurring original characters (as opposed to movie monsters) to appear on the local haunt scene, and brings a revised look along with him each year. Dan Ruwan, the actor who has played Damien for eight seasons, had this to say about the Dungeons. "It has been 8 and 0 years of being Damien Reaper. Being an Icon of the Dungeons now is an honor and the DOD staff are family. John Colleta, Dan Leopold, Chad Hacker, Robin Dickman, the Rouses-Cecil, Mary, Ben, and Jake-Tyler and Ginger Irive, the Strothes-Emily, Kate, Jennifer and Mike-are the reasons why I love working for the Dungeons. I did like working THE Haunted House in Dent and USS Nightmare but Dungeons is and will always be my home. Another thing is the great Monsters we have here-Chainsaw Cec, Fatso, Joker, Banshee, Buddy The Bum, Wolf-Girl, Slient Hacker. They are getting more well known which is great! They're the staples and Legends of the Dungeons of Delhi!"
As noted earlier, many of the characters from the Dungeons have turned up at the two mega-haunts in town-the Dent Schoolhouse and the USS Nightmare. In fact, Damien was planning on going up to Dent after the Duneons closed for the evening. This not only enhances the other haunts by giving them more recognizable haunt characters as 'ghost...err, guest stars' but also exposes the actors of the Dungeons to the acting skills and abilties of the fine actors already staffing those houses. In turn, that helps them get better. While going through the Dungeons, I picked up several bits that seemed to be inspired by the antics of the creatures at the other houses. Everyone wins here-mostly the hauntgoer!
With over 50 actors in the Dungeon's 20+ scenes, there's never a dull moment-and unlike many haunt monsters, they don't want you to 'GET OUT'-they want you to 'STAY', which is even worse! Hannibal was one of the most persistant killers in the area, turning up at the entrance or exit to several rooms after his own, asking hauntgoers if they'll reconsider one of his grisly offers. The Joker and Fatso have proclaimed themselves the loudest guys in the house, and if you take the time to stick around and listen to their patter, pretty amusing as well. They have a game quite like 'whack-a-mole' set up, except they use zombies-and Fatso seemed to think The Joker would be a perfect taget for the mallet as well! There are zombies that do nothing but shuffle mindlessly about-very unnerving, as you're just waiting for them to take notice of you...and waiting...and waiting...There are also quick but effective skits put on in the cemetery, the Mad Doctor's Lab, Surgery, Hannibal's Cell, and the Monster Garage (aka Scare Shop). The latter provided one of the bigger surprises of the evening when one of Cece's half-finished projects, which looks like one of the phoniest stuffed dummies in the world, turned out to be the real thing! Cecil also proved to be every bit as insistent as Hannibal as he was shouting out during the cast photo, "I still need them legs!".
This is Cecil's second year of being in charge of the Dungeon. He, along with son Jake and John Colleta IV took up the baton from the former group of Dave Espich, Bill Hunter, and Joe Middendorf. This year, the group enlisted as a charter member of Cincy Haunts (which led the actors to appear at the haunts of the other members and associates). John was happy to report that the first tickets from hauntgoers completing the 'haunt crawl' of the Cincy Haunts group began to turn up earlier in the weekend.
One cast member you may or may not see while touring the Dungeons is Frank. While hanging out in the Dungeons break room (where it was nice to find that teenagers really haven't changed that much since we were one!), one of the staffers, Dan, showed us the purported photos of 'Frank' in the Monster Garage. In one, everything looks normal. In the other, taken ten seconds later, a wispy form can be seen. The staffers say things like this began happening when they opened the lock on a casket that had the name 'Frank' on it-and something strange seems to happen EVERY time they open it. So for now, it seems they might have an extra ghostly volunteer stalking the halls!
The Dungeons is simply starting to get too big for its venue, and there are plans to move its location in the future, perhaps as early as next year. John has been looking at several sites that are more visible and easy to find. But one thing's for sure-whether or not they get a new home, the Dungeons can no longer contain the creatues within in. They will continue to pop up at attractions all over Cincinnati. Terror has indeed hit the road!

Who Let These Two Clowns In?

The Joker and Fatso have been busy practicing their 'whack-a head' game technique!

Paper Or Plastic?

In this case, I would for sure choose:PAPER!

Dinner Is Served!

Hannibal reels in his latest catch!

Don't Touch The Monsters And They Won't Touch You

Oops! Someone didn't listen!

Dungeons Of Delhi is located at 362 Anderson Ferry Road in Delhi Township at the rear of the shopping center. They are open Fridays through Sundays, October 6-29. Operating hours are 7-11 Friday and Saturday and 7-9 on Sunday. Children friendly matinees are also held every Sunday from 5-7. Cost is $10 with $2 off for one canned good (all canned goods go to the Free Store). You can also get $2 off coupons at Cincyhaunts.com. Go to http://members.tripod.com/~damienreaperx0/ or call (513) 451-7549 for more information.

2007
 

Many Old Friends Await At The Dungeons Of Delhi!

Freddy's just one of several slashers of the silver screen to be spotted!

The Food Hasn't Gotten Any Better, Though...

Fare like this makes me glad to be a vegetarian!

...And The Guy In The Monster Garage Still Needs Them Legs!

I think he'll find his old set in the Monster Buffet!

DUNGEONS OF DELHI-Bloody Homecoming!

Earlier this year, the Dungeons Of Delhi saw a change in leadership that had local haunters wondering what would become of one of the city's most popular attractions-or if it would open at all. As we parked in the familar environs of the old Thriftway store lot, we wondered what changes would be evident in the event. Well, there's one right off the bat-an impressive window painting that takes up the entire storefront of the Thriftway store, directing hauntgoers out back. Another quicly follows as an eerily lit graveyard is being visited by a hearse 'unloading merchandise'. On the ground next to the ticket booth lies the gore-soaked body of a young lady, covered with a sign that says, 'Next Week's Prop'. A disturbing looking silent Klown in a straightjacket works the line, sending chills up the spines of the Dungeon's patrons. So far, so good-but who's in charge? Where are the 'new guys'? Well, meet the new boss-same as the old boss-we're happy to see that the new leadership is Joe Middendorf and Dave Espich, the founders of the Dungeons! Now entering its fourteenth season, the return of Joe and Dave gives the Dungeons a bloody homecoming indeed!

While there have been changes to the event, the majority are welcome ones-and the event still delivers the quality haunt that we've all come to expect. In an age where admission prices have skyrocketed, the Dungeons has actually slashed its price from $10 to $6. "We're a charity haunt, after all," explained Joe. "We wanted our admission price to be affordable to an average family. The best year we had was when admission was $5." The line this Sunday is indeed substantially larger than it's been the last couple of years. It's a simple rule of economics-finding the price that maximizes revenue. "We're also trying to make the event less of a business and making sure that the kids putting it on are having fun. That's how we've always envisioned the Dungeons-something that should be fun for both the customers and our volunteers. All of our profits go right to the kids, and we've collected all kinds of canned goods for charity as well."

This approach seems to be a success-as we talk, Joe and Dave are approached by many of the ticket buyers who are glad to see them again. Many of them are former 'monsters' from the Dungeon, bringing the next generation of haunt actors along with them. For example, Mark 'Bates' in the event's signature first room, The Bates Motel, has his son Mad Matt working in the Monster Kitchen (well, we like to call it the Monster Buffet, but you get the idea). This is one of the redone rooms for this season, and features a surly staff entreating passersby to have a little something from their ghoulish repast. That rat on a grill sure looks tempting-but, nah, we're on a diet and rats are notoriously fattening.

While the Dungeons is a charity haunt, it doesn't skimp on production values. The rooms are detailed to the max and the costuming and makeup top shelf. The painting in the Thriftway window out front was done by Lee Johnson, who does most of the window work for the local auto dealers. The coolest thing you might see in the Dungeons this year hasn't even arrived yet. "It's an animatronic laying on a table-she raises her head, opens her eyes-they're all black-lets out the most unearthly, eerie, terrible scream, and then an alien monster comes bursting out of her stomach! We loved it, but the company we bought it from didn't ship it Fedex like we asked, so it won't be here until next weekend," said Dave, who is obviously looking forward to getting it!

You'll see a mixture of rooms that combine original themes with movie slashers. Many of them have been Dungeons staples for years-such as the highly detailed, fog filled cemetery that leads to a cabin in the woods. There's the 'Whack-A-Klown' area, Freddy's room, the Halloween living room, the Toxic Waste Dump, and the shaking hallway. This year the hallway had a new twist as the Frankenstein Monster blocked the exit and shook the area even more violently! Following the hallway is one of the Dungeon's most popular rooms over the years-Dr. Frankenstein's lab. It's comparable to a movie set and filled with banks of medical monitors, huge electrical circuit boards, a lit up operating table, specimen jars, and masses of other equipment. Other returning favorites include the body bag hallways (three narrow corridors full of 'soft' and 'hard' bags, and where it's possible you might end up wearing one), the prison cells with the electric chair (the Dungeons was the first area attraction to feature the classic Distortions prop), the morgue, and the ever popular Monster Garage (where the owner is proud of his rep of running a 'chop shop').

These rooms are packed with volunteer creatures-as seen in our photos last year, the number of monsters inside the haunt easily took up three group shots! You might also see a difference in the composition of the groups from night to night. Joe told us, "On Friday and Saturday we have more adults working (since many of the kids have football games and other activities). We have our children's matinee on Sunday (where the lights are turned up and the monsters are friendly) and only run the regular haunt from 7-9, so we use more younger actors that day." This being Sunday, the majority of actors inside are teens. But what a group they are! The energy level in here is the highest in any haunt we've seen this year-the enthusiasm is off the scale despite it being near to closing time. Inside a room with barbed wire, stocks, and other instruments of torture, a young man cries and moans as if he's actually feeling the agonies of Hell. The two Klowns in the 'Whack-A-Klown' room prove to be worthy heirs to longtime staples The Joker and Fatso as they maniacally rush around the room and pound the floor with their oversized mallet. The actor playing Freddy has his Krueger schtick down pat (all the area haunts using Freddy seem to have found good actors to do it-nice to see!). The girls in the cemetery deserve special notice. One young lady that couldn't have weighted more than 100 pounds slammed her coffin lid open with the ferocity a real zombie would have-it sounded like some 300 pound mauler had burst from inside. The Goth Gals towards the end of the cemetery scored high on the creepiness meter as well, whether they emerged from coffins or from inside mausoleums. Did we mention they also had Jason from Friday The 13th and Chainsaw Charlie lurking amongst the tombstones as well? You couldn't ask for a better group performance from young actors.

Not a young actor, but one that we're going to be happy to see return, is Dave Espich's Frankenstein. For years, Dave provided the best line entertainment in the Tri-State. Whether he was performing magic tricks, good naturedly razzing the crowd, calming down scared young children, or trying to impress the gals with his square-headed charm, Dave's Monster was worth the price of admission all by itself. Dave said, "I'd be doing it this weekend, but the Frankenstein headpiece disappeared from the haunt sometime during the last two seasons. I'm going to go out this week and pick up a new one, so hopefully I'll be back in action this coming weekend. I still have people stop me on the street and tell me they know me from somewhere-usually, it turns out from being Frankenstein!" The greatest feat of slight of hand at the Dungeon doesn't belong to Dave, however. "One time I was performing a trick with a silk handkerchief and some guy told me I was just going to hide it inside my watch. I took it off and handed it to him and performed the trick, and he had no answer to that. It was only later I realized I never got the watch back!" he laughed. Dave also has plans for the hearse out front, which is on loan from a local cemetery. "I'm going to buy it, put a hood scoop on it, and paint it with the Dungeons logo." As we check out the graveyard out front and Dave explains how they built the 'wrought iron fence' he brings up a former member of the Dungeons. "Damien Reaper (Dan Ruwan) was great-he was a really great kid. I used to call him at 9 at night during the summer and tell him to come on down and help out with the Dungeons. We'd be here until two of three in the morning, and Dan never complained once. He just lives for this stuff and was just the kind of guy you wanted around".

As the Dungeons begins to shut down for the night, 'Next Week's Prop' is still laid out on the pavement. She hasn't moved a muscle, twitched, or even seemingly blinked-she's held her blank eyed stare steady for over 45 minutes. A young man interviews us, earnestly trying to get suggestions for what they can improve upon inside the Dungeons for next weekend. Talk about dead-ication to the craft! It's the same kind of dedication Joe, Dave, Mark, and all the creatures and volunteers display. With an event that combines a traditional charity haunt with professional production values, a group of rabid creatures, and is the best haunt deal in town, the bloody homecoming has turned out to be a big success!

100 Barrels Of...Errrr...Things On The Wall

The Delhi Toxic Waste Dump is home to all sorts of mutations!

What Would An HOD!!! Article Be Without A Cute Ghoul In It?

The cemetery was loaded with 'em! Who needs the net when you can just open a coffin!

The Heirs To The Joker And Fatso

These two 'Whack-A-Klowns' do their predecessors proud!

Dungeons Of Delhi is located at 362 Anderson Ferry Road in Delhi Township at the rear of the Del-Fair Shopping Center (behind the old Thriftway store). They are open Fridays through Sundays, October 12-28. Operating hours are 7-11 on Fridays and Saturdays, with Sundays running 7-9. There's also a matinee every Sunday from 5-7. Cost is $6 plus a canned good, with matinees running $3. Go to http://www.dungeonsofdelhihauntedhouse.com
or call (513) 922-3111 for more information. Publicity by FM 97.3 The Wolf.

2008

THE DUNGEONS OF DELHI: Where's Frankenstein?

"Where's Frankenstein?" asked the little girl to Dungeons Of Delhi co-chairman (along with Joe Middendorf) Dave Espich, who was currently taking tickets at the front door. Dave thought about it for a moment and answered, "Well, Sweety, he's inside-he's down in the lab". This was true enough, but Dave wasn't fooling her. "No, no," she exclaimed. "The outside Frankenstein that says funny things and does tricks". Dave just kind of smiled at her and said something to the effect of he was too busy scaring people. After the girl was led inside the Dungeons by her mother, the HOD!!! turned to Dave and asked, "Yeah, Dave, just WHERE IS Frankenstein?" Dave laughed and said, "My mask got stolen a couple of seasons back. I haven't been able to find a new headpiece yet". Dave of course was the Frankenstein in question, providing the best line entertainment in a Cincinnati haunt, doing a Herman Munster schtick, razzing hauntgoers, and performing simple and effective magic tricks (including, as we reported last year, having his watch stolen when he gave it to a spectator to hold and forgetting to ask for it back). He's just one of the signature characters the Dungeons has developed over the years that have helped place it among the forefront of Cincinnati's top quality charity haunts.

The Dungeons is now in its 15th season, having started out in 1994 when it was known as the Delhi Police Explorer's Haunted House (making the switch to Dungeons Of Delhi the next year). Over that time it quietly provided a highly detailed, top quality haunt that impressed most everyone that managed to find out about it (including people like Josh Wells and Bud Stross of 1031 Productions). Despite the handicap of a rather bland location in back of Thriftway in Del-Fair Shopping Center (but an extremely generous location that only charges $1 for rent), it compared well to the professional big money haunts that were popping up more and more around Cincinnati in the early and mid nineties. In fact, it was the first local haunt to use the now classic Distortions Electric Chair prop. "Yep, that was $4200-wholesale. We built a couple of rooms around it-we had a cell block with prisoners and then an execution room where we had a police officer reading the sentence and then carrying it out" said Dave. Having this kind of high end prop helped set it apart from other charity haunts, and over the years they've tried to add something like it every few years as the budget allowed. This year, they're set to get 'The Last Ride', a ride simulator that features a coffin that moves around on its own-but like a lot of high end props, the manufacturer has been slow in delivering. It's slated for the Vampire Room, but it'll be set up outside the haunt on Sunday the 26th, available for hauntgoers to give it a spin at $4 a ride.

That's not to say that there's nothing else going on in the Vampire Room. Not only does it contain a young lady in a coffin, it also has one of the area's craziest actors making his debut. This is the wild haired thrashing vampire who bolts into the middle of the room after the lady vampire has gotten your attention. He looks like he's having a spastic fit, gibbering and gesticulating with a mouth full of rotted fangs-it's almost like watching someone get hit by a taser! He joins a group that despite losing several of their key actors a couple of years back for a variety of reasons (including Damien, Fatso, Joker, Wolf Girl, and others) hasn't missed a beat.
The Dungeons continues to be staffed by a full house on a nightly basis, even on a slow night like Sunday where it fielded an even 50 actors in its 24 or so scenes. Unlike other charity haunts that rely on kids earning community service hours, they tend to get the same actors back every evening as well. The Dungeons sometimes takes knocks for the amount of young actors they employ, but they're usually in roles suited to their age-as victims of Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, zombies (well, it's not just adults that die and come back to life, y'know), or Death Rockers. And the majority of them do an outstanding job. There was a young lady in the operating room cowering and crying that would have been right at home in any horror movie. One of Freddy Krueger's victims laid on a table in the Boiler Room, singing a eerie verison of the familar 'One, two, Freddy's coming for you' song that raised the hair on our necks. Another girl in the graveyard appeared from behind an open coffin in the graveyard with her male sibling, slamming the lid shut with such force that I thought some 300 pound bruiser had done it! She then informed us it was our turn to hide, but in such a creepy manner it sounded more like a threat than an invitation to play-I don't know what it is, but the local haunt scene is full of disturbing young girls in its acting corp this year! Fatso and Joker would have been proud of the Klown in the Big Top Of Death, as he was almost literally climbing the walls.

Several of the actors came out front to join Dave and myself after the haunt had closed to discuss their characters and how they bring them to life, including the aforementioned vampire (New Blood) who was as laid back while not in character as he was intense while in it. He was joined by Mad Mark and Mad Matt, along with the orange haired rocker Scruffy from the 'Death Rock' room. The undead young lady with the top hat from the vampire room also came out and shared many of the photos of the cast she had taken with her digitial camera. Listening to the group, it was obvious how seriously they took their roles and that it wasn't just a way to kill time. 

Other rooms within the attraction feature longtime favorites such as the Hall Of Statues, The Kitchen, the Black Hall, Toxic Dump, Body Bag Halls, Electrocution (still using the Distortions chair), the Graveyard, Hannibal's Cell, the Shifting Hallway, the beautifully done Frankenstein's Lab, the Operating Room, Chainsaw, and the hilarious Monsters Garage (where this year there are not one but two living torsos laid out and hanging around). New for this year is a room with shredded sheets that conceal Satan (a real wicked looking Satan who also appears in the hallway leading to the Monsters Garage) along with a room of frenzied Death Rockers (well, that's what they reminded ME of). The rooms all sport impressive detail that any pro haunt would be proud of, and also the stellar lighting that I've been applauding the Dungeons about since day one. They're one of the few attractions that can pull off brightly lit colorful scenes and make them work, along with using low key lighting to highlight scenes that require it. One nice touch is a room such as the Myers House, where a flickering TV set full of static provides the room illumination, giving it a realistic feel.

One of the more unique small touches at the Dungeons is the Bates Wall Of Fame located in the first room (the traditional Bates Motel). Actually, the wall encompasses virtually any flat surface that can accomodate a photograph. Sharing wall space with a board full of 'Dungeon Keys' and artwork are photographs taken of the Dungeon's actors past and present (such as Damien Reaper, who started out at the Dungeons before moving to Dent). 'Mad Mark' Mateikat is always searching for more pictures to grace the Wall-he's currently looking for one of Dave as Frankenstein to put up. The Wall isn't limited to Dungeons actors, though-we spotted several shots that featured actors from other attractions (such as Bludzo and Calliope from The Dent Schoolhouse). It's a classy touch considering the bickering that sometimes goes on between haunts. Another nice touch is that Mark's son 'Mad Matt' is joining dad as a monster in the Dungeons, tonight hanging out in the Psycho Room with a couple of other crazies. Mad Matt is well on his way to becoming a local haunt icon like the guy he considers to be the 'God Of Haunting', Damien Reaper. When Mad Mark and Mad Matt aren't haunting the Dungeons, they're...uhh...haunting the Dent Schoolhouse, sometimes going up there after the Dungeons closes to work in the Schoolbus out front.

After years of sticking to the ground floor behind Thriftway, next year the Dungeons plans to expand to the second floor of the building. That mysterious staircase right before you exit the attraction will now lead upstairs into a whole new area. "We're thinking of putting a tunnel up there along with moving the graveyard so it can get bigger and more open, along with some other scenes," said Dave. "That way, we can change more of the stuff down here." He also adds that they'll need a big time sponsor to help them with their plans, so if anyone's interested contact the Dungeons using the email at their website (the link's below this article). All of this will continue to help the money raised by the Dungeons to fund field trips and activities for the Delhi Police Explorers (who last year were sent to Colorado by the attraction). So look for the Dungeons behind that very cool window painting that covers the entire facade of the old Thriftway store-and don't forget to ask Dave "Where's Frankenstein?" He needs to get ol' flattop back in action!

​

2009

 

DUNGEONS OF DELHI: Welcome To Monster Mart!

After leaving the Dungeons Of Delhi*s new Vortex Zone (complete with entrance graphics that make it look like a Kings Island ride), we were greeted by a cheery voice-"Welcome to Monster Mart-what can we do for you today?" Well, everyone knows that the HOD!!! loves rooms that mix the macabre with a dose of humor, and it looked like this would be one of the best. The Mart had a counter, register, and shopping carts-the zombie running the register wasted no time in giving us a sales pitch. When it turned out I wasn*t buying, they pushed aside a shopping cart to allow me to speak with the manager-who was in the Monster Garage. The Garage is a true work of twisted genius-first glimpsed underneath a half shut corrugated steel overhead door, it looks like something out of a nightmare. Shadowy shapes move back and forth through the fog inside. Wrecked cars are combined with parts of humans for a truly surreal effect, intensified by various sickly sources of purple and red lighting. Built on the site of the building*s loading dock and complete with garage doors, it has welders attaching skeletons to car doors, some guy trying to give you a deal on tires (and it ain*t Chip Wood), and event organizer "Chainsaw" Cecil Rouse trying to make sense out of an absurdly thick tech manual. Seems he*s having a hard time trying to reinstall a set of intestines into Buddy The Bum...
 
Cecil and his son Jake, along with Joe Middendorf and John Coletta Jr., are some of the folks behind this season*s version of the Dungeons Of Delhi. John states that "We were finally able to expand to the second floor this year, and it*s taken a lot of work in a very short period of time. We didn*t get to start until late August and we were working on scenes right until we opened at seven tonight." Cecil emerged from his spot in the Monster Garage long enough to confirm this. "There were a LOT of 14 to 16 hours days going on getting the place ready. It wasn*t just the upstairs, but all the changes we made on the 1st floor. There*s more we want to do but haven*t had time for-we wanted to install an outdoor graveyard people could walk through out front next to the hearse, but there hasn*t been time."  They also proudly point out the new artwork on the sides of the building (complementing the artwork for the Dungeons in the front windows of the old Thriftway store out front). It*s colorful, garish, attention grabbing-and two stories tall. "People have been saying for years we haven*t had any curb appeal and couldn*t be spotted from the street. I don*t think they*ll say that anymore!" laughed John. There*s also a booth being staffed by radio station 97.3 The Wolf to add to the atmosphere. It seems to be doing the trick-the line*s much longer than the HOD!!! has seen it here in recent years.
 
Of course, these guys couldn*t do it without the rest of their support team and the actors. Don McGinnis tells us that he stopped by to drop off his son to work at the Dungeons, became intrigued, and asked them if there was anything he could help with. "Before I knew it, they had me doing all sorts of things. I was installing emergency lights up on the second floor right up until the fire department came through to inspect us at ten till seven. There*s still one more we need to put up, but the fire department was lenient enough to just require that the actor in there carry a flashlight for tonight." We also ran into Cortney and Jourdan (and I hope I got the names spelled right, ladies!) at the front door, who informed us that they had worked on the makeup for the characters-their work was so hideous that it looked great! There*s no shortage of talented and helpful people here-and that*s not even including the 50 or so actors in the house! The age limit for acting was raised for certain parts this year, resulting in an older and more threatening cast-the Delhi Police Officers moonlighting as Specters in the Graveyard towered over the HOD!!!, making us think for a moment that they were on drywall stilts.
 
The HOD!!! happened to come by at break time, allowing us to talk with many of the actors-in fact, many of them requested that we come inside to meet them. Unlike a lot of charity haunts, the Dungeons contains many actors who create individual characters that return year after year. First out of the gate was Madd Mark, the genial ghoul who greets all visitors to the Dungeons from his post at the front desk of the Bates Motel. Mark not only is the father of icon-in-training Madd Matt, but serves as the unofficial spokesman for the Dungeons online. When not bossing around his flunky Igor, Mark does his best to plaster more photos of local haunt actors (not just from the Dungeons but elsewhere) on the Bates Motel*s "Wall Of Fame," work up at the Dent Schoolhouse when the Dungeons isn*t open, and trying to prevent the Keeper from slipping out of the next room and attacking the queue line through the front door-good luck with that! His son Matt is manning the room that contains what he calls "Madd Matt*s Shock Therapy." We*d have run a photo of Matt, but he was a constant blur of motion and we couldn*t frame him long enough for the camera to focus! The demonic Gore, a disturbing site in midnight black, lurks in the dark recesses of a hallway where he*s virtually invisible. The Dark Lord holds court from his throne. There*s the world*s most confusing pair of clowns-you might know one of them as the Joker, of Joker and Fatso fame. He*s now going by the name of Ch33zd00dle-yeah, that*s how it spells it-or is he now going by Hector? Beats me. He*s also got his real-life twin working the clown area with him, and his name*s so hard to spell even Hector couldn*t tell me what it was. In any case, they*ve rejoined the Dungeons to track down leads on their brother Chester who disappeared from the event last year and they live up to their time-honored claim of being THE LOUDEST GUYS IN THE HAUNT! They have pals, too-lots of them. Heed their warning of *Watch Out For The Klown!* and keep your head down! Scruffy and friends are hanging out in the Asylum. Then, of course, there is the Keeper-last year he was the HOD!!!*s haunt actor of the year (when he was known as New Blood). This is the guy that just doesn*t enter a scene-he BURSTS upon it! His feral, snarling, and ferocious acting style makes one wonder how he can possibly keep it up for an entire evening. But not only does he do that, he*s also been known to leave his spot in the second room to slam open the front door from inside, give the crowd a taste of his performance, and duck back inside. And when Mad Matt came running out the front door in an attempt to *escape* shock therapy, who do you think came right out after him, chased him down, and wrestled him to the ground? Yep, the Keeper. It*s a good bet he*s the early favorite for haunt actor of the year again!
 
The rooms themselves follow the familiar Dungeons theme-that theme being "anything goes." You never know what you*ll run across next-it might be a room based on a movie, a room with a humorous slant, a gore room, a black maze, a moving hallway, or even the longtime favorite *classic monster* room featuring the Frankenstein Monster in a highly detailed lab complete with operating table, circuit boards, and medical monitors. Some of the redone rooms on the first floor we haven*t mentioned yet include the Funeral Parlor, a redone Graveyard, a guillotine room (look out below!), the Forest, Otis*s kitchen, and a bizarre nursery full of teenage girls that has to be seen to be appreciated. Perhaps the best of the changed rooms comes in the Funeral Home*s Crematorium-some poor schmuck who*s not quite dead yet gets fed into the crematorium furnace by an attendant who then slams the door shut on him. Oh well...who ever said life is fair?

The top floor this year is largely courtesy of a group of home haunters from Price Hill. They had put together an event so elaborate that traffic was being tied up and they were in effect forced to shut down by local authorities. They*ve brought some great looking, elaborate movie scenes to the Dungeons such as Camp Crystal Lake (with a Jason who actually unmasks), Halloween, Saw, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The backdrop and cabin used for the Friday The 13th scene was quite effective, and the Saw room was a wealth of grisly detail. We wandered around it for almost a minute, checking things out and waiting for the inevitable scare-which never happened. Figuring that someone had just abandoned their scene, we headed outside the room-only to find that death and taxes aren*t the only inevitable things in life!
 
A variety of character makeup and effects are used-some use standard wound makeup, some masks, some realistic, some expressionistic and over the top (the Specters in the Graveyard look fantastic under a black light). Check out how the guy in the toxic barrel room (which has green water pouring from the ceiling) has neon hair in strips that match the colors of the room. 
 
The Dungeons has always been one of Cincinnati*s best charity haunts. This year, they*re easily on a par with the pro ones. At a ridiculously low $6 (and you can even save another dollar by donating a canned good), it*s the best haunt value in town, period. When you double the number of rooms, change most of the ones left from last year, have great looking sets with effective makeup, costuming, and then add one of the best and most original groups of haunt actors in Cincinnati, it*s almost like following the tech manual for an outrageously successful haunted house. Hey, that reminds us-maybe Chainsaw Cec at the Monster Garage could use this particular haunt manual-got to work better than what he*s been using. Buddy would probably appreciate the help, too-he*s probably cold being opened up all that time. I guess it*s time to go face the undead store greeter again and hear another chorus of "Welcome To Monster Mart!"

The Keeper (The Artist Formerly Known As New Blood)

Yeah, he's a keeper all right-the HOD!!!'s all time favorite vampire character puts on an awe inspiring performance for every group!

What Could Possibly Be Worse Than Running Across Gore In A Dark Alley?

How about meeting his boss? That would be...

The Dark Lord

Well, any haunt with Satan in it is sure to make us at the HOD!!! happy!

An Encounter With Jigsaw

And the coolest part of the room-isn't even IN the room!

Dungeons Of Delhi is located at 362 Anderson Ferry Road in Delhi Township at the rear of the Del-Fair Shopping Center (behind the old Thriftway store). They are open Fridays through Sundays, October 2-31. Operating hours are 7-11 on Fridays and Saturdays, with Sundays running 7-9. There*s also a children*s matinee every Sunday from 5-6:30. Cost is $6 with a $1 off admission for a donated canned good, and matinees run $3 plus a canned good. Canned goods are donated to the Anderson Ferry Food Pantry/Church Of Christ and all proceeds benefit the Delhi Police Explorers. Sponsored by FM 97.3 The Wolf. Go to http://www.dungeonsofdelhi.com for more information.  


2013