
poisongrape
36 haunts
An ambitious project that has a lot of potential, Nightmare Rising can become a household Halloween name in the SoCal scene if they take time to improve on certain aspects. The one thing Nightmare Rising excels at is employing dedicated scare actors who love interacting with guests. Zombies run at you full force, knife wielding maniacs sneak in the dark, and wolf girls appear in the most unexpected places. The scare actors here love what they do, and it shows. Another positive is the variety of experiences they have. Shooting zombies with gel blasters and playing flag football in a zombie survival experience are 2 experiences that take advantage of the location Nightmare Rising takes place in, which is an airsoft/paintball arena. You don't really see these offerings in other nearby haunts, so it was refreshing to see something new. Additionally, they have a traditional haunted hay ride as well as a trek through the dark woods in their Troop 13 event, which is a small immersive experience. However, other than these 4 experiences, there really wasn't much else to do. The site advertised things like food and axe throwing, but I did not see that when I went (it may have changed since then but I'm not sure). On top of that, the hayride and Troop 13 experiences were closed due to rain, which, when combined with the steep prices, was disappointing and left me feeling unfulfilled. Other than that, I felt like the decor and set design were a little lacking. There were some cool animatronic characters, but they didn't really feel "on theme". They were setting up some awesome house facades, which I heard were being converted to hold more decorations and scares, but these were empty shells when I went. The central hub which connects all experiences could use some polish. This can be a great event for those seeking a more thrilling and active experience and can be a hit with teens and the younger crowd. With their huge allotment of space, dedicated troupe of scare actors, and unique experiences, I feel like Nightmare Rising can grow to be considered a staple in the yearly SoCal Halloween haunts, but they will need to work more towards that goal to give a fulfilling experience.
Scary
Spooky
Atmosphere
VIP
No
I did not purchase any upgrades, but I don't feel like they were worth it from what I could see.
Category
Yes
Originality
Yes
Minimum age
13
Physically active
Very
Accessibility
Not accessible for those with mobility, vision, and epilepsy concerns.
Customer service
Wait time
No wait
Duration
30+ min
Physicality
Heavy
Bathrooms
Bad
Only porta potties were available, and they had no lights and no toilet paper.
Parking
No paved parking lot. Bring a vehicle that can handle some light off-roading.

