Review by Rick West

Each year, there are certain haunts that Theme Park Adventure returns to, because we have a very certain affinity toward the attractions and their teams. The Empty Grave is one of those attractions that we look forward to seeing first-hand each season, and have done so for years now. Once upon a time, this was known as The Haunted Cellar and it resided in Orange, California. However, in recent years, haunt owner Mike Talarico found a new location too good to pass up - a massive empty retail/entertainment space in the seriously-failing Anaheim GardenWalk mall, just a block from the Disneyland Resort.

The irony is, The Empty Grave is one of the only businesses at GardenWalk that has a pulse! Most of the retail/dining/entertainment spaces at the ill-fated mall are shuttered, leaving us to wonder just how long the mall - or its remaining tenants - can survive. The mall is absolutely in serious trouble, but for this Halloween season at least, The Empty Grave is alive and well!

Things weren't always so smooth-sailing for Mike and his team, however. They've had their share of growing pains in this new location - and a few years back, the haunt had some serious issues, mostly with size and general layout of the maze itself. However, with each passing year, The Empty Grave has improved by leaps and bounds, and this year, the maze is long and very nicely laid out; a winning combination as far as design goes. Mike and his team have taken a potentially destructive and dire situation over the past several years and have honestly turned it around 180 degrees; they should be very proud of their efforts.

All of that said, what should be noted is that talent has never been an issue with The Empty Grave. Back in the Cellar days, we noted that this group is indeed, very special in that everyone seems to be totally enthused and absolutely on fire when it comes to scaring, sliding, and all things monstrous! And that's very rare - usually, a couple people stick out at each haunt we visit as exceptional; at The Empty Grave, the whole damned crew does! It's almost weird, because that is not the way it usually works; they all seem to be freaking nuclear-powered! Amazing, to say the very least.

One of the main things that I also really like about The Empty Grave is that it's a blue palette maze for the most part - very low on the gore/violent content and very heavy on the spooky and surreal. Coupled with an excellent Jon Autopsy musical score, The Empty Grave is well on its way now and regardless of where it ends up next year (really nervous about GardenWalk's future, frankly), it is a force of nature.

Without rambling too much more (the great mazes always have short reviews because there's nothing to go on and on about and pick apart), I will say that we were very excited to be able to use video this year; it's a first for TPA and Empty Grave, and our flow-through came out really nice, as you will see below.

A huge thank you to Mike and the Empty Grave team for a job well done, yet again. It is a testament to this particular haunt that folks stick around and choose to be loyal and work their asses off for Mike year after year. Most haunted attraction staffs claim to be a family, but this one truly is; I have seen it year after year with my own eyes and know beyond the shadow of any doubt that this is one hell of a well-oiled machine. Bravo!

The Empty Grave official website: themtgrave.com

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