As we prepped this review, one single thought dominated the entire process: the crew of Curse of the Spider is going to be crucified by fans and mostly, fellow monsters - the lack of eye black throughout this maze is incredible.  It was something that we didn't think too much about until we processed the images.  Ouch!

That said, on with the review...

By now, most Halloween Haunt fans know the story of Curse of the Spider.  For those playing catch-up with Haunt history, this maze started as a strange "quick scare" show that failed miserably and in recent years, has become a full-blown maze experience.  Spider is definitely by far, the most evolved and most improved Haunt maze in recent memory.  For that, we give props to its designers and the crew that has been part of this evolutionary process since the beginning.

In our opinion, Curse of the Spider has reached its peak.  The maze has consisted of the same elements pretty much for the past three years now, and the clock is running on its success.  If it were not to show up for the 2006 season of Halloween Haunt, no one on this end would miss it, to be honest.  Not that it's a bad maze - it's not at all.  It just never delivered the sheer terror that we anticipated (especially Rick, with his absolute hatred of spiders) and each year, Spider has simply just been "there" as a Haunt maze.

With Curse of the Spider, Haunt guests have been treated to a somewhat disjointed experience that climaxes with everyone inside or up against a gigantic spider, with hairy walls and all - it's never been clear what that's all about.  However, with fury walls and a loud heartbeat soundtrack, one has to assume that they're somehow inside an arachnid.  It's never been clear, but at the same time, we've never seen guests exiting the maze asking what that was all about, either.  It's just one of those things, you know?  Odd, scary to some, and just bizarre for others.

Now, there are plenty of folks completely terrified by this maze, which is great - after all, that is the point of any Halloween event or walk-through.  It's certainly the object of the game at Knott's Scary Farm.  Over the years, we have seen people absolutely freaked out going in and coming out of Curse of the Spider.  That's a good thing.  The whole spider theme in general is enough to creep out most folks.

Theme Park Adventure does think however, that the majority of the scare factor in Spider is the darkness itself.  After all, that is when the imagination runs rampant, isn't it?  It's not when someone in a padded spider suit hops out and says, "Rawr!"  To be honest, some of  the costumes in this maze remind us of some bad Sid & Marty Krofft characters; almost silly in appearance.  Others kick ass, though - especially when that eye black is worn under the mask.  Naturally, it's not the talent's fault which costume he or she gets stuck with.  And the monsters have improved over the years within Spider.  Some of it still is pretty far-out and nutty though.

The strongest aspect of this maze - including its first year as Spider Woods - is its soundtrack.  The soundtrack is a brilliant blend of scary noises, spooky sound effects and some amazing voice work - especially the little girl reciting nursery rhymes, etc.  Now that is good stuff, and has almost earned Curse of the Spider our Best Soundtrack Screamy Award for the past two years running.  Our deepest respect to the sound designers/mixers on Spider; it's a fantastic soundtrack.

As for the talent - the guys and gals have always taken pride in their maze.  Each year, we encounter some kick-ass individuals within Spider's winding tunnels.  And, as is the case with most mazes, there is always an element of talent that really needs some serious work.

It seems like a lot of new talent ends up in Curse of the Spider each year.  A big majority of the scares (or attempts at scares) are very noob-like; attempts that are lost on Haunt veterans and older fans alike.  There are however, certain members of the general public who scare at anything - paper, a leaf, a Mexican Cold... whatever. 

One thing we do have to mention is that when there is rainy weather at Halloween Haunt, the crew of Spider really steps up and kicks ass.  The maze gets soaked to the bone, puddles form in the tunnels and this team just keeps on keepin' on.  So on that aspect alone - VERY big props going out to the Spider crew.

In all, Curse of the Spider has probably run its course at Knott's Scary Farm.  If it returns in 2006, it will likely not raise any bars and will probably seem stale to a certain point.  If this maze does not appear on the roster for this coming Haunt season, we look forward to something fresh and new taking its place.

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