Into The Dark Terror Vault Review (2018)

The Terror Vault had enough actors to keep the scares and entertainment consistent. They were believable, enthusiastic and as engaged as to what the scene called from them. We never saw anyone break character.

This cast was probably the most interactive ensemble we’ve ever witnessed. As we entered each scene, the resident actor would take charge and instruct our group as to what they wanted us to do, be it stand in line, sit and listen or go on a scavenger hunt. There was extensive dialogue, which was important to advancing the storyline, but each actor would improve as necessary when reacting to our group. There as a wide variety of characters, some being very verbal and others being silent, but startling us.

We were very impressed with the costumes. Notable favorites were the human-bat-animal hybrid, the Satanic High Priestess and the life-sized Victorian doll. The actors all had completed wardrobes from head to feet. The makeup was applied skillfully to create an ‘undead persona’ for several actors. The Satanic High Priestess had grey makeup, yet it was still applied with a sense of glamor. The evil nun, the killer clown, and the warden all had combinations of dead paint with prosthetics to give their skins a rough texture. The masks used were a bit of a hit and miss. The human-bat-animal hybrid and the Victorian doll looked very impressive, but the devil with the black goat head and the human rat hybrid just looked okay. The costumes were very appropriate for their respective scenes and themes and nobody looked out of place.

Locating the Old Mint is easy, but finding parking is not. As in every venue in San Francisco, street parking is hard to find, so the best option is to use a paid parking garage and there happens to be two of them across the street. Sadly, we didn’t see any handicap access, but after talking to the management, we learned that they will cater to a person with disabilities if they make prearrangements, and there is a street-level door in the back of the building.

Entering the building requires climbing the outside stairs and traversing through the haunt which required walking downstairs to the basement and climbing back up a second set of steps at the end. We found the Terror Vault to be very safe and couldn’t find any tripping hazards. There were enough staff and security on the premises and they were helpful and respectful. Into the Dark has a website and a presence of various social media, so their information was easy to find.

There are large vertical banners hanging in front of the Old Mint that lets pedestrians and drivers know that Into the Dark’s Terror Vault is inside. The banners hang between each structural column of the building. Other than that, there were no outside actors or any entertainment to promote the haunt. Inside the building, there was a cocktail bar with specialty drinks, with early 20th century music in the background and an old horror movie projected on the wall. The one thing that kept us excited to enter the Terror Vault was hearing the screams of other attendees in the basement below, whom were experiencing the show. The waiting was a mellow affair, when compared to entering the haunt.

Terror Vault had a few notable special effects. The video projected image of the Victorian house over the house fa������������������ade was nice in the way it changed colors. The elevator platform that brought the Satanic High Priestess down from the higher position to floor level was a good use of a character introduction. There was also a claustrophobia tunnel, which is a haunt standard in this area. Sound effects were used subtly, but the most memorable moment is when the prison warden gives us an assignment to find rats and we hear their squeaking sounds behind us. There were some really nice scenes and props. The Mad Scientist’s room and the Victorian home had a nice abundance of furniture and props, but the Satanic church really stood out. From the pentagrams and the upside-down crosses to the baptismal fountain, and the confessional booths, we haven’t seen a haunt take that artistic direction before. The clown room was a little bland, but the rat scavenger hunt did use the existing vault room brick walls to convey the storyline successfully. The only props that were obviously fake were the rubber rats we had to find in the scavenger hunt, but for the most part, the scenery maintained the suspension of disbelief. We felt the special effects worked in providing a scary and entertaining experience.

Terror Vault had a clear theme that was established in the beginning of the show. We started with a tour guide who tells the story of the Old Mint’s secret history of being a prison after the 1906 earthquake, then gives us a power point presentation, explaining who were the most infamous prisoners to reside there and the sadistic warden, whom all are believed to be haunting the basement floor. The guide leads us downstairs to the basement level, then panics and runs. We are left to see each of the infamous characters in their specific environments. The theme was executed throughout the haunt with excellence. We could tell that there was a lot of thought invested in creating a story and seeing it play out. The producers did invent the story of the Old Mint serving as a prison, the fact that they used the building in the story does make the location authenticate this theme very well.