I visited Brighton Asylum on it’s first operating day of the 2017 season. Brighton Asylum is located in North New Jersey in an industrial area–and that really sets the mood for the terror to come. I’ve visited Brighton Asylum with Oni in many past seasons, but this was my first solo trip, and I had a great time again.
As a side note: It’s often great to visit events very early in the season–for most people haunted attractions aren’t on their radar until close to Halloween–but if you go early you’ll have a great time with a shorter line to get in. With shorter lines they also tend to pulse entry to the attractions–so you’ll have a much more individualized experience and won’t have the pressure of people in front or back of you in the attraction spoiling things. Just a tip for the those wanting to get a great experience.
Brighton has provided a great experience in the past (2015 review), and this year was no different. One of the new additions for this year was breaking up their attraction into 2 sections–each with their own entrance: The Tunnel, and Brighton Asylum. While in some cases this would lead to making things just 2 shorter experiences–in this case both walk throughs seemed longer than the original it was split from (so, basically, they carved off the section that was The Tunnel portion and made it into it’s own long attraction).
I absolutely loved the new starter area for The Tunnel. I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s a special room where you sit down….and stuff happens to you. It was unexpected and a great start to the attraction. I love the creativity and new direction this added to things. The rest of the haunt was filled with actors and animatronics that were well placed. The group I went in with were constantly screaming. This attraction, along with Brighton Asylum, is filled with doctor/medical horror, with an addition of “wasteland/cannibal” style crazy stuff.
Brighton Asylum and The Tunnel have a good combination of atmospheric setups, jump scares, animatronics, and actors. One thing to note: They do have some “difficult to traverse” sections, where the floor moves, or requires crawling, or some type of movement which may be difficult for older people or those with some disabilities–so be aware of this in advance–I find this a great thing that adds to the experience though. They also added on a “foam room” at the end of Brighton Asylum–you can go around it, but if you go through be prepared to be a bit wet and a bit foamed up afterward. (one of the women I went through the attraction with ended up with a “foam tiara” on her head–we all were laughing like crazy when we got out).
This location feels to me like the north’s version of Netherworld. They both take what works great and add on new things each year to bring it to a new level. If you are in the New Jersey area you really need to check out Brighton Asylum / The Tunnel.
Lastly, I want to add a shout out to the group that adopted me for the trip through Brighton Asylum–Emily and the rest, you guys made it fun, and I wish you well on the rest of the season. It made my night to hang out with a group that loved haunted attractions as much as I do (and thank you for the suggestions on some others to check out).