Hundred Acres Manor is a large part of the Halloween season for teens at Baldwin and the surrounding areas, but the haunted house is not as thrilling as in prior years.

The main themes for this year are the bubonic plague and Jack the Ripper, which at first glance seem interesting. However, the production continuously jumps from these themes to other smaller ideas.

The house shifts from the Victorian era and Middle Ages to a random alien abduction. They also try to squeeze in werewolves and vampires, but these traditional monsters seem out of place. The transitions are far from seamless and tend to take away from the house’s atmosphere.

It also is disappointing that the elevator at the beginning of the house is no longer run by a professional actor — or at least it is no longer run by someone truly frightening. That was always the most intense part of the house: The elevator made it seem like customers were entering a nightmare. Now it just feels dissatisfying.

In the Manor’s defense, the site experienced a theft of some electronic equipment. This could also attribute to the lack of excitement.

Hundred Acres Manor is still a frightening Halloween attraction, but the haunted house is not as fear-inducing as it once was.