13th Floor Review 2023
13th Floor Review 2023
13th Floor is located at 5050 River Rd, Schiller Park, IL 60176. I am going to give the max prices I am finding for their busiest nights; depending on what night you go, you may pay less. General admission is $32.99, Fast Pass is $44.99 and cuts down a ⅓ of the wait time, and Skip the Line is $56.99 and upon checking in, you have instant access to the haunt. The last ticket is Platinum, which is their VIP ticket for $84.99, giving you instant access to the haunt, a free photo and VIP lanyard, a free one time pass to their mini escape room, and 13% off retail pricing for their gift shop. For group rates, season passes, and monster free hour tickets, times and dates, please visit 13th Floor website under their tickets tab. https://13thfloorchicago.com
Before going into the haunt, we had the chance to meet Pumkin and Siren. I may or may not have almost broken Pumpkin for a second. We took a photo with her and she held out her hand like she wanted something in return. I started checking my pockets for anything to hand her and I pulled out a pack of gauze having had a tooth pulled that morning. She takes it from my hand, and is just staring at it before bursting out laughing and asking why I had GAUZE of all things. We then also met their new character this year, Siren. It’s just good manners to me when one shrieks at you, you do it back. The sound that came out of me was so pathetic. She asked what was wrong and told me not to worry, once my transformation was over, my shark teeth would never run out.
Once inside the haunt, we didn’t even make it through the first hallway before I was spooked. I thought all the scares were over when I turned to say something to my coworker and the elevator behind him opened up and an actor flopped out of it. Not the most pants wetting scare, but enough to make me jump, so it still counts. My favorite thing I saw in the haunt that night was a room with a strobe light and a floor that tilts back and forth. The walls are gray and there were red smears on them. Combined with the lights, It feels like the walls are coming at you. It took my eyes a minute to even attempt to adjust, but the effect never stopped. Was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a haunt to date.
Last thing I wanted to tell you about was their gift shop. They have SO MUCH stuff to look at. I lost count of the shirts. They have bags and stuffies and blankets. Hair clips, barrets, and little horns that glow in the dark. Somewhere I think I saw pins. It was so much to take in! I know there was more, but I can’t remember off the top of my head. What I do know is I had a really good night going to 13th Floor this year. It’s about 20 minutes through, but it doesn’t feel like it when you are having that much fun. Come experience it for yourself!
Midnight Terror Review 2023
Midnight Terror Review 2023
On Friday the 13th, we visited Midnight Terror! Midnight Terror is located at 5520 W. 111th St, Oak Lawn, IL. 60453. There is no parking at the haunt anymore. The haunt has buses and a parking lot that is 8 mins from the location. As soon as you pull up the parking attendants are going to hand you a flier to show you where the parking lot is. The parking garage is the Metra Parking Garage located at 9525 S. Tulley Ave. Oak Lawn, IL. and the shuttle bus will be waiting outside. The shuttle buses are still operating on the following days this month: October 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31. Do not use GPS. When we used GPS, it took us to the back of the garage and we were circling the backstreets for 10 minutes trying to get out. So make sure you follow the flier’s instructions to get on 95th and follow the signs. For tickets, it is $5 cheaper if you buy them online than at the box office. For exact prices on days you are visiting go to https://midnightterrorhauntedhouse.com
As we arrived, we saw the Lord of Midnight Terror walking around on stilts. When we went, it was raining a little, but don’t worry, they have a tent for the outdoor waiting area. The other part of the queue is inside the haunt. In the tent, they had a DJ playing music from out of a coffin and a couple of actors working the line as we waited. One actor had an eyeball on his tongue, which was disgusting! As we walked into the indoor part of the queue, we met a couple of more actors waiting to make us their next victim. On the walls, they had tvs with the rules of the haunt, which was interesting to see because not many haunts do that. Most have a designated person or an actor tell you as you are ready to enter the haunt. Midnight terror switches it up, putting it on the TVs instead.
Once we entered Midnight Terror, the first room we entered was a cave. Inside the cave, a huge demon creature comes out of the wall! We loved seeing this huge wall creature! As we turned the corner, we were met by the Lord of Midnight Terror standing above us. Smoke surrounded him as he stared down at us like peasants and pointed the way to the terror that we were about to face. After the cave, the first part of the haunt had a factory vibe…It’s hard to describe. The Actors were all around us, popping out of walls, trying to attack you from above, and peeking around corners. There was nowhere we could run. One of the rooms had toilets stacked on top of each other like an archway you had to walk under. This is an amazing design by the Midnight Terror crew!
In the second part of the haunt was Black Oak Grove High School. As soon as you walked into the school, it felt like the school went to ruins. Books out of place and damage everywhere. Chairs stacked on top of each other…it looks like the apocalypse happened. One of the things I want to point out is the barber selection. As you enter a hallway, you can see hair blocking your path. You must walk through the hair which was disgusting! The hair was dirty and matted. We were then met by the barber who had a customer in his chair. He begged and screamed for our help, but as soon as we walked out of the room, I turned to look back and I saw the barber shave his hair. You don’t see many actors keep acting as you leave the room, so to see this put a huge smile on my face. One more room we want to talk about is a living room where a girl is standing on a fireplace, acting all possessed. Then all of the sudden, the room lights up with writing all over the walls with the floor lit up red like hell was underneath you!
Midnight Terror is testing the waters with trying new stuff, like the whole having the haunt rules on the TVs in the queue instead of someone telling you. When you go to multiple haunts, you hear the same stuff over and over. Midnight Terror realizes that. Another thing they worked on is acting. Not every room has to have someone screaming, “Get out!” and just screaming. They put on a show for people, talking with you and having dialogue, creeping you out and when you’re not paying attention, another actor pops out of nowhere and scares the pants off of you! This happened to us. An actor was talking to us, then out of nowhere we got scared because we were too busy to realize another actor was setting us up to scare us. We don’t want to give too much away or give too many details about what happened because the scare was that good. Midnight Terror also did a great job on keeping out conga lines. Conga lines are when your group runs into another group and now it is this huge line walking through the haunt. No one likes conga lines, so Midnight Terror makes sure that that doesn’t happen by giving time between sending people into the haunt and then also adding a small break between the two sections. They want to make sure you get the scares that everyone wants when walking through a haunted house. From the first time we visited Midnight Terror to now, they have evolved so much and it’s made the show better over the years. They used to have nothing at the end of the haunt. Now, they have a whole midway with drinks, an escape room, the gift shop and now a small carnival with games to win prizes! The crew loves feedback! They want to give you the best show they can, and that is what we love about Midnight Terror. They want to make the money you pay for a ticket worth your while. They give you a hell of a show, and we can’t wait to come back next year for more!
Disturbia Review 2023
Disturbia Review 2023
Disturbia Haunted House is located at 1213 Butterfield Road, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515. Online tickets are $29.99 for general, $39.99 for VIP which is about ¼ the wait of general, and Instant Access which is $59.99. General admission is $5 extra on site, and VIP and Instant Access are $10 more. For discounts, group tickets and combo deals for their sister haunt, please visit their website at https://hauntedhousedisturbia.com/
Just like its name Disturbia, it’s a very disturbing haunted house. When first coming to the haunted house, you are greeted with a big stage with actors and music playing all around. While we were waiting in line, actors were roaming the area trying to scare everyone they could. One of my favorite line actors was Scarecrow. He was walking around with his scythe and jumping around people. What made him such a good line actor, besides how realistic his custom looks, is his voice and laugh. His devilish laugh really reminds you of a crow. They have this cool old hearse right by the ticket booth. The actors will get on top of the hearse and start rocking it. As people walk by they would try to scare you from the top of the hearse. This really makes Disturbia stand out from the other haunts. Disturbia has some doctors walking around the queue. One was big and tall, and he walked right up to the owner and told him to stick out his tongue as they checked his mouth. After that, he checked all of us for some parts to use. Before we went inside the haunt, he put surgical clamps on the back of our hoodies. Little did we know that he was marking us. We didn’t think we were going to survive the night. On a side note, something I haven’t seen before at a haunt is they have an actual bathroom!. If you need to go and don’t want to worry about unsanitary places, Disturbia has you covered! The inside of their bathrooms are even Beetlejuice themed! Watch out, because actors will wait outside those bathrooms to scare you!
In the first room they explained the rules and I was scared right off the bat. Disturbia has a very interesting way of using sound and air pressure to their advantage. For me, the most memorable theme of this haunted house was the doll room. You see, I’m already paranoid that dolls watch me and this just took it to a whole new level. They had a huge merry go around in the middle of the room with an actor hanging off one of the horses! This area was full of dolls on the ceiling! They have this amazing animatronic of a massive doll holding another doll. It scared the life out of me when I first laid my eyes on it. Not only was that room terrifying for me, but also the pumpkin room. Pumpkins with glowing eyes covered all of the walls in this section. This is such a beautiful room to stare around and look at, but don’t look too long; some of the pumpkins might be real. There are massive spiders in that room as well. I don’t know about you all, but I have a massive fear of spiders. A new area in the haunt is the hospital area. When we walked into this area, we thought we went the wrong way. The lighting in this room was bright and felt like a real hospital. I went to point out an animatronic that was in the corner of the room to my coworker, but then all of the sudden she looked at us and moved. This was a live actor! All this time we thought she was an animatronic by the way she moved. We have to give this girl props; we’ve never seen someone act or even move like she did.
Overall this haunted house was one to remember and one you should definitely check out. Disturbia won the #1 best haunted house of 2021 by us. To revisit again reminded us why they won. They still have the same energy they did back in 2021, but they’ve added even more. They added new rooms and welcomed new actors from other haunts, which by the way. did a fantastic job and fit right in with the Disturbia crew. The people who run Disturbia put so much love into the haunt and it shows. The actors of Disturbia, from the queue to inside the haunt, are always so full of energy and ready to put on a hell of a show. If you visit Disturbia, you won’t be disappointed!
Basement of the Dead Review 2023
Basement of the Dead Review 2023
Basement of the Dead is located at 42 W. New York St. Aurora, IL. 60506. Online tickets are $29.99 for general, $39.99 for VIP which is about ¼ the wait of general, and Instant Access which is $59.99. General admission is $5 extra on site, and VIP and Instant Access are $10 more. For discounts, group tickets and combo deals for their sister haunt, please visit their website. https://basementofthedead.ticketspice.com/basement-of-the-dead-
As always, the atmosphere at the haunt was jumping when we got there. People were dancing in line to the DJ and we just happened to arrive during “Shots” being played. For those that don’t know, they do this a time or two a night, and throw merch into the crowd. Basement of the Dead is known for their queue basically being a party; everyone is having a great time which makes you forget that you’re about to enter a haunted house where your worst fears are about to come to life.
As we entered the haunt, I was jumpscared almost immediately upon walking into the haunt. I’m arachnophobic, and I already know from past years that there is a room with spiders. I am not gonna tell you where to look for this spider, but you would be blind if you miss it, cause it’s MASSIVE. Gave me the ick right off the bat, making me jumpy. Later on you will meet the giant spider’s kids in the spider room down in the sewers. This is so creepy, as you hear the spiders making noises all around you! Looking around the room, there are spiders crawling all over the walls. I wanted out of this room so badly! A new addition to the haunt is the hazard room. There was a moment in this room that made me laugh hysterically! I saw this person go up out of the corner of my eye, and when I turned it was an animatronic being lifted into the air. I just remember screaming, “NO, not the RAPTURE! I’m not READY!” as I scurried out of the room. The last room I want to mention is the sea monster room. There is a boat you walk past with a lady standing in front of it and she gets ripped out of the side of the ship as you go by.
We need to talk about Shattered 3D Nightmare. This is sadly the final year for Shattered. For years after you survive the basement, you take on a shattered nightmare. This is the black light part of the haunt where you wear glasses and the paintings and other objects would turn into 3D. As we walked through the haunt, everything was 3D, even the clowns walking around. It is amazing how Basement of the Dead even makes their makeup 3D. The clowns in Shattered Nightmare were crazy! They were running around trying to get us to chase them! Some of them were looking for a friend to stay with them in their room. They would be banging on windows for no reason at all, then look at us and smile…these clowns were absolutely insane! It is so sad to see this part of the haunt go. There really are no more 3D haunts anymore, Basement of the Dead was the last one to have one. We here at Halloween Blast will dearly miss Shattered Nightmare. The last thing I want to talk about is one of the actors outside the haunt. I didn’t see her until after, but she was skating around eating crickets from a little chinese takeout box. After chatting for about 5 minutes about what they taste like (dry is NOT a taste, but I understood after the fact), I was finally talked into eating one myself. I had to stop and ask when she got them cause they tasted like the skin inside a stale peanut. They were fresh from that morning and I am NEVER eating one again! If you have never been to Basement of the Dead before, we recommend you check them out. Not only do they throw an awesome party outside, they scare the pants off of you once you step down into the basement. This is the final year for Shattered Nightmare, so if you have never experienced a 3D haunt, check it out; you won’t be disappointed! If you have been Shattered Nightmare, then go to say your final goodbyes and take in the beauty of this haunt and its psycho clowns. Shattered Nightmare will surely be missed dearly.
Killdare Haunted House Review 2023
Killdare Haunted House Review 2023
HalloweenBlast checked out Killdare Haunted City, located at 8100 Beloit Ave. in Bridgeview, Illinois. Tickets are $30 and bought from the Community Center Box Office. Just a few warnings, this haunted house is OUTSIDE so be sure to bundle up! They do have an ice cream truck that sells Hot Chocolate for $4.The Hot Chocolate was amazing and a godsend every year we go. As for any haunted house, be sure to wear gym shoes because you will have uneven ground to walk on.
So our adventure begins here, as we meet Not Blade and he shares with us his child that is trapped in a box. Then he gives us the run down of the rules, and he makes our team member Sammy go into the dark forest by herself. At this point she is petrified. So after scaring her for a few seconds, Not Blade lets us travel through the forest of darkness. Monsters were popping out everywhere from the forest. You don’t even see them coming, sneaking out of the bushes like they were!
One thing I really loved in the forest was the tribute to John Viritti. He was a dear friend to the HalloweenBlast team. It was his birthday, so they put up a Happy Birthday sign for him. It made my heart so happy to see it.
After the forest, we ended up in a caboose. The room was lit up and it was so bright in the caboose. Then all of a sudden you see a ton of sparks! I was wondering what was making them all when I looked over to my right and saw an actor was rubbing a phone up against the gate, creating the sparks. This was so cool that he made sparks from a phone! I hope he still gets good service with that old brick. Then the haunt actor got on the phone to call our reviewer Karen’s manager, I don’t think they answered that call.
There was one spot at Killdare where we were welcomed onto a bus. A little girl opened the door for us,and yelled at us to get on. Once we were on, she walked backwards staring at us all creepy. First off, this little girl was freaking us out. Then on top of that, another girl was on the chairs and crawling across the top of the seats! Both of these girls did a fantastic job putting fear in us; they were genuinely terrifying. They had that energy and look they threw at us…we were getting off that bus! We heard the little one call out behind us asking where we were going.
So my other favorite room was the clown room. The clown room was interactive. We met Sticky the Clown and his friends. Sticky the Clown made us play “Sticky Says”. Our team member Sammy didn’t follow directions because he didn’t say “Sticky Says”. Since we lost, Sticky said “RUN!” We took off running because we didn’t know what was gonna happen next.
We realized that Killdare put in a lot (and I mean a LOT) of new changes this year. Many of the rooms have been upgraded. They put more detail into the forest and they added more to the sins house. You can tell the Kildare team is trying to take it to the next level. After the haunt, we talked to the management team and they were already talking about new changes to next year. So it looks like there is no slowing down Kildare. This is only the beginning of something horrifyingly big to come!
The Catacombs Review 2023
The Catacombs Review 2023
On October 7th, we visited The Catacombs at St.Pascal located at 6143 W. Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60634. Tickets can be bought off their website; $13 for general admission and $20 for VIP/jump the line. This is a non-profit haunted house, and is run out of the school and church basement. All money raised will go to the school, funding better education for the youth of the community. All ages are welcomed, but they recommend 12 and up.
While in line waiting to go in, we met a few roamers in the halls. We got to talk with Cleatus when we arrived. He was looking for his moonshine, and thought he lost it outside. We think Cleatus had too much to drink again as he passed out after our interview with him. We got a chance to take photos with Three Face and Puddles kept the energy going in line. Don’t forget to say hi to Stitches! There’s also a live DJ playing in the gym while you wait.
Once in the haunt, a few groups at a time are sat in a black lit room for the introduction and precautions before going in. Then you get to choose if you’d like to walk through alone or with friends. There were many actors inside, waiting in places you’d least expect. They do a great job of using every space possible to have someone tucked in, ready to scare. I loved the great scenery throughout; like the butcher shop!
Occasionally throughout the haunt, there were little traps where the actors got to show off for a little bit! There is this one where it is pitch black. For the life of us, we couldn’t find a way out! Little did we know it was a trap, and Catacombs made us pay for it! The whole walk through takes about 15 minutes. A cool little effect the crew did is the Contamination room. Just before you head to the exit, they lock you in a room where mist sprays on you to clean you off just in case one of the monsters infected you.
Unlike most haunts, I noticed there was a ramp as well as a set of stairs at the end when leaving the haunt. A great place to visit if you’re looking to take someone who might not be able to handle too many stairs. The only stairs you need to use is a single set you go up and down twice of about 8-10 steps with a small landing and handrail.
We had a great time visiting The Catacombs this year! The Catacombs is the oldest haunted house in Illinois. Unlike other haunts, The Catacombs is an old school haunt. No big animatronics or props, they rely on their actors. With the way the haunt industry is changing, Catacombs is still around. There is a reason why they’ve been around for 40 plus years! They can still put on a fantastic show without fancy animatronics and just rely on their actors. Now they do have some cool rooms like the Contamination room but this haunt is mostly actor driven. All they need is a great crew to put on a wonderful show that is worth your money.
The Massacre Review 2023
The Massacre Review 2023
The Massacre is located at 299 Montgomery Rd, Montgomery, IL 60538. As you arrive, the first thing you will see is a big sign that says Mind Trap Escape. Before you think you’re at the wrong place, you’re not. Massacre is behind the escape room and there is even a sign that points you to walk around the building. Now just as a heads up, after you walk through the haunt, you exit out of Mind Trap. Prices for this event is from $29.99 to $34.99 for general admission, fast pass is from $44.99 to $49.99 and skip the line is $59.99, but is $69.99 on site. To get the exact price for the night you are going, please visit their website at https://fearthemassacre.com/.
Now it’s been a minute since we were last at The Massacre. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by Stitches the clown. They had a few actors walking in the queue; when he saw us, he stopped us and told us that we looked like we needed to cool down, spraying us with water. Then Stitches came up to us with his lady friend who put Massacre tattoos all over our faces. This gave us a pretty good laugh.
Now we have to talk about the queue. Before you enter the line, you have to go through security. After that, they have a bar where you can buy alcohol and take it with you in the line as you wait to get inside. Remember though, you can not take your drink inside, so make sure you finish it before entering the haunt. Massacre also has multiple spots to take pictures which we thought were pretty neat.
Upon entering the haunt, one must survive the torture chamber. This is a brand new addition for 2023. They lock you in this room and you have to sit in a seat. Now we don’t want to give anything away but this is an amazing and scary room because you don’t know what is going to happen. Once they shut the door, lights start flashing and your test begins. We absolutely loved the torture chamber! You can tell The Massacre put a lot of thought and hard work into that room and it paid off big time. We have never seen a room like that, and it is a whole new experience that we know people are going to love because we sure did.
I want to point out some rooms that stood out to us. We are not going to tell you everything, just to give you a taste of The Massacre. One of these rooms was the mummy tomb. When entering this section, you are greeted by a huge tomb on the entrance way. I mean this thing is HUGE! As you enter, you see all these mummies around you; we were hoping all of them were dead. The next room that stood out was the vampire themed area. This area is very detailed with bats and vampires everywhere. No matter if you look left, right, or up, you are surrounded! Plus, the way The Massacre lit up the vampire section with the red lights really makes you feel like you are in Dracula’s castle or something. Having vampires hanging above us was really creepy. Lastly, we have to talk about the satanic area. This area is so uncomfortable. Burning walls, satanic goats, and of course satanic symbols on the walls. As you walk through this area, you feel so uncomfortable like you shouldn’t belong here and something terrible is going to happen. At the end, one of the satanic worshippers asks you to confess your sins.
The Massacre has really stepped it up over the years. Their room design has gotten so much better; they design the rooms with every single part of the room covered. You look up and you see vampires or satanic symbols. You won’t see warehouse beams or lights. They make you feel like you’re in another world instead of a plain old haunt. The Massacre build team covers every inch of a room with details. Quick example, they have a Chicago CTA train in the haunt that shakes like a real train. They even have the announcement when the doors close and open of the real CTA. The inside looks like the real deal. It’s crazy how much was put into it to make it feel so real. So if you have never been on the Chicago CTA train, go to The Massacre and you basically have! That just proves our point of how much detail and care they put into that haunt, and keep pushing the limits. Now the question is, what are they going to come up with next?
Terror Roulette Review 2023
Terror Roulette Review 2023
Terror Roulette is located at 100 W. Higgins Rd, Suite J-40, South Barrington, IL 60010. It’s located in a stripmall, so parking is right outside the building. Tickets must be bought online, there is no ticket counter. Terror pass(general admission) is $45, Psycho pass(fast pass) is $69 which reduces your wait time and also includes a t-shirt of your choice and voucher to eat at star cinema grill around the corner from the haunt, and Masochist season pass(…it’s in the name) for $149 which includes everything in the Psycho pass plus a Terror Roulette sticker pack, an exclusive masochist pin and unlimited scare cam photos. The last pass is the “Full House VIP Experience” for $199 on Thursdays and Sundays only at 9:45pm which includes everything in the Psycho pass including a TerrorRoulette sticker pack, Scare Cam photo, an exclusive VIP pin and a behind the scenes tour. For group tickets, please visit the website for details on their “Four of a Kind” and “Crazy Eights” deals. This haunt comes complete with a full security scanner as we have seen so many haunts do this year, so please be advised and check your pockets and purses before coming!
Upon entering the establishment, you are given a blank lanyard and instructed to wear it throughout your experience. They will call your group to the queue as space opens, and while you wait you get to relax in what is essentially a bar. There is a singular pool table and a foosball table to entertain yourself during the wait, or you can hang out at the bar itself with the tipsy bartender. Just be aware she may fall a few times…she’s okay though. She is feeling no pain. Once they call you to queue, it doesn’t take long till you are in.
You enter an elevator which takes you down to the casino. From there you are gathered around a blackjack table and the dealer deals everyone a card to place on their lanyard as they explain the rules. Those cards determine your fate as you move throughout the haunt, splitting up base on suit and number. Every card is a different path.
On my journey, we were sent to the butcher. Thankfully, we weren’t on the menu…but that poor girl on his table was. Ripped a strip right off her arm and refused to let us leave til one of us ate. I still insist she tasted like pickles. A few rooms later, we convened in a hallway of pipes and there was a girl strapped to the wall. We were made to turn 2 separate knobs to release the steam before things overheated. Our little friend on the wall was the price to leave unfortunately. Who’d have guessed? The last thing I wanted to talk about is my inability to make it through a single haunt this year without accidently touching an actor! I had a clown get in my face just as I was giving him sass and sticking my tongue out…I did NOT intentionally lick him! I apologized so profusely, and both of us were laughing in shock. Pretty sure I was instantly forgiven, and I will be refraining from sticking my tongue out at haunts from now on.
In the end, I think myself and the rest of the review team had an amazing night at Terror Roulette. It was about 35 minutes from start to finish, and I honestly kind of wanted to go back through right after to experience another card; it’s addicting! It was a fresh and new experience for us and all of us had a different one to share with each other after. I highly recommend visiting this haunt and seeing what fate awaits you in the cards!
For tickets go to https://terrorroulette.com/
Realm of Terror Review 2023
Realm of Terror Review 2023
We visited the Realm of Terror on Saturday, September 30th. The haunted house is located at 421 W. Rollins Rd. Round Lake Beach, IL 60073. Upon arrival, you will see flashing lights and a semi trailer with the realm of terror logo on the side indicating their parking. This haunt’s prices change depending on what day you choose to visit, so please check the website before going. Tickets are cheaper if you buy them online. If you are buying them at the ticket booth on site, it will be an additional $5. So please keep that in mind when planning a visit to the Realm of Terror. After we bought our tickets, we had to go through a security check which was great! We are glad more haunts are doing this to keep customers and staff safe while visiting the haunt. Once inside you have to wait until your number is called on the TV. Every ticket has a number at the bottom.
Realm of Terror has a multitude of stuff to do as you wait for your number to be called. This is a great idea because instead of waiting in a long line, they have games, a bar and a gift shop. The haunt also has a number of photo spots as well. Plus, of course some monsters have escaped the haunt and are walking round the midway. So if you are thinking that the midway is a safe place to have fun without monsters terrifying you, think again. Once your number is called, you are then brought to the line area to line up to enter the haunt.
The very first room we walked into was like a small dining area that felt like you were in a real house. There was a lady looking for her lost dog and asking us for help to find her. Now what made this part great was throughout the haunt, there were flyers saying lost dog and there were even sounds of barking in some rooms. We thought that it was very clever. Realm of Terror is not like any other haunts in that they let you know this haunt is not for everyone due to questionable and offensive content and may not be appropriate for many audiences. With that being said, they bring the gore in this haunted house. Some of the rooms are really bloody. If that wasn’t enough, this haunt makes sure you have no room to run; meaning some of the rooms are designed to have little to no elbow room. Some monsters will get right in your face. So if you think, “I’ll move against the wall so the monsters won’t get near me” Realm of Terror makes sure that doesn’t happen at all. We walked into this one section of the haunt where there was an actor who was banging on a bloody window, then as soon as we turned the corner, she was right in our faces. This is one of those rooms that is on a slant and you have the wall behind you and the glass against your shoulder, meaning you can’t avoid her being right in your face. Great room design from the Realm of Terror crew.
The next part of the attraction is a black out style haunt; which means you can’t see anything! This is somewhat a maze and you have to find your way out of the dark, but you are not alone. There are creatures in the dark. You can’t see them, but they can see you. As soon as you get used to the darkness, they will flash you with a white light so you can’t see again. After a while, we finally made it out. We thought we entered another maze, except this time it was filled with fog and strobe lights. This was also a challenge to find a way out.
Realm of Terror doesn’t hold anything back. You’ve been warned that it is not for everyone. If you were looking for a gory, “in your face” kind of haunt, this is it. If you can survive the terror then grab yourself a drink, relax and check out their gift shop where they even have Halloween squishmallows. Just remember, even when you think it’s all over, you still have monsters in the midway ready to terrorize you. You are not safe until you’re in your car. Can you beat your fear in this realm of terror? For tickets go to https://www.realmofterror.com/
Dungeon of Doom Review 2023
Dungeon of Doom Review 2023
We just went to the LONGEST haunt in Illinois, Dungeon of Doom; located at 600 29th St, Zion, IL 60099. Now, parking for Dungeon of Doom is not at the haunted house itself. 27th and 29th street are closed, so as you follow your GPS watch out for signs that will lead you to the haunted house parking lot. Ticket prices vary depending on what day you go, and if you decide to buy them online or in person. At max, according to the haunts website, pricing is as follows: General Admission tickets are $34.99 ($37 in person, cash only, and it is the only kind of ticket sold on site), Fast Pass tickets for $49.99 which includes free parking, a reduced wait time, and free buried alive access. They also have VIP tickets for $59.99 which offer free parking, a reduced wait, skip to the front of the line, and free buried alive access. VIP Platinum is the last ticket which is an all access pass for $139.99 including access to an exclusive lounge, complimentary snacks, a VIP concierge, immediate access to the haunt, private bathrooms, Platinum VIP parking,15% off all Dungeon of Doom merch, free photo prints, and a Platinum VIP lanyard.Fast Pass, VIP, and Platinum have no cash options, and are online only. All online purchases are reservation only. Please read purchasing instructions when buying online!
When first getting to the haunt, you are welcomed by a couple of line actors. One of my favorite and most memorable line actors was Nana, an old lady who carries around her walker with a speaker blasting music on the seat! She even got onto the floor and chased me around on all fours! Oh, and we can’t forget our friend Dark Hayze. He was very happy that we have new crew members for him to terrorize. He followed us in the line, and had a jar for us to smell. Whatever was in the jar was the worst thing any of us have ever smelled! Luckily this haunt’s wait time wasn’t that bad when our team went, and was really fast with getting people in. Before going into the haunt, we were able to take a group photo before going into the next room where one of the line members told us the rules of the haunt.
Now in years past before you enter the haunt, you would be put in a cage that would spin. This year Dungeon of Doom completely remodeled the whole first part of the haunt. They even redid the queue! We are sad to see the cage part of the haunt is gone, but they replaced it with the sanctuary. Oh man, they did such a wonderful job and the design of this area is amazing. The detail and amount of work is truly amazing. It really feels like you’re in a sanctuary. You have to see it for yourself.
Something I really enjoyed about this haunt is how many different themes they had going on. The most memorable one for me was the laboratory. They put us in a little cell and wait a couple of seconds to go see the doctor who is going to “fix” us. Not only was their acting brilliant, but their props were incredibly realistic. For a minute, I really thought there was a dead body laying on a table. The lighting and sound effects made this haunted house even more captivating. You look around to try and see where the actor is going to pop out, next thing you know they pop out in the place you least expect. When I tell you this haunt had me screaming bloody murder, I mean it! There was another part of the haunt that was like a circus filled with clowns. We had one clown that kept following us and calling the owner’s name. Now just as we thought we got away, he kept popping up out of nowhere! This was really creepy, but we also had clowns looking down on us from above which made it even more so. They were all over the place; it felt like we were going crazy!
That was just the haunt! They also provide an add on experience called “Buried Alive”. They simulate what it’s like to be buried alive. If you’re claustrophobic, I do not recommend this. We were buried and I was so grateful that I will never experience that again because of how realistic it felt.
Overall, this was a really good haunt that left me thinking, “I want to get the hell out of this place”! In my opinion, I think that’s a really good thing to cross your mind in a haunted house. Every year Dungeon of Doom keeps stepping up their game, always working on new rooms or their queue. They always want to give you a new experience each year. This year I believe was their biggest renovation we’ve experienced. They put so much work into the haunt this year and it shows. So what are you waiting for? Go check out the Dungeon of Doom and see for yourself!
