Basement of the Dead
Basement of the Dead is located at 42 W New York St, Aurora, IL 60506. General admission is $30, VIP tickets are $45, and the Ultimate Package is $99 (skip all lines, go directly to the front door, and includes: a Free T-shirt, Lanyard, Shot Glass, Wristband, Coozie, & $5 off Concessions). For more information, please visit https://basementofthedead.com
First off, Basement of the Dead is unlike ANY other haunt I have been to. It’s like you walk up to an outdoor party. They have an INSANE amount of line actors that are constantly on the move, actors that get up in the second story planter next door and launch merchandise and candy into the crowd, a live DJ playing top hits at all times. They dance and entertain and spoil the heck out of their customers, and I love going there just for the environment!
All right, enough of the going gaga over their party scene, let’s talk about the haunt. Before going into the building you are informed of the rules. Walking in, you immediately walk down a few stairs. Now, instead of telling you about rooms they rearranged, I’m gonna tell you about what they COMPLETELY changed (pretty much the entire beginning). They redid the very first room you walk into. It’s now a room full of mannequins. These things were so well detailed, I kept looking for the actor that was gonna try to jump at me, and I never found them. Maybe I’m crazy, but I swear there has got to be SOMEONE in that room trying to pull that one! I’m gonna keep looking every time I go back there, I just know it. They also now have one of those carousel rooms with the spinning floor. They actually have it set up really well and I second guessed whether it was what I thought it was at first. Nevertheless, that door started to get further and further away from me
Another new room is their doll room. I don’t have a fear of dolls at all, but something about the atmosphere in that room just gives off this really creepy vibe. Maybe it’s something you don’t necessarily catch with your eye but you still see…I feel like it definitely had something to do with the scenery.
Lastly, I would like to talk about at least one of their old rooms. They gave their church a major face lift. There are still nuns in this room, they just aren’t on the same level as you…and by that I mean look up. No, seriously, everybody in this room is dead and hanging from the ceiling now! I wasn’t expecting to see them up there honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a haunt with a room full of JUST hanging people. It kind of made me stop for a second and take stock of my surroundings, I’ll tell you that.
Now this wasn’t a scenic walk in the park, I did get scared a few times. I think it was an actor with really good timing that got me this year. I tend to go through their spider room very slowly as the first time I went to the Basement of the Dead, I nearly had a panic attack in this room. The slower I go, the better for me. I think this is why the actor got to me. I was already tense and relaxed in the next room. I’m pretty sure he saw a prime opportunity as I came through that doorway with clenched hands and white as a ghost.
There is also a second attraction after the main haunt called Shattered. Shattered is a 3D clown based haunt and it has some of the best artistry I have seen in 3D haunts. Many things on the walls look like can reach out and touch them. It always gets me when I reach out to run my hand along the walls and there actually is something there that isn’t just painted. The only things you are given for this haunt are a pair of 3D glasses and a small black light. Most of the haunt is dark so there are plenty of places for actors to hide from you are a shining beacon with that flashlight, and trust me, they are going to come right for you if you give them the opening.
All in all, I love what they have done with the haunt this year. I loved it before and now there is even more to love, inside and out. When my friends ask me what a good I know of is, I usually have to include Basement of the Dead somewhere on the list. It’s got a little bit of everything, and even if I don’t get scared, I always know I’ll leave with a smile on my face. I highly recommend this haunt to anyone wanting to go out with friends for a good time and a lot of laughs and fun.
The Nightmare Haunted House
The Nightmare Haunted House is located in 509 E. Hunter Ln. Minooka, IL. There is no admission, but they are taking cash donations for a charity called Shorewood HUGS. The charity is a non-profit organization that works to make a positive impact in the lives of those in the community & surrounding communities, one hug at a time.
When we got to the haunt, we were immediately greeted by a witch and then more characters came out. As soon as we walked into the haunt, we were presented to a nun and then shortly after, startled by the man in the wall! I have to say, he did a good job entertaining us and was very full of energy.
A room that stuck out to me was the doll room. The “doll” in the room was very interactive. She asked if she could turn me into one of her dolls. All I could think was, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!”. I did NOT want to lay next to her mom and dad.
This was a home haunt and I was really amazed. This was my first ever home haunt! Every single room had an actor if not two! The whole haunt was interactive, and all the makeup was on point. Every single actor/actress was also very energetic and did a great job entertaining that night. The detail in the haunted house really stood out. I felt like I was in a horror movie because everything looked so real.
All in all, I really enjoyed this and highly recommend this home haunt. I wish them all the best and I hope to hear more about them and watch them to continue to grow.
Hoppers Haunted House
Hoppers Haunted House is located at 11576 N IL Route 2 Rockford, Illinois 61102. Tickets are $15 per person. For more information on this haunt, please go to https://www.illinoishauntedhouses.com/halloween/hoppers-haunted-house-il.html
When you get to Hoppers, it looks like a very small haunt when you first walk up to it. Let me tell you, it’s not. They do an amazing job with the space they have and make the most of it. I want to say it was maybe 20 mins to walk through. Again, I had no idea it was going to be a good size haunt when I looked at it. But now let’s get into the haunt now.
As we enter the haunt, they kept saying my name. I would like to know how they knew my name. For a good part of the haunt, they kept asking me to join them and that they couldn’t wait to see me. Let me tell you, this was so creepy. Parts of the haunt, you were in and out of the forest. One of the monsters jumped out of the trees in front of us. I’ve been to many haunts that had a forest scene, but never have I ever had a monster jumped out of the trees right in front of us. It scared my co-reviewer half to death. But it doesn’t stop there.
As we walk through the haunt the monsters will follow us. After awhile, they will usually stop following you after a while. But this is Hoppers. They didn’t stop following us and caught me off guard. They scared the crap out of me because I thought they stopped following us! These actors were on top of their game that night. They all did a wonderful job.
There is ONE thing I want to point out…whoever did the artwork on the wall, did an AMAZING job. The artwork is fantastic! When we were not getting chased or scared by the monsters, we had the chance to enjoy the art work which I love so much. This was our first time at the Hoppers Haunted House and we loved it! We can’t wait to return next year!
Psychosis Haunted House
Psychosis Haunted House is located at 29W310 North Ave, West Chicago, IL 60185. General admission tickets are $14 and VIP tickets are $19. For more information on tickets, please visit http://psychosishauntedhouse.net/tickets.php
Starting off, Psychosis is in the middle of Sunny Acres farm. There are a TON of concessions and small stores all around. There was even a hayride running when we went, but that is part of Sunny Acres, not the haunt. There were also a few “line actors” walking around the farm in general. The haunt is not very large yet, as they moved to this location and have more props than they have space for currently. However, they are hoping to expand next year.
Going in, you are given a ticket which is taken from you as you enter the haunt. The haunt is essential built in a barn in the middle of a farm. Parts of the haunt that stuck out to me were the coffin room, alien guy, and the very end. They are not in this order actually, but you can tell what really stuck with me afterwards. I will be honest, I figured out the gimmick in the coffin room before it happened. The fun part is figuring out which person in that room is going to come at you.
The owner of Halloween Blast and my fellow manager really like the room with the alien and the doctor. He was very convincing even though his thing is mainly to ignore you and focus on the alien. What they liked him was that even after we left the room, you could still hear him talking in tongues to it.
The best part was when I walked into the last room and I see this guy with a mask skewered to a table and like the typical idiot I am, turn around to my group and said, “Oh my god! The killed Jason!”. My boss just blinked at me and says, “That’s …that’s not Jason”. This was perfect because the guy in the room with us walks over, rips the face off of the prop, and laughs at me. He then points behind him and who rounds the corner? Jason. I was so mortified, but I couldn’t stop laughing! Probably the dumbest I’ve felt at a haunt in a few years, but the timing could not have been better.
All in all, I had a lot of fun at this haunt. It was my first time going here and considering they downsized when they moved locations, they did a really great job with the space they had. They had so much more they wanted to put in and still managed not to clutter their rooms or bounce around their theme. Everything was linear and everyone worked together to make our time enjoyable. I really hope you stop by to see for yourself how great a haunt this is. Great job to Psychosis employees and owners! Keep it coming guys! We are looking forward to more.
Jack’s Pumpkin Glow
Halloween Blast went to Jack’s Pumpkin Glow located at 2751 Navistar Dr, Lisle, IL 60532. For ticket prices and dates visit their website! Jacks Pumpkin Glow is 1/3 of a mile long, so be prepared to walk! Please wear appropriate shoes, the ground is rocky and if it rained the night before or day of, it will be muddy and cold! Also, if you plan on bringing a toddler, bring a wagon instead of a stroller. It will be sturdier and less bumpy for the trail!
Before you enter the trail, they have multiple stands such as a food concessions and they even serve beer and wine for the parents! For the kids, they have a face painting stand. They also have an artist that decorates pumpkins! While waiting in line, they have a photographer take a photo for you; you can choose to purchase your photo later online or at the end of the trail.
When I first entered the trail, it felt like Christmas because of all the beautiful lights. As I kept walking through the trail, I heard lots of Halloween music and started seeing TONS of different kinds of pumpkins. We saw jellyfish pumpkins, and shark pumpkins…it’s not what you think, it’s actual pumpkins grown in the shape of a jellyfish and a shark and then carved! It was so cool!
A few of my personal favorites were the Bruce Lee pumpkin, and the Disney Princess pumpkins. They also had talking pumpkins that told funny jokes! I kept walking through the patch, and just when I thought it was over, there was even more pumpkins! Don’t just look straight in front of you, search high and low. They are literally EVERYWHERE! This place is definitely a family fun night kind of place! Since there was a lot of people, the trail took about an hour to get through. I hope to go back again next year and see what else they come up with! for tickets go to https://glowpumpkin.com/
Haunted hills hospital
Haunted hills hospital is located at 4700 Central Ave, Lake Station, IN 46405. Tickets are $20.00 for General Admission, $30.00 for “EMERGENCY” Fast Pass, and $35.00 for “INSANITY” VIP Pass and a free t-shirt. Now after you go through the haunt, you can buy a reentering ticket for 5 dollars that lets you go threw the haunt again and you be in the VIP line. Now as you get to haunted hills hospital a lot has changed just the outside part. We are not even talking about the haunt yet. As you get there you have to go through security first. Which I think is a really smart thing because how crazy it getting out there. After you go through the security you see a lot of food trucks. They have cheesecake, bbq, and popcorn truck. Haunted hills also has an indoor ticket booth now. As get your ticket you head to the general or vip line. As you wait in line the have a dj play killer rock music. All over the waiting area they have banners of their characters and a bubble machine with flames coming out from the top. It sounds really weird but when you see it in person is pretty awesome.
I finally head in and they split you up into groups. As you wait to head inside there a tv above you telling you the rules of the haunt with clips of their characters. We finally head in to the hospital. Now these inmates are insane. They are jumping off the walls, off the beds and on top of stuff. They after walking through the hospital part you enter the clown room. This is one of the new changes they made as added a lot of stuff to make the clown room way better. Another change is the check in counter. If you are not careful something may come after you when you least expect it. But the greatest new addition is the airbag walls. Now if you don’t know what the air bag wall is, it airbags that you have to push through to get to the other side. Now this air bag that haunted hills has just go up to your hips. So as you walk threw them, monsters jump out of the walls throws you and you have nowhere to run. I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH!!!!! So another great thing they have done is stopping the big long line. Now when you walk threw the haunt you most likely bump into another group and start missing the scares. Well they found a way to stop it. They have spot were they stop you but entertain you. The first stop we talk to two inmates, one was complaining that the inmate lock him out of the office and took all his pills but the other inmate that was locked in the room said that that was his office and that other guy is the crazy one. It was funny seeing them going back and front. The second stop was a girl play head, shoulders, knees and toes. This is a great way to stop the long line. Finally at the end of the haunt you come face to face with the chainsaw guys. Now as i was talking to the managers. I would see the chainsaw guys chase people out of the haunt. And i don’t mean they stop at the exit of the haunt. No they will keep chasing you until you are halfway out of the parking lot. Haunted hills hospital made a lot of great changes. You can tell a huge difference from last year to this year. The whole crew worked really hard and it pays off. But they are not done yet. This is just the beginning of something bigger. Haunted hills wants to give you the best experience you ever had. If you have never been to this place yet, check them out. for tickets go to https://www.hauntedhillshospital.com/
The Abandoned review
The Abandoned is located at 2825 SE Frontage Rd, Mt Pleasant, WI 53177. For tickets it is best that you go to the website, because they have so many different packages to choose from. They do have multiple attractions at this location, that is why they have different packages. They also have axe throwing now, which is a new addition this year!
Before the haunt even opens, at 6:45 they have a pre-show. It begins with a video showing off the monsters and the haunt, then a countdown starts. Once it hits zero, the doors fly open and all the monsters come running out! Flames start shooting up into the sky from the top of the doors where the monsters come out. The monster get up in your face, then the head into the haunt. I love this pre show! It is one of the greatest things I have ever seen! It’s really hard to explain it all. It is something that you have to experience for yourself.
So like we said there are multiple attractions at The Abandoned. They are Ambush, Hysteria, and Stalks Haunted Cornfield. Ambush and Hysteria are basically one attraction. Now yes, they are two different attractions, but once you walk through one, then you are already in line for the next.
You will start off with Hysteria first. I love Hysteria because it is a time travel themed haunt. It starts off with a portal that you have to walk through, then you are in the first part of the haunt; which is a clown room. Now the clown part is pretty amazing. They have the floor which is designed very uniquely because they are like little hills that go up and down. They also have an ice cream section which is designed with stuff from a real ice cream shop. They also had a mummy room with tombs throughout the halls. Be careful! Some of those mummies might still be alive! As you walk through the tombs, it makes you feel like you are walking through Egypt. There is so much more to the Hysteria haunt, but we will let you check it out for yourself.
The next haunt is Ambush. Before you enter the haunt, you are greeted by nuns. After they explain the rules to you, let you into the haunt. In one section they have a subway train that looks like a real subway train inside and out. When you enter the train, it will start moving and rocking. I don’t know how they did it, but it was amazing! Again, there is so much more to these two haunts, but you have to check it out for yourself! If you went last year, they made a lot of changes to these two haunts and they did such a great job with the changes they made.
The last haunt is The Stalks Haunted Cornfield. As you enter the house, you are greeted by the crazy cat lady. The room is filled with crying cats, and I mean FILLED with cats. After you walk through the house, you head outside to the cornfield. As you walk through the corn field, you hear many strange noises. Looking around though, you won’t see anything expect corn stalks. All of the sudden, monsters begin chasing you. They do a really great job of hiding in the field. A new addition they put in the field is a real RV trailer. The cornfield is an amazing thing to experience walking through. There are real scarecrows…and scarecrows that will come after you! Good luck trying to figure out which one will come after you!
All and all, The Abandoned is great haunt to visit! If you haven’t visited this haunt yet, I strongly recommend you check this place out!
Midnight terror review
Midnight Terror is located 5520 W 111th St, Oak Lawn, IL 60453. General admission tickets are $24.99, fast pass are $34.99 and immediate admission tickets are $49.99. There are also varying prices for group purchases. For more information on group tickets, please visit https://midnightterrorhauntedhouse.com/
When we first arrived at Midnight Terror, we waited in the general admission line to get the full haunt experience, and believe me when I tell you, it was an amazing experience. Entertainment ranging from fear to humor, we thoroughly enjoyed our time waiting for the main event. They had at least 5 line actors who were extraordinarily interactive with the crowd. The way they stayed in character and maintained their energy was astounding. Their actors were beyond energetic to excite the crowd. They’re not afraid to get right up in your face and stare into your eyes until it makes you uncomfortable; just long enough for another actor to pop out and scare the life out of you! Not only are there pop outs that scare you I remember walking into this room where it resembled the dirtiest most nastiest bathroom you could imagine just surrounding you giving you this feeling of utter disgust.
Midnight Terror has more rooms than most can count as they walk through, and actors in every spot they can fit them! They have DEFINITELY discovered what it takes to create something completely original. A moment that scared me, personally…was as I was walking through this hallway with amazing visuals of a decaying swamp, I got jump scared as this swamp man popped up from below this sea of smoke! Not only are there pop outs that scare you, I remember walking into this room where it resembled the dirtiest, most nastiest bathroom you could imagine surrounding you; giving you this feeling of utter disgust. Another moment to remember was seeing a man who told us of how he beat his daughter and wife. Never did get the full story on that one, but it leaves you with the feeling that they probably were no longer among the living.
In going to Midnight Terror, you will experience joy, fear, and elation at all times. From the laughter of seeing fear in your friends, to jump scares, to the terror from experiencing them yourself…your time at Midnight Terror will be a night to remember!
D.E.A.D RISING
D.E.A.D. Rising is located at 13624 S. Cicero Ave. Crestwood, IL. 60445. Tickets for general admission are $18, and VIP are $25. UPDATE! They finally have a sign by the road! They have been working at this for a while and it finally went through! To purchase tickets, go to https://deadrisinghauntedhouse.com/
To start us off, we went on a very rainy evening, so there was only one group ahead of us when we walked up. We did not have a terribly long time to spend with the line actors, but Havoc and Sinister were out there. As usual, Havoc was his usual bipolar self bouncing back and forth between giggling while playing with my hair, and growling at me and being a big old grumpy butt. It’s usually a 50\50 chance on which personality you are going to get out of him, but it’s definitely entertaining to see both! Sinister just always seems happy and ready to cause some awkward moments for me. They never fail to crack me up and make me smile.
Now, keep in mind that Halloween Blast has been going to this haunt for two years now and have become very familiar with the layout, so we notice the tiniest details that have been changed or new actors in the haunt. This year, they SERIOUSLY amped up the elevator! “Not Blade” even had a rough time staying on his feet, and he’s their percussive maintenance man. It’s LITERALLY his job to make sure you get from point A to point B unscathed! As we got off the elevator, we enter a church. The priest explain the rules to us then told us to stand up. once we got up, he told us to sit down. Then back up again and to get on our knees. it was a tight space to kneel down but then he started laughing at us. i think he was mess with us and i don’t think he was a real priest. Another room I had fun with was the black out room with the rags(strings also maybe?) hanging from the ceiling. Every so often a strobe will go off for maybe a second or two and as I was feeling around in the middle of the room looking for the door, I slapped the Halloween Blast owner in the face! I was laughing so hard, I had to explain it to the D.E.A.D. Rising owners when we got back outside!
One of my fellow reviewers also got scared really bad when he found a hidden room with an actor hanging out in it. It was pitch black and small, so when the light came on, he nearly jumped out of his skin! There’s a few more rooms to the haunt, but I think I’ll let you find out about the rest yourself. I can’t reveal EVERYTHING! All I know is that every year, we fight over who is all going to D.E.A.D. Rising because we all have so much fun there. If you are looking for a fun night out with a small group of friends, I highly recommend D.E.A.D. Rising. I can guarantee, you’ll have a blast! for tickets go to https://deadrisinghauntedhouse.com/
The haunting
The Haunting is at 480 Ring Dr. Vernon Hills, IL. 60061. Tickets are $9.99 – $24.99. For more info on prices, please go to https://www.explorethegallery.com/ Let me say right off the bat…this is NOT a haunted house! So if you don’t like haunted houses, but love Halloween, then this is the place for you!
So the question on your mind right now is probably, “what is the haunting? What does it have to do with Halloween if it not a haunted house?”. Well, The Haunting is like an art gallery, but with haunted house sets without the actors. You can walk around and take as many pictures as you like. This was designed for people to take pictures in front of some amazing displays and sets. They even have some props laying around so you can make your pictures look better. There are about 20 or more sets to take pictures in front of. There are even some sets from old haunted houses like Asylum Experiment and one of my favorites…Dream Reapers!
Now, lets give you a taste of The Haunting. One of the sets is set up like a ritual room, with a book on a lectern. The detail around this set is amazing! You KNOW we had stop to act like we were reading from the book of the dead. Another one I liked was a jail cell with an inmate behind bars. Now, have you ever seen the tunnel that goes around in a circle and makes you dizzy when you walk through it at haunts? Well they have one and the best part you can walk through it as many times as you wish and TAKE PICTURES IN IT! You can not do that at the haunted houses. There are other surprises they have in this place, but we will keep it a secret. The Halloween Blast team had so much fun at this place, and it was something different for us. If you’re not a fan of haunted houses, but love Halloween and taking pictures; this is the place for you. For tickets go to www.explorethegallery.com/
