2011 Haunted House guide

Eleventh Hour
The four scary attractions on an Elk Grove Village farm are the theatrical, bloody Eleventh Hour; the high-tech Catacombs; and the funhouse-like Intensity (updated in 2011 as Curtain Chaos, a befuddling maze); and the corn-maze Creatures of the Corn. In the daytime, the site runs a kid-friendly pumpkin patch and a lights-on haunted house matinee. 434 E Devon Ave, Elk Grove Village (eleventhhour.info). Sept 30, Oct 1 7–11pm; Oct 2, 5, 6, 7–10pm; Oct 7, 8, 7–11pm; Oct 9, 12, 13, 7–10pm; Oct 14, 15, 7–11pm; Oct 16, 19, 20, 7–10pm; Oct 21, 22, 7–11pm; Oct 23, 26, 27, 7–10pm; Oct 28–31, 7–11pm. Two haunts $18, all four $23 (online $19.95), no-wait ticket $35 (online $27.50).
2011 REVIEW! Don’t be discouraged by the all-too-brief corn maze that starts off the four stages of this experience—it sets the tone for confusion to come. The first of three houses focuses on theatrics and high-quality set design, more impressively creepy than frightening. From there things get downright scary; a simulated elevator drop reproduces every city-worker’s nightmare and a semi slams through the wall to a disturbingly disorienting spinning room and strobe-lit mazes featuring a live metal band that offers an apt soundtrack.—Heather Shouse

Fear City
New haunted house Fear City does its best to play off of Chicagoans’ fears (or maybe their senses of humor—we can’t tell which). A few of the sights include a “seedy” Uptown clinic, a ride on the “FCTA,” a Fulton Market slaughterhouse and a “Blago” room. 8240 N Austin Ave, Morton Grove (fearcitychicago.com). Oct 1 7pm–midnight; Oct 2, 7–11pm; Oct 7, 8, 7pm–midnight; Oct 9, 13, 7–11pm; Oct 14, 15, 7pm–midnight; Oct 16, 19, 20, 7–11pm; Oct 21, 22 7pm–midnight; Oct 23, 25–27, 7–11pm; Oct 28–31 7pm–midnight; $25, VIP $35.
2011 REVIEW! On this new Chicago satire–themed haunt, the VIP entrance sends you into a horror peep show—not worth shelling out the extra dough. But it gets better: A fake train station called FCTA leads to a “train ride” (scenery moves in the windows). The inventive haunt features an FCTA worker, who made us laugh by acting believably rude. The obligatory mazes and staged areas (doctor’s lab, butcher shop) send ample people jumping out at us. But the creepiest part is a walk through “Rob Blagjevich’s [sic] throat” (albeit, it’s less odd than the actual effen golden trial)—two big balloons stand side by side, forcing you to squeeze through them.—Lauren Capobianco

Six Flags Great America’s Fright Fest
New this year: Massacre Medical Center is a 10,000 square foot "abandoned" hospital. Two annual haunts—Necropolis and Mausoleum of Terror—and tricked out rides add to the scares. Check the website for specific haunted-house hours. 542 N Route 21, Gurnee (847-249-4636, sixflags.com/greatamerica). Through Oct 30: Fridays 5–11pm; Saturdays 11am–11pm; Sundays 11am—9pm.  $59.99, online $39.99, parking $20; additional fee for some haunted attractions.
2011 REVIEW! Three haunted houses, five “scare zones,” eight Halloween shows and 200 roaming monsters take over Six Flags for its annual Fright Fest. The new Massacre Medical Center is being billed as the park’s scariest attraction yet. The antics when we first walk in—let’s just say, not everyone in our group is who they seem—scare me the entire time I roam the attraction. The rest of the house followed up with quality sets of bloody surgeries gone wrong and a memorable zombie floating in a pool of severed hands. During Fright Fest, Six Flags certainly found ways to scare up extra cash (the whole shebang can cost around $100). Buy tickets online or with a Coke can and save around $20.—Amy Carr

Asylum Experiment
This 30,000-square-foot Hollywood-set–style haunted house features 23 scenes (including six new ones), many inspired by horror flicks. New this year: A runaway elevator and a hillbilly campsite. Odeum, 1033 N Villa Ave, Villa Park (asylumexperiment.com). Oct 7, 8, 7pm–midnight; Oct 9, 13, 7–10:30pm; Oct 14, 15, 7pm–midnight; Oct 16, 20, 7–10:30pm; Oct 21, 22, 7pm–midnight; Oct 23, 27, 7–10:30pm; Oct 28, 29, 7pm–midnight; Oct 30, 7–10:30pm. $20, no-wait on Thu $30, no-wait on Fri and Sat $35.
2011 REVIEW! Blackout, the first of two haunts, is an aptly named pitch-black maze that serenades you with menacing chuckles. The maze leaves your senses vulnerable for the next haunt: Blood-and-guts–filled Hollywood-set–style scenes. New this year: a mind-manipulating elevator, a stomach-wrenching bathroom scene and a hillbilly backyard. If you opt to buy no-wait tickets, it takes twenty minutes to trek through both haunted houses. Wear open-toed shoes, and Armageddon-surviving zombies will blow on your feet—probably the creepiest moment of all.—Kari Kamin

Screams in the Park
This new haunted house seeks to emulate H.H. Holmes's gothic mansion. Scares include fog-filled passageways, "torture chambers," and vats of bubbling "acid." River Rd between Balmoral and Bryn Mawr Aves, Rosemont (847-868-9279, screamsinthepark.com). Sept 30, Oct 1, 7–11pm; Oct 2, 6–10pm; Oct 5–8, 7–11pm; Oct 9, 6–10pm; Oct 12–15; Oct 16, 6–10pm; Oct 18–22; Oct 23, 6–10pm; Oct 24–29, 7–11pm; Oct 30, 31, 6–10pm; $20, no-wait ticket $30.
2011 REVIEW! A skull with glowing red eyes indicates the entrance to this new haunt, which sits in a tentlike structure near a suburban movie theater. The first area: a series of H.H. Holmes “torture rooms,” half-hearted teenage girl actors playing the serial killer’s victims. Herded into a pitch-black narrow hallway, we feel intense claustrophobia that seems to last forever. Additional well-played elements include a toilet that sprays “urine” on you and a plush red chair—ostensibly decorating a hallway to add a creepy Victorian element—that jumps out at you. Otherwise, the short haunt lacks vertigo tunnels, unique visual elements and a strong tie to the stated H.H. Holmes theme.—Martha Williams

Statesville Haunted Prison
The Joliet area’s historic prisons make creepy fodder for this haunted house, where murderous prisoners have forced out the security guards. At the nearby City of the Dead (40 percent new in 2011), buried prisoners can be found in the new Body Dump. For 2011, the maximum security cell block for clowns has been completely redone to scare the bejeezus out of you. 17250 S Weber Rd, Crest Hill (877-722-7332, statesville.org). Sept 30, Oct 1, 7–11pm; Oct 2, 6, 7–10pm; Oct 7, 8, 7–11pm; Oct 9, 13, 7–10pm; Oct 14, 15, 7–11pm; Oct 16, 20, 7–10pm; Oct 21, 22, 7–11pm; Oct 23, 25–27, 7–10pm; Oct 28, 29, 7–11pm; Oct 30, 31, 7–10pm; Nov 4, 5 7–11pm. $30, no-wait ticket $40.
2011 REVIEW! While standing in extremely long lines, frightening folks jump out at us yelling “Welcome to Hell!” and the un-PC “Nancy!” We finally get to the house and encounter the sickest thing we’ve ever seen: In a poop-covered bathroom, a guy pees against a wall, and a dude fondles a microphone in his underwear and breaks out into a song. One scary, mental-breakdown–inducing room features red and white checkered walls and checkered-camouflaged clowns popping out or swinging overhead on bungee systems. As we left the second haunt—­a less scary animatronics house­—the floor sloped down into the darkness of the walls, and the only way to leave was to disorientingly push your way out.—Erin Delahanty

4

Dungeon of Doom
The largest haunt in this area—about 40,000 square feet and 80 actors—provides scares for up to 52 minutes. See several sections, one of which is described simply as “you will be suspended in the air surrounded by clowns.” Not afraid yet? In Buried Dead or Alive, lie in a coffin while dirt-like debris pins you down. New this year, a hospital scares in 4D: Put on 3-D glasses and check out illusions and scary nurses (the fourth dimension is their unsettling movement). 2701 Deborah Ave, Zion (262-331-0092, dungeonofdoom.com). One passageway $16, one passageway and Buried Dead or Alive $19, all haunts $25, no-wait online ticket $40. Sept 24, 30, Oct 1, 7–9, 14, 15, 7pm–late; Oct 16, 20, 7–10pm; Oct 21, 22, 7pm–late; Oct 23, 27, 7–10pm; Oct 28, 29, 7pm–late; Oct 30, 7–10pm; Oct 31, 7pm–late.
2010 REVIEW! An initial turbulent elevator ride gives you a glimpse of what the rest of the haunt is like: frighteningly small spaces, pitch-black darkness and the occasional strobe light causing lurking monsters' movements to resemble seizures. After walking through mazes filled with roaches (likely crunchy popcorn pieces), chain-saws and insane-asylum patients, prepare for the highlight: getting buried alive. McDonald’s Playplace-esque balls fall from the ceiling and come up from the floors stifling your vision, breathing and movement. Thankfully it lasts only one panic-inducing minute.—Lauren Capobianco

Reaper’s Realm
Enter at the basement of a haunted mansion, make your way through the Reaper's Woods and then stay for a while at the ride-filled carn"evil." 626 177th St, Hammond, IN (reapersrealm.com). Sept 30, Oct 1 7pm–midnight; Oct 2 7–10pm; Oct 7, 8, 7pm–midnight; Oct 9, 7–10pm; Oct 14, 15, 7pm–midnight; Oct 16, 7–10pm; Oct 21, 22, 7pm–midnight; Oct 23, 26, 27, 7–10pm; Oct 28, 29, 7pm–midnight; Oct 30, 31, 7–10pm. Woods only $10; mansion and woods $20; unlimited haunts and one free ride $25, unlimited haunts and rides $30.
2010 REVIEW! Prepare for thirty minutes of haunts in a 20-room mansion. Each room features a different theme, ranging from evil North Pole to a bloodied meth lab. The large man violently waving a chainsaw inches from your leg is a classic scare—just watch out for glitter-laced fake blood (yes, it stains). Once you regain your appetite, try a yummy funnel cake at the carnival. Come early or answer to an unforgiving stampede of two hundred 14-year-olds.—Regina Selma