Whether it’s for the tricks, or the treats, everyone seems to love Halloween. According to History.com, Halloween’s origins date all the way back to the first century A.D. and still, almost everywhere in the world, the month of October is dedicated to all things spooky, including festivals, pumpkins, costumes, and my personal favorite part of the month, haunted houses. Living in Libertyville, we’re lucky enough to live so close to such a big city like Chicago, which has all sorts of thrilling haunted house experiences. I decided to scope out a few of them in the area.
The first (and my personal favorite) haunted house I’ve attended so far this Halloween season was Great America’s Annual Fright Fest. Six Flags really stepped up their spook game this year and according to Xander the Demon’s (the leader of the monsters at this year’s Fright Fest) announcement, at 6 p.m., all of the monsters will emerge from the shadows and “all Hell will break loose” and there “will be no mercy.” Take it from me, Xander wasn’t lying. From the bone-chilling clowns to the living scarecrows, you’re bound to be on guard the entire time you make your way through the park. The park is most terrifying at closing time, when all of the monsters make their way towards the exit at the front of the park. It’s definitely pee-your-pants scary!
Another house that caught my attention was Abandoned in Kenosha, Wisconsin. From the first haunted building to the second, visitors will be terrified the entire way through (all visitors are required to tour both houses.) The first house (Hysteria) is a mind-altering experience all the way through, from the visual alterations, such as strobe lights, to the interactions with the actors, it will leave you confused and misdirected with the illusions. The second house (Ambush) is more of a startling scare, including actors popping out at tourists and loud noises, the amazing effects are bound to make you jump a few times throughout the house. The undead walkers will have the hairs on the back of your neck rising from the moment you see them, until the killer clowns take over the job for the zombies.
From the outside, Psychosis in Rosemont looks like a regular building, maybe even a workplace for a small company, but the second I stepped inside, I realized my first impressions of the building were wrong. At Psychosis, visitors are able to pay an extra fee to have someone in their group “kidnapped” (even without them knowing) and placed into a different group. The original group then has to try to find the person who was kidnapped somewhere in the house. This is why they consider themselves Illinois’ most interactive haunted house. Though compared to my assumptions from the pictures online, it wasn’t as intense as the photos looked, thus, not living up to my expectations, Psychosis was exciting. It was not nearly as terrifying as any of the other haunts I attended, but it most definitely was able to make my heart race.
The latest haunt I attended was Realm of Terror in Round Lake. Let me tell you, the name of the house is definitely not an understatement. Realm of Terror truly is terrifying to the point that you’ll be scared to walk anywhere alone in the dark for at least a couple of nights. The crazy ax-murderer clowns will have you running for the doors, but the thrilling makeup jobs on all of the characters are so intriguing, they will draw you back in. Realm of Terror is definitely worth a visit, especially because it is one of the closest houses to Libertyville.
Overall, the haunted houses that I’ve been able to get to so far this fall have been absolutely terrifying, yet at the same time, extremely exciting. I would recommend going with a big group of people to all of them, unlike me, who attended each house with only one other person.
Have a happy and safe Halloween, and don’t forget to get spooked by your local haunted houses while they’re still open for the season!
