Literally, A Haunted House At Culbertson Mansion - 2017 Review

Overall Score - 8.8
Scare Factor - 8
Actors - 10
Visuals - 7.3
Value - 10

Teresa - I love the Culbertson Mansion! The haunt is in the carriage house behind the mansion. That limits the space, but they more than make up for it with creativity and outstanding actors. These two things make this one of my favorite haunts every year. This year the theme is Circus Inferno. They have completely changed the rooms and characters. Starting outside, I saw a couple of my favorite queue actors, Nightmares the clown and this horrifying clown-witch-looking character (is there a name for that phobia?). There's a short outside section with a couple more crazy circus performers that had us laughing right off the bat. Then we went inside. I cannot stress how awesome these actors are. They had great personalities, accents, costumes, and dialogue. I won't tell you all their secrets, but there were creepy crawlers, a very funny fortune teller, a dramatic scene with a high striker strength tester, shrinking walls, a magic show, and the most entertaining chainsaw I've ever seen. We were grinning and laughing through the whole thing. This isn't the scariest haunt I've been to, but it is one of the most fun. The wait isn't long and the price is very good. Highly recommended! Also, go by in the day-time and do a tour of the mansion. Not only is it beautiful, the history is interesting, as are the stories of actual ghosts experienced by caretakers.

Paul - The haunt at Culbertson blew away my expectations. I knew it was a smaller haunt without a huge budget but I loved it! They change the theme of the haunt yearly and this year it's Circus Inferno. Survivors -or not- of a fiery circus train crash are roaming the premises and the carriage house.

Having the lower budget that they do, the only thing you may notice as missing from some of the bigger haunts are the elaborate animatronics and super-detailed sets. Don't get me wrong, it isn't unprofessional at all, it just wasn't the sets that blew me away... It was the actors.  The actors did a fantastic job! They interacted well, they sold their parts, their costumes and makeup were absolutely spot-on, and they made the Culbertson into an amazing experience. And on top of it all, every one of them is there as a volunteer! 

If you're ever in the Louisville area on a night they're open, you really owe it to yourself to visit. It's cheap scary fun, and one of my favorites of the year.

Todd - Just about the only "Con" I can think of when it comes to Literally, A Haunted House at Culbertson Mansion, is that it I wish it was 3 times longer! Culbertson continues to bring an original theme and experience year after year. If you've never been, the haunt resides primarily in the old carriage house behind the historical Culbertson Mansion. Space is very limited so Gary Collins and his crew have a tremendous challenge to keep this haunt fresh each year.

Culbertson outshines many "high dollar" haunts that rely on expensive effects and animatronics for scares, primarily with the drive of their incredible actors (I can't speak highly enough about the actors). They carry an insane amount of energy in their performance and really make the experience stand out. 

The blood, sweat and tears that go into reinventing this haunt each year are clearly evident. While their budget is modest, some of the things they pull off are absent from any other haunts we visit. The originality is off the charts! 

Some attendees may find Culbertson to be a little on the tame side and perhaps turned off by the lack of expensive eye candy other haunts have to offer - and that is a real shame. Culbertson carries with it an "old school" vibe that reminds me of when I was a kid setting up a haunted house in my basement (yes, I was that kid) and dreaming up all of these cool ideas that I had no resources to implement. The passion of haunting lives within Culbertson, which can easily be lost when it comes to developing a high dollar haunt with profit driving decisions.

If you want to feel where haunters' roots are, Culbertson should be your first destination.