The Haunted Hotel - 2017 Review

Overall Score - 10 / 10!
Scare Factor - 10
Actors - 10
Visuals - 10
Value - 10

Teresa - If you are an adrenaline-junkie, this is the haunt for you! This is a full-contact haunt that takes place in a madman's hotel, full of depraved characters. It is aggressive, vulgar, and intense, and not suitable for children. If you have any doubt about whether you can handle it, just hang out outside for a few. The costumes on the wandering queue actors are terrifying! There was this creepy girl there the night we were there, with long dark hair, like something that crawled out of The Ring, with this goo coming out of her mouth. She didn't move like a human. She had people who were trying to buy tickets running down the street screaming and hiding behind their umbrellas. Too bad that was close to where the chainsaw guy was chasing people out of the haunt. When you do work up the courage to go inside, you meet the owner/caretaker. This guy is fantastic. He grabs you by the head and forces you to line up against the wall while he tells you about his hotel. While he was talking, this other character I can't begin to describe was being so creepy it was mesmerizing. Then we entered the elevator. I've seen people lose it at this point. This place is gorey, gross, and disturbing. We were grabbed, shocked, dragged, shoved against walls and onto tables, picked up, thrown onto beds, had our heads shoved into toilets, had gross items shoved in our faces. It was so much fun!!! The actors are very intense and the makeup is really good. There was a very memorable scene with a narrator, reading from a book, and narrating our movement across this creepy grate in the floor that looked like it could collapse. It reminded me of In The Mouth of Madness. He had us laughing as we went up the stairs. I'm always sad when we exit the building, as it is always over too soon, but I was happy that they added what felt like quite a bit to the outdoor section this year. Because of the heavy rain, some of the lights were out in this section and a character had to shine a flashlight on part of it for us. It may have been even creepier this way. You walk through the maze, just waiting for the chainsaw guys to find you. And wow, are they intimidating, with sparks flying! I love the theme, the run-down hotel decor, the freakishly scary actors, and I love that they were able to up the intensity from last year. Did I get a couple bumps and scrapes? Maybe. Is it totally worth it? YES!!! And in the car on the way home, I saw blood on my arm. Not mine. Stage blood. Probably. And somehow that was like a souvenir. General admission is $25 and worth every penny if you really want to be scared. There are coupons available on the website for Thursdays and Sundays. Oh, and there's a special lights-out night. I really want to come back for that!

Paul - WOW!

The Haunted Hotel is an intense, dark, crazy, nasty, nightmare of a haunt, and I loved every second of it! This is a full-contact haunt and they're definitely not afraid to make some contact. We were picked up, thrown around, yelled at, made fun of, and don't even think that you have any personal space here. The sets, makeup, costumes, music, lights, and special-effects were all outstanding, but the actors are what made it. Their interaction with you as you go through is some of the best I've experienced, whether they were scaring you, shoving you around, making you laugh, or just standing there looking about as creepy as could be. Whether you're Inside or outside of the haunt, you're going to run into some of the scariest actors around. They don't do anything that physically harms you, but you'll remember this place for years to come!"

Todd - The Haunted Hotel is back on point!

Over the past 5 years, the Haunted Hotel proved to be a relentless experience of full contact scares, extreme violation of personal space and one hell of a fun time.

Last year, we felt a little let down and if you read our review, it was pretty evident. Maybe it was just the masochists in us disappointed with the reserved level of hands-on contact. Would we let that stop us from coming back this year? Hell no! The Haunted Hotel means more to me than Christmas with the family. I wouldn't miss it for the world - and - I'm happy to report that the stars have realigned and this year was fantastic!

If you're unfamiliar with this haunt, it's important to note that it's a bit unconventional. Yes it's a house and yeah, it's dark and there are things that make you jump. However, the real heart and soul of The Haunted Hotel are the actors. These aren't the kind of actors that hide around a corner and pop out shouting "Boo." No, these actors are more like professional violators. You WILL be touched...but not just touched...more like grabbed....and shoved...maybe licked, sniffed or uncomfortably caressed. 

A few actors have more standout performances such as the hotel owner who is quite up front about your fate upon entry. The mood is perfectly set with his opening monologue and I've personally seen a number of people never make it past this first room. Other actors are simply there to be brutal. I was thrown against 2 walls, bent backwards over a railing with a dull knife to my throat, thrown down on to a ragged couch, and went forehead to forehead with many others. In short - they're not shy. Will you get injured...no. Will you perhaps get some mild bruising? Possibly. I'm confident that the actors know how to read people and are aware of each visitors personal limits. 

A few rooms have been modified this year and the outside section at the end has been expanded with a sewer scene that was pretty cool, along with what felt like even more walls creating a longer maze for the chainsaw-wielding maniacs. 

The Haunted Hotel may not be the most themed haunt, the most aesthetically decorated, but it excels at what it is intended to be which is an experience at a whole other level. For good or for bad, I never find myself having "down time" going through the haunt to take in all of the scenes because I'm too distracted by whoever is grabbing me or throwing me around at that moment. It's dark, dingy, gritty and relentless. It's an entirely different experience than most haunts have to offer and it "makes you feel alive" which to me, is what makes is so damn good.