Todd - Nightmare on Edgewood has a new home this year – right next door! The crew faced a daunting task this year of having to tear down and literally rebuild everything from the ground up, one building over. Despite facing an immense amount of work on a heavily constrained timeline, Nightmare on Edgewood didn’t miss a beat this year and packed a punch with more force than ever. This year’s three attractions stack together in one continuous flow (with reset areas) in the massive new building. Upon entering you are faced with the large-as-life façade of Edgewood Sanitarium, the first haunt. It’s an immaculate first impression and a fair representation of the caliber of haunts that await inside.
Edgewood Sanitarium is aptly named for its battered medical facilities and deranged patients. Walking through, the use of both live actors and animatronics produce a very unsettling atmosphere. Some patients are simply confused, some are incapacitated and some are outright violent. It’s a good time to mention that Nightmare of Edgewood is a touch haunt, and an aggressive one at that. On our visit, I was pulled from the group, grabbed by the head and involuntarily forced to kiss a charred body being examined. Soon after a surgeon (I doubt he’s still licensed) got VERY grabby and continuously rubbed his hands all over my head while damn near holding me in a partial choke-hold. I suppose he was assessing me for some form of experiment. There were a lot of small but clever elements that stood out to me. One was stacking gurneys in the hall in a way that not only did you have to walk around them, but under them (or perhaps I was just having flashbacks of hitting my head when I was thrown into one years ago). They also have a few animatronics that rock or shake violently which are placed under strobe lights to make the motion appear more erratic. It’s a neat effect. Of course, it’s always worth mentioning the elevator, not only for the rough ride, but the clever mechanics that made it seem as if you really step off on another floor.
From a complete experience perspective, the middle haunt, House of Trepidation, was my favorite. Keeping the name of another Indy haunt and Edgewood’s former neighbors of the last 2 years was a nice touch. The experience as a whole was a mash up of the former House of Trepidation and Edgewood’s old traditional haunted house. Formerly presented as the residence of Dr. Belle, this year, the home’s focal character is Uncle Charlie who evidently absolutely HATES people being in his house. The home’s build was very detailed. In a lot of ways it felt like we were in an actual house. After being instructed that we need to avoid being seen, we were told to escape through the living room fireplace. This took us between the walls where we could hear Charlie walking above us. Once the coast was clear we were ushered into the rest of the house, only to be met with Charlie face to face numerous times.
As we entered the dining room, Charlie caught us and forced me to stand in a corner Blair Witch style, while the others were scored. We were ordered to “get the hell off his property” which was easier said than done. The haunt was built so the Charlie actor could navigate around without being seen, so we re-encountered him in various rooms. Eventually we wound up in a girl’s bedroom and I immediately thought, “Oh man…we’re screwed.” Sure enough, lo and behold, Charlie comes busting in wanting to know why we’re in his daughter’s room. The actor playing Charlie was pretty intimidating; in some ways I actually felt like I was somewhere I shouldn’t be, getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the forth or fifth time encountering Charlie I really started to feel a little pressure to GTFO – all in good fun of course. This is the aspect House of Trepidation I liked the most. The consistent encounters with Charlie and keeping him as the focal point of the scares was a refreshing experience.
The third and final part of the haunt is Conley Farm, just your typical farm full of rural maniacs affected by the use of questionable pesticides. Last year I wasn’t overly impressed with this part of Edgewood. Barnyard décor isn’t my favorite and I felt like there wasn’t a whole lot going on. I was a little leery when I heard it was returning for the 2021 season and more than pleasantly surprised by this year’s execution. I mean, I couldn’t complain when a girl wearing a bunny mask approached me walking on all fours, then proceeded to hold on to my arm through the entire room. I’ve never felt so welcome! As predicted, the welcome wagon took a hard left as we proceeded.
After being various (and questionable) cuts of meat from other folk within, we came upon two gentlemen playing the knife game Five Finger Filet with a machete. I was then prompted to try it myself. I took the machete and did a pretty damn good job, if I say so myself. Then I hear, “Get his feet Jess!” and the next thing I know, I’m bear hugged from behind, the other guy grabs my legs and I’m hoisted on to the table. One of them holds me down and the other brings the blade quite close to my crotch and says, “I hope you’re not fond of your nuts.” Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before. Best of all a photographer was there to capture the Kodak moment but I regrettably did not buy the shot (so don’t go looking for it). The haunt finished out with a few outdoor scenes, the most memorable being a raised boardwalk, passing a waterfall from which a huge alligator puppet emerged.
Nightmare on Edgewood was fantastic this year. It looks great, the actors are fantastic, it’s highly and distinctly themed and there was never a dull moment. Loved it. Now, it’s time to build upwards!
Edgewood Sanitarium is aptly named for its battered medical facilities and deranged patients. Walking through, the use of both live actors and animatronics produce a very unsettling atmosphere. Some patients are simply confused, some are incapacitated and some are outright violent. It’s a good time to mention that Nightmare of Edgewood is a touch haunt, and an aggressive one at that. On our visit, I was pulled from the group, grabbed by the head and involuntarily forced to kiss a charred body being examined. Soon after a surgeon (I doubt he’s still licensed) got VERY grabby and continuously rubbed his hands all over my head while damn near holding me in a partial choke-hold. I suppose he was assessing me for some form of experiment. There were a lot of small but clever elements that stood out to me. One was stacking gurneys in the hall in a way that not only did you have to walk around them, but under them (or perhaps I was just having flashbacks of hitting my head when I was thrown into one years ago). They also have a few animatronics that rock or shake violently which are placed under strobe lights to make the motion appear more erratic. It’s a neat effect. Of course, it’s always worth mentioning the elevator, not only for the rough ride, but the clever mechanics that made it seem as if you really step off on another floor.
From a complete experience perspective, the middle haunt, House of Trepidation, was my favorite. Keeping the name of another Indy haunt and Edgewood’s former neighbors of the last 2 years was a nice touch. The experience as a whole was a mash up of the former House of Trepidation and Edgewood’s old traditional haunted house. Formerly presented as the residence of Dr. Belle, this year, the home’s focal character is Uncle Charlie who evidently absolutely HATES people being in his house. The home’s build was very detailed. In a lot of ways it felt like we were in an actual house. After being instructed that we need to avoid being seen, we were told to escape through the living room fireplace. This took us between the walls where we could hear Charlie walking above us. Once the coast was clear we were ushered into the rest of the house, only to be met with Charlie face to face numerous times.
As we entered the dining room, Charlie caught us and forced me to stand in a corner Blair Witch style, while the others were scored. We were ordered to “get the hell off his property” which was easier said than done. The haunt was built so the Charlie actor could navigate around without being seen, so we re-encountered him in various rooms. Eventually we wound up in a girl’s bedroom and I immediately thought, “Oh man…we’re screwed.” Sure enough, lo and behold, Charlie comes busting in wanting to know why we’re in his daughter’s room. The actor playing Charlie was pretty intimidating; in some ways I actually felt like I was somewhere I shouldn’t be, getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the forth or fifth time encountering Charlie I really started to feel a little pressure to GTFO – all in good fun of course. This is the aspect House of Trepidation I liked the most. The consistent encounters with Charlie and keeping him as the focal point of the scares was a refreshing experience.
The third and final part of the haunt is Conley Farm, just your typical farm full of rural maniacs affected by the use of questionable pesticides. Last year I wasn’t overly impressed with this part of Edgewood. Barnyard décor isn’t my favorite and I felt like there wasn’t a whole lot going on. I was a little leery when I heard it was returning for the 2021 season and more than pleasantly surprised by this year’s execution. I mean, I couldn’t complain when a girl wearing a bunny mask approached me walking on all fours, then proceeded to hold on to my arm through the entire room. I’ve never felt so welcome! As predicted, the welcome wagon took a hard left as we proceeded.
After being various (and questionable) cuts of meat from other folk within, we came upon two gentlemen playing the knife game Five Finger Filet with a machete. I was then prompted to try it myself. I took the machete and did a pretty damn good job, if I say so myself. Then I hear, “Get his feet Jess!” and the next thing I know, I’m bear hugged from behind, the other guy grabs my legs and I’m hoisted on to the table. One of them holds me down and the other brings the blade quite close to my crotch and says, “I hope you’re not fond of your nuts.” Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before. Best of all a photographer was there to capture the Kodak moment but I regrettably did not buy the shot (so don’t go looking for it). The haunt finished out with a few outdoor scenes, the most memorable being a raised boardwalk, passing a waterfall from which a huge alligator puppet emerged.
Nightmare on Edgewood was fantastic this year. It looks great, the actors are fantastic, it’s highly and distinctly themed and there was never a dull moment. Loved it. Now, it’s time to build upwards!
Paul - Any time we hear of a haunt moving locations, it always raises some concern. Landlord struggles? Location struggles? Ownership conflicts? Just outgrew the space? So when we heard that Nightmare on Edgewood was moving for 2021, we definitely felt a little worry creep in. Well I'm not sure what the hell we were worried about because this may have been their best year ever.
Nightmare on Edgewood is a haunt located a couple of miles south of downtown Indianapolis. Although it has moved a couple of times (including this year) and is no longer on Edgewood Ave, the name and reputation live on. Edgewood is located on S Meridian St, literally just on the other side of the railroad tracks from the building they've been in for the last few years. Each time they've moved is has been for the better, and this building is easily the best one yet (other than parking being a little tighter.) There's an enormous amount of space inside, and one of the more exciting aspects of it for me is that there's even opportunity to go vertical!
When you arrive on site you'll purchase tickets at the trailer out front if you didn't purchase them online. On the night we went there was a bit of a line outside in front of the building, but the majority of your wait will be spent indoors. The indoor queue area is a pretty nice place to wait, with an atmosphere that definitely feels like you're about to walk into a super creepy haunt.
The three attractions in the building now are all versions of what were in the last location, but completely redone. You'll begin with a bit of clinical malpractice in Edgewood Sanitarium, follow that up with some very unappreciated trespassing through the House of Trepidation, and finally you'll try to escape it all through the insanity of Conley Farm.
All three haunts are excellent! The actors are very interactive, aggressive, well-costumed, well-positioned, and have some of the better dialogue we've run into. The sets are great, with completely realistic props, animatronics, lighting, sounds, and smells. And it's a touch haunt, so if there are places where they feel like a little push, pull, or drag is needed- it'll happen! Plenty of surprises throughout- plus this was one of very few haunts we've visited this year where I don't recall any areas where I thought "shouldn't there be an actor somewhere in here?"
Edgewood is easily in my top 3 haunts we've visited this year. It was an absolute riot from start to finish, and I 100% recommend it to anyone who thinks they can handle it. The facility is great, the operations are well-sorted, and I had more fun inside than I have in a haunt for quite some time. Get over to Nightmare on Edgewood and take a voyage through the chaos- You won't forget it.
Nightmare on Edgewood is a haunt located a couple of miles south of downtown Indianapolis. Although it has moved a couple of times (including this year) and is no longer on Edgewood Ave, the name and reputation live on. Edgewood is located on S Meridian St, literally just on the other side of the railroad tracks from the building they've been in for the last few years. Each time they've moved is has been for the better, and this building is easily the best one yet (other than parking being a little tighter.) There's an enormous amount of space inside, and one of the more exciting aspects of it for me is that there's even opportunity to go vertical!
When you arrive on site you'll purchase tickets at the trailer out front if you didn't purchase them online. On the night we went there was a bit of a line outside in front of the building, but the majority of your wait will be spent indoors. The indoor queue area is a pretty nice place to wait, with an atmosphere that definitely feels like you're about to walk into a super creepy haunt.
The three attractions in the building now are all versions of what were in the last location, but completely redone. You'll begin with a bit of clinical malpractice in Edgewood Sanitarium, follow that up with some very unappreciated trespassing through the House of Trepidation, and finally you'll try to escape it all through the insanity of Conley Farm.
All three haunts are excellent! The actors are very interactive, aggressive, well-costumed, well-positioned, and have some of the better dialogue we've run into. The sets are great, with completely realistic props, animatronics, lighting, sounds, and smells. And it's a touch haunt, so if there are places where they feel like a little push, pull, or drag is needed- it'll happen! Plenty of surprises throughout- plus this was one of very few haunts we've visited this year where I don't recall any areas where I thought "shouldn't there be an actor somewhere in here?"
Edgewood is easily in my top 3 haunts we've visited this year. It was an absolute riot from start to finish, and I 100% recommend it to anyone who thinks they can handle it. The facility is great, the operations are well-sorted, and I had more fun inside than I have in a haunt for quite some time. Get over to Nightmare on Edgewood and take a voyage through the chaos- You won't forget it.
Teresa - If you're looking for a full-contact place to scream your head off this Halloween season, head straight to Nightmare on Edgewood in south Indianapolis. Still not sure? Check out the awards and videos on the website. Be sure to check out the blog and join the fan club while you're there. You can find dates/times, tickets, and location there also. This is an all new location, but very very close to last year. Parking is limited, so carpool if you can. It can be very busy, especially later in the season, so be prepared for a wait. This place has a strong following and haunt lovers have been making it an annual tradition for decades. When we got there, there was a line to get tickets, a line to get into the building, and a couple lines inside the building (one next to the giant hospital façade for fast passes, and a much longer one for general admission outside the hospital fence). The ambiance inside the building is really fun though. The façade is an impressive 2-story structure with fantastic architectural details like decorative quoins (the raised corner blocks), and there are trees and fog, plus an exit in case you need to squeeze in a restroom break before heading in (definitely a good idea), and a concession area. Not a bad place to wait! I think for general admission, it isn't unusual to see 3-hour waits on the busiest nights, so be prepared or buy fast passes. There are 3 attractions for this year. The first is Edgewood Sanitarium, the second is House of Trepidation (which will sound familiar to many of you), and the third is Conley Farm. They are all 3 extreme haunts. You will be touched and you will have fun!
Edgewood Sanitarium started us appropriately in the waiting room where we met Dr. Schizophrenia, who specializes in lobotomies. Then we were admitted into the rest of the hospital where we had patients and deranged doctors jump out at us, touch our hair, caress our faces, shove us, grab us, and pull us. They did a good job making an impression on us. Even the animatronics were intense. Once we got out of the hospital, we found ourselves waiting in front of a fancy mansion door, opening into the House of Trepidation. We were asked to stand in front of the big fireplace while we were warned about the mansion. We were told to hurry(!) because Uncle Charlie doesn't like intruders. Uncle Charlie was indeed, quite unhappy to see us. Such an angry guy! He kept appearing and telling us to get out, but we couldn't find a way out. We went through a parlor, kitchen, the daughter's bedroom, wine cellar, garage... and kept running into various family members who were equally upset. And Charlie again! We narrowly escaped being dinner (or worse!). Then we regrouped before entering Conley Farm. I love a farm all decked-out Halloween-style! There were tons of skeletons, spiders, something that may have been a werewolf (sorry, it was something big and scary in the dark), one of our group got snatched through a wall. A giant rat-man pulled another of our party into another room. Another couple ganged up on me and pulled my head back to check my teeth, like I was a horse up for sale or something. We were offered a piece of some meaty gross bone. And then the piece de resistance...the slaughterhouse. This room was tense and shocking and we loved it! So worth the long wait! And still there was more. I loved the creepy jack-o-lantern room, the laser fog, bridge, and insane waterfall. You get so much bang for your buck here. Nightmare on Edgewood has definitely earned its reputation as an extreme haunt. The scares are plentiful and all 3 attractions are strong. This place is a must-see!
Edgewood Sanitarium started us appropriately in the waiting room where we met Dr. Schizophrenia, who specializes in lobotomies. Then we were admitted into the rest of the hospital where we had patients and deranged doctors jump out at us, touch our hair, caress our faces, shove us, grab us, and pull us. They did a good job making an impression on us. Even the animatronics were intense. Once we got out of the hospital, we found ourselves waiting in front of a fancy mansion door, opening into the House of Trepidation. We were asked to stand in front of the big fireplace while we were warned about the mansion. We were told to hurry(!) because Uncle Charlie doesn't like intruders. Uncle Charlie was indeed, quite unhappy to see us. Such an angry guy! He kept appearing and telling us to get out, but we couldn't find a way out. We went through a parlor, kitchen, the daughter's bedroom, wine cellar, garage... and kept running into various family members who were equally upset. And Charlie again! We narrowly escaped being dinner (or worse!). Then we regrouped before entering Conley Farm. I love a farm all decked-out Halloween-style! There were tons of skeletons, spiders, something that may have been a werewolf (sorry, it was something big and scary in the dark), one of our group got snatched through a wall. A giant rat-man pulled another of our party into another room. Another couple ganged up on me and pulled my head back to check my teeth, like I was a horse up for sale or something. We were offered a piece of some meaty gross bone. And then the piece de resistance...the slaughterhouse. This room was tense and shocking and we loved it! So worth the long wait! And still there was more. I loved the creepy jack-o-lantern room, the laser fog, bridge, and insane waterfall. You get so much bang for your buck here. Nightmare on Edgewood has definitely earned its reputation as an extreme haunt. The scares are plentiful and all 3 attractions are strong. This place is a must-see!
Emily - Nightmare on Edgewood is a great haunt, but getting in is a little cumbersome. The parking lot is very confusing and there are no signs, so navigating that is difficult. Once you park though, the ticket area is outdoors. After the ticket line, there is another space for waiting, which you cannot see until you’re already in the room. It is a nice atmosphere though, there is music, props, and tons of people to watch.
From the start, the effects of this haunt were top notch. Kudos to whoever designed that elevator. It really feels like you’re going to a basement. There is a perfectly placed and unexpected drop floor. The animatronics were long enough to chance you down hallways. The strobe lighting was well executed in each location, which just further points out the detail that Nightmare on Edgewood team puts into their work.
I was kidnapped, while my friends were wrestled in barn stalls and thrown around on tables. The actors are very touchy and aggressive. There was a “Hills Have Eyes” looking bunny that was obsessed with wanting to touch our legs, going up pants and all. The actors clearly have fun in their role. They are energetic and are willing to follow you out of their set.
Apart from the difficult and time-consuming entry, Nightmare at Edgewood was so much fun. Just make sure you come with a good group to keep you entertained while you wait. The attention to detail and energy makes the wait worth it. Can’t wait to return to see what they bring to the butcher table in the future.
From the start, the effects of this haunt were top notch. Kudos to whoever designed that elevator. It really feels like you’re going to a basement. There is a perfectly placed and unexpected drop floor. The animatronics were long enough to chance you down hallways. The strobe lighting was well executed in each location, which just further points out the detail that Nightmare on Edgewood team puts into their work.
I was kidnapped, while my friends were wrestled in barn stalls and thrown around on tables. The actors are very touchy and aggressive. There was a “Hills Have Eyes” looking bunny that was obsessed with wanting to touch our legs, going up pants and all. The actors clearly have fun in their role. They are energetic and are willing to follow you out of their set.
Apart from the difficult and time-consuming entry, Nightmare at Edgewood was so much fun. Just make sure you come with a good group to keep you entertained while you wait. The attention to detail and energy makes the wait worth it. Can’t wait to return to see what they bring to the butcher table in the future.
Questions? Have a story to share? Leave it in the comments!