This year, I walked out of The Hauntel Hotel a little sore, disheveled and covered in grime. I had been placed in several headlocks, sat on (in a good way), come intimately close with a toilet and bathed in a questionable water source. Hell, I was spanked with a paddle before we set foot in the door. Had The Haunted Hotel gone too far, finally? Psh…fuck no.
This season brought new “ownership” to the hotel. Gribbons, we’re told, has died and the rightful owners have resumed operations. Any thoughts that perhaps the new operators were slightly more gentle were immediately dismissed. As in typical Haunted Hotel fashion, the entire experience is one long blur of unrelenting chaos. Every room, no matter the décor, is filthy and dank. Structurally, the hotel isn’t even a big haunt; most rooms are dwarfed by those of other haunts. But who cares? I couldn’t even give you too many details about the rooms. Put it this way, if I had been abducted and later escaped, the police would never find the place because there’s no way I could describe the interior. Why? There’s no time to observe it. Literally 5 seconds doesn’t go by and another actor has grabbed you (literally), shoving you into the next room or hall…..or into a toilet…or an ornamental water fountain, as I experienced this year. This year several risqué ladies were added into the final indoor room, one of which provided the unsolicited paddling before we entered. While this voluptuous woman, pentagrams and all, sat me in a chair and made herself comfortably up close and personal, two others lead Teresa and Emily to the bed. Held down, they received their paddling as well. Mind you, none of this shocked me. All past years’ visits have taught me one thing – anything is possible in The Haunted Hotel.
A noticeable imbalance of intensity has always been felt here, transitioning from inside to outside. Inside, the windowless interior is tight; borderline claustrophobic. The outside portion offers much more breathing room with many less actors in ratio to area. The outside area becomes a different haunt almost – a game of cat and mouse. The path has had things added over the years to fill it out more and it feels complete now – at least as complete it’s ever going to get without a roof and walls (hint, hint). Additionally, for the first time in our experience, we were routed through a portion of it twice after Emily was temporarily abducted. This worked well – it added some length and a changeup to the normal routine. Of course, let’s keep in mind the real purpose of this outdoor maze – it’s a playground for the chainsaw-wielding psychotics lurking about. This must be an absolute moment of terror for those triggered by chainsaws. These guys don’t play around either. They harassed us every bit as much as anyone inside even without their power tools. I have no doubt that much of the paint and grime that was on my face by the end came from these guys. There’s no wonder why all night long people come literally running out of the exist with one, two or even three of them in full pursuit.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll reiterate – The Haunted Hotel is possibly the only place that can get me to momentarily abandon my normal thought of mind. There’s a “next level” of contact that doesn’t exist anywhere else we go that instinctually forces your brain to be on elevated alert to the surroundings. Now before you go thinking this is McKamey Manor, I will emphasize that this is in no way, shape or form the same thing. This great group of people have absolutely no intention or desire to harm you. They find success in yanking you out of your comfort zone, but they know their job is to keep you entertained. If you were to watch us going through, you would see smiles and laughs. For me it’s slightly addictive. I greatly look forward to coming because for a few minutes, I know that I can safely and enjoyably experience something out of the norm.
While The Haunted Hotel is a complete outlier from many of the things we typically rate haunts on, it continues to stand out because of how well they do at exactly what they set out to do. We go on and on all year about haunts’ set designs, lightning, narrative experiences and really, none of that matters much here. Sure, it’s consistent in its rough and dirty theme, but I’m never going to walk out of the The Haunted Hotel noting how well the check-in set was staged. The lifeblood of this haunt is the very special and unique actors that live within it. These are not roles for everyone. The makeup and costuming is exceptional but it’s their drive, energy and demeanor that powers the experience. I rarely get to meet these actors out of character, but when I do they’re the coolest and nicest people ever which only reiterates my point on how amazing they are on the job.
I love this place. It’s had ups and downs over the years but never once has the thought, “Maybe we should skip it this year” ever remotely crossed my mind. Nor should it ever cross yours.
This season brought new “ownership” to the hotel. Gribbons, we’re told, has died and the rightful owners have resumed operations. Any thoughts that perhaps the new operators were slightly more gentle were immediately dismissed. As in typical Haunted Hotel fashion, the entire experience is one long blur of unrelenting chaos. Every room, no matter the décor, is filthy and dank. Structurally, the hotel isn’t even a big haunt; most rooms are dwarfed by those of other haunts. But who cares? I couldn’t even give you too many details about the rooms. Put it this way, if I had been abducted and later escaped, the police would never find the place because there’s no way I could describe the interior. Why? There’s no time to observe it. Literally 5 seconds doesn’t go by and another actor has grabbed you (literally), shoving you into the next room or hall…..or into a toilet…or an ornamental water fountain, as I experienced this year. This year several risqué ladies were added into the final indoor room, one of which provided the unsolicited paddling before we entered. While this voluptuous woman, pentagrams and all, sat me in a chair and made herself comfortably up close and personal, two others lead Teresa and Emily to the bed. Held down, they received their paddling as well. Mind you, none of this shocked me. All past years’ visits have taught me one thing – anything is possible in The Haunted Hotel.
A noticeable imbalance of intensity has always been felt here, transitioning from inside to outside. Inside, the windowless interior is tight; borderline claustrophobic. The outside portion offers much more breathing room with many less actors in ratio to area. The outside area becomes a different haunt almost – a game of cat and mouse. The path has had things added over the years to fill it out more and it feels complete now – at least as complete it’s ever going to get without a roof and walls (hint, hint). Additionally, for the first time in our experience, we were routed through a portion of it twice after Emily was temporarily abducted. This worked well – it added some length and a changeup to the normal routine. Of course, let’s keep in mind the real purpose of this outdoor maze – it’s a playground for the chainsaw-wielding psychotics lurking about. This must be an absolute moment of terror for those triggered by chainsaws. These guys don’t play around either. They harassed us every bit as much as anyone inside even without their power tools. I have no doubt that much of the paint and grime that was on my face by the end came from these guys. There’s no wonder why all night long people come literally running out of the exist with one, two or even three of them in full pursuit.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll reiterate – The Haunted Hotel is possibly the only place that can get me to momentarily abandon my normal thought of mind. There’s a “next level” of contact that doesn’t exist anywhere else we go that instinctually forces your brain to be on elevated alert to the surroundings. Now before you go thinking this is McKamey Manor, I will emphasize that this is in no way, shape or form the same thing. This great group of people have absolutely no intention or desire to harm you. They find success in yanking you out of your comfort zone, but they know their job is to keep you entertained. If you were to watch us going through, you would see smiles and laughs. For me it’s slightly addictive. I greatly look forward to coming because for a few minutes, I know that I can safely and enjoyably experience something out of the norm.
While The Haunted Hotel is a complete outlier from many of the things we typically rate haunts on, it continues to stand out because of how well they do at exactly what they set out to do. We go on and on all year about haunts’ set designs, lightning, narrative experiences and really, none of that matters much here. Sure, it’s consistent in its rough and dirty theme, but I’m never going to walk out of the The Haunted Hotel noting how well the check-in set was staged. The lifeblood of this haunt is the very special and unique actors that live within it. These are not roles for everyone. The makeup and costuming is exceptional but it’s their drive, energy and demeanor that powers the experience. I rarely get to meet these actors out of character, but when I do they’re the coolest and nicest people ever which only reiterates my point on how amazing they are on the job.
I love this place. It’s had ups and downs over the years but never once has the thought, “Maybe we should skip it this year” ever remotely crossed my mind. Nor should it ever cross yours.
Every year I visit the Haunted Hotel in Louisville, I walk away saying "there's just nothing like that anywhere else around here."
Haunted Hotel is legendary. It's like the story "my friend went to this haunt in (insert random city/state here) that's 12 stories tall, and if you make it through the whole thing without giving up, you get your entrance fee back." Except this place is real. And you never get your money back. And you're glad it's not 12 stories tall because there's no way you could handle this much intensity for that long. This is still one of the tightest, darkest, loudest, fastest, and most intense haunts I've been to.
You have no personal space in Haunted Hotel. Actors will be in your face, in your space, then take your space from you as they shove you where they want you. They WILL touch you. They WILL make you uncomfortable. There's a good chance you'll get dirty, wet, or a combination of both. You may lose your keys, phone, glasses, hat, mind, soul, or wallet.
This year I think I noticed a few build changes inside of Hotel, but I'm not 100% sure of that due to the number of actors in my face or shoving my head in the fountain. They just don't let up, so it's possible I missed a lot. There could have been a train full of stolen circus animals parked in there and I probably wouldn't have noticed a thing because someone was in my face screaming about the toilet being clogged.
This really hasn't been much of a review. I guess it's more rambling than anything, but isn't that what happens to people who have been through traumatic experiences? Welcome to the Haunted Hotel.
Haunted Hotel is legendary. It's like the story "my friend went to this haunt in (insert random city/state here) that's 12 stories tall, and if you make it through the whole thing without giving up, you get your entrance fee back." Except this place is real. And you never get your money back. And you're glad it's not 12 stories tall because there's no way you could handle this much intensity for that long. This is still one of the tightest, darkest, loudest, fastest, and most intense haunts I've been to.
You have no personal space in Haunted Hotel. Actors will be in your face, in your space, then take your space from you as they shove you where they want you. They WILL touch you. They WILL make you uncomfortable. There's a good chance you'll get dirty, wet, or a combination of both. You may lose your keys, phone, glasses, hat, mind, soul, or wallet.
This year I think I noticed a few build changes inside of Hotel, but I'm not 100% sure of that due to the number of actors in my face or shoving my head in the fountain. They just don't let up, so it's possible I missed a lot. There could have been a train full of stolen circus animals parked in there and I probably wouldn't have noticed a thing because someone was in my face screaming about the toilet being clogged.
This really hasn't been much of a review. I guess it's more rambling than anything, but isn't that what happens to people who have been through traumatic experiences? Welcome to the Haunted Hotel.
Haunted Hotel is terrifying at first sight. Upon arrival, you witness the hackers already traumatizing their nightly visitors. This is a full touch haunt that shows no mercy to those who dare enter. You will be thrown around, pushed, dunked, forced to kneel, and separated from your friends.
Entering Haunted Hotel is one of the best parts of the attraction. The elevator sets the tone for the rest of the experience. There are many chainsaws used at this haunt, so good luck if you’re afraid of those. This haunt does an amazing job at overwhelming the senses. They do everything they can to make you uncomfortable, uneasy, and covered in grossness. I leave Haunted Hotel exhausted and with high expectations for the following year.
Entering Haunted Hotel is one of the best parts of the attraction. The elevator sets the tone for the rest of the experience. There are many chainsaws used at this haunt, so good luck if you’re afraid of those. This haunt does an amazing job at overwhelming the senses. They do everything they can to make you uncomfortable, uneasy, and covered in grossness. I leave Haunted Hotel exhausted and with high expectations for the following year.
This has always been one of my favorite haunts for sheer excitement. This year did not disappoint. This is a full-contact haunt, and the actors are aggressive. You have been warned. I love a full-contact haunt because you lose that safety bubble that exists when you know the actors can't touch you. Here, they will shove you against the wall, hold you by the throat, grab you by the back of the neck and shove your face into a toilet, force you to kneel, throw you onto a bed and straddle you, and get up ALL close and personal. I can't say I've ever gotten mask-burn on my face before, but I did here. And you'll likely feel a little banged up, shaken, and you may look dirty and bruised, but in my case, it was just makeup and it all washed off. Oh, and I got REALLY separated from my party a few times. I wasn't sure I would catch up. Every member of the group will have a different unique experience going through, because you get attacked by different hotel denizens and have different things happen to you. If this sounds like fun to you, or if seeing your friends trying to be brave and falling into sheer panic sounds like fun, you should definitely check into the Haunted Hotel. Just hang around outside where you buy the tickets for a few. That's a show in itself. People will come sprinting out and sometimes keep going to the end of the block. Hell, maybe for miles, for all I know. They don't usually come back.
The Haunted Hotel in Louisville is a legendary haunt known for its intense and immersive experience that involves full contact and aggressive interactions. The actors spare no mercy, shoving, dunking, and separating visitors throughout the haunt. While the inside experience is characterized by tight, chaotic spaces and relentless chaos, the outdoor area provides more breathing room, yet remains equally intense with chainsaw-wielding actors. Despite its reputation for delivering a unique and thrilling encounter, the Haunted Hotel could benefit from some improvements. Certain areas within the haunt could use refreshing changes, and the intensity between the indoor and outdoor sections could be more balanced. Additionally, while the aggressive interactions are a highlight, some guests may find them overwhelming, suggesting a need for more nuanced approaches to maintain the thrill without causing discomfort. In all, the Haunted Hotel's strong point lies in its dedicated actors, who play a pivotal role in creating an unforgettable and adrenaline-fueled experience for visitors. A focus on refining the balance of intensity and enhancing the overall structural design could further elevate the haunt's appeal and ensure a memorable visit for all attendees.
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